It Is Much More Fun Now I've Been 'Pirated'

[TerrorTrooper]

I used to play a modified game of freelancer online.
I was largely a trader and there were pirates, both human and NPC.
I used to hire two or three newcomers to the server, I'd offer them 5000 credits for a half hour there and back trade run, their job was to escort me and if I came under attack they were to keep the attacker busy while I ran to safety.
Worked really well! They made several hours worth of cash in half hour, and I had sacrificial lambs to keep the wolves at bay! I made lots of friends too through my hiring of newcomers.
Good times...

 

[Humbug]

I wonder what pirate did with the cargo. If nothing - he is a tool. Excuse me for being that frank. Because all he did is just shot down some ship or two for giggles, does he have salvaging team who will come later and pickup all the cargo? I doubt it based on what you said. There is NO gain whatsoever to blow up a trader if you don't salvage the cargo from space afterwords. I guess it makes the traders life more challenging and more "interesting" but blowing up traders without a reason without any gain or reward... I think this is why some people call PvPers in ED - psychopaths lol.

I think what I am gonna do is get in an armed to the teeth cobra, come to Eranin space and make pirates life more interesting too.

If you had cared to watch the video he posted you'd see that he lets them go and takes their cargo when/if they drop it. You should still try and track him down though. It'll make both your lives more interesting. Once I move on from trading and start bounty hunting I sure hope there's not only going to be NPC's to hunt or I'll probably get bored of that pretty quickly. You don't have to like the pirates, but it's still a fact that they bring interesting gameplay to a lot of us.

 

[DraigUK]

Myself and a few others have been saying this for a long time now. (Zephyr included of course) we usually get called some silly names for holding this viewpoint, even though it is true. You know the usual psychopaths, bullies etc etc

So it is very refreshing to see someone else who is mainly a trader like me explain how much fun and how much it adds to the whole experience of the game in mulitplayer. + internets to you both, and great vids Zephyr. (EDIT: sorry zephyr not allowed to give you any more rep I have to spread the love elsewhere!! - so it told me!)


I'm still rickety eting about in my Lakon 6 during the short amounts of time I have to play currently, learning the trade system inside out, the travel/galaxy map and the impacts that has on distance you can travel etc

(see here http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=31829 for some help on this if you need it)

Once I get a bit more time and credits I'll be trading in for a Viper and going Yarr a bit, as well as hunting down Zeph and pals and seeing how BH is working out as well.

A couple of things concern me with watching the vids though.

(1) Those fines for shooting in the no fire zone and at players are TINY. They need to be ramped up, but only after the interdiction mechanic comes into play allowing pirates to practice their trade more easily elsewhere, and not right outside stations (which really should be quite safe, Anarchies excluded)

(2) FD need to really embrace this gameplay and not constantly listen to whining people who will only ever play Online solo mode anyway. Because despite whatever FD do with this game, the longevity of it will depend on player interaction in online mode - and that MUST include pirating.

So come on DBOBE stop being such a carebear and get some stuff in for those who enjoy these interactions as well.

You've done just about everything you can to make it so these occurrences will be pretty rare already with the size of the universe, with solo online mode, report a player functions and the, on the face of it, ridiculous "Ignore anyone who pirates me" function that's supposed to be implemented.

Time to bend over, man up, and give the rest of us what we need also! Fun between players! (and I don't just mean Pirating!)

 

[Schnittertm]

I just had a run in with a CMDR in Viper at Beagle 2, too, though I'm not sure what he was up to. I picked up my cargo in the station, set my hyperspace target and after lifting off and seeing the normal scanner again I saw a Viper outside the station the I already saw landing when coming in. I started to point towards me, however weapons where still stowed. I fly out at speed and align with my target, boost and FA-off. The Viper still in my target lock. It turns on me and deploys its weapons and I think, oh great, a Type 6 with a pea shooter is not going to outshoot a Viper. I try to activate my frameshift drive, insufficient fuel, damn pumps didn't transfer fuel form the reservoir to the main tank.

So I turn on him and boost at and by him to gain some time. I lock Beagle 2 station, the Viper naturally turns with me and follows me. My shields still have no damage. I supercruise out and that was it. I still wonder why he was following me with a Viper, with weapons out and not firing. Did he just buy a new and shiny cargo scanner with which he wanted to see what I was carrying? I don't know. However, I do know one thing, I don't like Vipers with weapons deployed at my rear.

Still, if I think I can try to make a run for it, that is the first thing I'll try. If you then use your opinion enhancers on my shields, because you are of the opinion I should share my cargo I might still do so.

