Guide to being an Escort Pilot

[Fletcher]

Oh wait I best put in the following addition:

• When in New York... - New York is a hub of many kinds of activity, skullduggery and hilarious acts of RP. Avoid the trade lanes at all costs. It may take a few minutes longer to get to the sell point, or through New York. When in doubt, sneak. Can be applied to all systems really.
  

EDIT:

I find trading in convoys (with an escort or other traders) to be slower than trading alone, so it is actually better to pay the pirate if it saves you time which leaves more time to make more money... Unless the pirate charges more than the escort would charge.
Do you? Do you get a lot of business? I -never -see escorts on anyone, only big trading factions (like Convoy, or USI...) seem to feel to hire them.

Hopefully people will see that escorting is actually fun, I had some fun yesterday and it gets pretty tense and heart racing since I'm a very competitive soul. Sometimes you can make good money without firing anything.

Escorting IS worth it folks.

But good guide Fletch, I might revise RepEx's using some of your material.

The rule I beat into Black Talon pilots is "If the pirate sees the trader, the escort has failed at their job."

Aye, pirates should never see the trader. And I traded in my Black Talon for a Griffin, I really love light fighters, makes killing Sabres a much more satisfying thing. Even though I die to them much more.

Depends, Mwerte. You can also go the [Convoy] way of escorting: Cluster up so much firepower and armored transports together that the odd bomber is simply brushed aside. But yes, in general, scouting is the best way to avoid running into an ambush.

Which brings me to one point missing in the guide:
- Know alternate routes. Your job is to get your trader from point A to point B. How you do that does not really matter. Know where the usual ambushes are and know how to go around them. If you as a scout spot an ambush, direct your transport around them.

Some common examples: Between Bretonia and Liberty there's often an ambush on the lane between Riverside and the New York gate. If you have a transport that needs to get around that, head either through Ontario - Colorado - New York, or Pennsylvania - New York.

I try to avoid Liberty like a plague of Nazareth. Though traders love it, so I've learned quite a few alternate routes, though I've never bypassed into Pennsylvania before.

I've seen some convoys, I've seen a convoy with a freaking battleship of all things... A BATTLESHIP! Try pirating that!

Nice work!

A Train Disruptor is not necessary in my opinion because (game mechanics) anythign that would need the TCD can't attack your trader or miner. As an escort I go with the pvp-ish mosqito and I've never been in a situation that demanded more CD-power.

Put in the alternative routes. This is important if you run into a massive blockade.

Fees: I demand 2-5 millions for ore runs (Dublin-NY). A 2700 units Hegemon is closer to 2 millions, a train (5000 units) closer to 5.

The point is: Your play must enrich the play of the trader so much that he rather chooses to have some nice and tense rp with you than to pay the odd pirate 2 millions and move on. It's your job to be a good roleplay provider. If you do it right, people will come to you and ask for escort.

Yup, team work beats lone work. Just like in Team Fortress 2, more kills can mean more hats! Or here, more money!:D

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"Oh chuffing blimey, another day, another person being whiney!"
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