' Wrote:Except you seem to forget that pirate bases aren't the best prices for anything. The trader stands to make a lot of cash on a single gold ore run, the pirate can make next to nothing on it. So how is it more profitable to take cargo?
This.
If the pirates could make a decent profit then the traders would just be smuggling to their bases. Cargo piracy is only truly worthwhile in a few locations, such as the famous Kusari ore theft about a year ago which netted the participants billions. Otherwise if pirate bases are not buying the cargo then there is no profit.
Besides, most pirates can't get rich off of taking money anyways. At most they at least need enough to restock their fighter with ammo when it blows up, which can take upwards of 800K...
Fighters are also the best ship in the game, one can kill just about anything and two can kill a gunboat. They are also the ship type that survives most easily, so you know, pirates don't want to die... and how are you going to cargo pirate with a 50 unit cargo hold?
Well for us Junker Pirates with Slave liners. It is far more profitable. But then again i only Pirate a select few, and let all others go unmolested. You know, RP and all.
Also the topic title is misleading. If you actually have good pirate RP you can get more money from traders who appreciate it.
I pirated some ship last night, he liked my conversation, told him to pick the price he wanted to pay, I expected a million, he gave six, then I killed a Hessian who was going to kill him and he paid me another five just for saving him.
' Wrote:Also the topic title is misleading. If you actually have good pirate RP you can get more money from traders who appreciate it.
I pirated some ship last night, he liked my conversation, told him to pick the price he wanted to pay, I expected a million, he gave six, then I killed a Hessian who was going to kill him and he paid me another five just for saving him.
Happens quite frequently to me too.
A good pirate has solid RP that is so enjoyable for the trader that he deserves a reward.
Problem is the silent traders , they only get killed more , get more frustrated , lose more.
Some people are really stuck in a circle like that and the only way for them to get out of it is to change their perspective.
Yeah but there are so many ''200 mill or die'' pirates ..
well , those guys will learn eventually , just like the ''just shoot me'' traders.
(more on topic)
I think the point is made clear already with the wallet/bag of groceries example.
With pirating cargo comes additional cost of hiring Junkers, smugglers or transports in general. These costs are projected into demands pirates make. They are obviously not going to pay for it whole by themselves.
You wanna pay two people instead of one? Sure, be my guest.
I believe the smarter traders will rather pay in credits which comes cheaper, the rest can subsidize Junkers if they desire it so much.
Edit: Also pirating for credits is in essence selling seized cargo to the nearest transport.
' Wrote:I think the point is made clear already with the wallet/bag of groceries example.
To be honest that isen't a very good example at all. Don't forget the cash value is the value in your neural net account, not a cash sum you have stored onboard.
Basically robbing someone for all the cash in thier wallet would, in freelancer terms, be like robbing someone of the credit card cargo on thier ship.
Robbing it from thier neural net account is like kidnapping someone and forceing them to withdraw cash from a cash machine for you. Which probably would get you more irl. But it'd be more difficult to do.
' Wrote:For those not understanding what Im saying: I think you miss the point. Cargo is more substainable cause you can simple go from base to the hijack point and continue until some military comes around with big guns. Then you find another lane or system to hijack. Forcing people to give money is simple and lazy. Targeting player ships with valuable cargo, like Gold, Dimonds, etc, you earn more cash than simply forcing some toll. Solely basing that tolls earn more doesnt work out all the time. You get side swiped by a military fighter or a freelancer thats assisting, your dead either way. Military usually have 2 or more while freelaners have heavy fighters to with stand a gunship. I rather go after some NPC freighters and a few un-escorted freighters and transports before doing much of anything.
[font=Comic Sans Ms]Cargo is more profitable than cash? My pirate werewolf would beg to differ - It can carry 170 units of cargo, roughly 450k worth of goods at best. Now how is it more profitable for my fighter to demand cargo of that value, then say 5 million credits?
Even better example actually - my hacker gunship has 10 cargo space. There is zero profit to be made from cargo piracy in it. Though these may be moot points because, I personally don't pirate to make credits - it's a waste of time.
' Wrote:So....you would rather lose 50 million in ore than pay a typical 2-5 million passage fee?
Even dropping 1000 ore is worth upwards of 10 million credits.
If I'm cargo pirating, I'm going to do it in a transport....If I'm in a transport, I'm going to want to fill it up completely.
This scenario will cost you more than the normal 1-2 million I demand in the end.
There is a simple "RP" solution to this. Make the trader drop his cargo and give him an offer to buy it for credits.
Most traders will happily buy 50 million worth of ore for pocket change.
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