Forums » Suggestions
NPC pirate poll
Which of the following would you agree with:
A: Pirates are fine as they are
B: Pirates should be less common
C: Pirates should have less numbers, but just as common.
D: Pirates should have less numbers and be less common.
My reasoning behind this poll is I think that it would be a lot more fun if pirates were less common. So when you get ambushed by pirates, they're very difficult to evade (making them a bit more difficult than they are now), and it comes as a surprise. This way it gives more of a "Oh crap, Pirates!" feeling when traveling through grey instead of a "I'm going through grey, better get ready for the 20 pirates that are always waiting at the Sedina/Odia/Bractus wormholes." I think it would be much more fun to be occasionally ambushed by pirates that will chase you across 3 systems rather than having pirates constantly sitting at certain wormholes and giving up the chase relatively easy.
However, I might be alone in this feeling, hence the poll.
A: Pirates are fine as they are
B: Pirates should be less common
C: Pirates should have less numbers, but just as common.
D: Pirates should have less numbers and be less common.
My reasoning behind this poll is I think that it would be a lot more fun if pirates were less common. So when you get ambushed by pirates, they're very difficult to evade (making them a bit more difficult than they are now), and it comes as a surprise. This way it gives more of a "Oh crap, Pirates!" feeling when traveling through grey instead of a "I'm going through grey, better get ready for the 20 pirates that are always waiting at the Sedina/Odia/Bractus wormholes." I think it would be much more fun to be occasionally ambushed by pirates that will chase you across 3 systems rather than having pirates constantly sitting at certain wormholes and giving up the chase relatively easy.
However, I might be alone in this feeling, hence the poll.
D.
Yarrr! They be cuttin inta me profits, small as they may be...
Yarrr! They be cuttin inta me profits, small as they may be...
Vote: A or B
No, Ghost, I completely agree. I would like to see groups of pirates centered around a pirate Trident that travel through Greyspace, um... pirating. What we currently have are not Caribbean pirates; what we have is a Prohibition era, Chicago-Capone-style protection racket. However, I would also like to see development of other content more than see modified pirates.
No, Ghost, I completely agree. I would like to see groups of pirates centered around a pirate Trident that travel through Greyspace, um... pirating. What we currently have are not Caribbean pirates; what we have is a Prohibition era, Chicago-Capone-style protection racket. However, I would also like to see development of other content more than see modified pirates.
E. NPC Pirates should suppliment, NOT REPLACE player pirates.
As it is, they simply fly in and take over. A player pirate cannot pirate in gray anymore because of the NPC pirates.
As it is, they simply fly in and take over. A player pirate cannot pirate in gray anymore because of the NPC pirates.
D. There were 31 unbots at the Bractus Pelatus WH today and I have yet to see a WH with less than 15. Its pretty silly if you ask me. Grey is the most populated area in space right now.
There should never be more than 15 in a sector *UNLESS* they are already chasing another bot through that sector. So, when a big convoy comes all the way through grey, each trader and escort gets a chaser at *each* wormhole. That can add up to a whole bunch of pirates passing through, but there should never be more than 15 sitting there waiting for fresh meat. If there are, it's a bug, and I need to catch it while it's happening to really figure it out.
Now certainly, I could lower the target waiting-at-a-given-wh number from 15, but you have to understand the consequences. It means that when the first big convoy comes through, the *entire* pirate fleet will go after it, leaving the sector bare. The mission will immediately schedule construction of new bots (2m/bot) to compensate, which is necessary in order to give a somewhat realistic feel to the task of clearing out the pirates (ie, they stay cleared out and slowly trickle back in). I expect that most of you can think of creative solutions to this, but you have to realize that with each addition of a "simple" npc behavior or condition-response for the mission, the number of additional corner cases grows, sometimes exponentially. If I read or can think of a better solution to this problem than fine tuning that doesn't significantly complicate the, already very complicated, liberation mission, I'll implement it.
I tested these two parameters (how many, respawn-rate) extensively on zarniwoop, and this was what worked under my no-players-around conditions. Working, for me, was defined as a threatening pirate presence in the 6 wormhole sectors, which would not be wiped out by a few convoys coming through, but which could be kept under control by a few vigilant players, who would have some breaks when they'd made the pirating game unprofitable. Naturally, all that goes out the window when the community at large actually starts playing with them. Anyway, that's what I was going for, and I'll happily adjust and readjust these numbers to get there.
Now certainly, I could lower the target waiting-at-a-given-wh number from 15, but you have to understand the consequences. It means that when the first big convoy comes through, the *entire* pirate fleet will go after it, leaving the sector bare. The mission will immediately schedule construction of new bots (2m/bot) to compensate, which is necessary in order to give a somewhat realistic feel to the task of clearing out the pirates (ie, they stay cleared out and slowly trickle back in). I expect that most of you can think of creative solutions to this, but you have to realize that with each addition of a "simple" npc behavior or condition-response for the mission, the number of additional corner cases grows, sometimes exponentially. If I read or can think of a better solution to this problem than fine tuning that doesn't significantly complicate the, already very complicated, liberation mission, I'll implement it.
