' Wrote:Tic, as a pirate I don't think the word "donation" is sufficient. A number needs to be attached to it, whether amount of credits or amount of cargo. Otherwise, the trader does not have enough information to know whether its worth it just to pay, or to keep trying to escape. I have no idea what the Admins would do with a sanction report that showed "donation please" without a number attached, but I personally would not feel safe if that was all I said before destroying a trader. If I was the trader, I doubt that I would report a pirate under those circumstances if he said "donation" without a number before destroying me, but it would depend a lot on the overall situation. "2M or die" is not that much harder to type than "donation please". I programmed my thruster to also be activated from a mouse button, so I can maneuver with one hand and type with the other if I absolutely have to. If the trader opens fire, just get a quick number out there to cover the formalities, and always ss your demands every time you blow one up.
Tbh. as pirate i dont want to have 20 GB of screenshots of tax demands if its so easy to accuse a pirate for violating rules .
' Wrote:That is an interesting way to think about that, however the fact remains we get a new ship and a new life no matter what happens. So as nice an idea that is, it doesn't apply in this situation.
You might earn 10-15 million on a round trip, in which odds are you will meet at least 2 pirates, and that is if you are lucky. If it is busy you can meet a lot more. And 2 million can add up fast. So that 15 million can drop real fast if you are unlucky. That makes traders really not want to pay that 2 million.
quote name='Del' date='Mar 23 2008, 07:52 PM' post='210939']
Secondly I disagree with you about the respawn, yes it's a feature of the game, but to use that as your reasoning to avoid paying pirates is not the height of RP. It's very poor RP in my mind, but I can see your reasoning.[/wuote] I wouldn't say it is a reason to avoid paying pirates, the reason would be the demands are outrageous. So the trader tries to run, and whatever happens happens.
quote name='Del' date='Mar 23 2008, 07:52 PM' post='210939']
The trader does not dictate the RP, a well kitted out pirate will demolish your trading vessel and thusly he's holding the trigger he makes the rules. If he wants you to pay 2 million, unless you as a trader can talk your way out of it, you'll be sucking vacuum if you don't pay.
The trader dictates whether a pirate sees him or not. No matter how much you want to catch me, if you are one system away the odds are you will never see me. A trader should always be staring at that list of who is where so they know what systems the pirates are in. Any trader that knowingly goes into a system with a pirate knows what they might expect.
quote name='Del' date='Mar 23 2008, 07:52 PM' post='210939']
I'd like to pirate you in game, it seems that you have a clear intention to RP with a pirate and it'd be fun to join in with that intent. But the general consensus is that the majority of traders would rather die than pay 5 credits, as I'm sure Xoria will attest to.
That is the problem. However it might not be 5 credits, it might be 2 million credits. They might pay less if the initial demand was less. It will never be known if the pirates don't try it out. If that happens. And that can be a big if. If a trader has no more countermeasures, then he has no chance and might as well get the pirate talking. The longer you can get the pirate talking, the less likely they are to blow you away. And as was mentioned, they might accept a little negotiations at the same time.
But if the trader is full of cm's, then a running he should go. I've literally escaped pirates who were right behind me from a full stop with countermeasures. Just because the trader has stopped doesn't mean he won't run.
You see as 1 pirate a 2million tax. The trader sees every single pirate on the way demanding that figure. So that 16 million drops to 12 or 10 or maybe even less. Of course the trader should do the smart thing and find another route, but most just stick to one route. They should hire escorts, but that doesn't happen either. Hmm where is the clan for the cheap trader escort business? Hmm, not all traders are alike, not everyone needs to make as much money as possible. Don't assume every single trader is alike. And definately don't assume every single person is going to rp any role the same. Everyone does it differently. Heck, just the other day I spent at least 15 minutes just annoying the AFA in honshu. I wasn't making anything, but it was great fun watching them try to catch me. Now maybe your trader wouldn't tease pirates like that, but mine tends to not be the most mentally stable character out there. And he also hasn't always been a nice guy, if you get my drift.
I don't. I like making pirates chase me. I'll always rp, but it might not be in talk if I need to get away. Once the pirate can't touch me, then I'll start typing, if I am in the mood. This isn't about me specifically, but about all traders. Pirates obviously think there are not enough traders paying up. I am making suggestions that could get some more traders to pay.
