Yarrr!!!

[Dafool]

in HttT, you don't need to set up elaborate patrols. Just have ships in a select few harbours.

But that's my point. You rather have to patrol, or you have to sit you ships in ports all over the world to keep pirates out. It's micromanagement to prevent an annoyance. Clearly people don't like the way pirates work and in the past there have been numerous threads discussing how to disable them or even questioning their inclusion in game. Why can't we just be given the option to turn them off? It's a gameplay feature that is certainly not enjoyed by everyone, yet has been forced upon us.

 

[TheCheeseMaster]

can you play as pirates? do they own any land?
if not someone should create a mod where you can, so you could rule the carribian!!

 

[6354201]

But that's my point. You rather have to patrol, or you have to sit you ships in ports all over the world to keep pirates out. It's micromanagement to prevent an annoyance.

I don't really see how building one galley and plopping it in a coastal province so that the adjacent sea/ocean is patrolled constitutes a lot of micromanagement. It's three mouse clicks (click on province, click on naval building icon, click on galley). At worst, if its a non core, you'll have to (horror of all horrors) move a ship there from another province!

Clearly people don't like the way pirates work and in the past there have been numerous threads discussing how to disable them or even questioning their inclusion in game.

I frequent the forums a lot and since HTTT has come out there hasn't been much, if any complaining about pirates. I certainly have no problem with them.

Why can't we just be given the option to turn them off? It's a gameplay feature that is certainly not enjoyed by everyone, yet has been forced upon us.

Forced upon us? Seriously? We are talking about a game here, not a government seizure of property or something.

Paradox addressed concerns about pirates with HTTT and they did a great job with it. Pirates were also an integral part of history (like the Barbary pirates) and for game that's a historical sandbox they should be included.

 

[George LeS]

in HttT, you don't need to set up elaborate patrols. Just have ships in a select few harbours.

Strictly true, but it remains the case that sending them to sea is more efficient, as at sea they have a greater patrol range.

In any case, the need for options strikes me as clear. The simple fact is that this is a feature of the game which many people hate, vocally, & frequently. Given that historical monarchs has been removed as an option, why not replace it with Piracy? It is clear that a sequence of:

Normal (as the game now is)
Privateers (only)
None (but still allowing blockade)

would do fine. You could set it up so events could still bring them on. And -- amazingly -- everyone is happy. It cannot be that tough to do this.

Personally, I am no longer high on the anti-pirate scale; whereas I was once probably critic #1. But there remain at least 3 problems:

1. If you start at a late enough date that they are already active, given the ridiculous fleet deployments at start, you get them popping up all over the place, absurdly. With colonial powers, this can often screw other, nearby ROTW countries which haven't yet gotten to the blockade tech level.

Possible solution: Have pirates enabled by events which will fire after reaching level 9. We did this in TB&TB, & it worked well. You have time to redeploy.

Alternate solution: Some way to change deployment of fleets (and armies) at start.

2. The Mexican problem, where a country can conquer across to the Pacific years before there is a discovered sea lane to the new possessions.

Possible solution: Pirates arise only if the province is a core, or if it is owner-cuture. Thus colonies could breed them, but not conquests.

Another point: Again, have events trigger piracy in particular provinces, with a delayed MTTH based on culture, core, etc.

3. The biggest of all: The AI still has problems. Just look at Norway, Iceland, & the Persian Gulf. These are common places for pirate stacks to grow.

Partial Solution: Pirates cannot, EVER, generate in a seazone with other ships, including pirates, already there. That'd cut the problem a bit, but the AI will still send single galleys out, which over time will increase the stack.

 

[Dafool]

I frequent the forums a lot and since HTTT has come out there hasn't been much, if any complaining about pirates. I certainly have no problem with them.

Really? I remember when people started switching over there was a thread every other day or so about how to try to disable pirates. Obviously, once PI told us we couldn't anymore, then the threads died down a lot, but it's clearly one of those things that a decent number of people dislike. The reason is how it's implemented. It's forced, because they took away all ability to mod pirates. There were 2 or 3 different ways to take them out before. PI took that ability away. I'm a strong believer that if you don't like something about the game, then if you can you should mod it out instead of complaining, and that's exactly what I would do, but I can't anymore. I think it would please a very good number of people if PI was to give that modding option back or to offer a setting for it.

Also, George LeS's post sums up a lot of the issues, and the setting option he's mentioning sounds like the best answer.

 

[Kombatdoctr]

I fucking hate priates, they're annoying, I wish they were removed or mod-outable.

About "Historical Accuracy", I don't care about it, I bought this game for fun, not to be an annoying history book, and besides, all historical accuracy goes out the window when Scotland takes over all of Iceland and Norway.

 

[George LeS]

I've been advocating a piracy option for ages, & I honestly cannot see why it hasn't been tried. I cannot believe it'd be that hard to code in. Granted, my advocacy isn't proof of anything, but in this case, it's so clear that'd you'd eliminate tons of complaints, that it's hard to see an objection.

