This isn't an attempt to change any rules related to piracy, it's just a few suggestions from someone who has been on both sides of the trader-pirate divide (much more the latter since I joined the OPG) as to how you can minimise your chances of being killed or repeatedly pirated.
1. Pirates like /givecash
The new /givecash command isn't just for transferring credits from your powertrader to your new Bounty Hunter Battlecruiser character. It can be used for transferring credits to ANYONE. This has a number of big advantages.
The first is that transferring credits in this way puts a note of how many credits you transferred, and to whom, in the chat log. If the pirate then kills you, it is much easier to produce screenshot proof that you paid the tax demanded.
The second is that it avoids the pirate becoming suspicious as can happen if you take awhile to enter the correct amount in the trade window. Why do we get suspicious? Because the trade window just happens to obscure your ship from view, and prevent us from shooting at it. Of course you don't have to use /givecash just because of this, but remember that the less nervous a pirate is the more time he or she will wait before destroying you.
PS: For those of you who don't know about /givecash, the syntax is as follows:
Code:
/givecash <playername> <amount>
So for example if you were paying me a 3 million credit tax demand for example, then you would type
Code:
/givecash [OPG]Diego.Arindor 3000000
The slash is necessary, as are the spaces between the three elements, and you can type the command in whatever chat channel you are currently set to (no chat message is actually sent, it's just how you enter the command)
2. If you're paying, say so, in system chat
There are always unfortunate incidents where traders pay the demand to one pirate, and then another of the pirates kills them. Rest assured that in the case of honourable players this is not a deliberate act. It is quite possible that the player who destroyed you didn't know that you had paid - this is especially likely if you have been stopped by a mixed group of pirates from different factions, or even more so if some of the pirates are from a faction and the others are independent. Since 'is he paying?' is OOC, pirates can't ask each other this in system and if they aren't grouped together (as faction pirates and indies usually aren't) they can't ask at all - unless they use private chat which stops them from talking to you temporarily. However you as the trader are perfectly within RP to say "alright alright, I'll pay Pirate X' stating the name of the person you're paying means the other ones will know not to attack in the intervening time, and wait for the person you name to attack (ie if you're fibbing).
3. Don't dock on an unlawful base at the start of a system with pirates in it
If you're going through a system which either has pirates in it (hey, we all look at the player list) or is a common pirate haunt, then contrary to belief it is not a good idea to dock on a pirate-aligned base at the start of that system. Sure, if the pirates kill you then you can respawn in the same system and try to get through to the other end of your trade run in order to go somewhere else (assuming you use a trade run with more than two stops of course). However, the pirates can demand tax from you again and again. If you get killed again, you respawn at their base again.
Within a couple of cycles of this, the pirates will be right outside waiting for you and your only period of life will be the short period of 'post-launch control' required by the dock killing rule. You then either have a choice between going to do something else until the pirates go offline, and repeating the respawn-die-respawn to infinity. Believe me when I say that you will get bored of the latter before the pirates do. We have a name for people who try this - supernova practise.
4. No, having a Zoner ID does not exempt you from piracy
Please don't think that having a Zoner ID on your Advanced Train means you can't get pirated in Sigma 13. Sure, if you have a Zoner ID, reputation tag, faction tag, and you are actually taking in-RP cargo to a Freeport then the pirates whose NPC-factions are friendly to the Zoners might let you pass. If you're just doing ordinary trading then they won't. Making snide remarks when a pirate says they aren't giving you a free pass will not help the situation, in fact it might make them decide that letting you live isn't worth the 3 million tax (if you pay before that happens of course then they won't attack, as pirates are just as careful about the rules as lawfuls are).
5. Don't hit asteroids
If a pirate isn't within 2k or so of you (Train CDs can theoretically go to 3k but I've never seen one actually disrupt at that range) and both of you are at cruise, you will not be caught if you continue flying in a straight line (absent external factors like tradelanes). However if you hit an asteroid - which usually means you have to cut your cruise engines to stop your ship from pinballing to who knows where - then the pirate will probably make up a significant distance and might get within CD range.
6. Worry about bombers first
If you are faced with a mix of bombers and a gunboat or two, and decide to shoot back while trying to escape (bad idea generally) then go for the bombers first. Yes, the gunboat is a big scary ship, but the bombers have Supernova cannons which do far more damage to your hull than anything a gunboat carries. If you're lucky (and the bomber misses with a Supernova or is low on batts/bots) then you might be able to kill a bomber with Transport Turrets.
