miners are not pirate victims

[Commander McLane]

I just noticed that ships with primary role "miner" are not pirate victims. Is that intended behaviour? Why shouldn't pirates go after miners?

Or have they been excluded because the player would hardy meet any miner if pirates got there first?

[Capt. Murphy]

Who would want to waste time pirating for a hold full of minerals, when there is likely to be much richer pickings elsewhere, and it's just as easy (maybe easier) to get the product direct from the asteroid.

Although maybe the ore-processor.oxp should make miners pirate victims as its existence implies that miners may have more valuable cargo.

[Cody]

[immersion mode] I associate miners with rock hermits, and I suspect that hermits provide a very useful outlet for pirates.
Where else would they sell all that booty? Not at the main station, that's for sure! [/immersion mode]

[Capt. Murphy]

That my thoughts - I would think many pirates are part-time miners when richer pickings are thin on the ground.

[Smivs]

That my thoughts - I would think many pirates are part-time miners when richer pickings are thin on the ground.

And the cops turn a blind eye...they are only miner offenders after all

[Cmdr. Maegil]

In modern RL, most pirates are not professionals as in the age of sail, but rather opportunistic fishermen finding an easy pray*. For it to develop into full-blown pirate harbours like in the Somali coast (out of poverty and civil war) or the Sulu/South China seas (due to the whole region being claimed by everybody, and disputed by everybody else), the area must fall completely into illegality and corruption (regardless of appearances)**; otherwise even poor and minimally lawful countries do fight piracy.

RL pirates need covers, and the best ones are legit (if mostly unaccountable) day-jobs; this is also true of most successful underworld characters. If fishermen easily become pirates and smugglers, junkyards offer outlets for stolen cars' parts, farmers grow extra money crops, bars have gambling back rooms, etc..


[Off-topic notes]
* Sailboats have two main dissuaders to potential pirates: radio (if the victim makes contact with the coast guard, there's little to no chance of escape) and the possibility of the crew being armed (some aren't, others are fiercely so, and both are valid methods of self-protection).

**Roanapur rules!!!

[Commander McLane]

By the way: the same applies to scavengers. They are also not among pirate victims.

[Cody]

Yeah... that kinda fits, as well.

[DaddyHoggy]

Yeah... that kinda fits, as well.

True, a scavenger is just a pirate who didn't have to do any shooting first...

[Cmdr. Maegil]

Yeah... that kinda fits, as well.

True, a scavenger is just a pirate who didn't have to do any shooting first...

...unless he's actually the responsible for the debris in the first place...

[DaddyHoggy]

Yeah... that kinda fits, as well.

True, a scavenger is just a pirate who didn't have to do any shooting first...

...unless he's actually the responsible for the debris in the first place...

I was being nice, and giving him the benefit of the doubt...

"It was like that when I found it - honest..."

[DaddyHoggy]

BTW Maegil are you a Charlton Athletic fan?

[Cmdr. Maegil]

No, that's the farthest my artistic abilities went when I tried to create an emblem for the Spartacus Brotherhood - see the shackle with the broken chain?
I'm wasn't very proud of it, but it never occurred to me that it could be mistaken for a sports club logo...

[Commander McLane]

Yeah... that kinda fits, as well.

True, a scavenger is just a pirate who didn't have to do any shooting first...

...unless he's actually the responsible for the debris in the first place...

Not quite. In Oolite a scavenger is a station ship that clears debris inside the station's scanner radius.

I'm referring to Oolite's well-defined roles, not to everyday usage of 'miner' or 'scavenger'.

[DaddyHoggy]

No, that's the farthest my artistic abilities went when I tried to create an emblem for the Spartacus Brotherhood - see the shackle with the broken chain?
I'm wasn't very proud of it, but it never occurred to me that it could be mistaken for a sports club logo...

I happened to be looking at this thread and reading your post as my wife was watching "Match of the Day" - I glanced up as the CA logo filled the screen - a semi-spooky coincidence! No slight on your artistic rendering was meant or implied.