It would be nice if we could issue demands to NPCs when pirating them.
However, appreciate that would require a whole new system to deal with comms with NPCs.
In the meantime, a simple option to make NPCs submit themselves when you get them below a certain % of hull, disable weapons and PDTs etc, and allow themselves to be robbed.
In other words, behave a bit more intelligently. NPCs at the moment will either run (and be destroyed) or fight (and be destroyed) - at least assuming you can do so.
So, if trade ships would submit it could help boost NPC piracy. Perhaps make it dependent on relative ranks. A lower ranked NPC will submit quicker to a higher ranked player, and maybe if the NPCs rank is higher than the player's combat rank they will not submit until they are at 1% or something (meaning you need to be very careful).
There could be the occasional psycho NPC who won't submit no matter what as well.
If you wanted, you could put limits on it. NPCs saying "Ok ok, i give up! But if you take more than 50% of my cargo i'll self-destruct! If i don't make it back with at least that i'm a dead man anyway!" - but that's adding more complexity.
Anyway, if you could give this some thought it would be great for those of us who like a bit of NPC piracy.
The current method is a bit too contrived. Taking out thursters, then PP, then thrusters, because anything above mostly harmless will continuously reboot.
PS: If failing all this, you could tone down the rebooting of NPCs. Its damn annoying, and if you don't use the thrusters/PP/thrusters and just take out the PP, then you end up destroying them eventually when you don't want to, because sooner or later that PP goes pop.
PPS: NPC piracy was perfect in 2.1 when they didn't reboot. Ok, a bit over the top, perhaps top few ranks might try a reboot every now and again, but 2.2 just made it annoying. I've taken them down, i've got them submitted, and they are constantly rebooting if don't use the thrusters trick.
PPPS: After reading this, please, don't make NPCs reboot after thrusters are gone. Its the last way we have of keeping them submitted to some extent without blowing them up, and its annoying enough if they have PDTs because you also need to take them out.
PPPPS: Or just revert things back to how they were in 2.1.
Cheers.
However, appreciate that would require a whole new system to deal with comms with NPCs.
In the meantime, a simple option to make NPCs submit themselves when you get them below a certain % of hull, disable weapons and PDTs etc, and allow themselves to be robbed.
In other words, behave a bit more intelligently. NPCs at the moment will either run (and be destroyed) or fight (and be destroyed) - at least assuming you can do so.
So, if trade ships would submit it could help boost NPC piracy. Perhaps make it dependent on relative ranks. A lower ranked NPC will submit quicker to a higher ranked player, and maybe if the NPCs rank is higher than the player's combat rank they will not submit until they are at 1% or something (meaning you need to be very careful).
There could be the occasional psycho NPC who won't submit no matter what as well.
If you wanted, you could put limits on it. NPCs saying "Ok ok, i give up! But if you take more than 50% of my cargo i'll self-destruct! If i don't make it back with at least that i'm a dead man anyway!" - but that's adding more complexity.
Anyway, if you could give this some thought it would be great for those of us who like a bit of NPC piracy.
The current method is a bit too contrived. Taking out thursters, then PP, then thrusters, because anything above mostly harmless will continuously reboot.
PS: If failing all this, you could tone down the rebooting of NPCs. Its damn annoying, and if you don't use the thrusters/PP/thrusters and just take out the PP, then you end up destroying them eventually when you don't want to, because sooner or later that PP goes pop.
PPS: NPC piracy was perfect in 2.1 when they didn't reboot. Ok, a bit over the top, perhaps top few ranks might try a reboot every now and again, but 2.2 just made it annoying. I've taken them down, i've got them submitted, and they are constantly rebooting if don't use the thrusters trick.
PPPS: After reading this, please, don't make NPCs reboot after thrusters are gone. Its the last way we have of keeping them submitted to some extent without blowing them up, and its annoying enough if they have PDTs because you also need to take them out.
PPPPS: Or just revert things back to how they were in 2.1.
Cheers.
