Elite / Frontier Pirating in C64 Elite

[Windsaw]

I have a question for you all that has bothered me since I played Elite back in the 80s.

Is there any efficient way that you can pirate?

As far as I remember you noticed a trader if it appears in front of your radar, contrary to pirates or police that appear on the sides.
Traders usually were Cobra MK III and Boas.
And they were very rare. I think if I was lucky I would encounter one every evening. Not good enough to make a living as a pirate.

Question: Was there any way to speed this up? Any trick?

Also, in my whole time where I was playing Elite (and that was a lot) I cannot remember to have ever encountered an Anaconda. I assumed that they didn't exist except in the manual.
Can anybody confirm that there were indeed Anacondas?

Thank you!

BTW, I still have my C64, did refurbish it last year and through additional modern hardware I can play all my old games through an SD card.

 

[Styggron]

You could pirate but you have to hit ships, destroy them then pick up the stolen cargo, that is about it.

Pretty sure I encountered Anaconda's, I played the C64 one recently I'll jump on again and check.

 

[Zieman]

I do remember seeing Anacondas in the C64 version too.

 

[TANTIVE]

I have a question for you all that has bothered me since I played Elite back in the 80s.

Is there any efficient way that you can pirate?

As far as I remember you noticed a trader if it appears in front of your radar, contrary to pirates or police that appear on the sides.
Traders usually were Cobra MK III and Boas.
And they were very rare. I think if I was lucky I would encounter one every evening. Not good enough to make a living as a pirate.

Question: Was there any way to speed this up? Any trick?

Also, in my whole time where I was playing Elite (and that was a lot) I cannot remember to have ever encountered an Anaconda. I assumed that they didn't exist except in the manual.
Can anybody confirm that there were indeed Anacondas?

Thank you!

BTW, I still have my C64, did refurbish it last year and through additional modern hardware I can play all my old games through an SD card.

The Anaconda and Boa did look similar ...Anaconda was a bit more squat, but from distant pew pew you probably killed a few and not realised