How's about the idea to sell the ships the bots use, in s18? And to sell normal ships but of the 'pirate' (or black, or grey, or purple, or whatever) nation?

If you have a 'pirate nation' ship, you can attack everybody... but everybody can attack you too. People also can't see your name if they have a lock on you, they just see: name: [unknown] score: 0 bounty: [whatever your bounty is], and you can't dock in any home sector (you'll also be attacked by the defbots.) In public chat and group chat, people just see your name and nation as if nothing happened. Team-chat doesn't work anymore, and in sector chat people see [unknown] as your name.
If you get out of your 'pirate nation' ship, and back into a normal one, everything is fine again. A 'pirate nation' ec-88 should cost something like 500 cr.

Something wich could also be sold in s18 are small weapons for large ports (say, a gauss weapon for the large port.)

Gauss weapon for the large port, see plasma cannon.

I really like this idea Sheean.

Except I think a better system for naming would be needed (maybe you could choose a ship name with each purchase instead?) Does this mean that if you die in a pirate ship, and are homed in say s7, that you revert back to your original state (non-pirate)? It would be cool if when you killed a pirate ship, thier identity was revealed, so the death announcment dosent change... Gives the pirate some anonomity to do evil things, but they beter not die...

suuuurreeee, give me a furie.

Yeah, simon, I think if a pirate dies it should just show the normal death message, that's a good idea. Also, if you're homed at s18, and die; you can buy your old (pirate) ship again.. but if you're homed any where else.. you can't (so you revert to your old state again, yes.)

How about we just have some pirate outposts instead. At these stations, you buy unmarked ships. Marked ships would be available only if we have some sort of Towing, stealing sort of arrangement in the future... so you'd buy someone elses stolen ship.

Anyway. These outposts show up as a skull and crossbones on the radar, just like an old pirate flag... Inside the outpost is where things need the game to develope more. We need a system keep track of how functional a weapon is, like a damage system. So pirates can buy "used" weapons, which would funtion somewhere between 50-90% as well as normal. The price is based on how well they still work. Cannot be repaired either. They could buy normal weapons at the normal price. And, as an extra, occasionaly have "modified" weapons come in, which strangely would seem to be working at 108% of capacity. Meaning they fire ever so slightly faster and do just a smidge more damage than they should but no one but the pirates are really gonna notice this.

Then, to make things fair. You setup that what you can buy is based on what your current bounty is. If your a noob with a pile of cash, or just got slaughtered by a group of traders, your stuck with a plain, used ship, that functions fairly well, and some dull, used, weapons and batteries and engines.. all of which are ok to use but not the best. Once you start to earn your reputation back (your bounty rises) you can get better and better stuff to equip with.

But, as all these things need the game to evolve a bit, they would haveto wait for more important things like missions, improved chatting systemsl, noob protection, and any of a dozen other things that have been suggested to bring new players into the game and keep them here.

Hmm.. I think making it so, that if you're beter (high bounty).. getting it even beter would be a bad idea.

No. Making it so that you need a higher bounty to buy the better equipment just means that you cant go earn a pile of money without any real skill attached. Then go buy the heaviest armored ship with the best modified weapons and equipment you can get, then go blast a group a noobs not caring if your destroyed. Cause when your destroyed, you lose your bounty and the ability to get all that nice stuff.

So basically. It makes dieing a punishment for a pirate. If you die, you lose all the cool stuff and have to start with less than adequate stuff and fight your way up again, or do botting or whatever to get your bounty back up.

Yes, but if you're not good, and killed all the time... also this will only make the best... elite; wich is a bad thing(tm)

...or someone who has killed 100 75bots insead of 100 350 bots...

So pirates get all these advantages, what do we pirate hunters get? Or what about us traders? Are traders supposed to simply be sheep to be slaughtered whenever a pirate comes by? Seriously, making piracy easier or more fun is only going to make more people want to pirate. It will diminish the number of traders in existance and all around reduce the amount of varied jobs and roles in the game. If you set up a pirate track for advancement, you need a military track as well for people who fight the pirates, and those policemen also need to get their own advantages. You see where this is going?

magus, you make pirating sound like a piece of cake, if it's so easy and profitable, why don't u do it?

Before there is any implimentation of pirate bases, the station interface will have to be redesigned. As it is, introduction of new outfits/ships would be confusing and ultimately unsatisfying to all concerned.

Here's a question for the devs:
Will players ever be able to exert any influence over portions of a station? For instance, wil players be able to set up a shop in a neutral station? Say, one that sells exotic weapons? Or, on another hand, could a group of people set up the Ruling Council for the Sovereign Station of Sector 9? Perhaps one that met in a private module that overloked the asteroid field?

In this way, a certain shady individual could set up a shop that ostensibly sold power couplings, but to certain people, could provide some left over avalon torpedos from the last war.

Yes, I remember your statement that our ship was to be our only avatar in Vendetta, but i think in station interaction will be essential to the success of Vendetta as an RPG.

Well, if pirates can attack everybody; they can also be *attacked* by everybody. It may increase the number of victims you can make, but it also increases the number of enemies. Also, if a pirate is on and flying around in his pirate ship. People no longer have to switch characters if they're on the same team and want to hunt him down.

Did you think about the fact that if becoming a pirate was easy and profitable AND allowed to to fly a furie, that a lot of the vets and good players might just go down that road? Then who is going to fight them?

The anti-pirates could also fly in the furies then ofcourse. It won't be much easier couse: you'd have more enemies (3 nations, not 2), it's much clearer you're a pirate; and if you see someone of 'pirate' nation, you can evade them much earlier.. making it harder for the pirate too catch up.

"making it harder for the pirate too catch up."
-Have you tried running away from a furie lately?

It isn't easy and profitable now. Currently, you have to be extremely patient and rather talented to make a profit pirating. But giving pirates furies and ions and what-have-you would make it significantly easier. My big worry is that we will get even MORE pirates than we have now, and those pirates will have access to ships that non-pirates don't. Pirating should be difficult. These changes will make it less so.

As for why I don't do it: Moral scruples. I feel bad killing people and taking their cargo. I did it a few times. Didn't like it much at all.

Uhm, the non-pirates could get the furies too you know...

Giving humans access to alien ships != fitting story line.