Pirates

[mandoman]

This is probably an old topic, but I'm new and didn't see any discussions about it. I'm getting the feeling that this game should be renamed "Pirates Of The Ooniverse". or something similar. I can't believe how many pirates there are per Galcops. I've played several space games, including several Star Wars XWing type "shoot out" adventures, and I have never been so out gunned, and vulnerable. At first appearance, the Cobra Mk III looks like it should be heavy duty enough to take a lot of punishment, but it doesn't. It takes very little for a gang of three or more pirates to blow me out of space. I can take on two some of the time, and usually always get at least one, but the pirates are the rulers of the space lanes in Oolite. On top of that, there is no break for those who's finger accidentally (and very briefly) hit the fire button while approaching space dock, but one would think I had tried to rob the place, and then destroy it by the way I'm labeled and pursued when coming out of said dock. Sheesh, the cops are never around to help in a fight, but they are ready to swarm all over me if my finger has an accidental twitch. A bit harsh, that. The object of this game is destroy, or be destroyed. I mean, Pirates are supposedly out to steel your cargo, not blow it up, and the cops are usually out to arrest you for a crime, not blow you up right off the bat, even when you don't try to fight back (I'm and honest trader). I have tried to upgrade my ship, and at first I was able to add an extra aft laser (which has proved useless), and extra missals (which were really great), but now I'm at the poverty end of shipping, with my Mark III needing maintenance I can't afford, and practically no credit to buy cargo for sale at the next system (assuming I'm allowed to make it to the doc in the next system).

I don't mean to whine, but if I'm going to be in combat most of the time, my ship should at least be equipped to take on the attackers. As it is, I'm mostly just a sitting duck, especially when I can't use the in-system Hyperspeed to make it to the docking station, because I might run into some poor, defenseless pirate.

This game has great potential, but it is the hardest I have yet come upon to get into before being blown completely out of action. OK, fire away.

[Cody]

Hi mandoman... it can be a harsh Ooniverse, when you're just starting-out.

If you were to travel outside the main spacelanes for a while, then a lot of the pirates can be avoided until your ship is beefed-up a little more.
At the witchpoint, angle away from the planet at about 60 degrees for a few seconds, then turn towards the station.

[another_commander]

One of the first things a green Jameson needs to learn in this game is that not engaging and/or running away when the odds are against him is one of the top-of-the-list tactics, at least until he gets his ship equipped. Assuming that no ship OXPs are installed, the game is balanced so that dangerous systems are just about barely survivable with the start up Cobra MkIII, if one is lucky. Which means, until you get the ship kitted out, stay clear from anything less than a Confedarate system. I would recommend that a large cargo bay and an ECM be the first things to buy, as one increases your chances for profit and the other gives you a chance against missiles (which, admittedly, is probably the biggest threat against a non-equipped Jameson).

As for the accidental fire causing cops to launch-to-kill, this is the main reason why the Weapons Lockdown switch was introduced in 1.75. The default toggle key for this control is the underscore (_). Feel free to use it when near the station or when the cops are around and there is no reason for lasers to be armed.

[Cmdr Wyvern]

Like El V said, your best bet is to stay out of the spacelane till you've upgraded enough to fight back.
Minimal pirate-butt-kicking upgrades, IMHO:
- Foreward beam laser
- ECM
- Fuel injectors
- Hardhead missiles
- Fuel scoop (optional - pirates often leave behind their stolen cargo when they buy the farm. A scoop can be used to salvage the goods.)
- Energy bomb (optional - this device can blow away large groups of pirates with one press of a button. As a big con, extreme care must be taken with it's use. Triggering it when you have purple blips on the scanner can easily make you a fugitive, and pretty much end your trading career.)

Pirates want your cargo, and try to scare you into dumping it, or failing that, blow your ship apart so they can take it with their scoops. It's nothing personal. Also remember that most pirates are cowards, and may run when they feel outgunned; that's why they attack in wings of four or more ships.

[Cody]

As for the accidental fire causing cops to launch-to-kill, this is the main reason why the Weapons Lockdown switch was introduced in 1.75. The default toggle key for this control is the underscore (_).

I notice that the Oolite reference sheet seems to have no key displayed for this function... just an empty box.

[mandoman]

OK, let me take stock. First I need to get OUT of the main space lanes? Does that little trick of banking 60 degrees and turn back toward the space dock take off the main space lanes? Second, until I'm equipped for bear, I should not take on more than one pirate. Third, the ECM, which for some stupid reason I didn't understand, is essential for tracking incoming missals. Third, lock the firing trigger when docking. That's a big one. Thanks. Four, I probably won't able to make it if I don't get away from the main concentration of pirate ravaged systems, and build the Mark III into a killing machine that can haul mega cargo loads.

This is good stuff, and I didn't realize any of it, except the beefing up the Mark III part. Thanks much. 60 degrees bank away from space dock for a few seconds (I suppose before witchpoint kicks in), then turn toward the station. Hmmm, this sounds interesting.

[Cody]

60 degrees bank away from space dock for a few seconds (I suppose before witchpoint kicks in), then turn toward the station.

No... turn away at the witchpoint after you have jumped into the target system.
There are three spacelanes... witchpoint to planet, witchpoint to sun, and planet to sun.

