So you want to be a Pirate / Nomad?

[Suicide Junkie]

Quick note: The Swashbuckler pod dosen't work on fighters . SE4 says "this vehicle type cannot take over ships" It dosen't even check to see if there's a boarding party component. Maybe in the next patch.

Alright, so you want to be a pirate. Want some tips from the veteran Pirates, eh?
-First thing you should build is a construction escort. Use the small space yard. Take it out and build a robo-miner base over a nearby planet/asteroid/moon. This will get you a nice supply of resources for early on.
-Build at least one Pirate Hoard right away. Since you can't make very much, you need to store those robo-minerals for a rainy day. The asteroid bonanza won't Last forever.
-Build a capture escort second and explore. The longer you are without a "host", the further behind in technology you'll be.
-If the aliens turn out to be friendly, steal a ship, then make peace. The resources from trade are always welcome, but you still need technology.
-Send a construction ship to the nearest nebula with a cloaking effect. Build a small base there to resupply your ships & have a SY to analyse tech & retrofit & repair boarding parties.
-Research some cheap weapon techs, like DUC, then research armor, since you can't capture armor tech once the AIs put Self destruct on their ships.
-BEWARE THE SELF-DESTRUCT! I've lost more ships that way, only occasionally on purpose.
-In a bad situation, use the AI's self-destruct against them. If you're outgunned, board a large enemy ship that has a SDD. You trade an escort for an LC. Very effective, but try not to waste too many ships.
-Tactical Combat all the way. If you try to use strategic, your Pirate empire will crash and burn.
-Capture, Capture, Capture. Take ships even if you don't need them. Scrap the hulls for more funds. Never build a ship larger than DS. Capture instead. It is quite easy to find an AI ship to retorfit.
-Location, Location, Location. Get Secret bases everywhere. If you can set one up within a storm in an enemy system, you'll have an unlimited supply of LC and bigger ship. Put a supply base on both sides of a black hole. Those BH's waste supplies like crazy.
-Specialize your forces. Capture ships, Shield drainers, Self-destruct hunters. you then drop their shields, kill the SDD (and hopefully not too much valuable tech), and capture. Bang Bang Bang.
-Hunt in packs, attack solo ships. You have to capture more than you lose. Make sure every battle is unfair. Even if you make up your losses with captured ships, how are you going to pay maintenance?
-Take a low maintenace characteristic, and a warrior culture. Given 5 to 7% maintenance, and elite ship crews, you will be on your way to glory & riches.
-Try stealing resources. Fly in with a large robo-miner ship & strip mine alien colonies until the fleet shows up, then run .


Nomad suggestions.
-Dont spend points on "maintenance reduction". Your economy is based on negative maintenace, so reducing it will kill you.
-Use Resource ships as warships early on. Satisfy the minimum requirements & you've still got an ES size ship +10kT. You will get a "Militia" sort of thing, and will make resources from the ship, instead of paying maintenance.
-Find a storm & build resource bases!
-Build fighters! You start with medium fighters. Put a solar sail on 'em and add a gun. They are hugely effective against early missile ships that try to nuke your homeworld.
-RESEARCH SHIP CAPTURE OR DIE. Go military science1 -> military science2 -> ship capture. You don't start with ship-based boarding parties, but I think I might have to add that, since fighters can't capture. Without ship capture, you cannot advance your technology.

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 26 April 2001).]