Forums » Suggestions

Bring back those pirate NPC's!

Jan 24, 2018 Barktooth link
I love killing them! Maybe make them a tad rare or not in wormholes so newer pilots don't get ganked? Or maybe don't, I see contract work in the future ;)
Anyway, I like the spontaneity.
Jan 24, 2018 incarnate link
We're working on it. I mean, it's easy enough to have them randomly spawn sometimes, but I'd like there to be a little more method and "content" to it. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, we'll see (NOT A PROMISE). We have a lot of dev-time going into another project right now.
Jan 26, 2018 Shooter-0 link
-1
We already have damn bunch of player pirates. If this bots will back, game will become impossible.
Jan 26, 2018 Xeha link
+1

@Shooter: if you cant shoot silly bots, VO is too hard for you already.
Jan 27, 2018 incarnate link
They can be a bit challenging, as bots go in the game. But..

If you don't like silly bots in grayspace, you can always stay out of grayspace.
Jan 27, 2018 Nyscersul link
Maybe a regular pirate convoy would work. Maybe every few hours have a pirate convoy would undock in edras, but leave the station sector before turning hostile. Could then fly to helios, and dock, killing anything they find on the way. Would male a bit of sense, and have enough regularity to be avoidable after the first couple of encounters.
Jan 27, 2018 Luxen link
but that doesn't solve the WHY though...
Jan 28, 2018 Faille Corvelle link
Why are pirates pirates?

They just Arr!
Feb 01, 2018 SkinWalker link
When you bring them back, tri-kos players should be considered non-targets to the NPC pirates.
Feb 03, 2018 HighTechRedneck link
Stop with that Tri-Kos shit,but +1 to original op
Feb 03, 2018 Luxen link
I thought it sounded cool. there should be at least some benefit to being kos'd by all the major factions, and given the difficulty of the pirate NPC swarm, it would allow the hardcore pilots to blend in with them and provide extra challenge, as well as RP-wise it makes some sense that the pirates would see a triple-kos as a possible ally.

of course, if the pirate NPCs are hired mercenaries to draw attention away from smuggling (as insinuated during the SuperLight mission tree), then they might wanna step away from such a dangerous criminal that the nations may want dead anyways, so again they would ignore them then, with jsut a different possible backstory as to what the npcs themselves are.
Feb 03, 2018 Pizzasgood link
The best solution would be to eventually (post universe redux) implement a few new factions for the pirate NPCs to belong to. Those factions should be mutually exclusive with each other as well as all three nations. That way a tri-kos player could raise their faction with one of the pirate factions in order to work with them / not be killed, but they'll still be at risk from the other ones. This system would also permit a player to be KOS with all nations and all the pirate factions in case that would be more appropriate for their RP.
Feb 03, 2018 yodaofborg link
I also think the Tri KOS thing is a bit much too, why do people always presume pirates would be hated by every nation? This isn't historically true either, pirates would often have letter of marque from other sovereign nations which "excused" any illegal behaviour that helped that nation out. Own Nation KOS should suffice for these kind of things, especially since they cannot get other nation top tier ships regardless of what they do; but something along the lines of what Pizza said would be cool.

+ a lot to bringing back really hostile unrats though, even if they attack everyone regardless. I cannot be online 24/7 to show Chinas why he shouldn't fly XC's in gray space.
Feb 03, 2018 SkinWalker link
Hey, I suggested the Tri-KOS bit knowing that I'll probably never be Tri-KOS. I enjoy pirating in nationspace. But there should be *some*one that the NPC pirates don't attack automatically. That was the easy method I could think of. But I like Rin's method better.
Feb 03, 2018 Faille Corvelle link
There should never be a benefit to being tri-KoS, nor should it be a requirement for any in-game item or ability. A few pirate guilds require it before being considered for entry into that guild, and that's fine, guilds can determine whatever entry requirements they like, but a game-play benefit for having all 3 nations hate you is ridiculous.

Also, Yoda, ships carrying a Letter of Marque were considered Privateers by the issuing nation. They were "pirates" to anyone else. Such a Letter of Marque typically excused acts of piracy only against vessels from a nation that the issuing nation were at war with. These Privateers were often still held in low regard by the issuing nation.
Feb 04, 2018 yodaofborg link
Tru dat faille, but they were not considered to be kill on sight either, especially if their actions were furthering war agendas. But I digress, this really has nothing to do with the thread at hand!

BRING BACK ZE UNRATS!
Feb 05, 2018 Pizzasgood link
"a game-play benefit for having all 3 nations hate you is ridiculous."

Correct, but it makes perfect sense to have content which requires appeasing a faction who is mutually exclusive to multiple other factions, or even all three nations. In that context, being tri-kos is the penalty for building rep with that group of pirates, not a path to a reward. But it also entails a lot more dev time than simply making some things require tri-kos status, which is why people often suggest a tri-kos requirement instead. I wouldn't mind some things like that, as long as they were temporary solutions until such time as adding proper pirate factions becomes viable. Not this one, though. I want these NPC pirates to attack me too, especially now that CTC voys are gone.
Feb 05, 2018 Faille Corvelle link
I agree there, Rin. I just get irritated with the fairly frequent cries of "require tri-KoS for this ship/add-on/game benefit" crud we so often see. Especially when it's related to Corvus (not the case here, but still...)

I too would like to see some factional pirate NPC game-play, and agree that building standing with pirate factions could well result in earning tri-KoS, but it should be the penalty, rather than a requirement for a reward of some kind.

For now, I think having these unrats simply attack all and sundry is the easiest approach. PCC created "Hunt the unrat" missions that spawn them might be the way to go?
Feb 06, 2018 GEN.ND link
+1

I like the idea. Grey can be lonely at times... *talks to asteroids*
Feb 06, 2018 Phaserlight link
There should never be a benefit to being tri-KoS, nor should it be a requirement for any in-game item or ability.

Setting aside all RP considerations for a moment, I disagree; games where sacrifice is a major consideration have always been more interesting to me than games where there are few paths or only one path to "winning": a right way and a wrong way of playing. Forgive the analogy, but some games place a guard rail at the edge of a cliff to prevent players from going over while others ask what happens at the bottom.

That's been my philosophy, at any rate.

To be clear, there is at least one rather obscure benefit right now to being Tri-KOS: you can build and launch Furies from Corvus stations if you have also completed the normal prerequisites. I'm not claiming this is worth the tradeoff or that additional benefits should be granted, but it is something. It's sort of like a "taijitu".