a bit more roleplay plz

[Monk]

On my trader I almost always bargain. Why just plop down money without trying to hussle for a better deal. As for running, I do it only when I know I can get away (within RP mind you). The sad fact is that people just kind of get stuck in a money making mode. However, these people need to remember that its not real money. Its fake money that is part of a fantasy universe so if your gonna use it you might as well play along. Its more fun anyway.

[alance]

As much as I consider pirates to be leeches with little imagination :laugh:, I do agree that their opportunities to RP their role are pretty limited. Increasing down time of cruise engines might be helpful, significantly increasing scan range and detection range are good ideas.

I've paid pirates a few times. I've run from a few, depends on the situation. Last time my trade lane was distrupted and asked "2mil tax" I pleaded poverty and offered 1.25mil which was accepted. I spouted a few rude remarks as I sped away, but it was a fun encounter (hopefully for all of us)

A couple of days ago I tried to RP pirate with my Junker in his Collector. I asked for 160 units of his cargo, that's all, just what it would take to fill my tiny hold. Of course he said absolutely nothing and strted to run so I fired at his train. I don't have tizzys or coladas, (I think it is ridiculous that you must equip the very best gear to be effective in a fight, but that's a problem with pretty much every online game) so my target's shields went down a little slower than I'd liked and he made it to the trade lane. He docked once and I mentioned that he'd make a lot more money if he dropped 160 units quick and went back to trading rather than hiding in station. But he undocked and ran again. I caught up with him another time and repeated the call for 160 units of cargo but got only silence in return and I quit pursuing after that.

So yeah, many traders out there are lame RPers as well and don't really have a reason to be so. I agree that 2 mil is too much to be asking for tax and I think more traders would parlay if the tax were lower; maybe an effort from both sides is the answer.

I also hope that the pirates who complain at the lack of trader targets spend plenty of time in their own trade ships.

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"To gain a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the highest excellence;
to subjugate the enemy's army without doing battle is the highest of excellence."

[TankTarget]

There is only one route where asking for more than 5mil is okay and that is the Tau31 route. I took my bomber out there and knocked out four traders. And i had issued a statement in system that anyone not paying was gonna die. And they just kept undocking time after time and I just kept shooting time after time. And no one paid up, that does annoy me, they'd rather keep dieing than pay some cash? That is just spoiled brat like behavior to me, I always pay pirates mainly because running loses profits...

[uspatriotsf]

I have a rule when trading as it applies to paying pirates. At the same time they scan me, I scan them. If they have a Train or better CD I pay up, if not I dont. I'll even tell them afterwards "I respect a pirate whose smart enough to carry Train CD's."

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<span style="color:#FF0000"><strike>RETIRED</strike></span>
ON MY WAY OUT OF RETIREMENT

DO NOT CLICK HERE

[Jinx]

good feedback all along -

yes, i believe an efford MUST be done by both sides - the traders and the pirates alike. - the problem with "carrying the very best equipment" .. yea, don t like that very much. so either - a low budged pirate can chain fire on a train for minutes and hardly scratching its shields - or they have those mysterious highest end weapons and rip a 70k shield apart in 2 point blank shots. ( then of course .... but thats rather unlikely to be possible unless its a massivly multiplayer game ... maybe liky eve ... - a sole fighter might not be able to take down a train anyway. Trains and transports maybe slow and - considering their size poorly equipped with offensive powers - but they do sort of share the thick hull and shields of cap ships ) - so its rather a pack of fighters that would take down a transport ( and then even lower level eqipment works )

anyway - i have to fully agree with the statement that a pirate should be bright enough to carry a train disruptor - or a battleship disruptor ( they both have quite a large disruption area of effect ) if they only have a wasp or so - they shouldn t be surprised when the trader makes a run for it.

all in all - its just a plea for proper relations within roleplay. - a light fighter trying to solo a train? - no way. it should at least be a heavy or very heavy if they are alone. a gunboat? ...maybe (but please stacked up with antimatter and highest end weapons of mass destruction - or would a captain with equipment thats worth more than the gunboat itself hang around at a tradelane to rob a few traders? - in the end - there must have been a purpose in outfitting that vessel with the latest stuff - and it just can t be disrupting a lane )- but rather not, considering the high costs to run an active cap ship. a cruiser/destroyer or even a battleship asking for a tax? - hell, no - unless they are guards to their systems.

if a pirate battleship appeared in a house system asking a trader for a tax that would simply be rediculous ( aswell as a cruiser sort of ) - a major capship would cause too much of attention and - if the NPCs would react according to what they are up to ( which is defending the faction space ) that battleship would face half an army of NPC gunboats, cruisers and even battleships on defensive missions. sadly, NPC captains are dumb and ignore everything - even planets that happen to come into their path.... .

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Shipdesigns made for DiscoveryGC

[Gamazson]

I used to only be on the trader side of the coin. I know I made life difficult on the poor pirates and trully regret it. I always role played but never wanted to give up my cash so I always fought or ran. No that I am on the other side of thing I can see how i was being a pain. There is one trader named --=Gurvan=-- who has become my nemeses. He ran from me which was fine but couldn't even manage a "Frak you" to my taunts. I didn't even want money only 1900 of his passengers. He still would have profited in that train of his. He could have at least talked back to me.

I wish that it were possible to use cut and past in the chat window. That way pirate could type their statement before hand......it would make things so much more interesting. but alas once again the hard code.

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AKA Nexus

[bluntpencil2001]

Yeah, having a pre-setup demand key would be good.

Hotkeying, for instance, the 'P' key to say,

"I'm sorry, amigo, but the children of Crete are starving. I demand that you fork over two million credits, pronto."

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[Jinx]

yea - the chat funktions are sadly underdeveloped. - as far as i know, there s no target-autotell, no auto-reply upon a personal tell, no preset hotkeys for a message - hell, its not even possible to write more than like 1.5 lines...

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Shipdesigns made for DiscoveryGC

[Equinox]

Yeah, having a pre-setup demand key would be good.

Hotkeying, for instance, the 'P' key to say,

"I'm sorry, amigo, but the children of Crete are starving. I demand that you fork over two million credits, pronto."

That would be awesome and such a shame that it probably couldn't be done.

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[Wingnut]

I have read through all the replies and I agree there is a lack of RP on the part of both pirates and traders. I admit I have been guilty of not giving my part to the RP in every encounter.

I find it odd is that all ships have the same cruise speed. I'm not a history buff concerning pirates, but I seem to recall that their ships were normally a little faster and could catch a running trader over a distance.

Anyway, I believe it is RP for the trader to attempt a get-away and for the pirate to surprise his intended target. Surprising the target would be easier if the chat function in the game did not show the system a particular player is residing. I have a habit as trader to check the system ahead and make an alternate route if there is a known pirate in it. I'm trying to get in the habit of relying simply on the ship scanner as part of RP and not look ahead.

One last point....seems like most of the transports and freighters on the sci-fi movies were not equipped with shields or weapons unless they were made specifically for transporting officials or sensitive cargo. I also remember many of the larger ones were not equipped with a cruise engine either.

Just my thoughts....