Piracy [In-Game Occupation] Let's raise the Black Flag! (TEST Piracy)

[Grimbli]

I fully intend to be an honorable pirate. I might only do it on the side. Haven't decided yet. And I don't want the UEE or BHs coming after me.

I'm totally cool running with you guys in my Reclaimer and taking the scrap and also repairing you guys up after the fight as I think I can add a field repair bay. Reclaimer do also have HUGE cargo bays. So you little guys can keep pirating!

 

[Reptar Khan]

Yharagh shiver me timbers!

Have any of us swash buckling Buccaneers put together a standard operating procedures for Test piracy operations?

The genral consensus is that we don't want to operate as a blob. That's fair enough because trying to manage a large group of players is not easy. Especially if key members are not present to manage the horde.

I would like to start getting some ideas and input from you guys about how you would like to see our roaming partys take place?

Things like fleet composition, intelligence gathering, target selection, ambush tactics, boarding tactics, contingency plans, loot division etc.

The goal would be that we create a clear mandiate, with our standard operating procedures streamlined for players wishing to take part on raids.

That way if one group is finished for the evening due to the commander taking a break, the rest of of the group can easily transition into other squads.

By having standardised squad tactics throughout our ranks, it will make it easier to interchange members or merge squads for larger operations if necessary.

Let me know what you guys think?

Only consensus I know of is:
1) Don't mess with other TEST
(Will do whatever to not mess up main TEST org rep & keep new players out of Corp wars or whatever)

2) Pirates do what they want
(Will organically sub group based on individual play style Privateer/Assasin/Raider/Smuggler/Extortion/'Security'/etc, Who is on, & play focus (dedicated planned group activities, full/part time 'alternative play style' focus)

3) Alcohol
(This will invariably lead to sub optimal yet very rewarding play)

4) We will see
(Once the capture the Idris goes live that will be a pirate practice match focus, I think/hope/we-can-take-solo-Idris-idiots-toys. Once org 2.0 comes out we can actually organize. Once ship theft mechanics & prevention come out we will start to steal. Once ship scanning mechanics come out we will smuggle and so on.)

 

[BeerMonster]

Well...now I'm stressing out about being a good pilot.

Hey, do we have a drunk pilot dogfighting school?

Im sorry if I came across as some elitist warmongering jerk..... Im cool with players that just want to chillax and have fun. Thats what games are for at the end of the day :)
Yes I fully agree about Honoring ransoms and not screwing over the merchants. One bad experience will probably result in them never trusting a pirate ever again.

Only consensus I know of is:
1) Don't mess with other TEST
(Will do whatever to not mess up main TEST org rep & keep new players out of Corp wars or whatever)

2) Pirates do what they want
(Will organically sub group based on individual play style Privateer/Assasin/Raider/Smuggler/Extortion/'Security'/etc, Who is on, & play focus (dedicated planned group activities, full/part time 'alternative play style' focus)

3) Alcohol
(This will invariably lead to sub optimal yet very rewarding play)

4) We will see
(Once the capture the Idris goes live that will be a pirate practice match focus, I think/hope/we-can-take-solo-Idris-idiots-toys. Once org 2.0 comes out we can actually organize. Once ship theft mechanics & prevention come out we will start to steal. Once ship scanning mechanics come out we will smuggle and so on.)

1) Absolutely... We should always put our organisation first ahead of our own agendas. We must love our fellow comrades more than we love our booze

2) Agreed.... If I wanted to do what people told me I would still be in the UEE Navy. However, we should make recommendations about certain codes of conduct. To ensure we dont have a small minority giving the rest of us (and TEST) a bad name

3) Goes with out saying.... Iv no interest in lollipops. Life is more fun when you drink rum :)

4) Plan ahead.... Im down with playing with some Testies once they add proper group functionality to the mini PU. Practice boarding tactics, Hijacking, dog-fighting, drinking, dancing, bar fighting etc. Take what we learn and share it with our community (Knowledge is power)

 

[Barthanes]

Some of us are planning on splintering off almost entirely from the main group, essentially only acting as auxiliaries in times of war. Once the PU launches of course.

 

[Mettan]

@Mettan

Yeah iv seen black sails alrite. Awsome show.... Sexist black beard ever :D

I come from a background of competitive gaming and have plenty of leadership experience. I play everything from MMOs, FPS, strategy and Surivial games.

If there is anything that I have learned over the years it's the value of having strong players to watch your back.

It doesn't matter how skilled you are as an individual, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

It's true the very definition of being a pirate is having the freedom to make your own choices and play as you want.

However winning is always more fun than being on the losing side. Especially when permadeath and ship destruction is concerned.

