Please, refrain from posting written replies to this post.
The purpose of this poll is to see the player's choice between these two specific choices. I know there are middle grounds and different types as well, but I want to see which of these two are preferred if given as the only choice.
Choice 1
Piracy, while a part of unlawful roleplay is still interaction between two PLAYERS through their characters. There is a living being behind the other PC and the interaction should be pleasurable and fun for both sides. You should pick your demands so they make sense in roleplay, but does not hinder the player, whose character you are pirating at that moment, always keeping in mind to keep the overall experience fun for both sides.
Choice 2
Piracy should be unforgiving, adding the much needed sense of danger that NPCs cannot provide. The idea of suffering the consequences if caught by a pirate should be something a player would keep in mind at all times, making their trading more than simply a trip from point A to point B. Choice of route, sneakyness and situational awareness if what will earn them the most money in this unforgiving world. The chance to lose all of your profit adds the thrill to your gaming experience.
Reserved for my conclusions.
It's aboot fun.
The "drop all cargo" has brought a lot of bad attitude along, caused many rulebreakings and such. Reasonable demands and foremost the RP are what's important. Often good RP can ease the pain of a higher demand (for me). When you fly around for 30 minutes, you don't want to lose everything without having a chance.
If a trader had good chances at fighting back, a high demand would be justified, but even with the new transport turrets, due to the low range transports are outranged by both bombers and even worse by GBs now.
So, meh. It really depends on the attitude of the pirate, yes, and on the trader's mood I'd guess. If pirates were only "occasionally around and quickly chased away when encountered by law enforcements or easily fought off by escorts", I could understand high demands. Because then it'd be high-risk/high-reward for them as well. A pirate has nothing to lose currently, if they get caught they often even get away and if they don't get away, they can just go pirate somewhere else along the long routes.
If we had more people and especially more traders around we could easily go for a bit higher demands and all, but with the low player counts it's more difficult for the traders. Why? Because they are the major acitivity supports. Of course there's also "fighting", but even the longer big fights only are every now and then and only last for 2 hours at best.
EDIT:
Also, why can I chose both options? Is that for shizophrenic people? D:
Can't vote on this. Neither option is viable. Yes, both sides need to have fun, BUT space IS dangerous.
Space can be dangerous - but playing a spacesim should make fun. If peeps would apply common sense and courtesty to their action instead of trying to stretch the rules and the nerves of others to the limit your poll would be irrelevant, but this is an old story. It is much easier to stomach being ripped off all profits if the encounter itself was meaningful, fitting and not executed by someone whos fun consists of spoiling mine - at least that's my opinion, then again i don't trade at all^^
Depends on situation.
Trader with regular cargo caught on the trade lane piracy is different case than hostile IFF'd battletransport in more or less lawless territory.
space is dangerous.
however, to paraphase Sir Pratchett, the art of piracy is a little like dairy farming: extract the maximum amount of milk for the minimum amount of moo. if you take too much, then the (cash)cows wander off out of your sandbox
Treat others as you want to be treated.
Space is dangerous, but why only for traders? Space should be dangerous also for pirates, specially for them. Unfortunatelly current mod settings make discovery a pirate heaven, and because, that nobody wants to be easy prey, there are so few traders and so many pirates.
I voted for Choice 2.
My main pirate char is a very agressive one. With that said, I aim towards good RP and not for a blue message.
Many times traders simply do not comply with either the "stop" command or the given cargo/credit demand. Then I begin to shoot. But even here I draw a line. I want people to "fear" pirates or at least be more carefull with them. How many times did a trader has begun to argue with a pirate about how much cash he will sent? That's not the way it should be.
When a trader begins to argue too much or to play like a smart-ass, they die. Unless its a small ship or a new player. Then I just try to blow off their guns or damage their hull, without actualy killing them. Because I want to keep my reputation as a dangerous pirate, without ruining other people's experience (most of the time).