7. Don't come back into the system if you can avoid it
The trader-pirate situation is exempt from the normal 'stay out of system' rule. However that doesn't stop you from being pirated again - the pirate can tax you as many times as you go past them. In fact, many pirates will make a special effort to re-catch a silly goose who knowingly walks into their lair for a second time. We're just like that:P
8. Don't rules lawyer
The one thing everyone dislikes in a game is a sore loser. If you get killed by a pirate, then chill out, pick a different trade run, or go get some fresh air. If you try to rules lawyer a pirate afterwards, they won't react kindly and may mark you out for special attention in the future. If you use system chat or foul language then you'll just get reported.
PS: Of course if you have been genuinely wronged, then by all means ask the pirate why they did what they did - and report them if it's needed. In the case of honest mistakes, as in 2 above, the pirate will usually apologise and make up any loss you suffered. We're all here to have fun after all.
9. Don't call for the lawfuls
Now this is a qualified one. If you have escaped then announcing the location of the pirate to house police or other traders helps prevent others from being pirated. This may be hazardous to your bank balance if you come across the same pirate again, however, as many will increase their tax demand. Calling for the lawfuls (either by private message or in system) while stopped by a pirate is an extremely bad idea. The first hazard is that they might think you're going to F1 (or just get bored with you not paying) and destroy your ship. The second hazard is that if they realise the lawfuls are on their way (house police and militaries have a useful habit of saying 'Pirates leave the system now!' in system chat when called upon by traders) then the first thing they will do is make sure that they destroy your ship and all your cargo - even at the cost of defending themselves. A House transport (Mammoth, Percheron etc.) can be destroyed with one Supernova once its shields are down. Even an Advanced Train can probably be destroyed in the time it takes between a house military ship appearing on sensors (at about 10k range) and the said ship being close enough to shoot at the pirate.
10. Don't assume you can "sneak past" pirates in a one-track system
In some systems there are multiple paths that traders coming from a particular direction might take (e.g. a trader going through Colorado might head for either Kepler or Galileo). This is not the case in most systems. If all (or most) of the traders coming from system A will go through Jumphole X to System B, then the pirates will simply wait on the other side of that jumphole. Pirates are actually more bound to a single system than traders (other than 100% dedicated Diamond Runners) tend to be. The useful pirating spots are far apart, so a pirate will normally pick a favourite stomping ground and dock his/her ship there on a semi-permanent basis. This means that he/she knows the routes that travel through the system better than you do. To reiterate, if there is any point in your journey through a system in which you have no choice of route, the pirate will be waiting there for you.
The original thread that this was the OP for can be found here. For the sake of neatness, I have placed its content here. -Gheis
No longer active online due to a dwindling amount of non-PvP (trading, pirating, mining, etc.) fun in the new version.
Responsible Trading: A Corollary to "How to be Pirated Successfully"
With the discussions of "powerpirating" and the like going on... a lot of traders and miners seem to have gained some strange sense of entitlement / righteousness. The fact is: If you decide to trade, mine, or even in some circumstances, simply travel in certain sectors, you will inevitably be pirated.
In preparation for this, it's important to remember who you are as a trader, and what to expect.
The responsible (and pirate-resistant) trader will, then, understand and heed the following:
- Know your cargo
Your cargo, be it rocks, goods, or even people, is politically charged. A good trader will understand the background and implications of his/her cargo. Put simply, there's a reason the AFA will be all over you if you bring synth paste into Kusari, and there's a reason LH~ will swarm you if you haul gate/lane parts. Knowing why is a big part of being safe, and it brings me to my next point:
- Know your route
Let's say you fire up FL companion, or maybe you just hear a good route passed along by a friend. It takes military vehicles from Ontario to New Hampshire for huge money. Little do some realize that a key leg of the route runs straight through Hamburg. This is a real route, and you'd be shocked at how many traders whine and complain about being shot down the minute they enter Rheinland. A responsible trader must know the house lines, the embargo rules, and must possess a gut instinct as to where you are and who is around you.
Another example that gets a lot of traders in trouble is taking non-refugee cargo from Bretonia to Kusari and vice-versa. Relying upon FL companion generated routes is not enough, and is just asking for trouble. Do it long enough, and you'll wander into a guard system and soon be crying about how the Navy just killed you even though you're "friendly".
- Know your role(play)
You're a trader. You're lawful (probably), and you're looking to make your slice of the pie. But you must never forget that you are not entitled to trade any more than the pirates are entitled to pirate. Safety isn't a give-in here, and if it was, nobody would play. I hate to harp on this since it's always brought up, but this is a roleplaying game! If you get mad, RP it! If you are scared, RP it! Have a story in mind and be ready to talk it out with the pirate.