 

[anomanderus]

When are we going to get some option to turn off pirates? I'm finding it to be almost a chore to play a colonial power, because I have to spend 15 minutes figuring out how I'm going to split my fleet into 30 different parts so I'm not spammed with a pirate message every 10 seconds. In older versions we could disable them, but now we can't apparently due to the changes made to them in HttT. They don't add anything to the game other than tedious micromanagement and there's already a penalty for not patrolling your coasts. Why are they still in game as is?

Well, why don't you play a game where you "colonize" by conquering all the inland provinces everywhere. Globally. Then you don't have to deal with pirates, and can still be a colonial power.

 

[TheCheeseMaster]

or colonize with other naitions, usaully they fight the pirates of (unless your on an island miles away from anyone esle i.e. iceland)

 

[HanSime]

can you play as pirates? do they own any land?
if not someone should create a mod where you can, so you could rule the carribian!!

How about (Caribean) Island peasent revolts turn nearby sea lanes into pirate infested areas? =)

 

[TheCheeseMaster]

How about (Caribean) Island peasent revolts turn nearby sea lanes into pirate infested areas? =)

thats not playing as them, thats just making them have more ships

 

[HanSime]

thats not playing as them, thats just making them have more ships

I know, but it's more like turning them into a minor pirate nation. If you'd want, you could have these break loose as a pirate nation, but that wouldn't have to mean you'd control other pirates. Controlling pirates across the globe is unrealistic. Island nations with revoltees providing pirate infested waters? That'd be the closest thing you could come IMO. Would say you'd at most be able to ignore other pirates, but if they think you've got booty. You've got booty.


IF you were to make it a nation, you could even give it it's own government type (using Capt. Blood rules). As an alternative type of nation you'd be making money primarily of pillaging traderoutes, seems rather boring to me though, doubt you could (or should be able to) go on a WC as everyone would be at constant war (unless you would allow for a new type of temp pirating treaties, like a trade agreement).

Bit like the Barbarian anti-civilization Civ4 scenario I guess.

 

[JCFast]

I've been advocating a piracy option for ages, & I honestly cannot see why it hasn't been tried. I cannot believe it'd be that hard to code in. Granted, my advocacy isn't proof of anything, but in this case, it's so clear that'd you'd eliminate tons of complaints, that it's hard to see an objection.

Same for me. It has been possible in the past by modifying the files but that changes your checksum. So why not just add it into the pregame options.

I'm currently playing as Scandinavia, I pretty much dominate the whole Baltic Sea and North Sea. I have tons of single galleys on ports to keep them pesky pirates away. This means my ledger page is full of 1 ship fleets for those big sealanes in the north. The Baltic's pretty much covered by my 1st navy, but when I get into war I have to either rack up all those pirate fleets and move them to guard the Sound Toll with my 1st navy to match the enemy's more heavy ship using navy. And then of course Iceland revolts and I have to send my fleet of transport ships there. This leaves my ports vulnerable for pirates and it's not about me being able to prevent that but it's just way too much annoying micro-management. (And do mind that this is pretty early in the game so I don't have that much spare money to keep my fleet big on heavy ships or any other kind of naval supremacy solutions).

But it's even more annoying for colonial nations. Having to have those ships spread all around all the time. I thought tariffs simulated the effect of not having a capable navy.

 

[Sandam]

i dont understand why some of you are trying to defend current pirate system.. what would you, pirate lovers, lose if paradox would implement option to disable them? you still could play with them, but it would not take fun away from countless other people who hate this feature. or you would like to be the only ones happy playing EU3?

i hate how pirates are implemented! and i avoid playing colonial power all the times. i am yet to play england, france, portugal or castile. i have never played them because i dont like to have manage this hell of pirate patrols.. while HTTT makes it easier by adding patrol range, and keeping ships in ports, but when you are trying to find your REAL naval fleets between countless Anti-Pirate fleets it really makes me annoyed.

i would be happy to lose 1-3 naval force to just keep 3 coastline provinces pirate free. but without a fleet on the map. simple button in province panel would be enough. press it, your max naval size goes down, and surrounding sea-zones becomes pirate free...

and about historical things... is it historical not to gain prestige from fighting pirates? is it historical you cant capture their ships? is it historical pirates appear on the other side of panama, even if no ship has ever been there? what pirates are doing there? raiding dolphins? same goes for siberia, if you colonize all the way from europe, you get a coastal province and a pirates as a bonus, and then wait for 50 years yo build first ship? again, interesting that these pirates are raiding there? no trade routes are there...

if game had trade routes, and pirates spawning in them i would agree, its logical.. you could organize a trading routes in ways to avoid pirates, but.. there is no such a mechanic...

 

[TheCheeseMaster]

i think its impossible (they cant have provinces). edit the game file for western isles (thats what i did) change owner and controller to PIR yet scotland will still have the province but a pirate fort will be there!
what am i doing wrong?