Im not expecting everyone to take Piracy as seriously as I do. I will most likely have my own regular crew that share my lust for battle and passion for Victory.

However, I still think their should be a "pirate code" that we all follow... even if only at a very basic level.

Us pirates will be hated amongst the vast majority of the community. When the bullets start flying and our enemy's come looking for our blood the only people we can rely upon are each other.

Being a large organisation gives us an advantage over our enemy's. However that advantage can only be utilised if we have some form of cohesion within our ranks.

Things like a rogue group of pirates not honoring ransoms could paint us all with the Same brush. Same as having one group smack talking after winning.

Unfair division of loot despite the sacrifice of others to achieve those goals can cause divisions or feuds.

In the the words of the great Captain Barborosa "the Pirate code is more like.... A Guideline"

This is very true, but we should have them there anyway to avoid disputes within our ranks and unity in times of hardship.

Just my 2 cents

Well said Monster, well said.
I agree. With all of the anti pirating groups out there it stands to reason that we will be targeted, big time. We are a big org here so it stands even more to reason that our drunk asses will be targeted even more so. I also love to win, I love to make money . . . I love to take captives and crack the air lock too, but, hell, we can't have everything.

I guess some may see the question before us as, do we want some type of established anti-establishment UEE fighting machine or total anarchy? I don't think we are really facing that yet. I think what rules we have are geared to having fun while imposing as few limitations as possible on game play and that's good.

But I suppose I feel that because this guild supports the idea of enjoying all aspects of the game I am hesitating with the idea of establishing a code of law that directly tells people what to do, especially when test pirates probably get a lot of attention as being free spirited drunken flyers who will not tell you what to do.

So, yes, perhaps having something like a coalition of groups with an established code of conduct would be good and because I also will be flying with a crew that will be playing seriously and does intend to win and make money. I would certainly encourage my guys to pick up whatever we come up with here as a pirate code. Needless to say. I feel that there will be test pirates who will, on principle alone be against that.

So . . . now that my buzz is gone, I'm getting another drink . . .

Oh and P.S. Monster, if your guys are, like, totally the shit! then we should wolf pack up. It will be glorious!!!!!

 

[AntiSqueaker]

I'm thinking... I like to be a pirate sometimes... if the pirate interceptor is a Drake ship and it is between 50/80$ count me in.... not as a full pirate but, I don't know, sometimes I like to kill, but just sometimes. Most of the time I'm a good guy :)

Sorry mate, last time it was talked about it was stated to be intentionally in the same price zone as the Cutlass. The entire purpose of the Buccaneer/Monarch is to give OG Cutlass owners an option more in line with their original expectations. So it should be around the 100$ ballpark. Or CIG will get another fresh wave of salt from the salty Cutlass owners club, which is what everyone in the community just loves.

As with all these ships, the Cutlass may not be what everyone wants it to be and as such there may be other ships that are much more suited to your playstyle. One such option is a potential ship we’re calling the Drake Buccaneer, which would be a ‘pirate interceptor’ intended more for tricky maneuvering than cargo capacity. It would likely feature light armor, a shorter range ‘sucker punch’ style weapons loadout and a significantly more limited cargo bay. Buccaneers would need to operate alongside of Cutlasses or even as parasite fighters attached to a Caterpillar for more serious raiding missions. If we go ahead with the concept, it would be intended to fit the same price range as the Cutlass, allowing owners who prefer sheer maneuverability to switch designs with impunity.

Emphasis mine.

 

[Gearen]

Sorry mate, last time it was talked about it was stated to be intentionally in the same price zone as the Cutlass. The entire purpose of the Buccaneer/Monarch is to give OG Cutlass owners an option more in line with their original expectations. So it should be around the 100$ ballpark. Or CIG will get another fresh wave of salt from the salty Cutlass owners club, which is what everyone in the community just loves.

Ok... np... I what to add a Drake ship to my collection, if it's not the Monarch it's the herald. Ha have an Avenger Titan and Reliant for melt if I need so... if its al the price of 100$ I can get it :)

 

[BeerMonster]

Is it just me or do you guys think the monarch is a stupid name for a pirate ship?

Monarch is a name that is associated with royalty.... Not a fearsome pirate ship!

I would rather they called it the Buccaneer like originally planed. If it were up to me I'd call it something like the "Blunderbuss" or the "Rapier".

Iv actually put off getting a cutlass until they do the re-work. It's ugly as hell and I rented one with REC and it really did not impressed me.

I was going to keep the Buccaneer on my Radar in the event the Cutlass was still rubbish, but my gut feeling tells me the Monarch will be a big disappointment.

