Piracy micro management has turned the game into Shelfware for me

[Gray_Lensman]

The topic says it all and I'm not going to respond to all the fanboys out there that want all this extra micro-management in the game. I was actually enjoying the game UNTIL all the piracy micro.

Back to Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV.

 

[Sequence7]

I agree with your point about pirates being annoying micro with their current implementation. I think they're going to get changed/tweaked, but I doubt it will happen while there are so many other bugs to fix.

Have you tried gestalt empires? Even if they're not your preferred play style it might keep you entertained until they sort out all the bugs and tidy things up.

 

[Dan_Daniel2000]

Are we playing the same game? Just build a citadel or let a fleet Patrol the route.

 

[Sequence7]

Are we playing the same game? Just build a citadel or let a fleet Patrol the route.

You say just build a citadel like they don't cost thousands of alloys. Also the starbase buildings are worthless compared to the amount of trade planets put out. Which leaves fleets as your only real option, and I keep running into pathing issues where the fleet refuses to patrol the same path as the trade route. Which means you have to setup multiple smaller fleets on shorter patrols, which is annoying micro.

Have you not had those problems? Curious to hear your tactics for dealing with trade routes with +500 trade value. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

 

[Bouchart]

Build a citadel and fill it with Hangar Bays. Build a gateway in that system and in several other systems. Piracy gone.

 

[Mímisbrunnr]

If you're just trying to suppress piracy, a Citadel is overkill, as running 6 Hangar Bay modules only takes a Star Fortress in the first place.


As a general hint, piracy is entirely suppressed in any station that has any form of upgraded star-base (i.e. Starport, Starhold, Star Fortress, Citaadel; i..e, anything that isn't an outpost), so if you have a few systems in your core where most of your trade is flowing through [especially as trade amounts become massive], prior to getting Gateways, these are the best places to put starbases if you have ones to spare, as no Hangar Bays or Patrol fleets are needed in these systems at all. If you make several consecutive systems protected with starbases as such, you can create a corridor entirely immune to piracy where the last legs of your trade routes flow through.

 

[mchristiansen]

My experience has been that starbases and hangars are pretty effective for a while. Eventually the nodes around my capital start to overwhelm the starbase suppression. At that point usually I can manage by plunking a fleet patrolling one or two nodes really high trade nodes or building a starbase in every system for the last few hops to my capital (even if you have to go over your starbase limit). In my experience by the time trade overwhelms the starbase suppression in subsidiary routes I have gateways and can just route from big trade planets right to my capital.

I imagine the experience might be different if you have slower tech progression, or are playing in a large galaxy where you may have ridiculous trade before you have gateways. Maybe provide a screenshot of your trade view demonstrating your particular problem?

Another option would be to move your capital to a system with a large number of intake lanes, put starbases on those lanes and redirect your starbase to starbase trade routes until the flow is more manageable.

 

[ciurra]

The tip about making a common path in the end is really a great one !

 

[Magdaki]

Another technique depending on your empire layout is to re-route trade so it doesn't become too focused on a single line. Other than that, what others have said especially building a starport (or higher) anywhere it must become focused.

 

[AlanC9]

You say just build a citadel like they don't cost thousands of alloys. Also the starbase buildings are worthless compared to the amount of trade planets put out. Which leaves fleets as your only real option, and I keep running into pathing issues where the fleet refuses to patrol the same path as the trade route. Which means you have to setup multiple smaller fleets on shorter patrols, which is annoying micro.

Have you not had those problems? Curious to hear your tactics for dealing with trade routes with +500 trade value. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Plant your anchorages along the route. You need them anyway.

 

[Sequence7]

Plant your anchorages along the route. You need them anyway.

Thanks for the tip. I didn't realise starbases completely stop piracy in their system.

 

[ulmont]

Curious to hear your tactics for dealing with trade routes with +500 trade value.

