In my opinion the situation is the result of bad decision making - for the most part at least - in terms of trader/pirate balance.
I believe that a pirate / trader encounter is more fun - the more both sides are equal in strength. In many cases in disco - the options of a trader are "run and dock" or "die/pay". (stuff like flying above the plane, use the list to avoid pirates by taking detours etc does not apply because that is not part of the encounter/balance - and does not really go much into actual combat balance for combat ship vs. combat ship either)
I have been flying a FA bomber for a very long time ... and the best encounters as a pirate were when
- i asked rather for a token (i usually do not ask for more than 500k) than actual profit
- i pirated transports that had MULTIPLE options to react (close docking ports and especially escorts...)
Now why is it that in my experience i get better encounters the more equal the power is?
It is becasue the trader does not feel the systemic resignation. He is given REAL options. He knows that he can decide to fight - and with escorts ... get a GOOD chance to escape or even destroy me. Or he asks his escorts to keep me locked down so he can escape with a good chance of success. Or he pays the rather low demand and leave with a mostly pleasent chat.
The point of a demand is that it must not be so much to actually "hurt" the trader. To me - a successful pirate encounter is one that leaves both sides with a feeling of success. That means not to ask for too little - because asking for 10 credits is silly - but asking for just enough to cover your pirates ammo costs and possible repairs is fully inRP for me.
My worst encounters happened when i was asking for too much (like drop all your cargo) or catching traders in situations that left them literally only the option to pay too much - or die. The traders simply were not up to put much into the situation. When your choices are to pay so much that it really gives you stomach aches or be blown up.... a NATURAL (but of course slightly spiteful) reaction is "just kill me".
It is the reaction of "burned earth" - ... "you ask so much that it ruins my run so much that i decide that denying you your profit is worth ruining mine!"
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So in terms of balance - i would much rather see traders that can fight a bomber with a good chance of winning. I would much rather like to see traders that ... when they form convoys ... literally waste any lone or team pirate ... that would require pirate FLEETS to pirate them.
Options is what enriches gameplay experience. Predetermined encounters that flag each side as master/slave are boring. When all your options are "to get your cargo from A to B" - trading is boring. The most challenging part of being a pirate is to FIND a juicy trader ... not to extort him - which is a shame. The extorting should be the challenging part - not the browsing of the player list.
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Strangely however - this is a rather unpopular opinion - and most people think that increasing the power of pirates over traders results in better encounters.
edit: (my thesis)
- The profit waiting at the end of a traders run is not equal to winning an encounter. only REAL options can enrich an encounter. ("do because you CAN" is a recipe for failure)
- any encounter between equal sides is much more fun than any encounter between sides of greatly different strength.
- never ask for so much that it makes the other player feel bad. (within reason)
- the more the other side enjoys being pirated, the more they will try to make you enjoy your pirating.
- aviod traders in situations where their only options are to pay or die. This kind of choice will most likely not promote any promising quality RP.
- allow yourself to sometimes retreat and accept to loose against a trader that turned from victim to hunter. Always winning is boring.