Turning off Space Pirates

well if so they should have a box where u can toggle pirates on/off when setting up a game dont remove them all2ghter cause i kinda like fighting agaisnt them

I hope they end up doing that, or maybe a bar to set their frequency rate. I wouldn't mind like every 45 minutes or something like that. But its EVERY 12 minutes and when you're playing a marathon game it seriously gets obnoxious. Thats my one main complaint besides the whole graphics thing

Some maps are without pirates, and if you use the built in map generator (not the random small/large/huge/etc), you can take out the pirates altogether.

A checkbox would be nice anyway. Maybe I want to play one of the smaller maps without pirates? Or maybe I want a randomly generated one?

Of course, someone could go and make a whole mapset of the default maps without the pirate bases - if the Forge would work. But that is much work for a feature that player should be able to switch on/off.

Well, they're built into the maps themselves, so a toggle wouldn't work with the current system since they can't just be attached/detached to a map. If nobody else gets around to it, it's probably very possible to take them out of the current default maps, I'll fiddle with the Galaxy Forge tonight and see.

How about this, at least:

Pirate frequency doesn't scale with game speed. E.g. I play on 'slow' because I like having enough time to think. That means that I've barely repaired my fleet and deployed them to a planet when the next raid starts.

Adjusting the frequency probably would be enough and wouldn't break the current maps. Either automatically (depending on game speed) or, please, a slider somewhere during game setup. The current frequency makes it little fun for me, especially since the Forge seems to be bugged.

I'd like two separate controls when setting up a new scenario (or a random map):

--pirate strength (adjustable slider, or low-med-high)
--pirate frequency (again, slider or low-med-high)

That way I can play the way I want to play.

How is it set up now? E.g. a large random map of 1 star and 56 planets with 1 player and 3 AI--how many pirate bases are there? how are they distributed--evenly throughout, 1 near each empire, or what? It would be nice to understand the underpinnings.

I really like this suggestion from unb:

--pirate strength (adjustable slider, or low-med-high)
--pirate frequency (again, slider or low-med-high)

I want to include the Pirates, but their frequency and strength makes them nearly a faction in their own right.

Generally speaking, there's one pirate base per solar system. A few premade scenarios have more than one pirate base.

If you use the built in map maker, you can make however many pirates you want (including 0).

Pirate strength is determined by several factors including the size of the bounty, the amount of development in the game's gravity wells, etc.  Pirate are fairly integral to the game and if you play them right, they can turn the tide for you (or against you).

If you wipe out all of the pirate base(s) in a galaxy, are they gone for good ?

Yep. You even get some pretty cool bonuses from capturing the pirate base!

I'd support this, then again I've played long enough that they aren't really a problem anymore till late game when you want to take the pirate base and they have 200 ships, lol...

I've done that before 2 Kortuls with Nanites and no more 200 ships

How about a checkbox on the Black Market-Pirate screen that will try to auto out-bid the opposition as long as you have the credits to do so?

This way you wouldn't have to stare at that screen just before the pirates launch, waiting for the highest bid just so you can out bid them.

It could also mean that pirates would get really expensive - so maybe you could set an upper limit on how much you're willing to spend?

It's fine that their strength is adjusted, but how about the frequency? In a small game on slow I end up fighting pirates and no-one else.

Also, the descriptions don't say if there are pirates in the galaxy, it would be nice to know that before I start a game. And on random galaxies, an option to exclude them isn't too much to ask, I think.

The game is really great, just what I expected - except for the pirates. So, please, give us some control over how often (if at all) they launch their raids.

You can make a map with no pirates on them. Just go to the map designer make a new map with no space pirates.

The pirates being in a given game is dependent on the map.

I'm playing my first game now, and I've only fought pirates, save the rare advent scout that have skims through my systems.

They also seem to go right for the trading posts, whats the rationale behind that ?

Looting and plundering AFAIK, you actually get money/resources for destroying enemy trade/refinery ships, so it makes sense the pirates would take those out if the opportunity presents itself.

I understand you can do this, but its inconvenient. I believe thats the point of people that dislike the frequency of them.

For people making mods, is there anything you see that can help us implement that sliding bar that someone mentioned or something else?

Anyway, I hope the developers see this so they know that this is sort of a valid complaint. I'm on another message board that is promoting the game and the whole space pirate thing has been annoying other people as well.

I'm not sure you can mod in a scaleable bar. You can probably mod it so it takes longer/shorter, but I don't think you'd be able to add it as a game option, just map specific. Still planning on digging around tonight

You can mod their power and frequency (materials to do this coming soon!), you can design them out of a map, and if you take over a Pirate base, not only do they stop coming from that base, you also get a nice goodie We'll consider other in-game methods.

Sure, they (not the planet, but simply the colony on it) could be automatically removed from the map. It could mess up the balancing on some maps, but that's why it would be optional. Don't know how difficult that feature would be to add in though. I'd rather go for an adjustable raid-rate; pirates don't really annoy me that much, it's just the frequency of their attacks that's distracting.

I believe back in Beta 2 or 3 you could turn off pirates by simple clicking a box so I would imagine they could simply be turned off unless something has happened in the game development that prevents this now.

Overall though I love this game!

I would like it to fluctuate as well... I don't think pirates are really known for keeping to a schedule with steadfast dedication.... I'd also like a more comprehensive map editor... I can dream right?