[Cmdr Wyvern]

OK, let me take stock. First I need to get OUT of the main space lanes? Does that little trick of banking 60 degrees and turn back toward the space dock take off the main space lanes? Second, until I'm equipped for bear, I should not take on more than one pirate. Third, the ECM, which for some stupid reason I didn't understand, is essential for tracking incoming missals. Third, lock the firing trigger when docking. That's a big one. Thanks. Four, I probably won't able to make it if I don't get away from the main concentration of pirate ravaged systems, and build the Mark III into a killing machine that can haul mega cargo loads.

The ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) transmits a signal meant to force missiles to prematurely detonate. It will pop standard missiles immediately, yet killing hardheads, errh, hardened missiles with it is a hit-or-miss affair. That's where a fuel injector comes in handy! With an injector, you can run away from hardheads, leave a battle that got too hot to handle, and escape masslocks.

A Cobra with a cargo expansion can haul up to 35 TC. While that's far from the big loads a heavy hauler like a Python can carry, it's still pretty impressive for a small ship.

This is good stuff, and I didn't realize any of it, except the beefing up the Mark III part. Thanks much. 60 degrees bank away from space dock for a few seconds (I suppose before witchpoint kicks in), then turn toward the station. Hmmm, this sounds interesting.

Close. When you've witched into a system, turn away from the planet. Cruise on the torus for a few seconds, then turn towards the planet. You'll be free and clear till you reach the station.

[mandoman]

Just because I turn away from the planet coming out of jump the pirates won't find me? That is incredible, or am I missing something.

[Cody]

Most of the time, you'll be safe. However, if there are pirates loitering near the witchpoint (or the station), then you'll still have to fight... or evade, if you can.

[Ganelon]

Pirates are businessmen, of a sort. It's not good for business to waste time and fuel floating around out in the middle of nowhere, when plenty of naive new traders are tooling down the main spacelane between the witchpoint and the main station. Naive new traders just like you *were*, before asking for a bit of advice. Now you're a bit less naive.

If you are sometimes taking out two pirates with just the starter Cobra MKIII and no upgrades yet, then you obviously "have the right stuff" to you for playing this game.

So far as the pirates being "the rulers of the space lanes in Oolite", I wouldn't agree. You'll be "ruling" well enough before long, if you just keep on the way you're going! Who knows? You might decide to be a pirate yourself, someday. Or a bounty hunter, or a prospector/miner or a pilot who flies with the Naval reserve or..Well, you'll figure it out for yourself.

There are even some folks, as I recall, who play the game without much being out to kill anything. I'd say there's a lot more to Oolite than just "kill or be killed" (although that probably is the most common choice of perspective). It all depends on how *you* decide to play it.

I would agree, however, that it's not the easiest game when you're just starting out. But that's part of what can make it fun as you get better.

[mandoman]

Got it. It's worth a shot if there is any chance of shaking of the pirates. I'm trying to work my way out of the main space lanes. Is there a certain course that works best? Right now I'm at Leesti. I tried to jump to Orerve, and four pirates came at me before I could reach the space dock, so I emergency jumped to Oresqu to get away. It was the general direction I was heading anyway, but the pirates caught me there as well, and I went boom, LOL!!

[Cody]

As another commander said, you have to pick your trade routes carefully when starting out.
There are great charts available that help pilots plot good routes… see the Vector Map pdf’s  here.

[mandoman]

Hey, thanks for the tip. That map is incredible. Someone went to a lot of trouble to put that together. I do like this game.

[Commander McLane]

Got it. It's worth a shot if there is any chance of shaking of the pirates. I'm trying to work my way out of the main space lanes. Is there a certain course that works best? Right now I'm at Leesti. I tried to jump to Orerve, and four pirates came at me before I could reach the space dock,

It seems there is still a little confusion here. For one, I have no idea what you mean with 'space dock'. I've never read this expression before for something in Oolite. Do you mean the main station?

Space lanes have nothing to do with jumping from Leesti to Orerve, or to any other planet. The space lanes are the imaginary 'roads' inside a system. Each system is huge. You can fly in any direction for as long as you want. For hours, days, weeks or months. You will never reach the end of a system. And 99.99999999999999999999999% of this huge space is completely empty. There is absolutely nothing out there. In each system there are only three points of interest, and all the traffic concentrates on the lanes (or corridors) connecting these three points:

a) the planet;
b) the sun; and
c) the witchpoint. That's the point where you emerge after a jump, marked by a buoy with pulsating yellow-and-orange lights.

After you emerge at the witchpoint, you can go in any direction you want. You're in a completely unrestricted 3D-space. But—as said before—in almost all directions there is nothing whatsoever, with only two exceptions: straight towards the planet, and straight towards the sun. These are the two space lanes (or corridors) between which you can choose to actually get somewhere. The third space lane (or corridor) is the straight line between the planet and the sun. All other ships—traders, police and pirates—can be found exclusively on these straight lines and in a certain distance from the straight line (hence the name corridor). Traders want to get to the station orbiting the planet as quickly as possible, therefore the fly in a straight line to the planet. Pirates are only lurking in places where they can reasonably expect traders to pass by, therefore they too are confined to the corridor.

Thus, the only thing you need to do is to leave the absolutely straight line between the witchpoint and the planet, and you are guaranteed to never meet any other ship, be it trader or pirate. How do you get away from the absolutely straight line between witchpoint and planet? Just fly sideways for a couple of seconds before heading for the planet. Sideways means: don't have the planet in the middle of your forward view screen, but have it at its very border, or better outside its border. That's what the other guys are trying to tell you.