I have found that I am happiest with Star Fortresses as my solution; I usually end up running 1-2 Star Fortresses over the starbase cap (increased by 5 with the ascension perk), but I never have to deal with piracy patrol fleets. Yes, it sucks having to periodically add another Star Fortress and fill it with Hangar Bays, but it's doable.

Once you build some gateways, the problem goes away, since every Star Fortress within 6 hops of through the gateways projects piracy protection. The L cluster Can also give some similar effects.

I will say that I didn't think about moving my capital to a more central location so that I could have multiple smaller (easier to protect) trade routes, and I'll probably work that in next game.

 

[redrum68]

Its a pretty annoying mechanic as it sits right now. I tend to just kind of ignore trade for the most part as it doesn't tend to be that much of your income if you aren't focusing on it. Try to minimize the number of clerk jobs you work and mostly just patrol or build a few hangar bays on the systems near your capital since that is where you'll most likely have higher trade value worth protecting from piracy. The rest of the routes probably aren't that high in value and really not worth investing lots of alloys for fleets or starbases to protect them.

 

[TheTam]

I currently have 4 full Trade Hubs protected by 10 full Bastions with hangar bays. I collect every trade in my empire (9,6k) with no piracy whatsoever. Beforehand I just added another station in the pirate-spawn-sector
As soon as you get gateways the problem is solved as well

 

[Arutar]

I dont think I have ever got pirates spawning more than 2-3 times per entire game.

Plan your Starbases accordingly and you hardly ever have a Problem.

 

[BigPoppa1111]

I dont think I have ever got pirates spawning more than 2-3 times per entire game.

Plan your Starbases accordingly and you hardly ever have a Problem.

It isn't the discrete pirates but the ever present piracy tax on your trade value. But I agree that 99% of the solution here is proper starbase placement.

 

[iteration2]

You say just build a citadel like they don't cost thousands of alloys. Also the starbase buildings are worthless compared to the amount of trade planets put out. Which leaves fleets as your only real option, and I keep running into pathing issues where the fleet refuses to patrol the same path as the trade route. Which means you have to setup multiple smaller fleets on shorter patrols, which is annoying micro.

Have you not had those problems? Curious to hear your tactics for dealing with trade routes with +500 trade value. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

You say "dealing with trade routes with +500 trade value" as if that happens at a point in the game where a few thousand alloys isn't a negligible expense. Early in the game, just set a few corvettes on a patrol path and forget about them. Late game, set up gateways to bypass the need for longer trade routes. Yes, there are some ongoing expenses to manage protecting trade routes, but as far as micromanagement goes, this seems like a trivial part of running your empire.

 

[Secret Master]

You say "dealing with trade routes with +500 trade value" as if that happens at a point in the game where a few thousand alloys isn't a negligible expense.

That's what I came here to say.

 

[aprogressivist]

The fact that there are workarounds and late game (multiple Gateways? Very late game...) solutions doesn't change the fact that micro-managing corvette fleets as it stands is an awful piece of design and UX.

Piracy doesn't make me think "a challenging problem to solve so that I can efficiently benefit from trade". It's a negative experience until you can deal with macro solutions to it.

 

[Strangedane]

You say "dealing with trade routes with +500 trade value" as if that happens at a point in the game where a few thousand alloys isn't a negligible expense. Early in the game, just set a few corvettes on a patrol path and forget about them. Late game, set up gateways to bypass the need for longer trade routes. Yes, there are some ongoing expenses to manage protecting trade routes, but as far as micromanagement goes, this seems like a trivial part of running your empire.

You're grossly underestimating the trade value you can generate.
My current MC run has me at 131 trade value from 1 system, in year 2275.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1640919913

I have several routes into my cap running substantially more than 500 value.
I could try to combat the piracy, but if the investment are a few thousand alloys, (and it'd be WAY more than that) annexing my closest neighbor would be cheaper.
The only real option is just ignoring the starbase cap and slamming lvl 1 starbases in every system. This would cost me less alloys, and the difference in upkeep would be made up from now not losing around 200EC per month to pirates.