Making PvE piracy great again

[Muetdhiver]

It is well known that piracy is the worse paying activity. Both in PvP and PvE. The only known exception I know of are cold diamond T9’s with return about 8-10M for an hour of play.
IMO the PvE part is easy to fix, and it’s the right time to fix it :

1. PvE piracy needs targets. Juicy ones if possible. So, where are the rare traders NPC’s doing the rare routes ? Thargoid tech smugglers ? Shady Imperial/Alliance/Fed convoys carrying hafmium, AI relics and other very illegal items ? Gold rush “treasure” fleets returning from deep space pristine rings ?
2. PvE piracy need well paying missions, in the same range of “normal” cargo missions, mining missions or passenger missions. In fact, the poster child of PvE piracy wing missions should be well protected Imperial/Fed/Alliance convoys and Megaship piracy. Fun and challenging piracy content providing good rewards. Sounds crazy right ?
3. Add low price drugs and illegal weapons in anarchies and high prices where there are forbidden, and of course NPC smugglers to pirate.
4. When a ship drop cargo due to limpets or whatnot, have the cargo drop in bunch and stop, and have a beacon to locate it afterward. I.e. pirate the ship, get lost when the cops show up. Return a bit later to pick up the drifting cluster of cargo.
5. Make limpets drop more than a few tons, more like 20. Lift the 20 item limit in deep space.
6. Make ship spill cargo upon death, like 15-25% of the cargo. With the new crime system that would carry a hefty cost in the long run, so it should be fine.
7. Add a map like the new trade map, but showing ships with more than 100K in hold for the selected commodity in a 40lyr radius if you have data on the systems. Think of it as having underground contacts in the dock feeding you information about cargo.

For PvP piracy I can't think of a fix that does not slay a few sacred cows.

 

[bigity]

It is well known that piracy is the worse paying activity. Both in PvP and PvE. The only known exception I know off is cold diamond T9’s with return about 8-10M for an hour of play.
IMO the PvE part is easy to fix, and it’s the right time to fix it :

1. PvE piracy needs targets. Juicy ones if possible. So, where are the rare traders NPC’s doing the rare routes ? Thargoid tech smugglers ? Shady Imperial/Alliance/Fed convoys carrying hafmium, AI relics and other very illegal items ? Gold rush “treasure” fleets returning from deep space pristine rings ?
2. PvE piracy need well paying missions, in the same range of “normal” cargo missions, mining missions or passenger missions. In fact, the poster child of PvE piracy wing missions should be well protected Imperial/Fed/Alliance convoys and Megaship piracy. Fun and challenging piracy content providing good rewards. Sounds crazy right ?
3. Add low price drugs and illegal weapons in anarchies and high prices where there are forbidden, and of course NPC smugglers to pirate.
4. When a ship drop cargo due to limpets or whatnot, have the cargo drop in bunch and stop, and have a beacon to locate it afterward. I.e. pirate the ship, get lost when the cops show up. Return a bit later to pick up the drifting cluster of cargo.
5. Make limpets drop more than a few tons, more like 20. Lift the 20 item limit in deep space.
6. Make ship spill cargo upon death, like 15-25% of the cargo. With the new crime system that would carry a hefty cost in the long run, so it should be fine.
7. Add a map like the new trade map, but showing ships with more than 100K in hold for the selected commodity in a 40lyr radius if you have data on the systems. Think of it as having underground contacts in the dock feeding you information about cargo.

For PvP piracy I can't think of a fix that does not slay a few sacred cows.

1) Low temp diamonds are what you want - and they aren't hard to find
2) Agreed
4) Something along the line of making it easier to snag cargo would be good
6) Would be nice

 

[Muetdhiver]

I know of low temp diamonds. In fact it's the first thing I speak about.

However it's rather sad that in the whole game there is only one single case of profitable PvE piracy.

 

[bigity]

I know of low temp diamonds. In fact it's the first thing I speak about.

However it's rather sad that in the whole game there is only one single case of profitable PvE piracy.

There are others, just not as easy to find reliably. Some convoys have something that sells around 70k - but way more dangerous than LTDs.

 

[NeilF]

For PvP piracy I can't think of a fix that does not slay a few sacred cows.

Dedicated OPEN only CGs which are openly aimed at PvP, which at the very least offer missions for "pirates" rewarding the stealing of CG cargo.

 

[fabittar]

Not just piracy. Criminal activities, in general, are paying much less or at the most equal to legal activities.

I did the minimum amount of smuggling necessary to unlock a certain engineer - the dweller -, and the pay was so bad, I'm kind of ashamed to look at the in-game stats for smuggling profit. The one exception is the Imperial Slaves trade, but that's poor design at best.


Piracy is even worse, as the game does NOT offer a sense of in-game progression towards something. It does not add to rank - unless you're killing ships, but that's not piracy -, and the pay is a joke except for one item.


Risk vs Reward dictates riskier activities should reflect the danger of pursuing illegal doings with CONSIDERABLE better pay. Otherwise, what's the point?

