New Pirate utility!

Thats a pretty good idea, and allows you to play with the fire borrowing the devils hands. having Pirate worlds and the like would be cool, on the outer rim planets or those with a low PQ. may be a good place to put agents on to get additional resourses and techs perhaps.

Either way if this kind of corruption would be alive in a galaxy, it opens up yet another chapter in Political and war tactics.

This game is only getting better.

It would be even better if pirates actually did something.

The 'pirates of old' come to mind.

Hint, hint - devs. Again.

And if good pirates are brought back, it should be for both DA and DL.

My last game, I again got the screen warning that pirates were now present in the galaxy.
Never saw them.

Thu, launching the proverbial wolf into a rival's territory, causing rampage without having to declare war?

Who's to say that the pirate's might not use the ships you give them to attack you? Turnabout is fair play.

Who's to say that the pirate's might not use the ships you give them to attack you? Turnabout is fair play.

Well if the pirates were done better, i'd think that they should make it so they wouldn't if your powerfull enough. It seems dumb that pirates would attack an organized, advanced, and larger navy.

It seems dumb that pirates would attack an organized, advanced, and larger navy.

That's why they call them pirates. Actually, military might should be a partial deterrent to pirates but not totally because they use hit and run tactics. What’s not credible would be for them to have straight up battles with your top line fleets. They should do what pirates do best which is attack freighters and unprotected starbases.

Who's to say that the pirate's might not use the ships you give them to attack you? Turnabout is fair play.

Mumble,

I'm thinking of a word... 8 letters... starts with "f", ends with "d."

While you're contemplating that, know that you incorrectly used "turnabout is fair play."

The correct usage is when someone does something bad to you and you return the favor. When you do something good for somebody and they do something bad to you, the correct phrase is "you're a back stabbing motherfrakker."

Hope that helped your confusion.

They should do what pirates do best which is attack freighters and unprotected starbases.

Absolutely Mumble. Soft targets.

What’s not credible would be for them to have straight up battles with your top line fleets. They should do what pirates do best which is attack freighters and unprotected starbases.

I agree with you on the first part. Smart pirates would not want to tangle with a superior fleet. However, pirates are predatory in nature, so it is not inconceivable that they would take a chance on attacking military vessels that are not so well armed and dangerous to them. This would be how they themselves would build a respectable fleet. There is no rule that says pirates are cowards. If an opportunity arises, I would expect them to act accordingly if it was in their best interests.
As an advocate of pirates and as someone who feels that they really need to be integrated into this game in a better manner than they are right now, I will continue to keep the issue open in an attempt, regardless of how vain the attempt may be.  

I guess that Brad has more important things to do than to write a new Pirates' AI.

Actually, military might should be a partial deterrent to pirates but not totally because they use hit and run tactics. What’s not credible would be for them to have straight up battles with your top line fleets. They should do what pirates do best which is attack freighters and unprotected starbases.

During the War of 1812, IIRC, pirates were a significant naval force around New Orleans. I think they were on the English side (because they paid them the most), but they were used against legit naval fleets. There are times in history when they can become that powerful. Rome had a difficult time with pirates until Pompey amazingly wiped them out in a year. Before that, it had seemed like an impossible situation, even for the entire Roman fleet!

As an advocate of pirates and as someone who feels that they really need to be integrated into this game in a better manner than they are right now, I will continue to keep the issue open

I like pirates too, matey. Arrghh

I guess that Brad has more important things to do than to write a new Pirates' AI.

No doubt this is true as well.

During the War of 1812, IIRC, pirates were a significant naval force around New Orleans. I think they were on the English side (because they paid them the most), but they were used against legit naval fleets.

This might really be something more akin to a privateer, which is a privately owned warship sanctioned by a government to prey upon enemy ships. These have the possibility of deniability. I think this would be a cool feature to add to the game, you could sponsor “privateers” to harass a potential enemy but not be required to declare all out war because they’re private citizens whose actions you have no “control” over. Just a thought.

This might really be something more akin to a privateer, which is a privately owned warship sanctioned by a government to prey upon enemy ships. These have the possibility of deniability. I think this would be a cool feature to add to the game, you could sponsor “privateers” to harass a potential enemy but not be required to declare all out war because they’re private citizens whose actions you have no “control” over. Just a thought.

Perhaps not possible, but it would be interesting to see certain AI use pirates much more than others. Korx, maybe some neutral AI, maybe the Drath, would more likely employ pirates to screw their neighbors much more than Altarians or Drengins.

The Altarian's are probably the most likely to sponsor privateers.

Because, for a supposedly good race, they sure do like to go to war. They are, in my games at least, the most likely to declare more wars during any single game than any of the others, Drengin included.

Hmmm...I checked the normal pirate random event, and it shouldn't give you that message about there being pirates unless it was actually able to create ships.  Could they have been under the FOW and dispatched by one of the other races before you ever saw them?

