NPC Pirates

I guess I'm still a bit angry with myself that I didn't see this coming but I've just been blown up by an NPC pirate called Pendragon. It must have looked like a fat kid trying to outrun Usain Bolt whilst at the same time blubbering into my monitor screaming why is this happening. My T9 carrying 340 tons of painite just got vaporised by a ... umm well I cant really remember what it was as I was too busy panicking, so I'll just call it a mamba as I'm not the biggest fan. But anyway the pirate said ... as he came jumping in directly behind me... that he was only here for the cargo. He then promptly melted me in a matter of seconds along with, I can only presume 340 tons of painite. I'm just asking myself why NPC Pendragon ... WHY!!!!! if you were only programmed by your crearor just to ask for some cargo I would have given u anything but no you decided to blow me up. Its lucky I'm quite rich otherwise I might have PTSD, but I cant help but ask why ......
 
Mining always works the same:

  • you enter an asteroid field, pirates appear (or not sometimes only harmless miners appear)
  • they scan you and leave you alone if you only have limpets
  • if you have cargo, they demand & attack
  • if you log off or change mode , and later relog, the same happens again (immershon yay)

So to avoid getting attacked again, you either have to build a strong ship, to either flee the pirates or kill them,
or you shouldn't log off.
 
Since the last patch (maybe even longer, I'm not sure) if I'm interdicted without having cargo, the pirate scans me then turns away and I can simply follow him and shoot him from behind, he just keeps flying away in a straight line like a sitting duck or a noobaconda running from a griefer, until it pops, like he isn't even aware I'm on his arx pouding him from behind.

I know NPCs and AI was never close to being this game's biggest strenght, but I do remember NPCs who actually reacted to getting shot.
 
Mining always works the same:

  • you enter an asteroid field, pirates appear (or not sometimes only harmless miners appear)
  • they scan you and leave you alone if you only have limpets
  • if you have cargo, they demand & attack
  • if you log off or change mode , and later relog, the same happens again (immershon yay)
So to avoid getting attacked again, you either have to build a strong ship, to either flee the pirates or kill them,
or you shouldn't log off.
You're 100% right.. that's today's elite lesson ... always finish and sell your wares... never log off half way through to watch tv and then log back in... rookie mistake
 
I feel your pain OP, Piracy is completely "over the top" in ED; it's not fun, engaging, or an encounter/challenge to look forward to, but simply annoying as hell. I wish they would modify how the NPC's react, what kinds of ships they use, how many times you're attempted to be ganked and so forth. You know, make it fun! Depending upon where you are and what you're doing, it always the same thing, with the same programmed response. (Boring!)

When I take periodic breaks from playing, it's 99% because of this one topic.

Best advice I can give is practice the hell out of the interdiction mini-game until you win 99.9% of the time; it's pretty easy even in a big slow turning boat like my miner-conda. Can't speak for the T-9 as I've never owned one, but even fighting them knowing you can win annoys the %^&! out of me because NPC's cheat, jump out, come back in 10 seconds after you jump again at 100% hull and shields etc. Beat the interdiction, I've had SIX literally in a row, (like really Frontier?) and they can't catch you before you jump/make port.
 
I haven't had anything like that happen in 2-3 years, but you used to be able to drop some cargo (not all cargo). Then the pirate would say that it wasn't enough and continue shooting, or he'd stop shooting and start collecting the cargo. Can't you do that anymore? But yeah, if you panicked, then they'd just keep shooting until you dief.
 
I'd help feed more pirate kids if they gave me more than 10 seconds to drop cargo. I'm a socialist working under Aisling for gods sakes. I want to spread the wealth around but rarely get the chance.

Make it a dialouge option in comms for NPCs Fdev! You already have a similar option for choosing sides in CZs. I'm thinking of the children!
 
I guess I'm still a bit angry...
On a more constructive note than just laughing at your understandable misery:

When I started core mining, I acted exactly like you did whenever I saw a pirate. I had done the combat tutorials in ED, and I died every single time I tried the advanced combat tutorial. That led me to believe that I was lousy at combat, and I am.