I tested these two parameters (how many, respawn-rate) extensively on zarniwoop, and this was what worked under my no-players-around conditions. Working, for me, was defined as a threatening pirate presence in the 6 wormhole sectors, which would not be wiped out by a few convoys coming through, but which could be kept under control by a few vigilant players, who would have some breaks when they'd made the pirating game unprofitable. Naturally, all that goes out the window when the community at large actually starts playing with them. Anyway, that's what I was going for, and I'll happily adjust and readjust these numbers to get there.
E through D.
The concept of "clearing out" an area of pirates seems wrong to me. Pirates should not camp an area. They should wandedr all the sectors of grey space looking to pirate someone. So, most of the time the area will be clear of pirates, but occasionally you will run into them (or them into you, much less occasionally than ion storms) and then you will be in serious trouble.
The concept of "clearing out" an area of pirates seems wrong to me. Pirates should not camp an area. They should wandedr all the sectors of grey space looking to pirate someone. So, most of the time the area will be clear of pirates, but occasionally you will run into them (or them into you, much less occasionally than ion storms) and then you will be in serious trouble.
I guess the most noteable thing for me is that pirate are ALWAYS at specific wormholes. Even if they're cleared out, the first new pirate jumps in within a few minutes. Shouldn't the wormholes in grey be clear sometimes? I mean I know grey is supposed to be dangerous but it looks like there's pirates living at the wormholes.
I personally would consider 15-20 minutes between bots to be a good solution. You clear out a sector and it stays cleared out for 20 minutes.
As far as the liberation mission goes, its drastically confusing right now. It seems to be that you only get credits for targets that have been identified as prey. Problem is, with 15-20 bots spamming your chat with orders, its next to impossible to identify which targets are valid.
It also feels like outright warfare every time a convoy comes through. That's just not right. The convoys get absolutely slaughtered. If this was a real situation, no corporation in their right mind would simply keep sending their merchandise into this death trap.
As far as the liberation mission goes, its drastically confusing right now. It seems to be that you only get credits for targets that have been identified as prey. Problem is, with 15-20 bots spamming your chat with orders, its next to impossible to identify which targets are valid.
It also feels like outright warfare every time a convoy comes through. That's just not right. The convoys get absolutely slaughtered. If this was a real situation, no corporation in their right mind would simply keep sending their merchandise into this death trap.
I do intend to have convoys treated as single units by the pirates, as soon as I can revisit the escort mission. That should drastically reduce the message spam. I'm open to quicker hacks to lessen the spam in the meantime. Additionally, we will eventually make it possible for visualy tagged targets to be assigned by your mission or a player/npc group-member/leader. At any rate, we're aware that it can be a confusing *mess* right now with lots of bots in a sector.
Also, the new economy which has been operating but not effecting-change for a couple months, will, when released, stop station-owners from "sending their merchandise into this death trap." by simple virtue of it being more expensive than other means. I also intend to make it possible for the station-managers to decide to go through grey and *pay* the pirates. Further down the road, we'd love to make it possible for *players* to make such decisions as what route to take or whether to pay or run, but there are several big things that need to be in place before we can do that without rampant exploitation.
Edit: What do you think of having the liberation mission give you one target at a time? It would give you a new one under the same circumstances that the npcs are called off (station sector, warped outside 1000m of any pirate, or left grey space). That wouldn't be hard to do. I *could* even make you responsible for shaking down every nth bot yourself, and passing on a cut of the bribe.
Also, the new economy which has been operating but not effecting-change for a couple months, will, when released, stop station-owners from "sending their merchandise into this death trap." by simple virtue of it being more expensive than other means. I also intend to make it possible for the station-managers to decide to go through grey and *pay* the pirates. Further down the road, we'd love to make it possible for *players* to make such decisions as what route to take or whether to pay or run, but there are several big things that need to be in place before we can do that without rampant exploitation.
Edit: What do you think of having the liberation mission give you one target at a time? It would give you a new one under the same circumstances that the npcs are called off (station sector, warped outside 1000m of any pirate, or left grey space). That wouldn't be hard to do. I *could* even make you responsible for shaking down every nth bot yourself, and passing on a cut of the bribe.
...
was that about NPC "station-owners" being able to pay off the pirates by proxy, or about player-owned stations?
was that about NPC "station-owners" being able to pay off the pirates by proxy, or about player-owned stations?
I vote D: Pirates should have less numbers and be less common
At the moment it is possible to cope with 7 or 8 pirates, on my own (unless there is more than one warthog), so maybe drop the number that are constantly in a sector to say 5, but when a convoy comes through make some more jump in to attack it, and follow it through the sector, then when the voy is dead, make them jump out again.
At the moment it is possible to cope with 7 or 8 pirates, on my own (unless there is more than one warthog), so maybe drop the number that are constantly in a sector to say 5, but when a convoy comes through make some more jump in to attack it, and follow it through the sector, then when the voy is dead, make them jump out again.
B.