Question about the pirates timer

I'm a noob

So I'm on my fourth game. I've lost 2 out of the first 3, but that's okay, I'm known as an idiot in a lot of corners. I'm following the strategy guide I found here and doing better.

I don't understand the pirates timer. Pirates have ruined my two losses and I've realized how much cheaper it is to buy them off than it is to build ships to counter them. Anyhow, the timer and the bar doesn't seem to indicate exactly when the pirates are going to choose their target, so I end up sitting on that screen watching and making sure that I don't get outbid at the "last second" (I swear the AI is using its "timing" bonus to know exactly the right moment to raise the bounty so I don't have time to outbid them...). Any idea how that timer works?

Second, this game (1 v 1, and I'm playing an "easy" computer still as I learn the game), I'm watching that screen a LOT more closely. And I've noticed this time around that if I go in there at any random time long before the timer runs out, and I enter an amount (750 for example), I can check back later, and a portion of my money is just plain GONE. It'll be at 420, or 80, or some random (seemingly) number. The AI hasn't done anything, but I've somehow lost money in there. Not ALL of it, just a portion. What's going on there?

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Any idea how that timer works?

When the timer reaches 0, the raid is "ready to launch", and you have 30-90 seconds (this time is randomized) until the final target is picked and the raid gets underway.

if I go in there at any random time long before the timer runs out, and I enter an amount (750 for example), I can check back later, and a portion of my money is just plain GONE. It'll be at 420, or 80, or some random (seemingly) number. The AI hasn't done anything, but I've somehow lost money in there. Not ALL of it, just a portion. What's going on there?

Bounty placed on AI/players is distributed among all of their holdings (planets, units, buildings). Destroying them awards a portion of the bounty to whoever did the deed, hence the overall bounty will decrease as they battle and lose units

Hope that helped!

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In my experience you dont really have to build up to fight the pirates, just colonize a planet near the pirate planet, let them have thier fun with it, and rebuild once they leave. [dont keep any of your logistics stuff around and it turns out being cheaper]

also that money isnt dissapearing, any time your opponent loses a ship and has bounty, that bounty is given to whoever destroyed it. [NPC or Human i think]

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Thank you for that information. It's helpful. I never got hit by pirates once on my fourth game. In fact, I won without ever engaging my opponent AI fleet in a single battle. I just colony crept forward and won. Maybe I'm getting the hang of this.

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Yeah, that works pretty well. Although, on a large map I will sometimes build a second large fleet and when I do it's staffed with level 1 capital ships in the mid-late to late game. Not good. By then, however, I can crush the pirates if I want, so I'll often take this newly built fleet and smash the pirate base with it to get my troops some combat experience.

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Why not just devote a small force to stopping the pirates? Gives free EXP for your capship(s), and means you don't need to waste a planet/asteroid.

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Why not just devote a small force to stopping the pirates? Gives free EXP for your capship(s), and means you don't need to waste a planet/asteroid.

I'm a pretty new player, but when I tried this strategy with a harder AI opponent (my first "normal" AI match, it worked for the first few pirate waves, but as the pirates increased in strength it required too much of my fleet, and as I captured new planets near the pirate base the pirates would randomize their attacks to alternate planets. It required too much micro-management to shuttle my fleet where needed and too much resources to replenish defenses, and sapped via lost tax and trade income. It allowed the AI to get far ahead of me.

When I outbid for the pirate raids instead, much less disruption occurs and less micro-management is required. Instead of levelling up my cap ships on pirate raids, I'm levelling them up on new planets and AI outposts

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