Important statement for new players choosing pirates.

[admin]

Pirates have a unique mechanic that does not exist in other nations.

 

Pirates can attack each other!

 

This have important consequences.

• Positive: If you are a small group or solo pvp player - you have maximum amount of targets as a pirate. You also can always show who is the boss by turning the verbal duel in chat into combat resolve. 
• Negative: If you don't like backstabbing sometimes this will hurt. It is going to be harder to build a nation as well.

Pirates are a complex pvp oriented group of adventurers.

If you want some stability and really know who is your enemy you should choose other nations.. 

[Bart Smith]

Imo people will always abuse game mechanics. Solution?: change it.

[OlavDeng2]

Imo people will always abuse game mechanics. Solution?: change it.

While this is true, pirate vs pirate should be in the game in my opinion, pirates are not bound by nation or anything, pirates are sailors and captains gone rougue, everyone is their enemy, no one is friendly.

[Sella]

People are going to abuse whatever you throw at them because they are people.You can't really prevent that.

[akd]

I frequently see groups of pirates sailing together creating battles against eachother. Obviously they are farming damage to a degree, even if they fight in earnest (because they get to dictate and carefully manage conditions of fight via a mechanic unavailable to nationals). If you join one or the other side, you will see that your "allies" don't help you and everyone either runs away (because the fight is no longer carefully managed) or you face the other team alone. Ironically (because devs said piracy should be hard mode), allowing pirates to attack eachother makes playing as pirate the easiest way to level up in game. In theory, an organized group of pirates has the best chance to be the first to reach highest levels and biggest ships once the game goes live.

Solutions:

-provide a practice arranged event mechanic that allows people to play against eachother without loss or gain so no one can cry about not being able to engage in friendly training (which is often actually damage farming).

-give pirates a unique faction reputation system that prevents them from fighting eachother not in earnest (e.g. one part could be that once you attack another pirate you are hostile to that pirate and cannot join on their side in subsequent fights).

[William the Drake]

Aye, take notice all ye new sprogs, signin' on as a pirate is no easy sail. Do so at yer own risk.

 

-give pirates a unique faction reputation system that prevents them from fighting eachother not in earnest (e.g. one part could be that once you attack another pirate you are hostile to that pirate and cannot join on their side in subsequent fights).

 

I agree, characters should have some sort of notoriety to know who is a "good" player (one who plays by the rules and is generally a respectful player) and a "bad" player (someone who is known to attack friendlies, gank, or continuously refuse surrenders, and the like etc.). I suggested something along these lines, and the idea of a bounty system grew out of it. I think a bounty system would be useful, however it would need to be well refined so as not to be abused. 

-Notoriety, Infamy, "Heat", and Bounties

 

 

On a similar note is the aspect of pirates joining non-pirate fights, and so on.

-Pirates and 3-Sided Battles

[Nathaniel]

I frequently see groups of pirates sailing together creating battles against eachother. Obviously they are farming damage to a degree, even if they fight in earnest (because they get to dictate and carefully manage conditions of fight via a mechanic unavailable to nationals).

 

Well, this is correct, but, on the other hand, as far as i know, as long as you are fighting back, it is not considering an exploit. If you restrict pirates fighting eachother but still allow large scale arranged battles between French and Dutch or Dutch and British e.t.c. it would be very strange indeed.

Edited December 24, 2015 by Nathaniel

[Wetworth]

Well, this is correct, but, on the other hand, as far as i know, as long as you are fighting back, it is not considering an exploit. 

I don't think anyone is making accusations of using exploits. Rather, this mechanic seems to have inadvertently made the pirates the easiest faction to play, at least initially. Leveling becomes really easy when you can get together a group to pound on each other without fear of sinking, since both sides are friendly.

Pirates having the ability to attack each other only works if there are players who will actually attack other pirates in earnest. I've never done pirate, so I can't say whether of not this happens. 

[von Muller]

New captain here, and I must disagree; the Pirates have been the most helpful and open group I found. The have a teamspeak that always has someone who'll actually answer questions, they allow Noobs into their upper level battles, and none of them laughed directly into the microphone when my Cutter was holed by Frigates.

 

What you have experienced MAY be true, but it is not the rule, and my first week here is evidence.

The Dark Side isn't always what mom told us...