 

[6354201]

i dont understand why some of you are trying to defend current pirate system.. what would you, pirate lovers, lose if paradox would implement option to disable them? you still could play with them, but it would not take fun away from countless other people who hate this feature.

For me it's not so much an aversion to an option being put in (more options are always better), but rather annoyance with the snide and indignant attitude of the posters on here advocating for change for something that is really quite minor. Paradox is under no obligation to change something in the game just because a few vocal whiners continually press for it.

or you would like to be the only ones happy playing EU3?

Case in point.

Pirates used to bug me too, but with HTTT it's not an issue anymore. It's not really that hard to build ONE galley or ONE big ship and throw it in a province to stop pirates. I played an Ottoman game where I controlled all of Africa and I only needed about 15 ships to stop piracy on the entirety of the African coast. I never upgraded these ships or moved them. If anything, pirates are too easy to deal with now.

 

[Flammehav]

Barques a very good against pirates since they are so fast. + unliek galleys they also count towards the number of ships you need for full tariffs. One barq can controll 4-6 zones depending on how big the zones are. More if you cna get them to go in a loops, like in the mediteranian.

 

[George LeS]

i dont understand why some of you are trying to defend current pirate system.. what would you, pirate lovers, lose if paradox would implement option to disable them? you still could play with them, but it would not take fun away from countless other people who hate this feature. or you would like to be the only ones happy playing EU3?

i hate how pirates are implemented! and i avoid playing colonial power all the times. i am yet to play england, france, portugal or castile. i have never played them because i dont like to have manage this hell of pirate patrols.. while HTTT makes it easier by adding patrol range, and keeping ships in ports, but when you are trying to find your REAL naval fleets between countless Anti-Pirate fleets it really makes me annoyed.

i would be happy to lose 1-3 naval force to just keep 3 coastline provinces pirate free. but without a fleet on the map. simple button in province panel would be enough. press it, your max naval size goes down, and surrounding sea-zones becomes pirate free...

and about historical things... is it historical not to gain prestige from fighting pirates? is it historical you cant capture their ships? is it historical pirates appear on the other side of panama, even if no ship has ever been there? what pirates are doing there? raiding dolphins? same goes for siberia, if you colonize all the way from europe, you get a coastal province and a pirates as a bonus, and then wait for 50 years yo build first ship? again, interesting that these pirates are raiding there? no trade routes are there...

if game had trade routes, and pirates spawning in them i would agree, its logical.. you could organize a trading routes in ways to avoid pirates, but.. there is no such a mechanic...

I do not say you are wrong, per se. But in the early versions (1.3, 2.2) you could do so, & it was far too exploitable. You'd just build a pirate-hunting squadron or 2, & then the rest of your fleet was supplied by the pirates. Same for cheap prestige.

I do agree with the rest of the post. I would like to see COTs link with one another, & a break in the link would have real consequences.

Another thing which would help would be tying frequency to province wealth. There really is no reason for them to show as much at St Helena in the E & W Indies.

To me, the idea of piracy by event is clearly the best option. It would allow for variation of conditions, frequency, placement, etc. And we could set the conditions we want. But then, my answer to everything is normally "more modding tools", so perhaps I'm alone here.

 

[Dafool]

For me it's not so much an aversion to an option being put in (more options are always better), but rather annoyance with the snide and indignant attitude of the posters on here advocating for change for something that is really quite minor. Paradox is under no obligation to change something in the game just because a few vocal whiners continually press for it.

I don't think anyone was bashing PI for it, but merely asking for some sort of option to be put back in. PI very often seems to take these issues in mind and sometimes fixes these problems. Regardless of what you think, it is a problem. I in no way expect PI to bow to the wishes of every person who doesn't like a province's culture or name, or thinks there should be a decision for this or that. Those issues are different. You can change those if you want. Problem solved. The pirate problem is that it is a major gameplay factor that cannot be modified at all by players. It used to be moddable and if you didn't like it you could just mod them out. We can't anymore. That's why people complain. You may think we are "whiners," but our input should matter regardless of if you mind the problem or not. These games can't be improved if people don't voice their opinions.

 

[History_Buff]

I actually started to just plain ignore them in my one serious colonial game. I played as Italy and Controlled most of the Caribbean and Mexico. I have never bothered to repel the Pirates on the Pacific Coast of Mexico and stopped hunting them in the Caribbean when I noticed they were having no noticeable effect on my income. I simply got sick of it. I had three pirate hunting fleets in the Caribbean alone, that went done to two when at war. Personally, I think after you blow a certain amount of Pirates out of the water in a given area, they should stop appearing. This is actually what happened in the Caribbean to end the Golden Age of Piracy historically. The Caribbean simply became too dangerous for pirates and the amount of them seriously decreased if not vanished. After sinking X amount of Pirate flottilas, you should get an event that says that that sea region (Mediterranean, Caribbean, Pacific, etc.) is now closed to Pirates or something like that.