The danger of giving cargo to pirates

[KellyR]

I really wouldn't mind giving a bit of cargo to another player who made a piracy demand, but I have found that that can be a slippery slope. I therefore, on principle, never give cargo to a pirate be it player or NPC. The video below should tell you why.

[video=youtube;IvNtaCFe_KE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvNtaCFe_KE[/video]

And yes, it talks about nations but it is a good object lesson for individuals as well.

 

[ForeverN00b]

NPC: Easy don't lose the interdiction.

Player: More difficult. If it's a real pirate it could be fun RP. If it's a ganker you're hosed.

 

[kofeyh]

I really wouldn't mind giving a bit of cargo to another player who made a piracy demand, but I have found that that can be a slippery slope.

A slippery slope, of what? Assured profit and lowered risk due to securing safe transit? That is a terrible slope indeed. Or is it more the rush of attempting to flee? I don't judge.

I'm not a pirate. Nor do I play one on TV. Of the few times I have been jumped, and failed to fight the interdiction (if it's a player, I make 'em darn well work for it, and they better be on the ball when I drop out) the outcome has just been awful. I make it to port, still make a profit, and am not looking at a rebuy screen.

A truly shocking state of affairs. Just utterly appalling.

Piracy in elite is ostensibly players RPing, most that are left, are doing so because of the interactions, it stopped being about profit or some nobel notion a long time ago; it's a shame the game decided that'd be a great concept, and then summarily ignored it. It's not really helped anyone. Least of all the trader.

AI piracy, on the other hand (particularly when they are in a wing) is essentially a three-stooges gag, missing the punchline.

 

[KellyR]

The slippery slope of having to give again and again and again and again and... Ad nauseam.

 

[rrobes]

PvP piracy is hard, unrewarding work. PvE piracy is also the same. It's for the role play.

I don't give NPC pirates any cargo, I really use them for CR farming, even in my cargo Python, one to one is no contest (at least up to elite Anaconda level, don't run into Corvettes or Cutters very often but those two I can leave behind if I had to run). And yes, as kofeyh said, slapstick.

I've tried being a semi-pirate taking cargo from an NPC via a mission. Trying to succeed w/o blowing up your prey or having them bug out is a balance and it takes an agile ship that has cargo space for limpets and booty.

It's a niche profession.

 

[Vasious]

The slippery slope of having to give again and again and again and again and... Ad nauseam.

My rule is if a Player Cmdr wins the interdiction, they have won their share of my cargo.

 

[jasonbarron]

The slippery slope of having to give again and again and again and again and... Ad nauseam.

I heard that the more you do it, the easier it gets until eventually you find yourself kind of craving it.

Yarrr!

 

[kofeyh]

The slippery slope of having to give again and again and again and again and... Ad nauseam.

As opposed to the slippery slope of having to deliver cargo, again and again and again and again and... Ad nauseam. Are we sure it's piracy, that's the danger here? Or the or the more insidious nature of familiarity and an appeal to normality.

Sorry, I just find the idea of proposing that drudgery actually requires defence, is maybe not a progressive idea but more a romantic notion that a lack of stimuli in Elite, is a noble road to be embraced with as much enthusiasm and joy as exists at a goth convention.

That's not to say one should be accosted at every turn -- by a highway bandit brandishing weapons at one's person in a vaguely provocative manner -- is necessarily the best expression of what the game can offer; but it does somewhat break the (endless) monotony.

Familiarity, breeds contempt, as they say. Just a thought. Fly safe, CMDR. o7

 

[GraXXoR]

it's a shame the game decided that'd be a great concept, and then summarily ignored it.

IKR... It’s just not like FDEV at all, to introduce a great idea and let it languish.

 

[Morbad]

My CMDR would never surrender cargo to pirates for the same reason I'd never pay ransomware demands. On occasion he's even shot down traders he's seen cooperating with pirates. Can be quite exciting to dive into a low-wake, order a trader not to drop cargo, watch him or her do it anyway, then scramble to blow up the trader, smash the canisters, and escape before the pirate wing can retaliate.

That's not to say one should be accosted at every turn -- by a highway bandit brandishing weapons at one's person in a vaguely provocative manner -- is necessarily the best expression of what the game can offer; but it does somewhat break the (endless) monotony.

As a player I appreciate such breaks from monotony, but my CMDR will still be annoyed and will still want the individuals responsible dead. If they can somehow forcibly extract cargo, so be it, but no one should expect cooperation or gratitude.

 

[kofeyh]

My CMDR would never surrender cargo to pirates for the same reason I'd never pay ransomware demands. On occasion he's even shot down traders he's seen cooperating with pirates.

You're not ex-KGB or FSB by any chance? Also nice work. Nothing like taking advantage of a position of power, to take that morally-ambiguous high ground to prove a point.