However, once I got to the point where I had a Conda with a large strong shield, I decided to add some weapons to the empty hardpoint bays, and went bounty hunting in a Low Res. That is very easy, so I quickly found myself hunting pirates in a Haz Res instead. As a result of that, I ended up adding some lasers to my mining ship. Whenever I've been attacked by a NPC pirate since then, I've just killed them, and after they're dead, I scavenge all the materials they leave behind. Limpets are good for that!

The moral of the story is: Don't be afraid of pirates. You only need a relatively small shield to survive, and you become pretty good at flying your ship, when you go mining. Add some weapons and learn how to defend yourself. It will make the galaxy and what you do out there much more enjoyable, and you'll grow stainless steel balls the size of the Moon in no time.

Fly safe (and kill them pirates!) :)
 
I wanted to share this but didn’t know where else to put it.

146777
 
Indigo's Rules for Hassle-Free Mining:

1. When entering an area for the first time, carrying only limpets: Wait for the obligatory pirates to show up, but don't just sit there. Haul it away from the area where you want to mine, and make it look like you're really trying to run until they finally catch up and scan you. Once sufficiently disappointed, they will fly away.

2. Return to the area you wanted to mine. With the pirates now sufficiently out of the way, they will not return. You may now mine in peace.

3. Remain in your chosen area until you can mine no more. Do not exit or reenter the area where you are mining, you will spawn new pirates.

4. In the event of a disconnection while mining, immediately rotate your ship to the "top" or "bottom" of the ring you are in, as this is the shortest distance to clear the ring's mass-lock. Full power to shields (if you have them) and run. Boost as often as you can until you clear the ring, then Wake - High Wake if they're closing on you. Once free and clear, head to a suitable location to sell your haul, replenish your limpets if necessary and resume mining from #1.

Your life will be easier, the pirates will remain poor and unwashed, and the balance will be maintained.
 
happened to me lately.
Pirate pops in, ask for cargo, 3 seconds later starts shooting (they die soon after, but that's another story)
I dont even have time to open the right panel and abandon some cargo.
 
I guess I'm still a bit angry with myself that I didn't see this coming but I've just been blown up by an NPC pirate called Pendragon. It must have looked like a fat kid trying to outrun Usain Bolt whilst at the same time blubbering into my monitor screaming why is this happening. My T9 carrying 340 tons of painite just got vaporised by a ... umm well I cant really remember what it was as I was too busy panicking, so I'll just call it a mamba as I'm not the biggest fan. But anyway the pirate said ... as he came jumping in directly behind me... that he was only here for the cargo. He then promptly melted me in a matter of seconds along with, I can only presume 340 tons of painite. I'm just asking myself why NPC Pendragon ... WHY!!!!! if you were only programmed by your crearor just to ask for some cargo I would have given u anything but no you decided to blow me up. Its lucky I'm quite rich otherwise I might have PTSD, but I cant help but ask why ......
So you're no longer getting a count down timer to release cargo then? And did you try ejecting 1-2 cargo right after he interdicted you? Also where you in Open, Solo, or PG?

If it's either of the latter two, then mining just became a real edema. Looks like FDev went above the call of duty with this latest patch update. If I didn't know better, it looks like they may have re-modeled NPC vagabond behavior after SDC :ROFLMAO:
 
Indigo's Rules for Hassle-Free Mining:

1. When entering an area for the first time, carrying only limpets: Wait for the obligatory pirates to show up, but don't just sit there. Haul it away from the area where you want to mine, and make it look like you're really trying to run until they finally catch up and scan you. Once sufficiently disappointed, they will fly away.

2. Return to the area you wanted to mine. With the pirates now sufficiently out of the way, they will not return. You may now mine in peace.

3. Remain in your chosen area until you can mine no more. Do not exit or reenter the area where you are mining, you will spawn new pirates.

4. In the event of a disconnection while mining, immediately rotate your ship to the "top" or "bottom" of the ring you are in, as this is the shortest distance to clear the ring's mass-lock. Full power to shields (if you have them) and run. Boost as often as you can until you clear the ring, then Wake - High Wake if they're closing on you. Once free and clear, head to a suitable location to sell your haul, replenish your limpets if necessary and resume mining from #1.

Your life will be easier, the pirates will remain poor and unwashed, and the balance will be maintained.
Assuming their ship has similar/sufficient jump range to yours, and if you successfully high wake from the system, can they use 0A wake scanners and interdict you at your destination point?
 
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