In fact all the Drake ships are ugly as hell, and now they can't even come up with decent names either... Seems we will just be the butt of every joke :D

 

[Serious Table]

I would rather they called it the Buccaneer like originally planed. If it were up to me I'd call it something like the "Blunderbuss" or the "Rapier".

Well, they can't call it the Rapier. I'm 99.9% certain that's going to end up being an Aegis ship down the line. A light fighter, no less (see: Gladius, Sabre).

The thing to keep in mind is that Drake doesn't build Pirate ships. They build ships that Pirates just haaaaaappen to really enjoy using. The Cutlass is allegedly a Search and Rescue craft or militia fighter. It's not specifically a pirate ship. The Caterpillar, by comparison, was built for all sorts of commerce and as a command ship for extended Search and Rescue missions. It just HAPPENS to have a lot of boarding-capable equipment on board (something you need in search and rescue! ... or Piracy).

A ship manufacturer in the public eye doesn't build for piracy. They'd get shut down immediately! Do you think Toyota builds their trucks to have a large gattling gun attached to the bed? No, but that's how they're used in certain areas. Drake's doing the same thing.

Monarch fits as a name to deflect from the Piracy aspect of it. We all know how people are going to want to use it, but in-lore it can't be advertised as such.

 

[BeerMonster]

I know based on lore they can't market it as a pirate ship. In saying that 99% of the player base associate Drake with piracy. I can't speak on behalf of the NPCs thow.... Hopefully they are more nieeve :)

 

[Mettan]

Well, traditionally you need speed cargo and weapons to call something a pirate ship and there are a lot of ships that have that. I'm not too overwhelmed with the idea of more cutlasses and for all I care they can call them the space queens and I would probably be ok with it. I mean, really, why would I have to fly them! All I know is that if they look cool I am probably going to be down one more aurora and out another hundred bucks.

 

[Ezz]

What do you guys think about a Reliant (maybe Skirmisher) ? Does it fit a pirate?

 

[Mettan]

What do you guys think about a Reliant (maybe Skirmisher) ? Does it fit a pirate?

I would say, out of all the starter ships the reliant is probably the most pirate-y . . ish. Decent speed, more cargo space than the others stater ships, almost as much as the hull-A really, and some firepower's there too. Now, keep in mind, it is a starter ship. I'm sure there will be a lot of prey out there who would laugh when you pull them over and then pew pew the poop out of you. But in comparison to ships of its class, I like it in the pirate role more then the others. As long as it's not the news crew one, I would like to see how that scenario panned out. Though RSI could allays make changes to the reliant and then I would cry.

 

[AntiSqueaker]

What do you guys think about a Reliant (maybe Skirmisher) ? Does it fit a pirate?

Mettan made some good points. Out of the 3 starter ships (maybe 4 eventually, if the Drake Dragonfly ever gets made, CIG PLZ), Reliant is probably the most pirate friendly. Has about as much firepower as the other Aurora/Mustang (especially Skirmisher) and holds significantly more cargo. (Also the Aurora only has an external cargo pod, which may require some finicky EVA work to load up with gear).

Downsides of the Reliant are it's probably not going to be as good in a scrap as a Mustang Delta for sure, maybe even the Aurora LN (Aurora is a much smaller target).
I don't think the Reliant will be as fast as the Mustang either, but might be faster than the Aurora.
And the Skirmisher, which would be the best pirate variant, cuts out about 2/3rds of the cargo for the extra weapons and such.

I think that an Avenger Titan would be the best bang for buck pirate ship, especially since it's the exact same price point as the base Reliant. Faster, probably more armored, nice nose cannon, good cargo hold.

 

[WarrenPeace]

Or CIG will get another fresh wave of salt from the salty Cutlass owners club, which is what everyone in the community just loves.

Sodium-powered reactors, standard equipment for every carebear hunter.

 

[Ragnar Fenrir]

thinking of getting a Carrack and making it into a pirate ship.

 

[Serious Table]

If it's got a black flag, it counts.

 

[Grimbli]

thinking of getting a Carrack and making it into a pirate ship.

This is some next level shit here.

*Pulls up in Carrack.*
"Give me yer booty!"
*Looks around*
"Oh yeah, I'm in deep space. Nobody for lightyears."
*Pulls out nudie mag"

 

[Ragnar Fenrir]

This is some next level shit here.

*Pulls up in Carrack.*
"Give me yer booty!"
*Looks around*
"Oh yeah, I'm in deep space. Nobody for lightyears."
*Pulls out nudie mag"

 

[Ezz]

If it's got a black flag, it counts.

Lets do this.