Isanth Pirates Always Attacking Me

[Sethroph]

So every time I create a new game I just wanna play! AND NOT DIE. I set up a base with factories and production stuff going on. I salvage scrap and minerals and everything is going nice.

Then the Isanth pirates come along. A fleet of at least 10 come to my planet and bombard it and destroy everything and my ship. I hardly have any weapons for defence and keep having all my stuff destroyed. I really like the game and really wanna play it more, but these pirates are giving me a bad impression of the game. Why has nobody else got constantly bombarded by pirates? It seems like I'm the only one. I'm about to start my 5th world in an attempt to play the game without being demolished, any help?

 

[JonasWalker]

As far as I know pirates spawn randomly to 'keep things interesting' since besides them there are nearly zero threats in the game currently unless you fly into a star or find a pirate station. They also spawn more often if void sectors are nearby. If you want to avoid them entirely you'll want to turn off either pirate spawning and/or AI simulation in the server.cfg file. Otherwise you'll keep running into the same issue.

Honestly your not missing much by turning them off as they're a crappy placeholder for the NPC factions and the like which will be in the game hopefully by years end. And any half-competent build with a smidgen if piloting prowess can mass for mass easily thrash anything else found as vanilla in-game currently. If you have any questions about construction or systems feel free to ask and we'll do what we can to help either on the forums or the chat-room that your automatically logged into whenever you sign into said forums.

 

[jayman38]

It might be a wise game-design decision for Schine to make the game inhibit pirates and pirate stations out to about a 8-sector radius (server-configurable) from the starting sector, specifically to avoid automated griefing of new players.

Edit: It might also be an interesting game-mechanic to also inhibit any stations other than trade/spawn stations from those first core sectors.

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

You could try buying or manufacturing a faction module and making your planet or station a faction home base. Your home base is invulnerable to enemy attack. Naturally, you will need to create a faction first, and eliminating the attacking pirates is still up to you. (I recommend turrets since they are also invulnerable if docked to a home base, look for tutorials on rails and turrets for help.)

Of course, if this game were balanced better, you wouldn't need to cower in an invulnerable home base. It really is unfair to hit a new player with 10 Isanths.

It's a real shame the wiki got wiped, it would have been very helpful for a new player such as yourself.

 

[Sethroph]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm amazed at the speed of which too! I'll try all of your suggestions and see what happens, thanks again!

 

[Sgtwisky]

Pirates tend to annoy many of us. There are a few issues with them at the moment.

1. They are too hard and come too soon if your a newer player. (Once you have blueprints of good turrets and know how to mine to get them fast your golden... most of the time)

2. They pose no challenge once you do have some defenses up, and are flying a decent ship.

3. They are almost TOO random. They might come in your first minutes, or not for a day or two. And the amount that decides to spawn can be all over the place.

Some current workarounds:
1. Play on a multiplayer server with a faction. Most good factions will have defenses setup and many will provide you with some good starting ships

2. There is an option somewhere (can't remember where) which reduces the game difficulty. As far as I know, that only changes how often, and how many pirates attack.

3. You can use commands to protect, and make a sector peaceful. This would prevent pirate incursions into that area, and prevent any damage from being done in that sector. That may be something to do if you have the materials and are still building your ship / turrets and don't have time to deal with pirates yet.

4. You can remove (I recommend just moving) the default pirate ships and making all of your blueprints are not usable by AI. I think its called "Enemy Spawn-able" or something when you look at your blueprints in the catalog.

EDIT: added a #5 for completeness
5. like mike said, use home base protection. (Forgot about this till I read his post as I make everything non spawn-able to enemies).

Pirates are known to be very unbalanced right now. Many of us are waiting for the NPC factions to come out, as if I recall properly you wont have to deal with pirates when in an NPC faction's territory. Though if they hate you, you may have to deal with them... But I don't remember if that is still the case. Hope someone can confirm that for me.

Pirates also do not get stronger based on the number of players. This is both good and bad. It means there is safety in numbers with a faction, but at the same time once your safe your safe forever.

Pirates will be reworked, we just don't know exactly how or when.

 

[Sethroph]

You could try buying or manufacturing a faction module and making your planet or station a faction home base. Your home base is invulnerable to enemy attack. Naturally, you will need to create a faction first, and eliminating the attacking pirates is still up to you. (I recommend turrets since they are also invulnerable if docked to a home base, look for tutorials on rails and turrets for help.)

