This!
We've heard the Stick, now where is the Carrot?
^^ yeah, where is it indeed ?
PvP piracy is always going to be a tough one. But.
PvE piracy could be easily improved a
lot.
1) Have NPC's called "rare traders" do the well known rare trade loops. Have their hold filled with the appropriate goodies. Have missions to steal rare goods and deliver them quickly (so mix of theft and buckyball)
2) Add FED/Imp/Alliance/AEGIS convoys with special cargo like AI relics and other very expensive shady cargo. Put missions (hell, wing missions) to steal those for a large payout.
3) Make all drugs rather expensive except in anarchies, and make all illegal drugs sell for double value on the blackmarket, vs normal in the normal market (they are valuable because they are forbidden).
4) Add more illegal rare drugs in some anarchy systems (work as rare, plus can be sold for double on the black market => some traders will come => piracy targets (NPC or Players)
5) Change the way limpets work : instead of just making 4t of stuff get out in a trail, have the limpet act as a net to grab 10-20t of cargo, stop them near other colleceted booty (speed 0) and activate a beacon visible at long distance
=> if police shows up, draw them away and SR back to the booty. Even better, make the beacon an instance that can be returned to => escape to scene and come back later once things cool down.
6) With the new harsher Bounty system coming in place, why not have dying ships toss out some part of the cargo ?
