Help with Playing as Pirates.

[RCCCL]

I need some tips on playing as Pirates. I keep running out of resources, and I am losing ships because of it. I've scraped captured ships and I have a few mining operations going, but I'm still having problems.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Trade and Research alliance with someone who's to far to raid, maybe? Maybe build as many mining operations as you can?

Only played P&N a little.

[Ed Kolis]

Have you used the Chop Shops? 99% return on scrapped ships... Pirates are supposed to be hard, though...

Also try to capture colony ships and use Pirate's Intel Centers; then you can build colonies and steal resources through bribery

[El_Phil]

Wasn't the advice 'Use every gamey trick. You'll need to!'

What sort of fleet size have you got? More than half a dozen and you have to be damn lucky/good.

Or of course just play as a Pirate and Nomad. Less of a challenge, but those maintence reduction bonuses of the Nomad make life so much easier... Some may consider it not quiet in the spirit of the mod though.

[Fyron]

Make sure to use Civilian Cruisers, NOT the largest ships you have. They pay only 20% normal maintenance rates (5% ship cost) and have undetectable cloaking capabilities. Sneak a Civilian Freighter or two with SY components into enemy territory and use boarding parties on your Civilian Cruisers to capture ships to gain tech and resources from.

[RCCCL]

Civilian Cruisers?? I'm guessing I've got a bit to go before I can access those. That brings me to another question. Is there any way to speed up my own research? So far I've only run into one Race, and I haven't been able to get any technology from their ships. They seem to be developing slowly, maybe because they are at war with me, but I am actually more advanced then they are......

[Captain Kwok]

Civillian ships should be listed with the other hulls in the ship design screen.

[RCCCL]

Captain Kwok said:
Civillian ships should be listed with the other hulls in the ship design screen.

When you say "listed with the other hulls" do you mean where its says ships isze? If so all I see there is Escort, Frigate, Destroyer, Colony ship, and Small Transport. I've only got lvl 3 in ship construction.

[Suicide Junkie]

The Civilian Cruiser and Civilian Transport should be the top two ships available in the design screen. You may have an older version of P&N, though.

Using units can help a lot; no maintenance on them.
You definitely won't be able to build many ships, though, and the ships you capture will be pricey... scrap or analyse them as soon as possible.

One of the best things you can do is capture a planet with troops. If it is a high mineral value world, the AI will probably have built miners on it, and you'll be instantly rolling in resources from your slaves.
The AI will quickly come to glass it though, so loot then pilliage and then run away

And do throw the cheap tricks:
One or two weapon-destroying mines can cripple enemy targets so you can capture them without resistance.

[Fyron]

Actually now that I remember it... Civilian Cruisers are only available in the "PBW Only" versions of P&N. Hint, hint Mr. SJ.