Google definition of Piracy. Do we need a new role?

[Alderius]

When you google piracy you get the following description:

the practice of attacking and robbing ships at sea.

synonyms:

freebooting, robbery at sea; archaicbuccaneering "piracy on the high seas"

But what seems to be happening in Open play (NPC's don't do this...), is players interdicting and/or simply
blowing up other players without any motive for robbery. I didn't see a "role" or "career" listed on the FD
site for this type of play (Eg: trader, pirate, smuggler etc).

Do we need a new role and description to cover this mode of play? I keep seeing posts about Pirates but I
would suggest that is the wrong role title. [blah]

Looking forward to some tongue in cheek responses (and don't forget forum rules....) [yesnod]

 

[anikaiful]

As it currently stands, true 'piracy' is almost non-existent - just homicidal maniacs looming around without intent to rob anything whatsoever.

 

[Ant_Solo]

Murder-Hobo.

 

[Alderius]

As it currently stands, true 'piracy' is almost non-existent - just homicidal maniacs looming around without intent to rob anything whatsoever.

Ok, so this new role would be: Homicidal Maniac. CG's would be to go out and randomly kill other players. The more defenseless, the more points awarded!

 

[ShimEnki]

As it currently stands, true 'piracy' is almost non-existent - just homicidal maniacs looming around without intent to rob anything whatsoever.

Very true...i have yet to see NPC pirates who take out miners and cargo carrying NPCs in rez do anything about the cargo that launches from ship destruction. Not one.

This dev team either has zero funds to work with or has zero desire to make this game fly...pun intended

 

[EUS]

CG's would be to go out and randomly kill other players. The more defenseless, the more points awarded!

So, basically CQC.
I like murder hobo.

 

[insanephoton]

If they were just acting in the confines of power play they could claim to be commerce raiders. Most of them act more like Firefly's reavers.

 

[anikaiful]

If they were just acting in the confines of power play they could claim to be commerce raiders. Most of them act more like Firefly's reavers.

Privateers?

 

[goemon]

I'd go with "thrill killing" or "thrill crime" ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrill_killing ... but i can't see elite advertising that as a role to pick.

 

[Alderius]

Murder-Hobo.

That's an interesting one, but not sure it would work because of the definition of Hobo:

• a homeless person; a tramp or vagrant.
  

  synonyms:

  tramp, vagrant, vagabond, derelict; Moreinformalbum, down-and-out; drifter, transient, itinerant "he decides to take to the road with only ten cents in his pocket, intending to live as a hobo"

• a migrant worker.
• I'm assuming that anyone flying a spaceship in the ED universe is employed hehe
  
  
  
  
  

 

[EUS]

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/pirate

noun1.a person who robs or commits illegal violence at sea or on the shores of the sea.


This definition works for ED's purposes...

 

[Alderius]

If they were just acting in the confines of power play they could claim to be commerce raiders. Most of them act more like Firefly's reavers.

HHHmmm, commerce raiders sounds good, but that gives too much legitimacy.... If you're killing off new players in starter systems, it doesn't really fit. Reavers has some potential, but weren't they more like zombies??

 

[goemon]

I'm assuming that anyone flying a spaceship in the ED universe is employed hehe

independent pilots! I'm not employed, and after some deliveries done for various minor factions from the new sirius colonies, i probably will never have to pick up a job. i own my ships, i paid for them, and i can even pay insurance.

 

[Alderius]

Privateers?

An armed ship owned and officered by private individuals holding a government commission and authorized for use in war, especially in the capture of enemy merchant shipping.

This is closer, but still has legitimacy as a) government authorized and relating to b) enemy merchant shipping. This could be applied to power play for a), but quite often the ships being prayed upon are empty or not engaged in anything involving "enemy" activity.

 

[tiger61378]

I think that the Reavers from Firefly are a perfect vision for who "pirates" are in Elite (well, most pirates, there are some who actually will pull you and demand cargo without just blowing you up instantly). The Reavers were psychopathic people who had been exposed to what was supposed to be a calming drug, which then made them basically rage zombies that still had enough skills to mostly operate a spacecraft (although operating is a loose term considering the leaky powerplants and other issues). All they cared about was killing as many people as possible, and in as many bloody, screaming ways as possible. Sounds like the average psycho calling themselves a pirate but just murdering indiscriminately, preferably in starter systems where their targets are essentially defenseless.

 

[AJW]

...
Do we need a new role and description to cover this mode of play?

I think 'space morons' covers it.

 

[Alderius]

independent pilots! I'm not employed, and after some deliveries done for various minor factions from the new sirius colonies, i probably will never have to pick up a job. i own my ships, i paid for them, and i can even pay insurance.

Hehe, a fair comment! Even though you are now independently wealthy, what can you do that doesn't actually involve getting paid in this game? Charity missions are the only ones that don't actually pay, but that's not a game in itself....

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

The term you are looking for (which others already suggested) was "murderer" and that doesn't need a role, just a cop with a sharp stick. (As it stands they're all lolling about scoffing donuts rather than chasing bad guys)

 

[Siobhan]

HHHmmm, commerce raiders sounds good, but that gives too much legitimacy.... If you're killing off new players in starter systems, it doesn't really fit. Reavers has some potential, but weren't they more like zombies??

Not quite... a kind of boosted adrenal thing, drug induced... the movie Serenity explains it quite well.

 

[defekt]

If the implementation of the so called Pirate 'career' in ED is anything to go by FD clearly don't know what piracy is; the NPC's don't do it, and nearly none of the players do it either.

Perhaps FD accidentally mixed up the terms 'Pirate' and 'Space Moron' one early morning design session and ended up throwing out the one they wanted and keeping t'other.