How to make a chat macro - Easier Piracy

So Folks on the Piracy Discord Were having trouble making a good macro so here is seting-up and TIPs for Macro the hell out of your targets ;)

Ok, Easier program i used is AutoHotkey, very small, LIGHT, and easy of use (once configured to your liking).

STEP ONE: Download and instal the Program. Here

STEP TWO: Create a Notepad and open it.

Now we need to define wich hotkey will be pressed for your macro, I like the CTRL+WIN+Z button for mine, it's on the side of my hotas very fast to use.

Lets say that you will use the same one that i do:

the first thing you need to do is write that on the script language:

In this case is:

^#z::

^ - for control

# - for windows

z - for Z

(more info in hotkeys in here)

Now we need the action part. I've pre made one so people can use it in the simplier way possible.

Just copy this under the control line:

Clipboard = Try anything stupid and ye will be vacum!!
sleep 50
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard =
return
Remember that ELITE has a limit for pasting word in the chat so if you planing on doing a big macro, split it:

Clipboard = [REC] Ahoy!This is The Pair of Jacks Pirates!! STOP YOUR SHIP AND COMPLY,
sleep 150
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard = Try anything stupid and ye will be vacum!!! Savvy? c);)
sleep 50
send ^v
sleep 50

Clipboard =
return
The bold Lines are the extra part, if you wish to go even bigger just past another one of this one before the return.

Now you should have something like this :

^#z::
Clipboard = [REC] Ahoy!This is The Pair of Jacks Pirates!! STOP YOUR SHIP AND COMPLY,
sleep 150
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard = Try anything stupid and ye will be vacum!!! Savvy? c);)
sleep 50
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard =
return

NUTS AND BOLTS(explanation of the CODE ;) )
"Cliboard = " means your Ctrl+C part, basicaly it copies the text on the right side of the = .

The sleep part is necessary for the script have time to make the scripting before doing the next step, so it's good to have some sleep beetween commands.

send ^v , means that you're sending the keys after it , in this case ^(control)+V , that means paste the clipboard into the chat area of the game.

In the end there's a "Clipboard = " to clear the clipboard, meaning you wont have anything on your CTRL+ V in the end of the script.

Return , is the last line of the script , means that this is the end of that code.

If you wish do do another macro in the same Txt Just keep placing them there, no need to create another

Example:
^#z::
Clipboard = [REC] Ahoy!This is The Pair of Jacks Pirates!! STOP YOUR SHIP AND COMPLY,
sleep 150
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard = Try anything stupid and ye will be vacum!!! Savvy? c);)
sleep 50
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard =
return


^#x::
Clipboard = [REC] Ahoy!This is The Pair of Jacks Pirates!! This is a snatch attack!!
sleep 150
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard = I will take out your FSD then your cargo hatch, but YOU WILL SURVIVE!!! Savvy? c|;)
sleep 50
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard =
return


^#a::
Clipboard = Batten up the hatches!! This one is not going down easy!!Heave Ho!!
sleep 150
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard =
return

^#s::
Clipboard = Dead man, ye soon Feed the space fishes... Unless ye surrender the booty!
sleep 150
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard =
return

^#c::
Clipboard = Shiver me timbers! Booty!! Ye, Leave now ,
sleep 150
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard = and tell the tale of the Pair of Jacks Pirates!!!
sleep 50
send ^v
sleep 50
Clipboard =
return


Now we're done making the macro , it's time to test it, theres 2 ways of using it:

1- Drag the txt to the AHK shortcut.

2- RENAME the TXT to the .AHK extension. Now you just need to click it to use it.

Now test it on Elite, I've made this script WITHOUT the open chat window, or the send button because, feels more easy to use it AND you can just confirm that you're sending the message to the right people.

Good Pillaging!

[---END TUTORIAL ---]

[---START TIPS ---]


A good pirate Macro must have 3 things.

