Pirate Spawn Mechanics

[Zedrackis]

I have heard that pirates spawn more often and bigger ships further from spawn you travel. Does anyone know the formula for this? Even a good estimation would be nice to know. Also what happens if the servers running a modified spawn location?

 

[CyberTao]

There is no such thing :u There is plans for something similar, but Pirate just seem to pick random Blueprints allowed to them (with preference to the Large expensive ones o -o) And Spawn rate is the same regardless of where you are in the universe afaik

As well, Spawn rate is broken at the moment - 3- pretty sure it is at least

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

Hopefully when we get better AI and Faction controls it won't be as limited as "the farther you go the bigger they get" Starmade is first and foremost a sandbox game and this method seems appropriate for games with linear progression but not so much for Starmade. It should be random really, some sectors are heavy with pirates and others have very few. With the ability to customize factions we could have additional hostile and friendlies occupying different sectors/star systems and battling when they come in contact with each other.

The game does already have a wave system that will spawn bigger ships with larger waves but the game doesn't generate the big waves naturally.

 

[Nebulon-B_Frigate_FTW]

I was slain by a "Spacewhale" ship approximately 50 meters wide and 200 meters long only about seven sectors from spawn on a server recently.
Pirates are definitely not scaled. Right now, they're basically "spawn random hostile AI ship group" like they were before, except now they have some roaming behavior and better target-finding which is extremely annoying.

 

[Zedrackis]

What about the size of the spawn group? I have seen as big as 30 ships in a single spawn but never that size near spawn.

 

[CyberTao]

Everything in Starmade is Randomly generation - 3- unless you build it yourself. Pirate groups included (Quantity and Quality)

 

[aceface]

Hopefully when we get better AI and Faction controls it won't be as limited as "the farther you go the bigger they get" Starmade is first and foremost a sandbox game and this method seems appropriate for games with linear progression but not so much for Starmade. It should be random really, some sectors are heavy with pirates and others have very few. With the ability to customize factions we could have additional hostile and friendlies occupying different sectors/star systems and battling when they come in contact with each other.

The game does already have a wave system that will spawn bigger ships with larger waves but the game doesn't generate the big waves naturally.

so you mean we basically are supposed to travel and just expect random stuff anywhere??? Having bigger the further will encourage exploration also.

 

[Malacodor]

so you mean we basically are supposed to travel and just expect random stuff anywhere??? Having bigger the further will encourage exploration also.

This is what's planned.

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

so you mean we basically are supposed to travel and just expect random stuff anywhere??? Having bigger the further will encourage exploration also.

Not so much completely random. AI factions could randomly control their own sectors where they have larger ships available. This would work if you have a server with two factions (trade guild and pirates) as well as work if you have half a dozen factions. What if you run a startrek server where there are no "pirates" but romulans, klingons, cardassians, federation and whoever else all spawn with their own controlled sectors. Just having "pirates" increase in frequency and size is far too limited a scope in the grand scheme of things and will only force players to avoid exploring because you can't just go into the black without getting waves of "pirate" battle ships

 

[pod11]

Runing into waves of enemy battleships when you move deeper into space is a good thing.

It woul;d give players incentive to have factions actioly do something together, if NPCs were hard enough to demand groups of players.

And if safe zones would be small enough, it would also give economical incentive to explore, becouse on smaller area resources would run dry.

 

[aceface]

Not so much completely random. AI factions could randomly control their own sectors where they have larger ships available. This would work if you have a server with two factions (trade guild and pirates) as well as work if you have half a dozen factions. What if you run a startrek server where there are no "pirates" but romulans, klingons, cardassians, federation and whoever else all spawn with their own controlled sectors. Just having "pirates" increase in frequency and size is far too limited a scope in the grand scheme of things and will only force players to avoid exploring because you can't just go into the black without getting waves of "pirate" battle ships

maybe not exactly pirates but overall threat level, as in bigger ships the further

 

[RedDragonflyxx]

I'd like something more random than going farther out, but before that we'd need a better navigation and maybe deep space radar system. If we just had "farther out" be more difficult than I'd have an incentive to stay in the safe zone where I can use a shuttle planetside without fear of death. Perhaps if we had groups of factions or even pirate controlled sectors and a way to see which are which with a star map. Just imagine being 100 sectors from spawn and looking to build a ship, do you have to fly all the way back just to start work? I'm not saying that I don't want high-risk space but I want to be able to set up a base in sector 504-467-629 without being forced to fight dreadnaughts on the way there or at my base if I take a safe (longer) route. It would make a good server.cfg change though...
P.S. Isn't there an update that made the NPC ships travel while you are out of sector?

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

maybe not exactly pirates but overall threat level, as in bigger ships the further

Please by all means make your argument instead of just disagreeing my posts and restated opinion. Why is having pirates get stronger the farther you go the best option? As far as I see it it is predictable and boring. It doesn't encourage exploration and infact will discourage it if the farther you go the more opposition you find, and why? What is the reason behind all these extra pirates just being out in the black? I could see it being a viable option for single player but a detriment to multiplayer. New players will have to go farther just to find basic resources and homes as all the space around spawn will be colonized and mined out already and since they are new players they are in no way capable of fending off these huge pirates in the areas they may need to go just to survive. Vagabond, nomadic, wandering players will also be at a huge disadvantage.

With randomly controlled systems players would have something to look for, a reason to explore. You may find a friendly sector you want to make a home or a hostile one to attack. With the proposed faction points systems the AI factions could tie in with this as well. They could have bases to attack and ships to destroy all having an effect on the global economy and not just be "harder because you flew far"

 

[aceface]

Please by all means make your argument instead of just disagreeing my posts and restated opinion. Why is having pirates get stronger the farther you go the best option? As far as I see it it is predictable and boring. It doesn't encourage exploration and infact will discourage it if the farther you go the more opposition you find, and why? What is the reason behind all these extra pirates just being out in the black? I could see it being a viable option for single player but a detriment to multiplayer. New players will have to go farther just to find basic resources and homes as all the space around spawn will be colonized and mined out already and since they are new players they are in no way capable of fending off these huge pirates in the areas they may need to go just to survive. Vagabond, nomadic, wandering players will also be at a huge disadvantage.

With randomly controlled systems players would have something to look for, a reason to explore. You may find a friendly sector you want to make a home or a hostile one to attack. With the proposed faction points systems the AI factions could tie in with this as well. They could have bases to attack and ships to destroy all having an effect on the global economy and not just be "harder because you flew far"

Stop raging :p And I agree, having slightly random would be good, but as I have said before, the general threat level should be higher. Bigger threats = bigger ships = bigger money. Anyway, regarding servers...if it scales too rapidly it would be ideal to have a ratio (cfg) maybe 1.0 normal scale, then 0.05 very slow scaling etc.

 

[RedDragonflyxx]

Stop raging :p And I agree, having slightly random would be good, but as I have said before, the general threat level should be higher. Bigger threats = bigger ships = bigger money. Anyway, regarding servers...if it scales too rapidly it would be ideal to have a ratio (cfg) maybe 1.0 normal scale, then 0.05 very slow scaling etc.

If you mean distance from spawn then NO, but it would be nice to be able to figure out the location of high danger sectors through quests/station logs. In system NPC warfare would be awesome too, imagine helping a side gain control of key planets in a system where you set up shop, only to crush them and claim it as your own...