Crime & Punishment

Alright, let's be serious and look at this objectively for a moment.

Before Retribution was released, piracy was in decline. Understandably, some die-hards (myself included) don't want to admit any truth to this, and others attempt to address it by flaming and shooting down posts as care-bears and such. In truth, especially after Retribution, it really feels like our chosen profession is dying a slow and painful death.

Of course, there are hold-outs across EvE, but we are hardly in the days of avoiding every low-sec system possible for fear of losing our ships. Even now, many low-sec PvP organizations don't even bother brandishing the title of "pirate," as low-sec is infested with faction warfare and the like.

So simply, here's my question to the community, because I know some of us that wear the title proudly are still out there:

What happened?

Why does it almost feel like half of us are ashamed to call ourselves pirates anymore, and those of us that accept it, spend our days hiding in anonymity and seclusion? Retribution has given us a tool that could bring tons of flavor to being a pirate, if at a higher risk, so why does it feel that we're hiding from the spot-light?

In some ways, it nearly feels as if the pirate has become the care-bear. Many contacts of mine that wore -10.0 proudly have now cleaned up, claiming that "the risk of piracy is too great." Have we thus lost the war for low-sec?

Perhaps I'm being too analytical, but as I return to the game again, I find myself disappointed by the lack of honorable low-sec pirates. It's simply so much easier to make my way into 0.0 and fight petty Alliance wars. I once played this game to skirmish, steal, and live a life in the shadows, but it seems we've given up the shadows.

So, I ask, what do you think, and what should we do about it?

Nothing happened. There is nothing glamorous nor honorable about being a pirate. Pirating is an ugly profession that will never get any respect except from other pirates.

I think you're missing the point.

Worm hole and 0.0 is certainly a good place to operate as a pirate, and I admit I failed to address it in my first post.

To suggest that piracy in EvE is unsophisticated is silly. Perhaps pirates that don't honor ransoms and 1v1's deserve no respect, but those of us that do are hardly any different than Alliances that swallow up each others systems for pure profit, we just choose to do it on smaller scales, and base it off of skirmishes.

Also, in my years of playing in low-sec, I must say that "gang bangs" are hardly the most common fighting style for pirates. It's always been popular amongst those with a narrower view of things, but there are certainly piracy organizations that operate on much larger and sophisticated scales.

Whether or not you or any of the other posters consider it a "dirty" or "immoral" profession is irrelevant. It has always been a part of EvE, and I'm simply observing that it's vanishing, if only from the public eye. I only ask the community why that is. Nothing more or less.

I blame the high cost of medical clones.......

That would be a very useful skillbook... reduce medical clone payments by 20% Level - Rank 10

There are no pirates in EVE. And it's no profession. Lowbears.

I dont think eve pirates should call themselves pirates. Killing the occasional missioner and the occasional idiot who travels through is not really piracy. I would say suicide gankers are closer to pirates as they attack commerce. Not much commerce travels through low sec and I think I have an idea to change that a little.

Add low sec between the four races space bringing more travel through them.
I elaborate in this thread
https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=174097&find=unread

I would say part of the issue is that now that more can fight back plus knowing to stay out of low/null you just fewer targets.
That and since we are past summer all the idiot noobs that alot of pirates depended on have left the game.
Really the issue is that most pirates are just gankers who dont want to lose ships.
There is no honorable pirate.
A pirate will always ransom and remain true.
The rest are just edgy hipster gankers who couldnt load a 5 pounder if their life depended on it.
(clear barrel>swab>powder>wad>ball>fuse>position>fire)
Really most of the gate camping gankers are what turn people off.
The ones who would be champions of Khorne for all their love of killing.

You should go to low sec and null and pirate there like intented.

So what is the difference between a pirate and your regular run-of-the-mill low-sec pvper?

A pirate does it for the money, not just for fun?
A pirate always offers and honors ransoms?
???

I've done some low-sec pvp (and atoned for my sins by spending many hours ratting my sec status back up) but I never considered myself a pirate - just a pvper looking for some kills.

On the other hand I have met self-proclaimed "pirates" that spend all day running lvl4 missions in their low-sec home.

I find it hard to talk about piracy being boosted or nerfed when I have no idea how it is different from regular pvp...

pretty sure piracy died the moment jump freighters came into being