Have any of you gotten the pirates mega event yet?

I had it in my game last night as well, and they were near one of my own planets.
So, yes, they could have been (no doubt were) under FOW.

The trouble is, Cari, that they don't really DO anything anymore.
While they used to be the scourge of the galaxy, now they are simply a cockroach to be stepped on.

The pirates of old were organized and deadly, just as pirates should be. I wish they could be brought back to at least something of their old selves.

What is the 'pirates mega event'?
I do not think I have ever seen it.

The trouble is, Cari, that they don't really DO anything anymore. While they used to be the scourge of the galaxy, now they are simply a cockroach to be stepped on.

Second that one Cari. I haven't tried the Beta yet so I don't know what you have in store for us with the "mega event" but regardless, could you at least give a little hint as to whether or not the pirates are actually going to have some substance to them? Pretty, pretty please with a whole ton of motherboards on top.  
You know I love you, right? So come on, give us those swashbucklers we so badly want.  

Brad did mention needing to work on the Pirates AI.  However, they should at least be attacking nearby ships, which I thought I had working.

Here's an excerpt from a recent post by Novaburst, called something like Impressions of B2:

"the new (?) mega event that spawns pirates all over the galaxy happened in all four, and seems to have taken the place instead of the Plague event in terms of, the frequency of the event. It happened in all four games, and it's a serious blow to the galaxy. Even the AI takes a serious dip in military ability as their ships are blown to pieces, and their Starbases destroyed one by one. Though, in the 4th game I did manage to finally return fire and get out of the strangle hold they had on me and my planets, and eventually the AI coped with most of them as well.

I noticed the Strength of the pirate ships scales in relation to when it happens, late game has more powerful pirates then earlier, so it seems to be based on some average tech lvl throughout the galaxy. It's a fairly potent event though, and perhaps a tiny itty bit too harsh, or maybe I need to micromanage better and stop sucking."

So, sounds like the pirates are working in the latest beta.

Well, I'm glad to hear that more work is planned for the pirates.
The mega event sounds pretty nice, but I am not up to DA yet. I am hoping something will be done in the next update for DL so I don't have to wait so long to enjoy them again.

Thanks for the feedback, Cari.

Pirates o the agony i been playing and got whacked up side the head by the pirates . They destroyed every base and outpost i built. After some looking at their ships i figured strategy was in order so i made some custom ships and managed to drive them from my corner of happy land but it was really hard they still have ships in other parts of the galaxy but the dregin and korath are evil so who cares if they agrovate them. I wasn't expecting the mega pirate attack   

Thats pretty crazy to hear about, I remember dealing with pirates in GC1. that and random monsters floating around were always left me for a mysterious galaxy. GC2 seems kinda dead except for the civic's. I wonder if it would be possible to have the Pirates spawn like they did in Civ 4. basically you left an area unexplored for a period of time the pirates would make a small camp and cause problems from there.

Would make sense for pirates considering the vastness of space.

This might really be something more akin to a privateer, which is a privately owned warship sanctioned by a government to prey upon enemy ships. These have the possibility of deniability. I think this would be a cool feature to add to the game, you could sponsor “privateers” to harass a potential enemy but not be required to declare all out war because they’re private citizens whose actions you have no “control” over. Just a thought.

So basically mercenaries. Are we talking about 'drawing inspiration' fro, the Total War series and having fleets pay cash for mercenary (privateer) ships to join them on the spot? Or some method of conjuring a new fleet of AI controlled ships that run off to fight your enemies on your behalf?

The latter sounds good but I imagine they would run off and get squashed by a big hostile fleet within about 5 minutes.

BTW the pirates fighting for the english mentioned earlier really were actual pirates. They were valuable for their local knowledge and the fact that the Royal Navy had most of its ships on the otherside of the Atalantic. But they really did say "yarr!" alot. 

pay cash for mercenary (privateer) ships to join them on the spot?

I was thinking of these more like spies. Something that can be used to harass and annoy an enemy without commiting yourself to war. It could add to someones "too busy to risk war with you" relationship category besides whatever actual damage they might do.

The ability to pay cash for ships to join a battle is effectively in the game because you can always rush buy ships if you have enough cash.

I noticed that they went for my shipping lanes disrupting my economy first i was down to - 1200bc and my citizens were very upset with the way i was dealing with everything so i lowered the spending and tried to bribe some of my allies for some money. I traded plague cure and got some money then tried to stop them from attacking my outposts . I noticed they just wait for you to do anything after they wiped the floor with you . This was on easy settings and I had a time anyway I loosened their hold and started to rebuild my starbases and I have managed to build up a defense. Now i want to get an offense and get rid of them. It was fun though they were like terrorists of the galaxy tring hit and run but I put a missle in their soup. The game is getting interesting with the pirates no more will you set back and relax ,with the mega events you won't have time. Good job devs