However the usual 'pirate' factions have other things to do besides 'pirate.' Like smuggle for instance. And with the way the server has been set up, pretty much every pirate is aligned with the Oucasts or the Corsairs, so they all have something to smuggle. And just this night I saw 2 Outcast Destroyers pretty much own the New York system, allowing anyone to smuggle anything to Manhattan. And those routes pay out big time if you can make it.
Of course they pirate for easy money. Then they build their rp around that. If they wanted to be an Outcast or a Hessian or any other bad guy, there are many other things to do than to sit around pirating traders. And most of those are much more creative and entertaining to the community. Like those people who sit in NY or Rhineland and just say all sorts of crazy things about the governments. That is rp, and it is funny, and they are technically unlawful players.
Heck, I role played a Corsair on another server for at least 3 years without pirating anyone. It can be done.
There are also other servers where pirates make you pay, or make traders run. There was a character on one RP server I played on who literally scared the ever living daylights out of half the server population. When they saw him on they ran and hid like mad. That is real terror. That is what a pirate should be able to inflict.
It is the pirates job to get the money. If what they are doing now is not working, maybe they need to try something else.
Oh please, gag me with a fork. Maybe instead of demanding everyone play the game the way you want them to, if you change up your tactics, traders might just pay up. Interesting idea, is it not?
And you simply cannot relate an in game thing with reality. No matter how you want it to be, it isn't. It is what it is, and that needs to be realized. Stop trying to change everyone else to get the results you want, and maybe try changing what you are doing. Finally some good advice. Torture the traders you are trying to get to pay. Don't blow them up, that is that last thing you should do. Waste their time, waste their money in the form of bats and bots, blow the turrets off their ship. Things like that will get a trader to pay you next time, just blowing them up will not, as you already know.
In short, stop being so damn nice and start being evil. That is the whole point of a pirate, to be as evil as possible and to not feel bad. To waste some poor schmuck's night and go to bed happy that you did it. That is what a pirate should do. You should cause that trader as much mental distress as possible, and next time you will get your money. A pirate is not about the money they take, it is about the pain and suffering they cause, and the pirate glorying in it. A pirate should need to cause people horrifying pain and suffering. If you want to get someone to pay you, make them fear you with every single brain cell they have. Make them want to run and hide when they see you log on. That way they will pay you any amount they want, whenever you decide to charge it.
wow man, please, lay off the red next time... red on blue is just torture for the eyes.
as for the content, i can agree on some points, especialy the ones on making a reasonable demand, but i will never agree on the respawn thing, it's an abuse of the game engine to get out of RP.
i can see how not paying someone that wants more money than you'll make on the run is reasonable, but on a 16 million credit run, not to pay a 2 mil tax?
i dunno, as a pirate i usualy tell the trader that if he encounters other pirating in the next systems, to contact me and i will deal with them as the tax/ donation he made is also bound with my help in his safe travels in the system he is being pirated and one jump for it to any direction.
more to that, after a trader payed me once, i won't tax him for 24 hours. that is how i roll.
it's not changing players to the way i want them to, it's creating a system that will deny the abuse of the game engine to go oorp and just die cause you get a new ship.
sorry, not paying a pirate just cause you get a new ship with that button is OORP big time and is the same as trying to abuse loopholes in the server rules.
it's the same as rengaging, you can do it, it's part of the game engine, nothing stops you in game to die, than come back and rengage.
but some basic rules and way of conduct were layed down to prevent ppl from abusing the game engine. same should be applied to this issue.
not all pirates are suppose to be bad, some are just looking for a source of income to feed their starving family or planet back home, depends on the RP, but to say a pirate must be mean and just go about destroying anything on the ship just for the glory of it - we get our glory in battles with our enemies, not by destroying traders.
i'm sorry but pirating is not easy money, it is much faster and much easier to go and trade/smuggle, but ppl prefer it because of the RP of it and the excitment that comes with it.
that is all i have to say for now.
till the next reply,
Or
Why my pirate funds that ship and my two RoS ships as I feel it's ooRP for my RepEx trader to fund them..now, sometimes he gets "robbed" of an unusually high credit sum by RoS but the point is that I -need- the money from pirating.
am I nice about it? no, but I still do chat about it, RPing growling and insulting the trader.
If you find that you can't make profit from one run, GO DO ANOTHER RUN!! Or get 24 hour protection from the pirate, I don't give such protection unless the trader askes for it.