Pirating is ruining my game experience

[Lance_Uppercut]

Basically, you play as an escort you risk getting sanctioned. Pirates have free reign as per these rules.

I see your point, but I don't agree. If you're escorting a trade convoy, it's de facto RP the whole way. It's not like the trader is asking for you to kill someone, he/she is asking for you to bring the muscle. A good escort won't even touch his weapons without good long RP with the encountered pirate/whatever you got.

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::The Pennsylvania Liberation Force

[blubba]

For me, there can be excessive pirating. A pirate got miffed because he asked my miner for 400 units of cargo. I only had 600. The number of train CD's he fired trying to stop me probably cost a good proportion of what he wanted. He was upset that I gave him 600 and told him to bugger off.
It wasn't his fault. I understand his position but I had been robbed three or four times in less than an hour in the same field. I hadn't actually left it. It was my first experience of being a miner and I have to say it was bloody awful.
It's NOT FUN when it's that bad.

Rant over, now some advice.

Armour.
Casero is right about armouring your vessel. If you do it right, theres an even chance you'll make it, should you decide to run for it.
Learn the speed dock spots on stations and importantly, how long you can survive against your enemies.
You might be surprised to see how far you can get dodging and firing on autopilot right up to that base where you just learnt where the speed dock is.

Fight them off.
In some mining ships, you have a number of guns. If the pirates a bomber, you might surprise yourself.
Not all of those pirates are that good, although sadly, many are.

Plan your route.
If you have a good idea what your looking for, scan the systems your travelling through. Look for tell tale names like OPG for example. If you had seen that name a few months ago, you'd know to stay away from that system, or prepare to get evasive.
It's not just names your looking for. It's level and timing.
How long have they been there?
If it's a while, it's probably someone you don't want to meet.

Make friends!
If you are mining amongst several other miners, introduce yourself. They don't normally want conversation but you'll get known. If they get attacked, help them if you think you can. Stick together, a small group of miners can give a pirate transport a good hiding. They might even make a gunboat think twice - but that depends on the captains, and the mining ships.

Don't be predictable.
If theres an obstacle you can't get round, change route completely or better yet, just swap ships if you don't fancy the encounter. Pirates watch ships movements to spot a route. Remember that when you keep ploughing up and down the same old trade lanes wondering why you keep getting stopped.
Be aware of jump holes in system or bases that are not on the beaten track that you can get to if you need a quick way out.

Finally try doing all of the things above.
The first thing you should do is sort out your ship until your happy with it. Armour is a definate first purchase but next up should be guns which will take some bruising encounters to get the best out of them (sadly-you'll probably learn the hard way). The rest will come with time.

Remember, if it gets a bit tough in certain areas/certain runs, do something else in game that keeps it fun. Change ship or profession. When it isn't fun, you'll stop playing.
You can always come back to that character later.

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[MrHeadphones]

Blubba is definitely right about the armour. For almost any unarmoured transport if your shield is down against a bomber you're about to die. One SNAC shot is enough to tear you apart no matter how many nanobots you have. With a regular 8, you'll survive the first and be able to nanobot your way through the next few, which (assuming thruster speed of 140, no shield and enough nanos and hull to survive 6 SNAC shots) can get you approximately 5k, and that's not counting shield or the chance to miss with a SNAC. That 5k can get you very close to the next lane, and with shield and against a medium skilled pirate you're likely to get away, or at least call for help.

As for the pirates charging 10 million, 25 million, I honestly can't see why they'd do that: Fine, you want a decent amount of cash, but you want the trader to keep doing the route.

One other thing. how on earth do you get 64 million creditsworth of cargo?

[Fellow Hoodlum]

All this talk of how much the ore is worth is pointless. A pirate cannot land on the bases where the profits are that high, only the miners can, or most of them anyway. His profit from a load is far below your potential.
And it cost you nothing but time. Solo mining is a dangerous game.
I suggest you read and digest Bubba's post above this, much common sense in print there.

Hoodlum

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Some say he is a proud member of: "The most paranoid group of people in the Community."

[sovereign]

As for the pirates charging 10 million, 25 million, I honestly can't see why they'd do that: Fine, you want a decent amount of cash, but you want the trader to keep doing the route.

Keeping this in mind got me 180 mil in the first two hours of using my Raba. I only asked for 400-1000 cargo from people, depending on how much they had and how they reacted to me. Most of them complied without hesitation- they still got most of the profit, and I usually escorted them the remaining way.

One other thing. how on earth do you get 64 million creditsworth of cargo?

Ore is worth a lot in some places.

Like 10k a pop. (Used to be more.)

Across an advanced train, that's 50 million.

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[Belco]

make a friend, if you're convoying with just one other person, you've got a 50% less chance of being blown up:P

also, freelancer ID seems to be the most popular around, if you see a fighter with one, ask if they'd like to follow you around for maybe 5mil, dont give them a destination right away incase they're seedy, just a number of systems you want to hop through, cant hurt asking and it gives them something to do besides hang around in NY.

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Ingame: Luxury Liner PGL-Winfield | Sal_Paradise | Victor.Fane

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[Divine]

What a discussion... zom***.. oh, wrong attitude... wait...

*switches modes*

Hello, my dear trader whose gaming experience was/still is ruined by those nasty, everywhere lurking pirates.
The solution to your little issue is quite simple: All you need is one (-ONE- // -1-) 'friend' in a smaller fighter craft (this ship doesnt need to be well equipped for any fights at all) that will scout ahead your route for those nasty, everywhere lurking pirates. Are those (*points as pirates*) found by your scout, your divert your route or change your course to above the plane out of scanner range of the lane height.

Enjoy your new gaming experience.
Now even featuring a 'friend'.

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User was banned for: http://discoverygc.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=151485
Time left: (Permanent)

[Kuze]

If you want to avoid the pirates, then fly 20-30 km under or above the trade lanes, it will take some time to fly thru the system but you will be in safe.

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Sketchfab - deviantART - p3d - ArtStation

[Prysin]

With a big transport with a nice armor, you can escape to the nearest station if it's a lonely pirate (no matter what he's flying).

*cough* Barghest *cough* cuts lane midway between a JG and a base. your dead




Seriously.... were do you trade? In liberty? yes?

Go to manhatten, wait 5 maybe 10 minutes... use "/local" to ask for merc/freelancer to escort you... say you pay them 10% of your total profit
MOST freelancers or mercs will just crowd you.. 10% of 68m = 6.8m..... most of the times, just 1 VHF escort can be enough even to escape 2 pirates...
Being in a faction gives you free or cheap escorts, BUT, being tagged also makes you a target for those that have never suceeded pirating that faction... meaning, you fly as say DSE, your escorts always kill the pirates... then as soon as you go solo, your the biggest target.... some pirates will skip pirating traders jsut to make sure ONE trader gets pirated. Some pirates are outright jerks, and will shot your ship-parts off when your running to a base.... Sometimes, loosing maybe 2-3 turrets and a lot of healt is just worse then paying those 2 millions

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DHC Discord

[Carlos_Benitez]

Frankly I think any pirate charging upwards of 10 mill is disgraceful.
I may not be "with the times"; I dont trade or mine much really, but back in my day, you got around 10 million credits per trade-run.

I charge 1 million to 3 million credits depending on my mood.
Consider that the traders who's game you RUIN today will be the lolwhut Battleships ruining your faction's reputation tomorrow. Perhaps if they wherent treated like crud, afew less of them might end up going bad.

I'm genuinely considering making myself a break-even Merc character just so I can try to help sort this out.

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