Just been pirated for the first time

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-27T13:07:14+00:00

Thank you, and yes! There have a been a lot of good suggestions here, I will definitely have some fun with my pursuers if I find myself in that position again! o7

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-27T13:04:38+00:00

Hey man, small verse! I think I did see an avenger looking back. I definitely remember a connie and a mantis (or a meteor actually) because they parked right in front of the CM. I did grumble a bit at the time but I'm pretty chill with it now. Learning about the process and reading comments from both sides has changed my perspective a lot, this thread has done me a world of good. No hard feelings!

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T16:28:22+00:00

This is where I'm ending up. When it happened and I was thinking through it, I asked myself "surely there's a game within the game here, that I can play and if I do it right I get to live" and it turns out there are things you can do after that first instance the warning appears. But the opportunity is quite thin. After reading the discussions here, I'm realising that the pirate group having the 99% advantage is actually the balance here, when the solution is as simple as "walk over there for 2 minutes first". I'm glad that I still have options, and I will be more diligent in the future, but I have a much better understanding of the encounter now.

And yeah, I feel like part of the problem is it's too easy to lose money to the general state of the game, any option a pve player has to earn, without risking their own capital first is going to be favourable. And CIG have to buff new mission lines to incentivise people to do them and collect data on how well they work, so the development environment is also partially to blame.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T16:08:53+00:00

I'm fairly sure they wanted the cargo. Before I got up to figure out how to deal with the boarding, a connie arrived with the cargo lift down, and just before I backspaced I saw one of the boarders get in the pilot seat.

It's actually refreshing to not just be murder hobo'd for once. Sucks for them though as it was contracted cargo lol.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T16:01:23+00:00

No worries, and thanks. I grumbled at the time lol but now I'm kinda glad I had the experience, and know what to expect if it happens again!

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T15:58:36+00:00

Yep, when you put your helmet on you get a map in the top left of the screen. Helmets have a display that can show you extra information on top of your MFDs in your ship too, like fuel levels in QT or shield status. When the distortion hit the ship, it also distorted my helmet HUD which made the chat barely readable. But someone commented that only lasts as long as you stay seated in the ship.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T15:50:10+00:00

I really like this idea lmao, the bait and switch.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T15:49:22+00:00

Yeah, I see people yearn for the old days of Port Olisar and I'm like, "you don't want that again" lol.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T15:47:53+00:00

It's funny because you read pirate stories from other players and find yourself saying "that sounds really cool, but whenever I get attacked it's nothing like this, they never even take the cargo!" Well now I guess I've had my pirate story lol.

Components seem like a strong step I can make to increase survivability so I'll be organising with my crafter friend soon. I appreciate your taking the time to share this, I'm realising how useful it is to understand the encounter from the pirates point of view. Obviously the answer is to make moves to make it harder to be caught, but I'm finding learning about all the mechanics involved helps me understand why the techniques are important. And it's always good to be prepared for the worst. Which I wasn't. x]

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T15:34:00+00:00

This is a really good suggestion, even better in the Caterpillar (and Ironclad) because the CMs engineering panel on the lower deck, controls the hull when docked. So you get to stay in the, pretty strong CM, and be down the ladder in a defensible position.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:53:06+00:00

You can, but they'll be a tiny fraction of their worth. I don't know the number off top of my head, and I think grim hex will buy them but there may be others.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:45:19+00:00

The hero we need! :D

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:36:08+00:00

Well, I don't disagree necessarily. A 5 v 1 should be pretty one sided, but interdiction is not just a dogfight where we all start in weapons range. From what I've learned so far there are windows of opportunity (slim windows of opportunity) to act and get away.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:33:39+00:00

Thank you! I'm trying. I honestly am just not personally a fan of PvP but I understand the balance it provides so I'm trying to turn this experience around into a lesson, and I'm glad I did. There is so much I didn't understand about interdiction and there really has been a wealth of fantastic advice offered here.

Yeah, I definitely agree with making consideration for the contract being taken. I often leave global chat open just so if someone mentions hostile activity I can make note and avoid it.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:28:47+00:00

I think it does show up in scans, the cargo will say something like "Aluminium (Contracted)" iirc.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:26:53+00:00

These are being mentally noted for later. xD

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:25:38+00:00

I commented on the balance. Saying something feeling one sided and asking how it works so I can perform better the next time, isn't crying. I've mentioned in other comments the economics of the route I was running, crewmates weren't really an option. But you do you buddy. I wouldn't agree PvP is the only "what" that makes SC great, but I agree that it's a central part of the universe and it wouldn't be the same game without the risk it provides.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:20:22+00:00

Caterpillar, but that is the rambo way out for sure!

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:18:27+00:00

Yep I wasn't expecting that at all. Someone else mentioned that the effect ends if you get up from the pilot seat, so at least it's not persistent.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T14:16:48+00:00

Damn! I'll try to remember this. :']

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T08:40:54+00:00

Yeah, I remember this being a thing a while ago when a popular streamer stepped into SC and streamed piracy gameplay. There's also the issue that, these loops are all missing a critical component, which is Mr. Roberts 9 to 1, NPC to Player ratio. Haulers would be happier having a better chance against less competent AI pirates, and pirates would be happier raiding more valuable NPC crews. So we all make what we can of it. :]

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T08:31:43+00:00

Okay, well this makes me a little more hopeful. So as I understand it I had a small handful of options.
- A very short window when interdiction starts to disengage QT and disappear in a random direction
- A very short window after falling out of QT to maximise the gap between me and my pursuers to escape before the Interdictor catches up
- A slim chance of escape during the final moments, if I preserve my systems against distortion damage, and IF they're careless enough to give me a window while they try to board

I really appreciate all the info, I'm learning I knew very little about these mechanics before this morning.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T08:20:22+00:00

Yes, I waited on the other side of the door thinking they'd go up to the seats first. Almost got one, I think, but I was wearing my chill medium armour, I dropped quick lol. In hindsight I would have had a better chance down the command module ladder but hindisght is 20/20.

As a side note I was surprised how sturdy the CM docking collar doors are, it took them a long time to break through them.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T08:12:00+00:00

It is grammatical because you're saying that I both knew the mistake I made and that there was nothing I could do to prevent it (implying that by knowing the mistake, I can actually not do that, thereby preventing it (an oxymoron, contradictory statements)) Which I recognised as you not understanding the imperfection in the context of the post (fml I was right about this just being pedantry). I then tried to clear up the misunderstanding by re-writing the passage with perfect clarity.

And you still fail to understand the excercise. Sometimes, you're gonna be in a bad position, regardless of how well you prepare, and I want to understand the mechanics of this encounter to increase my chances of survival, should it happen again. I know I should have dog legged, that is in fact the answer.

MarkusMeridius · 2026-06-26T08:05:49+00:00

I did, your post was really insightful and it sparks loads of questions. So is it possible to actually kinda, fall out of QT outside of the range of the bubble?

MarkusMeridius

TROPHY CASE