Disappointment with the game (pirate ship spamming)

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> Disappointment with the game (pirate ship spamming)

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Disappointment with the game (pirate ship spamming) - 3/9/2015 3:51:12 PM

Stirlitz

Posts: 14
Joined: 3/9/2015
Status: offline

Bought the game 10 days ago. I personally like games with great details (WiTP:AE, WiTE etc.)

This game initially shows good promise but things are getting annoying as my empire grows (started from pre-warp, so there are loads of pirates around).

1.) I destroyed some pirate bases for practical reasons, but I noticed something strange - a pirate faction that was almost broke suddenly started spamming ships when I parked my salvaged capital ship in their system, they kept coming and died but they kept spamming even more, the number of their ships jumped from 0 to 30 and then 43. I wonder if any pirate faction in early game can have that amount of money to spam ships, or are the pirate factions unrestricted by financials, or is it a bug?

2.) Sometimes my ships are automatically assigned to a certain mining station upon completion at the base, or warping from the centre of the system to fight the +30 pirate ships at their base (I am sure all ships are to attack nearby targets only). This I think is another bug?

3.) Pirates seem to have a sixth sense of my most vulnerable bases, even if I never saw their exploration ships at my bases.

My initial plan was to bleed that pirate faction dry, but now this ship spamming part has become a great frustration and I am not sure if I should continue any further.

Post #: 1

RE: Disappointment with the game (pirate ship spamming) - 3/9/2015 4:43:53 PM

Bingeling

Posts: 5186
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

It is of course hard to know what is happening in your game, but I can try anyways...

First, the amount of pirates is set in galaxy setup. Slower research and more independents may help the pirates in a pre-warp setting, since they have more victims to raid/control and more time to do so before the real empires reach space properly.

For a long game, turning off "pirates respawn" in galaxy settings can help you keep yourself sane. It may also help performance, in particular time to save and load.

As for the points:

1: Pirates can have more than one base, and they could do lots of raiding and colony controlling away from your areas. It could probably also happen that another pirate faction join them under certain conditions. Ships are not _that_ expensive, in particular if they die fast. My guess would be that they are indeed paying for their ships and that it is not a bug.

2: The mining station is in the system of the pirate base? Ships are very poor at staying in a system without attacking hostiles. You need some default stance changes to avoid the "only when attack" being reverted to "system targets" after a mission is complete. And each AI order (like move, patrol) is a new mission. My best advice is to kill that pirate base.

3: Without being able to see the "hand" of the AI pirates, I assume they gain knowledge from their own exploration or from trading/stealing exploration data from other empires or pirate groups. In my games I have seen clear signs that pirates are unaware of certain mines (as they repeatedly kill everything but a few ones outside colony systems). And also in that a respawning pirate that explore on their own suddenly attack such a mine as the game matures.

"Toying" with pirates would be filed under "advanced play". I recommend paying them off or killing them. They only go 'so far' away from their bases, so if there are no nearby pirate bases, they won't bother you much.

Finally, to kill off a pirate group you need to destroy all their construction ships and bases. They may still have some ships, but they won't do much after that. And if you have respawning pirates on (the default), a new group (although weak one) will appear shortly after getting rid of the old gang.

(in reply to Stirlitz)

Post #: 2

RE: Disappointment with the game (pirate ship spamming) - 3/9/2015 6:57:30 PM

Aeson

Posts: 784
Joined: 8/30/2013
Status: offline

In addition to what Bingling said about point 3, there's the possibility of the pirates using their intelligence agents effectively. I'm not certain, but I think that mining base locations are stolen with territory maps (or possibly galaxy maps), and I know that stealing the operations map will reveal them (along with ship movements), as should deep cover missions. I don't think it's a particularly likely possibility, but it's something that could happen.

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 3

RE: Disappointment with the game (pirate ship spamming) - 3/10/2015 3:05:30 PM

Icemania

Posts: 1847
Joined: 6/5/2013
From: Australia
Status: offline

Pirates can be tough for new players Stirlitz. They can also make it tough for the AI. You may wish to consider an Empire focused game as a comparison to see what you enjoy best. I've certainly fluctuated a lot in my preferences over time.

Pirates do force you to adapt your strategies though and keep your expansion in check. For example early game I keep my mining bases in just a couple of systems (picking systems where I can get quite a few bases up) rather than spread out which makes them easier to defend. Once your economy is set-up, getting some attack fleets up for Pirate base destruction duty is a priority to stop the flood. Also note you'll likely develop your technology more quickly than the Pirates so it will be easier in time. Long range scanners are particularly important after the first wave of base destruction after targeting what your explorers found.

Keep in mind also that Pirates start with the game with a technology lead. Apart from Warp their Explorers will have Enhanced Resource Exploration so they may only need to be in the system temporarily before moving on and hence may not be noticed by the player sometimes.

(in reply to Stirlitz)

Post #: 4

RE: Disappointment with the game (pirate ship spamming) - 3/11/2015 6:34:16 PM

Shark7

Posts: 7937
Joined: 7/24/2007
From: The Big Nowhere
Status: offline

Pirates also have a nasty habit of building new bases near inhabited systems so they can raid and control those colonies easier.

My system is a bit different than others:

1. I build very few actual space ports. This means I can surround those space ports with lots of defense bases to defend them. The run of the mill pirates are not a problem (oh but the legendary ones are still a pain).

2. I design a very cheap 'starbase' to put over all other colonies. This basically has only the required items plus a recreation center and medical center. It gives those planets the bonuses a space port would, and are cheap enough that if the pirates do destroy them, its just a simple matter of rebuilding it....IE they aren't worth defending.

3. I make a couple of fleets of Cruisers, Destroyers and Carriers (6 Cruiser, 12 Destroyer, 12 Carrier) and the hunt is on. These fleets are specifically designed to deal with pirates. Plus they work just as well on empire space ports when needed as well.

Basically, Frederick the Great was right: He who defends everything defends nothing. Best way to deal with pirates is to actively hunt them.

_____________________________

Distant Worlds Fan

'When in doubt...attack!'

(in reply to Icemania)

Post #: 5

RE: Disappointment with the game (pirate ship spamming) - 3/12/2015 2:56:36 PM

NephilimNexus

Posts: 194
Joined: 9/2/2014
Status: offline

As someone who routinely plays pirates (aka "hard mode") I'll throw you some extra tips in to the pile thus far:

1) Nail their resupply ships, and more importantly, nail their construction ships. They start with only one, and taking that out can be more catastrophic than killing their home base, as it eliminates their ability to expand entirely.

2) Put Long Range Sensor Arrays on every station. Space ports, space stations, and most definitely on your mining installations.

3) Put Proximity Sensors on your Exporation ships. It's amazing what those little buggers will spot with just a little more eyeball range.

4) Throw as many agents as it takes to get a Deep Cover mission working on them.

The main defense of pirates is secrecy - remaining hidden in their gas clouds. Once you know where their bases are they're easy prey. While they have the technological edge at the start, AI controlled pirates never put any effort into tech development and once you pass them you'll stay ahead of them without any effort at all.

(in reply to Shark7)

Post #: 6