 

[Commandr Sam]

I think everyone that has played this phase of beta is now realising just how important pirating is.

A game as anemic as this beta is would last 10 minutes before being back on the shelf.

 

[Shepard]

If you had cared to watch the video he posted you'd see that he lets them go and takes their cargo when/if they drop it. You should still try and track him down though. It'll make both your lives more interesting. Once I move on from trading and start bounty hunting I sure hope there's not only going to be NPC's to hunt or I'll probably get bored of that pretty quickly. You don't have to like the pirates, but it's still a fact that they bring interesting gameplay to a lot of us.

Hey if enough people decided to make each other's life's more interesting we may actually have a good game! my bad I didn't see the video, and yes that's what I'd do as well. "Please Drop the cargo, or you are a space dust". Doing that in Anaconda though would make the best profit if Type 6 or especially type 9 actually decide not to blow up and drop the cargo instead. Or maybe we can pair up in two cobras then canisters from type 6 won't go to waste, for type 9 will prolly need 5 cobras .

 

[Carcharodon]

No! It was the correct tactical decision given your situation. Too many traders have a "I'll go down with my cargo" mentality, when in reality, it's better to jettison the cans and skedaddle with most of your assets intact. Hell, if I ask for 5 cans, and you jettison 3 and start to run, chances are I'll just let you go. If not, they might distract me long enough for you to escape.

So if I act like an AI you'll let me go?

This is tongue in cheek, your videos were fun and your guide on how to avoid pirates when you're a trader or find them if you're a bounty hunter is great.

I'm hoping pirating moves away from the stations as the interdiction stuff improves. Old Elite stations were like reaching a safe haven where anyone being naughty saw a Viper or two pretty quickly.

 

[OriginalBadBoy]

So I turn on him and boost at and by him to gain some time. I lock Beagle 2 station, the Viper naturally turns with me and follows me. My shields still have no damage. I supercruise out and that was it. I still wonder why he was following me with a Viper, with weapons out and not firing. Did he just buy a new and shiny cargo scanner with which he wanted to see what I was carrying? I don't know. However, I do know one thing, I don't like Vipers with weapons deployed at my rear.

The CMDR may have just been trying to spook you ... I sometimes just follow someone for the sake of it just see what they will do. Occasionally I will pull out my weapons as well. But then I would never attack a target for no reason, that inst my game style. It is interesting seeing people's reactions though ..

Psychological games are part of the experience!

 

[Helo]

I'm absolutely loving this thread. I just started down the path of the pirate myself... Although I've yet to find a hauler or type 6 that's willing to lose 4 tonnes. Instead them make me blow them up, poor guys.

 

[Georgio]

No! It was the correct tactical decision given your situation. Too many traders have a "I'll go down with my cargo" mentality, when in reality, it's better to jettison the cans and skedaddle with most of your assets intact. Hell, if I ask for 5 cans, and you jettison 3 and start to run, chances are I'll just let you go. If not, they might distract me long enough for you to escape.

Do you know why the station defences didn't engage you in the no fire zone?
I had a player chase me into the no fire zone and I side slipped his fire which hit the station resulting in a flurry of lasers destroying them.

 

[Podge]

I like this thread.

No bashing us PvP fans who only want changes made that in reality need to be made in order to prevent the game from becoming static and unfair.

(Please no bashing - anti PvP people or those with a carebear attitude)

I think the arguments for the removal of the ability to change groups is strong and fair.

I also think that in the long run it will benefit the game.

Piracy is fun and even though I only bought the beta recently and registered on the forum today (Longtime lurker), I am already on my way to blowing up many shiny pixels.

The challange for trading adds to it. A strong skin is needed but its a good experience for all really.

@draiguk - totally agree with the sentiment about being called silly names/bashed very openly.


They should just sticky this thread and call it the PvP stories thread or something along those lines and have a mod put a clear warning in the OP for people not to bash PvP in the thread!

It'd be a safe haven for some of us!

 

[Yaffle]

I like this thread.

No bashing us PvP fans who only want changes made that in reality need to be made in order to prevent the game from becoming static and unfair.

(Please no bashing - anti PvP people or those with a carebear attitude)

I think the arguments for the removal of the ability to change groups is strong and fair.

I also think that in the long run it will benefit the game.

Piracy is fun and even though I only bought the beta recently and registered on the forum today, I am already on my way to blowing up many shiny pixels.

The challange for trading adds to it. A strong skin is needed but its a good experience for all really.

@draiguk - totally agree with the sentiment about being called silly names/bashed very openly.