1- ROLE PLAY:

People SHOULD feel like you're a pirate, you should talk "dirty" maybe even some wrong spelling words... This add to the "fun" of being pirated.Also Separate Pirates from Griefers.

2- CAPS the hell of the IMPORTANT THINGS:

If you're going to get a cool , odd, strange macro, you might want to CAPS the important parts... this means that the person can read fast you message.

Example:

This is the cruelty of tortuga,
I'm a blody pirate, and you're my little prey,
stop for scan now, and you might leave alive.

Not so fast reading right?

Try now.

This is The Cruelty of Tortuga,
I'M a bloody PIRATE,AND YOU my little PREY,
STOP for SCAN, and you might LEAVE ALIVE.

if you just go for the caps this reads: I'M PIRATE AND YOU PREY, STOP SCAN LEAVE ALIVE.

3 - A threat.

This is obvious, but it's a good reminder, WE MEAN BUSINESS. Remember to also put some IF or OR for a increased consequence of their actions:

Try anything stupid and ye will be vacum!!!

4- BONUS

Remember Role play, talk like a pirate, BE THE PIRATE, and things can go way funnier than you expect... if they stop , say something funny, have also something funny on your macros... keep doing then make more and more, and you'll make a good time of your game and of you prey ;)
 
+rep for the inara pic. Love that show

Do you happen to know what the limit is?

Close to 80, but i never really counted,I remember my first macro (the one on the example) is very close to the limit, i think i couldn't even put another word on it...
 
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Nice one OP :)

Try anything stupid and ye will be vacuum!!! Savvy?

So you're roleplaying Johnny Depp? ;)

I'm no pirate, so I might set up a reply macro using your advice. Simply says:

"Catch me if you can!"

:D

BTW - repped :)
 
Or use VoiceAttack and selecting the Instant Chat key to bring it up also.
Or try and get friendly first to Wing Up then use the mic to make your demands.
 
Or use VoiceAttack and selecting the Instant Chat key to bring it up also.
Or try and get friendly first to Wing Up then use the mic to make your demands.
This is a bad idea for real pirates. Most traders panic and think running is a good idea. Pirates now are faster than anything anyone trades in, and we have guns. Macros are much faster.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Nice one OP :)



So you're roleplaying Johnny Depp? ;)

I'm no pirate, so I might set up a reply macro using your advice. Simply says:

"Catch me if you can!"

:D

BTW - repped :)

Traders who run from pirates are headed to rebuy. Heat weapons on fixed mounts and dirty drives? Unless you're trading in a racing Courier, you can't outrun a good pirate anymore.
 
This is a great tutorial idea and doesn't have to be used just for piracy, typing "OK don't kill me, I surrender" takes a while too. :)
 
To the OP: bravo for this, i tried myself and works pretty well. But the problem it's not a technical one, as always it's human nature. Most of the time (read at least 75% and i am generous here) the other guy will simply log off, via menu or pulling out the ethernet cord. Personally i decided long time ago to try to kill the other guy as fast as i can, no warnings, nothing, nada, after all most of the time i fly under Archon Delaine flag (except when i collect another power play toys).
 
The problem with AutoHotKey is that it's just a knife. VoiceAttack is a swiss army knife. You can set up macros that initiate on keypress, but you can also bark out orders to your computer. It's much easier to remember a command phrase than it is to remember which three buttons needs to be held down simultaneously.

But then any macro really misses soul. It's much better to type your commands to suit the situation. If you are having problems with traders running away before you can type out your demands my advice is for you to get the your player with the lowest combat rating into a Sidewinder. Get them out into the open to idly chat with a trader, and then casually drop into the conversation that they are being pirated, before the rest of your crew drop in on your beacon.

If your Sidewinder decoy asks for the barrels first he may find that the trader drops them anyway without any threat of violence. I mean let's face it, that's what piracy is... begging with guns.
 
I have the following macros in my X52 profile.