- Why are you hauling boron? - Who do you work for? - Are you pocketing your money 100%?
These are all great questions to think about before you get stopped by a pirate. 50 to 1, a pirate that is confronted with a genuinely RP'ed situation will respond in kind, and you'll both be better off for it.
Addition c/o ProwlerPC --->Make sure you read the scanning info on all bases and planets you intend to deal with. (New players, this is found by targeting the base/planet and clicking the ( i ) button in your HUD.)
Besides being relevant and having real RP implications, they're just plain interesting. The devs spent a lot of time writing in a lot of backstory and new information -- all players would do well to scan and read everything they can. Same goes for on-base rumors and news reports. Every house and political wing has their own take on the events in Sirius. Read everything.
- Know your strategic limitations
By all means, don't look at this as a wuss' approach to trading. If you're going to fight for your haul, don't be stupid about it. Roleplay the aggression, and only attack/run when it becomes relevant to do so. Still, you need to remember that you're likely going to lose unless you have a wingman or backup on the way, and don't take it //oorp if you lose to bitch. Your job as a defeated trader is to dust yourself off, take a break, and rethink your route if you need to. Join a trading corp. if you'd like safety in numbers. Take the long way around if you're solo. The choice is yours, but to an extent, being shot down and losing your stuff is a bit of a rite of passage. Take it as such, and never play the game angry.
If "how to be pirated successfully" is a set of tips from the pirate's perspective, this is the other half of that from the trader's perspective. I hold that there's no defending "powerpirating," and while it is less intrusive on others, the same goes for powertrading. You're not playing to make virtual money, you're playing to have fun. Make your cash, but do it with a good complete story and knowledge of your actions and where you are, and you'll make it much more enjoyably.
If you're in a 5,000 supertransport odds are you're working for a corporation.
That means the ship you're in and cargo you're hauling isn't actually yours. Nor is whatever profits the cargo brings. You get your wage of a few thousand credits and that's it.
Case in point: My Gateway Shetland runs into a group of Rogues. They demand 2 million credits (lol). I rant on about how I'll never see that much money in my life, what makes you think I have access to that sort of money and so on.
I leave minus a few hundred thou' worth of Boron because I literally threw it in their faces.
As a corporate employee I don't give a rats arse about the cargo - IC will reimburse the company for it anyway. So dump enough cargo to fill up all the ships present and provided they aren't retards you'll probably be let go.
Also traders mostly have to remember no one is exempt from piracy regardless of your ID/IFF or whatever RP you might have come up with. Just cause you smuggled something for the pirates one day, doesn't mean you get a free pass the next. And remember, the Zoner No-Fire Zone is an roleplaying concept, not a server wide rule. Pirates can break it if they want to.
Might want to add in one of those categories to: Be respectful and know the RP of the faction who's base you are dropping off to and picking up from on the way back home. Save yourself from an RP blunder and read what it says when you land on the base during your first visit there on your trader. Learn a lot that way and it's probably the player's who do this that stick around the longest because they become entwined in the storyline of Disco RP.
That's a great point. You should always read the info about a base or planet as you approach it. Besides being important and having real RP consequences, they're just plain interesting. The devs spent a lot of time writing in a lot of backstory and new information... all players (not just traders) would do well to read everything they can.
Good work on this little guide. Keep the ideas coming and updated.
I think its verry usefull.
To add something productive as well, I would like to raise the point of laws.
If you trade in a house, be ready to get inspected by local Police or the Military.
Know the laws of the houses you are in. It is still common sense that you will halt your ship if asked to do so, if you are sure the pilot can identify himself as an officer.
You wont rush past a police cechkpoint control with your car when your trunk is full of supermarket goods and tell them that they persih if you stop.
' Wrote:If you trade in a house, be ready to get inspected by local Police or the Military.
This also applies to smugglers with a few modifications:
Always have a believable story if you are asked where you take your cargo (especially when carrying stuff that is subject of an embargo)
Jumpgates are convenient but ask yourself: would you cross the border at that police checkpoint Malexa mentioned with your trunk full with drugs?
If you smuggle, make up your story and if possible get other stuff with you to hide the scan signature.
If you put a lot of roleplay effort into your smuggling attempts, players may notice and either take just a small ammount or let you go. (But with some sort of warning, that not every player goes with the RP like this. So expect to loose everything)
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