They should just sticky this thread and call it the PvP stories thread or something along those lines and have a mod put a clear warning in the OP for people not to bash PvP in the thread!

It'd be a safe haven for some of us!

I do not think the argument is strong or fair.

There is no 'fair' or 'unfair'. There is no win, no endgame, no goal other than those you set for yourself. As an aside, piracy does not necessarily equal PvP anyway.

If you give many players the permanent choice between solo or mulitplayer the cautious ones will choose solo. You will never, ever, under any circumstances see them. So all of those you call 'carebares' will be gone. Do you think it will attract the wary to play with people who boast of enjoying their tears, or blasting them to pixels?

Given the option to flit in or out some of those may decide to flit in, have an interesting encounter such as those described above and choose to stay.

In short - having the ability to switch increases the potential numbers in multiplayer.

 

[DrunkenTeddy]

No bashing us PvP fans who only want changes made that in reality need to be made in order to prevent the game from becoming static and unfair.

Don't turn this into another argument. The thread is about players pirating other players, not about PVP in general.

 

[beelbeebub]

Right now I'm tooling around in an unarmed hauler, there's no danger around.

If I get interdicted it's FAoff +boost, even better than 4pips (so much so I think it's a bad thing).

It's so risk free I've ditched my laser without a second thought.

 

[Breaker]

Trading becomes boring once you have amassed all the credits to replace your ship 5x over...what becomes the point if there is no strife, struggle, or interesting interactions to look forward to?

What is the point of putting in these fantastic systems such as heat and signature for cat and mouse games when all you gotta do is FA off and burn away for a few min?

I believe there is no such thing as a perfect paradise, because once you have it all you wont be happy...you will be bored...

Bring on the adversity, set backs, anger, and plots for revenge!

 

[Humbug]

Well to be fair if you ran into real trouble that one laser wouldn't make any difference anyway. Seeing this sort of thing is going on has made me a little more cautious though. I've loaded my type 6 up with missile launchers. Not that they will kill anything, but they might give any would be pirates something to think about long enough for me to jump out.

Although if I ran into Zephyr I'd probably just dump him a bunch of containers and give him a wave just for being such a sport.

 

[TerrorTrooper]

Valid points from both party's.

Forcing people to choose solo or online permanently will keep the cautious out of online play, and it is about people playing how they want.

That being said, an online trader logging off in space, switching to solo to avoid someone and carrying on is just plain foul play!
Playing in open should involve some risk from players, and logging and switching will be as unfair to those perusing as forcing non PVP players to play in open.

What are people's thoughts on this as a solution?

1:- you can only switch between solo/open when docked at a station.
(This will stop exploitation in using the system to sneak past people in open space, and will allow the solo players to still dip their toes in the open universe at will)

2 :- if you log off in open space, there is a 1 minute cool down before game exit. Thus giving persuer a chance to do his work and will make attempted exploitation risky.

 

[Distance]

Right now you can target systems including the cargo hatch but I've not tested personally if it's possible to blow it open. Can anyone confirm it works or is the targeting system not finished?

 

[yxpoh]

Valid points from both party's.

Forcing people to choose solo or online permanently will keep the cautious out of online play, and it is about people playing how they want.

That being said, an online trader logging off in space, switching to solo to avoid someone and carrying on is just plain foul play!
Playing in open should involve some risk from players, and logging and switching will be as unfair to those perusing as forcing non PVP players to play in open.

What are people's thoughts on this as a solution?

1:- you can only switch between solo/open when docked at a station.
(This will stop exploitation in using the system to sneak past people in open space, and will allow the solo players to still dip their toes in the open universe at will)

2 :- if you log off in open space, there is a 1 minute cool down before game exit. Thus giving persuer a chance to do his work and will make attempted exploitation risky.

Uhmm.. Sorry, but what is the point of that player going in the online mode in the first place then?

Sorry, not trying to bash or say anything but if a player plans to do that in the first place, I don't see why he would go into online mode at all.

Anyway, though I self-declared myself to be a cautious-type player and i never go into pvp regions in other mmo, I do agree that without some level of danger, just flying around trading or mining is way too boring or at least after a period of time, it starts to lose its flair.

Unless there is a story where progression is required and dying really does makes life too difficult to continue this progression, I do not see why people with real space voyage desires would not wish to play in the open-play area.

Just my feelings and thoughts..

 

[Zagnox]

Wow, I wonder who this mysterious ZB is. *cough*

He sounds like a really cool guy. I really wish I could have watched this happen from his perspective... *cough*

That video is hilarious. That's the Elite I'm interested in! Thank god people in this thread seem to understand how to have fun.