Can be quite exciting to dive into a low-wake, order a trader not to drop cargo, watch him or her do it anyway, then scramble to blow up the trader, smash the canisters, and escape before the pirate wing can retaliate.

Ends justifies the means. Heretics have to learn somehow, right? lol.

 

[S3B4ST13N]

I wouldn't mind being pirated; unfortunately I don't trust people (for good reason) to play nicely so I only play in Mobius.

 

[KellyR]

I don't trust anyone either. And I still play exclusively in Open. And I keep the bandwidth stats in the bottom left of the screen on at all times. But I am a part time bounty hunter. If I see someone who is wanted they get fired upon; human or NPC (unless they are in supercruise and choose to leave me alone as I don't carry an interdictor). My policy is if I see a player criminal, one of us is going to have a hefty repair bill, or be facing a re-buy screen (unless my opponent chooses to combat log). And i it's me, you'll hear no complaints (And I WILL NOT combat log).

 

[IndigoWyrd]

I give nothing but the contents of my magazines to pirates.
I'd rather die and take it all with me than give any of them anything at all.

Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Kill him and he's never hungry again.

I wouldn't mind being pirated; unfortunately I don't trust people (for good reason) to play nicely so I only play in Mobius.

If you like, I can come and very politely pirate you.

I have sat around near stations and simply asked people to spare a little change with some entertaining results. I helps to have a Hauler with 0% paint so you really look like you need the money ;-)

 

[Jukelo]

I don't trust anyone either. And I still play exclusively in Open. And I keep the bandwidth stats in the bottom left of the screen on at all times. But I am a part time bounty hunter. If I see someone who is wanted they get fired upon; human or NPC (unless they are in supercruise and choose to leave me alone as I don't carry an interdictor). My policy is if I see a player criminal, one of us is going to have a hefty repair bill, or be facing a re-buy screen (unless my opponent chooses to combat log). And i it's me, you'll hear no complaints (And I WILL NOT combat log).

That's part of the problem with how easy money is to make these days: deciding only one of you will win is quite an easy choice to make these days when a rebuy doesn't mean anything anymore. Who would bother to give in to a pirate's demands when you can lose the ship and the cargo and probably make the money back in less time than the whole interaction would have taken anyway?

 

[Patrick_68000]

Never give in to blackmail

We sign our loss

 

[d0kk]

no one should expect cooperation or gratitude.

+rep this

 

[Threeofseven]

The video was just solid black so I can't comment on it. As far as not giving cargo to a player pirate, well lets just say your cargo already belongs to me

 

[Harry Hates Golf]

I've never had to choose whether or not to give cargo to a "pirate".

Each and every time that it has happened to me (with one exception, which still ended badly for me), the scenario was the same. I was interdicted, and a moment later, blown out of the sky.

Was I carrying cargo? Didn't matter (in fact, more times than not, I wasn't).

Was I asked about any cargo? Nope.

Was I asked to "drop my shields"? Nope.

Was I trying to run? Nope (as I said, the guns started "a-blazin" on me right after the interdiction....didn't even have time to throttle up).

So, taking into account my personal experiences during my travels in Open Mode, would I give my cargo to a player "pirate"?

Not anymore (if I was ever asked that is). Why bother? The pirating is not for the loot anyway, but for the act of making another submit to a more powerful force, sort of like Hobbs "Leviathan". They're probably going to shoot you down anyway, so why bother complying. When you get interdicted, and you know you're outmatched (which is usually the case), just sit there mute and let them fire away. Sure, you get the rebuy screen, but you probably were going to get that anyway. The "pirate" can have the cargo (if there was any) and a giggle (but a fruitless one), and you can feel good that you were able to brighten someone's day.

 

[Jukelo]

I've never had to choose whether or not to give cargo to a "pirate".

Each and every time that it has happened to me (with one exception, which still ended badly for me), the scenario was the same. I was interdicted, and a moment later, blown out of the sky.

Was I carrying cargo? Didn't matter (in fact, more times than not, I wasn't).

Was I asked about any cargo? Nope.

Was I asked to "drop my shields"? Nope.

Was I trying to run? Nope (as I said, the guns started "a-blazin" on me right after the interdiction....didn't even have time to throttle up).

So, taking into account my personal experiences during my travels in Open Mode, would I give my cargo to a player "pirate"?

Not anymore (if I was ever asked that is). Why bother? The pirating is not for the loot anyway, but for the act of making another submit to a more powerful force, sort of like Hobbs "Leviathan". They're probably going to shoot you down anyway, so why bother complying. When you get interdicted, and you know you're outmatched (which is usually the case), just sit there mute and let them fire away. Sure, you get the rebuy screen, but you probably were going to get that anyway. The "pirate" can have the cargo (if there was any) and a giggle (but a fruitless one), and you can feel good that you were able to brighten someone's day.

Sorry to interrupt your rant but this thread is about piracy.