Pirates are at natural disadvantage - their bases are scattered, jump hole network is nowhere being good alternative to lanes and gates used by the lawfuls, and lawful factions were much more active for quite some time now.
Like that wasn't enough, traders have acces to 75% nerf battleship scanner, allowing them to spot potential raiders from 25k. That's wrong. BS scanner acces for transports was meant to be removed, but trader QQ made that impossible.
Of course, battleship scanner costs 250M, it's moneysink. That's very good, really, it should cost much, but that moneysink helps traders avoid pirates, it's detrimental for gameplay, for player-player interaction.It can be used by pirates flying transports, but I believe it's minority - that scanner is used mainly by lawful traders.
Now, we have situation when traders can notice pirate a long way ahead and avoid him, while pirates don't even see the traders. That's bad for interaction, very bad.
I think we could use new non-transport scanner in the game. Long general range, long cargo scanning range. No shorter than battleship scanner's stats, available only for pirate factions.
In my opinion it shouldn't cost 250M; it shouldn't cost more than average snub scanner.
Q: Why pirates need that? Why are you trying to destroy trading?! A: Stop crying. Trading and traders as a whole are overbuffed now. Don't try to convince me it's otherwise, because I lead "cashmaking" faction for two years now and know the ropes. I doubt pirates were ever at so big disadvantage as they are nowadays, and now traders can even see them from 25k distance, jump out of line and escape, and pirates don't even see them. Add to that jumptrading, transport buff and we're home.
Having to choose between safe cashmaking on a dead server and having fun on alive one, I choose the latter. If you want to make bazillions in -absolute- safety, play single player.
