I really like the idea of Pirate Militias, as well as Pirate nations.
I disagree that this is something that should be done in Null-sec.
I agree that it should be done in low-sec.
I suggested an idea similar to this on Mynxee the Pirate's "Making low-sec matter" blogsite. Mynxee is the player liason to CCP. The game developers are currently looking for ways to increase interest in low-sec, which they will be reviewing this February.
http://criminallowsec.ideascale.com/My suggestion (a bit wordy).
http://criminallowsec.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Make-faction-war-about-actual-FACTIONS/79300-9665Why low-sec and not Null-sec? (or, AND null-sec).
Several reasons.
For one, CCP considers low-sec 'NPC ruled space', and null-sec 'Player run space'.
Currently, CCP thinks low-sec is 'broken', and they are looking for solutions to fix it. They don't think there is anything wrong with Null-sec at the moment, since it is space which is completely player run. If players want to blob, that's the way it happens. If Null-sec is boring, that's just the way it happens. CCP has a 'hands off' policy in that part of the sandbox.
Your suggestion of having NPC Pirate Navy rats protecting Pirate space really would be like creating islands of 'Pirate high-sec' in the middle of null-sec. It would also be using NPCs to do it, which is exactly the opposite of what CCP intends.
Secondly, consider from a role-playing perspective where Pirates would come from.
Pirates are, by and large members of the Faction Navy or Militia that desert or mutineer. The only thing that prevents them from doing this in high sec is the stringent security/ survelliance. Once they get into low-sec, it becomes a different story, since low-sec is the place where the Empires have difficulty enforcing their own boundaries. It's the very first place your character would have the opportunity to mutineer. All of the Pirates in low-sec were once presumably part of the Navies of Empire. Of course, some 'Privateers' are Pirates that are still loyal to Faction war.
NPC Pirates that desert from the Empire's Navies would naturally be drawn to those Pirates within their own faction (e.g Amarr/ Blood Raiders). These pirates would likely set up camp in a contested system within their own Empire's space, so a contested system in Amarr low-sec could become Amarr, Minmatar OR Blood raider space for example.
If this happened in a plex, as it currently does in Faction war, it could make for some quite vicious and meaningful PvP fighting without all the blobbing of null-sec.
Instead of having a system switch over from Amarr to Minmatar sovereignty, (Gallente/ Caldari) you could have a stage where the system could be claimed by a Pirate faction. As a player Pirate, you might even team up with one Militia just to decontest certain systems, only to quit the Militia and capture the plex for your Pirate faction when the moment is right.
So instead of a map of low-sec being 'Amarr/ Minmatar' or 'Gallente/ Caldari', it would look more like a patchwork as NPC Pirate factions fought with Empire and each other to create their own little low-sec nations. The Pirate nations would rush in to fill the power void in contested systems.
I'm not sure about creating a Pirate high-sec defended by Uber pirate rats, but I would like to see Pirate faction owned stations. These stations would have LP stores, you could do missions for the pirates, etc. Those with a terrible rating with that Pirate faction would not be allowed to dock. Normal destructable Pirate rats might do well enough for these systems.
As a player you now have a choice when going into low sec faction war. Fight for your own Empire faction, join the other Factions Militia, or join one of the
four Pirate factions.
Yes, you can still be your own independent Pirate corporation, but you will lose out on some of the benefits such as LP stores and docking rights. However, Pirate factions/ Alliances would also be fighting the other factions for control over territory, and there is strength in numbers. Also, if you fight on behalf of your Pirate's militia you might even get your own 'private' Pirate system and station that only you and your alliance (and allies) can dock in.
It also promotes some role playing guidelines for being a Pirate. You aren't just the 'YARR-KILL' caricature, but shape your Pirate character around the NPC factions from the Prime Fiction, such as a blood-drinking religious zealot Blood Raider, a wise-cracking Anarchistic Gurista, and so forth.
Natural places for these Pirate stations would be already well known Pirate systems, such as Amamake, Rancer, Old Man Star, etc. High->Low-sec systems, or Low->Null-sec would be suitable locations as well.
Of course, the Sanshas will also be pushing into high-sec and might actually be able to capture a high-sec system or two, establishing a station there.
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Topic: Pirate militias MkII (Read 2985 times)