 

[Roybe]

Dedicated OPEN only CGs which are openly aimed at PvP, which at the very least offer missions for "pirates" rewarding the stealing of CG cargo.

You'd have to pirate NPC''s a lot more than PC''s for that! Between instancing and the overall lack of interest in repairs and loss to the traders would be a lopsided event.

 

[Muetdhiver]

As far as pvp piracy is concerned FD will have to say a few sacred cows :

1) adding by hand a dozen of pirate lairs asteroid bases in a few anarchy systems.
2) give traders a reason to risk open and even more : tag themselves as targets.
3) give pirates willing targets and a way to find them.

How to do it : add cargo delivery wing missions. Stuff like gold, stolen goods, rates, drugs and so on. The destination for those mission are always in a system rather far away near an other piracy hub. Quantity such that several trips are required.

Now, if these missions are completed 100% in open a fat bonus is added. While the mission is active, your are marked.

Every marked player can be seen on the galmap like the new trade map. Pirates get wing missions to steal cargo, with a fat bonus if open only. They become marked for BH.

BH get missions to kill wanted marked pirates and are in turn marked for PvP assassination missions.

See : 12 hubs to concentrate traders doing known routes, reward to participate, full trader/pirates/BH/assassin ecosystem with willing participants.

Cost : slaying the open/solo equal pay sacred cow in a limited setting. 100% Worth it IMO.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

Dedicated OPEN only CGs which are openly aimed at PvP, which at the very least offer missions for "pirates" rewarding the stealing of CG cargo.

Long since established as not-going-to-happen.

No Open Only, PG Only or Solo-Only CG's, ever.

 

[flyauburn41]

As far as pvp piracy is concerned FD will have to say a few sacred cows :

1) adding by hand a dozen of pirate lairs asteroid bases in a few anarchy systems.
2) give traders a reason to risk open and even more : tag themselves as targets.
3) give pirates willing targets and a way to find them.

How to do it : add cargo delivery wing missions. Stuff like gold, stolen goods, rates, drugs and so on. The destination for those mission are always in a system rather far away near an other piracy hub. Quantity such that several trips are required.

Now, if these missions are completed 100% in open a fat bonus is added. While the mission is active, your are marked.

Every marked player can be seen on the galmap like the new trade map. Pirates get wing missions to steal cargo, with a fat bonus if open only. They become marked for BH.

BH get missions to kill wanted marked pirates and are in turn marked for PvP assassination missions.

See : 12 hubs to concentrate traders doing known routes, reward to participate, full trader/pirates/BH/assassin ecosystem with willing participants.

Cost : slaying the open/solo equal pay sacred cow in a limited setting. 100% Worth it IMO.

100% agree. Great ideas. The Code has similar concerns and ideas, and we only wish that we had a more of an audience with FDev and the community to make this game something everyone can enjoy.

Long since established as not-going-to-happen.

No Open Only, PG Only or Solo-Only CG's, ever.

Anything can change.

 

[Muetdhiver]

Back in the day I loved rare trading in the lave cluster with code pirates trying to get me.

Sadly the lave neighbourhood has become all gentrified and safe.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

Anything can change.

This is true, but not everything will, and this is going to be one of those things that won't.

 

[Muetdhiver]

This is true, but not everything will, and this is going to be one of those things that won't.

Sacred cows are so tasty though...

Still I agree that solo only or open only CGs may not be the wisest of idea.

 

[Faybs]

Long since established as not-going-to-happen.

No Open Only, PG Only or Solo-Only CG's, ever.

I think it would be an interesting experiment for FDev to try out - have some story-inconsequential trade CG in the bubble that pays about average (so there's no special reason to do it other than the experiment) but is only accessible in open, and see what happens. Does it work out about the same as a regular one, or does it turn into a gankfest, or do traders ignore it and it ends up as just a bunch of FAS's and FDLs waiting for the type 7s to show up?

 

[NeilF]

You'd have to pirate NPC''s a lot more than PC''s for that! Between instancing and the overall lack of interest in repairs and loss to the traders would be a lopsided event.

How would it be any more a lop sided event than the moment except the entire thing is only applicable in OPEN?

Trading to the CG in anything other than open wouldn't count. The CG bonus/commodity price could be "healthy". And as I said, the commodity being sold elsewhere (via pirates) could give a reward too.

Yes, the pirates would never earn what the traders do, but it would be more than now...

 

[ragnarrok]

i dunno how fast these boards move... but i just wanted to add my two cents.

i thoroughly enjoyed tracking friegters for LTDiamonds, chasing them to lawless, interdicting, and emptying them. but there is NO way to cripple a PvE ship. knocking out a power plant doesnt do it anymore, when it should, and originally did. It is not fun landing a hatchbreaker to a ship in motion. you get what, 10? and then you have to let them escape, to collect 10 units.

I LOVE all the ideas of the OP. really well thought out solutions, but thats alot to ask, as i'm sure he understands. Can we ATLEAST get the powerplant glitch fixed? its been a LONG time...