Top 10 Tips for Traders

[Coin]

Hire a scout.

get a new player from penny, give them the cash for a new cargo ship, tell them where to get some cargo, and get them running one lane/jumpgate ahead of you, yelling out if they see anyone.

works like a charm

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A Day in the Life of an NPC | Coin | The Journal of Caius Oakley | Build Your Dream Boat

[M1cha37]

Very good advices!

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[Not Espi]

[gopetro42]

I am new to Freelancer. I have read about some servers that only allow you to demand a maxium percentage of the cargo or credits per cargo space. Does this server have any limits on what can be demanded? What keeps a pirate from demanding all of your money. Or all of your cargo. I was stopped by pirates and they demanded 100% of my cargo. What incentive do I have to drop 100%. I loose it whether I drop it or get blow up. They would not even accept 50%. And as I understand, they get the 100% even if they blow you up. There is no sport in that. Isn't there anything in favor of the trader in this case?

[Zukeenee]

There's nothing set in stone in regards to the maximum amount of credits or cargo a pirate can demand from its target. However, there are occasions where a pirate who asks for too much will be in violation of this rule:

1. General Terms & Conditions

0.0 Be excellent to one another. Consider the people around you. Keep fair play in mind. It's a game and nothing is gained, or lost, save the experience. Credits can be re-earned. Ammunition replenished. If you become infuriated step away. If you make a mistake apologize. If you wish to remain in system after you die, or after someone has moved away, simply ask.

Fair play, a level head and consideration for others.

In general, demanding 100% of your cargo is okay by the rules. Pirates are allowed to do this. However, when it comes to credits, things get a bit more complicated. If a pirate demands a sum of credits several times greater than the total profit you'll make for whatever cargo you're carrying at the time, he's probably breaking rule 0.0. I won't go into exact numbers here; I'd probably come up with a lot of inaccurate "maximums" and "averages". And transports carrying ore are another deal entirely. I'm not sure how to calculate it all out properly.

If you feel that you've been unfairly treated by a pirate who asks too much of you, you can submit a report in this section for a rule 0.0 violation, where the Admins may or may not decide to take action. I'm sure they've got their own ideas of what's "fair" and what's "unfair" in a pirate encounter. If their views happen to match yours, the pirate will be punished somehow. If not... well, nothing happens. But it can't hurt to try, if you're unsure about it.

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[Cornelius_Sula]

except for the payment what are the best cargo evasion tattics?

Have a really good RP story with pirate/cop if he like's it then he will probably let you go.

I managed that, with full load of Artifacts i was caught in New London by BPA officier. RP lasted for 45 min,at the end he let me go with artifacts and without cash penalty, it was funny and i got kudos from that guy for my RP-ing. So be creative and make belivable stories. As for pirate's, pay but in reasonable boundaries an be polite, pay several times to same guy, be polite and respectfull, he might remember you and give you carde blanshe (letting u go without payment). If that happens ask them if you can do something for them in return for being nice and let you go. That way you make friends, and friends dont rob friends. I have 17 pirate's as a friends and i try to be theirs by doing trade runs for them without contract or payment. That way you become ally. Example: Corsairs like Rum (Wine) and Cigars, bouth from Gallia as such out of Corsair zone of interest. They appriciate such gesture. Find what faction needs and get that to them.

I hope this helps.

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[Camtheman]

1. If a pirate asks too much, say "My ship insurance is payed up, and it'd actually be cheaper for you to kill me!"

Seriously. It works. And if not, die. Most 5ks fill for cheaper than $2m, with many goods.

Its an RP way of saying "JUST KLL ME"

2. Scouts are useful, occasionally... , but solo, click the lanes ahead of you to see if they're interuppted.

3. the second you see a red contact on your screen, or known pirate, wait untill the next lane, escape, turn around, redock in the direction you came

4. Don't hire anyone else, ever. It's useless and they're response time to save you could be changed by many thing.

5. Trade at the lowest possible server population for your time zone.

6. Use jumpholes when possible and faster, most pirates camp lanes or gates

7. Always have an escape plan, nearest dockable base, etc.

8. Check the chat list before entering a system

9. Search the forums with a suspected pirates character name, find out if they really are a pirate.

10. Get a cloak or a cap armor for your transport as soon as possible. Don't carry enough fuel to cloak through the whole trip, that would be inefficient and costly. Have just enough to cloak and escape.

[Hone]

I am new to Freelancer. I have read about some servers that only allow you to demand a maxium percentage of the cargo or credits per cargo space. Does this server have any limits on what can be demanded? What keeps a pirate from demanding all of your money. Or all of your cargo. I was stopped by pirates and they demanded 100% of my cargo. What incentive do I have to drop 100%. I loose it whether I drop it or get blow up. They would not even accept 50%. And as I understand, they get the 100% even if they blow you up. There is no sport in that. Isn't there anything in favor of the trader in this case?

If your killed, you lose any unmounted equipment, all regens, all your cargo, AND you cant return to the system ( so you cant use that trade route) for 4 hours. Therefore dying does have more penalties than handing over all your cargo. However I would probly never hand over 100% to a pirate, as that will just encourage them. My advice in that situation is to run for it and try to enjoy the chase. Or try to stall them while calling the police.

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User was banned for: Griefing others
Time left: (Permanent)

[gopetro42]

Thanks for all the info guys. I have been reading other posts on pirates on the forums and I see one of the biggest ways to avoid getting pirated by a large organized group is to stay out of Liberty space and other high traffic systems. A large group of pirates is not going to sit in a system that only gets 15 to 20 ships per hour. I also am starting my own log of known pirates so I can watch for them.

This particular group was sitting right at the Colorado-NY gate in Colorado. So they stopped me coming in from NY before I even was able to control my ship. He did RP with me a bit but told me to stop talking when I said something. When they blew me up, it only took about 3 seconds or so. I guess a civilian transport is no match for an organized group of pirates.

The one thing that would seemingly make it a bit more fair in my eyes (I am guessing a pirate would disagree) is that if they shot you down, they would risk blowing up atleast half of your cargo. I would be much happier to give up half my cargo and continue on my route than give it all up and have to start a new trading route. That would also make a bit more incentive for them to not blow you up.

I am still learning. Thanks again for the info.

[Camtheman]

Thanks for all the info guys. I have been reading other posts on pirates on the forums and I see one of the biggest ways to avoid getting pirated by a large organized group is to stay out of Liberty space and other high traffic systems. A large group of pirates is not going to sit in a system that only gets 15 to 20 ships per hour. I also am starting my own log of known pirates so I can watch for them.

Great idea.

I have a log of over 1,000 pirates from 2007 to present.

Never been caught by the same priate twice =P