1: "Hold fire, prepared to negotiate."
2: "CEASE FIRE if you wish to negotiate for cargo."

Haven't used 'em much lately. The pirate is an endangered species in ED. Sad.
 
Nice tutorial. I need to have a play with this. I experimented with macros a while back; I can't even remember what software I was using but I do remember it sent stuff one character at a time to the keyboard buffer and was a bit hit and miss at busy times. AHK's "Clipboard=" feature looks elegant in comparison.

I used VA for a while but it had intermittent problems with sensitivity and always seemed to wig out when I needed it the most. I do everything with HOTAS and keyboard now so AHK might be a better fit.
 
Thanks for doing this. Although I am not a pirate, I'm a roleplayer and always use a macro to tell targets why I am attacking them if they are Clean (i.e. because of their Powerplay allegiance).

After using both extensively, I much prefer using Voice Attack with a key bind (so, not voice) to AHK. Although slower to create the macros, anyone can do it as it's so user-friendly.

My one tip for Voice Attack is to keep the initial key press delays (pressing enter, /, t, space) and the last delay (before enter) at the default 0.05 seconds, which avoids errors, but to decrease all other delays (each letter press of message) to 0.025.

Also, generally, I recommend that all comms are sent direct as many players ignore local ... plus direct comms remain in the main menu screen after you've killed them ...
 
Hey mateys,

I've choose AHK because it's light, Almost no CPU use, and mostly because IT"S FREE.

Plus i feel like it's easier to have multiple Macros texts paterns by a click in a folder... I mean, i can have one for piracy , one for BH, one for trading... and so on...
 
I use Voice Attack...

So just say "Piracy Terms" and a text message is pumped out to my target on interdiction.

Or say, "Piracy Last Chace" for a slightly stronger message :)
 
To the OP: bravo for this, i tried myself and works pretty well. But the problem it's not a technical one, as always it's human nature. Most of the time (read at least 75% and i am generous here) the other guy will simply log off, via menu or pulling out the ethernet cord. Personally i decided long time ago to try to kill the other guy as fast as i can, no warnings, nothing, nada, after all most of the time i fly under Archon Delaine flag (except when i collect another power play toys).
Ok, but then you're not pirating anymore. You don't get any cargo out of vaporizing them, do you?
I've only been pirated a few times (and it's been quite a while since it's happened), but I actually enjoyed the experience. A funny little RP chat session, drop a bit of cargo, and be on my way.

Apparently you'll never get any cargo out of me as I'll be high-waking since you immediately opened fire. :(
 
Ok, but then you're not pirating anymore. You don't get any cargo out of vaporizing them, do you?
I've only been pirated a few times (and it's been quite a while since it's happened), but I actually enjoyed the experience. A funny little RP chat session, drop a bit of cargo, and be on my way.

Apparently you'll never get any cargo out of me as I'll be high-waking since you immediately opened fire. :(

Yep... Two years in and piracy is still not really working. But hey! We've got time to develop 33% more pewpew so all's OK!
 
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Yep... Two years in and piracy is still not really working. But hey! We've got time to develop 33% more pewpew so all's OK!

Well with the fix of cargo bug i can say that i can get some cargo in PvP... And i'll quote a phrase of the Black sails séries.. is all about the right time to raise the Black flag...

Raise too soon and they'll try to run... Raise too late and they Will panicand gofor a fight
 
Well with the fix of cargo bug i can say that i can get some cargo in PvP... And i'll quote a phrase of the Black sails séries.. is all about the right time to raise the Black flag...

Raise too soon and they'll try to run... Raise too late and they Will panicand gofor a fight

The biggest problem with piracy is the fact it's confused with mindless killing for the lolz. So it's hardly surprising when you're interdicting someone their first worry is, am I about to die so someone can get some joy out of causing me grief? This isn't the best foot/position to start a situation in.

Hence why I dish out rational/clear terms ASAP after interdicting someone so they know there's a way out of the situation where they will not see a rebuy.
 
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