Of course, if this game were balanced better, you wouldn't need to cower in an invulnerable home base. It really is unfair to hit a new player with 10 Isanths.

It's a real shame the wiki got wiped, it would have been very helpful for a new player such as yourself.

Also, what happened to the wiki (in more detail if possible)? Most pages don't work, how did it get wiped?

 

[decurr]

Always buy a radar jammer at the shop and put it on your first ship. This makes it harder for them to hit you in a chance encounter. Allows you a greater chance to get away unscathed. If you are lucky, they might even ignore you.

 

[Reilly Reese]

If you want to maintain pirates in the game but not get attacked constantly.

Step 1. Don't setup within a few sectors of a pirate station they'll send pickets after you.

Step 2. Use the faction system to homebase and claim the system you are in. You're base will be invulnerable to attacks and by claiming the system you get mining bonuses.

Step 3. Deploy defensive turrets. Personally i'd go with some heavy hitting lock on missiles. (Missile with Beam Computer as a Secondary)

Step 4. Build up get yourself a combat ship and start cleaning up the system of pirate stations. (The Alpha stations are the most dangerous they have an Alpha Strike lock on missile that'll make mincemeat of light ships.)

Step 5. Begin mass production of AI controlled defense frigates.

 

[Sethroph]

If you want to maintain pirates in the game but not get attacked constantly.

Step 1. Don't setup within a few sectors of a pirate station they'll send pickets after you.

Step 2. Use the faction system to homebase and claim the system you are in. You're base will be invulnerable to attacks and by claiming the system you get mining bonuses.

Step 3. Deploy defensive turrets. Personally i'd go with some heavy hitting lock on missiles. (Missile with Beam Computer as a Secondary)

Step 4. Build up get yourself a combat ship and start cleaning up the system of pirate stations. (The Alpha stations are the most dangerous they have an Alpha Strike lock on missile that'll make mincemeat of light ships.)

Step 5. Begin mass production of AI controlled defense frigates.

Thanks! Nice ideas!

 

[JonasWalker]

Also, what happened to the wiki (in more detail if possible)? Most pages don't work, how did it get wiped?

There was a database issue combined with other shenanigans. Its being rebuilt as we speak but its a volunteer effort so may take time. In some ways it may actually be a good thing since there was a lot of outdated information on it.

 

[Sethroph]

There was a database issue combined with other shenanigans. Its being rebuilt as we speak but its a volunteer effort so may take time. In some ways it may actually be a good thing since there was a lot of outdated information on it.

Ok. Thanks! Wish I was experienced enough to help

 

[Dr. Whammy]

If you can help it, don't let pirates scare you away from a good cluster of belts/planets. Isanths are not a big enough threat to warrant abandoning a belt of say "Lukhra (Fertikeen) asteroids.


Here are the steps I take when setting up a new base in a resource rich system.

1) Make your base invincible; Create a faction, place a faction module on your base, set it to faction home.

2) Setup your infrastructure; Claim the system for your faction so you get the mining bonuses, then go mine for resources. Build strong-ish power-grid and industry and start refining your materials.

3) Make some fast cash; manufacture and sell carved stones (Sugil, Lukhra, Dolom, etc) you get 30x profit on that stuff.


4a) The defensive approach; Thadius Faran has the right idea. Buy weapons and rail components then setup a few missile turrets with a damage beam for guidance. They will *easily* kill an Isanth wave in a few minutes. Here are the kinds I use.

Spoiler

On the other hand; if you want to be evil about it...

Spoiler

4b) The offensive approach; buy weapons from the shop and retrofit them onto whatever miner you have.

Spoiler

For example, this basic miner is essentially a shell with only very basic jump drives, an un-slaved salvager and no shields or weapons. Since it's mostly grey and white hull with power-grid and thrusters it's very simple (and cheap) to produce and can be upgraded as I get more materials from crafting/shop purchases. When finished, It can easily survive and even kill a group of Isanths. Add a few point defense guns and some guided missiles and you can hold them at bay indefinitely.

 

[Sethroph]

If you can help it, don't let pirates scare you away from a good cluster of belts/planets. Isanths are not a big enough threat to warrant abandoning a belt of say "Lukhra (Fertikeen) asteroids.


