9.22 Piracy
In most corners of space in the Starmourn Sector, there be pirates. The level of pirate activity in a zone is known as its Piracy Rating, which ranges from -100% (in a very safe zone) to 100% (a zone absolutely infested with pirates). For a map of Piracy ratings, consult PIRACY MAP. You can also view piracy ratings of zones you enter using CONFIG SHOWPIRACY, or see the piracy of zones nearby using PIRACY NEARBY.
Piracy rating is added and removed from the game each day. Various lore-appropriate zones and subsectors, such as Tranquility Deepness, Selassian space, or Vonikin Krel space, have "Natural Piracy" and always add piracy into their zones every Sync. Some zones and subsectors have "Natural Wardenry" and negate a given amount of Piracy Rating that has spread there every Sync.
Piracy is also added to zones by the presence of pirate autofactories and refineries and removed by their destruction, added by pillaging incursions and removed by defeated ones, added by Ishvana Cosmpiercers and removed by factional ones, added by taking on Smuggling contracts or selling Contraband and removed by turning in Contraband to authorities (see HELP CONTRABAND), and finally added by players engaged in acts of piracy and removed by players fighting NPC pirates as Wardens.
Pirates will only appear if the zone you are in has at least 10% piracy rating and if you are either currently engaged in a CARGO CONTRACT (see HELP CARGOCONTRACTS) or flagged as a Warden (see below). Pirates will never attack you unless you are currently engaged in these activities, miners and other spacefarers are safe, even in the most pirate-infested zones.
Player Piracy
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Players looking to become the most notorious pilot in the Sector, look no further. By engaging in nefarious acts of piracy such as killing cargo ships, players will accrue Notoriety with which they will climb RANKINGS PIRATES. The life a pirate is not consequence-free, however. Players become a pirate in one of two ways: 1) They can PIRACY JOIN PIRATES to voluntarily flag as pirates. They will be Open PK to everyone while in Space. 2) If a player has 500 or more Notoriety, they will be automatically flagged as a pirate and become Open PK. A pirate can remove their pirate flag only when docked and only if they have less than 500 Notoriety using PIRACY LEAVE PIRATES.
Pirates are not Open PK when flying industrial class ships, Freighters and Superhaulers. Killing a cargo ship while piloting an industrial class ship will cause the pirate to lose this privilege, permanently.
Being a pirate is not a license to kill anyone you want in Space. Pirates are still bound by normal PK restrictions and cannot, for instance, initiate combat against a player hauling a cargo contract outside of a PK zone. The exception is if a cargoscan reveals Contraband.
Pirates can locate NPC cargo ships while in space using PIRACY LOCATE SHIPMENT, revealing the present coordinates and bearing of the closest NPC cargo ship.
Wardens
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Players looking to join in the fight against encroaching piratical threats can sign up as a Space Warden at any time using PIRACY JOIN WARDENS. When flagged as a Warden, while in space you have the chance to be attacked by pirates in zones with a Piracy Rating of 10% or more. Players can disable this flag at any time using PIRACY LEAVE WARDENS. Destroying pirates that spawn to attack a Warden will reduce the Piracy Rating in a zone, but not until Sync. It will also grant Warden Rating (used to track RANKINGS WARDENS).
Wardens can locate player pirates at any time using PIRACY LOCATE PIRATE. Doing so will inform the pirate that they have been located, and the Warden will be Open PK to the located pirate for 1 hour. Wardens are otherwise never Open PK to anyone, including pirates, except under normal circumstances, but Wardens are free to initiate combat against player Pirates if they choose to.
*Note that PIRACY LOCATE PIRATE will not find pirates if they are currently flying an industrial class ship, Freighters and Superhaulers. Additionally, pirates are not Open PK when flying these classes.
NPC Wardens will spawn if an NPC cargo scan reveals contraband in a player's cargohold or a shipping container they are smuggling (see HELP SMUGGLING).
Notoriety and Warden Rating
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Notoriety is used to track RANKINGS PIRATES and Warden Rating is used to track RANKINGS WARDENS, and if you have 500 Notoriety you will be automatically flagged as a Pirate and Open PK. These figures are flip sides of the same coin. When you would gain Warden Rating and currently have any Notoriety, the game will deduct Notoriety first before adding Warden Rating. Conversely, if you would gain Notoriety, you will first lose Warden Rating.
This allows you to engage in acts of Piracy against NPC cargo ships while avoiding the Open PK playstyle, if you spend enough time doing penance for your piratical actions through Wardenry.