Here are the steps I take when setting up a new base in a resource rich system.

1) Make your base invincible; Create a faction, place a faction module on your base, set it to faction home.

2) Setup your infrastructure; Claim the system for your faction so you get the mining bonuses, then go mine for resources. Build strong-ish power-grid and industry and start refining your materials.

3) Make some fast cash; manufacture and sell carved stones (Sugil, Lukhra, Dolom, etc) you get 30x profit on that stuff.


4a) The defensive approach; Thadius Faran has the right idea. Buy weapons and rail components then setup a few missile turrets with a damage beam for guidance. They will *easily* kill an Isanth wave in a few minutes. Here are the kinds I use.

Spoiler

View attachment 28952

On the other hand; if you want to be evil about it...

Spoiler

View attachment 28970

4b) The offensive approach; buy weapons from the shop and retrofit them onto whatever miner you have.

Spoiler

For example, this basic miner is essentially a shell with only very basic jump drives, an un-slaved salvager and no shields or weapons. Since it's mostly grey and white hull with power-grid and thrusters it's very simple (and cheap) to produce and can be upgraded as I get more materials from crafting/shop purchases. When finished, It can easily survive and even kill a group of Isanths. Add a few point defense guns and some guided missiles and you can hold them at bay indefinitely.

View attachment 28969

Very helpful, thanks!

 

[Lukwan]

I'm surprised no one mentioned one of the simplest hints. Proximity. The materials they give you at the beginning are enough to make a perma-cloaking scout ship. (Get one from the Dock or learn to design one) Don't faction a base that is near pirate stations. Find a nice juicy asteroid field that has an abandoned station and a couple trade stations in quiet corner of a system. The pirates wont hassle you as much.

(Oh and...Welcome to the Dock Sethroph)

 

[Dr. Whammy]

Very helpful, thanks!

No problem.

Also; I know some people here say 'don't build within _____ distance from a pirate base'. ...but if you're feeling gutsy and you're smart about it, you can turn incoming NPC pirate raids into makeshift supply deliveries.

If you get your turrets or a combat miner online fast enough, you can salvage the destroyed Isanths and rack up standard armor, cannons and missiles (not to mention loot clouds) at an accelerated rate. Sell that stuff at the shop and use the credits to buy more the items you need like weapons, shields and jump drives. When you're strong enough that the raids become more of a nuisance than they are profitable, exterminate the pirate bases in your system with extreme prejudice.

 

[Lukwan]

if you're feeling gutsy and you're smart about it, you can turn incoming NPC pirate raids into makeshift supply deliveries.

Oh yeah...classic. Bait the local pirates into your Turret Gauntlet-O-Death attached to your invulnerable Home-base.

Another good early-game tactic is to go tomb-raiding on green & Yellow planets. Look for loot in storage blocks in the city & pyramid ruins.

 

[StormWing0]

My usual setup is to do something along these lines:

1. Buy or make: Faction Block, Build Block, Shop Block, Undeathinator, one of each factory and refinery type, and a few other blocks
2. Find a place to setup shop for my base be it a station or a planet, the less building you need to do to get setup the better so usually a planet.
3. Make sure I'm outside of 3 to 5 sectors of any pirate stations and 1 to 2 systems out any void sectors.
4. Start work on a factory system either manual or logic driven (Almost always manual off the start)
5. Start building as many AMS (Anti Missile System) Turrets and needed.
6. Start work on Anti Ship turrets
7. Prep a guard fleet(s) to keep the nearby sectors free of pirates and griefers.
8. Continue working on other things as able like building up resources, ships, structures.

 

[Dr. Whammy]

Oh yeah...classic. Bait the local pirates into your Turret Gauntlet-O-Death attached to your invulnerable Home-base.

Don't hate...:p

Then again, on the last server I was on, the pirates were custom and had a tendency to send 9k mass ships with a million shields after me.
Players are one thing, but I don't let NPCs kick me off my base.


Edit: As sick as it may sound. I actually enjoyed the challenge of their attacks; especially since I was vulnerable in my mining ship and walking on the surface. It was the perfect balance between wimpy Isanths and over-powered player ships.

 

[Lukwan]

Who is hatin'? I do that all time. It is a reliable way to grind pirates and test small fighters. I perfected the killing-zone playing Star-craft where the AI will happily march into your trap over and over again. :D