This is a suggestion for Ironclad concerning pirates.

Sometimes, pirates should simply hang out around stars instead of attacking planets. Often, when a player gains 2 phase lane access points to his home star, his trade ships start to really use the star as a shortcut. Additionally, in later game stages, trade ships frequent the star constantly as they jump in from other star systems.

Pirates should take more advantage of these trade lanes (you'd figure that would be what pirates do). They can rack up some serious bounty by killing off undefended trade ships. They can also make the player come out from behind his defenses to deal with the problem.

Also, I hope that pirates will be able to travel from star to star in the new patch. Otherwise, once you wipe them out in a star system, no pirates will be able to show up (in that star system).

Finally, nobody answered my question about whether pirates will have their own capital ships in the new patch.

Cool!

Pirate carriers attacking your shipping around stars would be so cool. Even if they don't get capital ships, they could still use light carriers.

Also, it might be more challenging if they are smart enough to run back to their base if you show up with a powerful enough force to wipe them out.

Hmmm, that might actually just irritate a lot of players. But I have trouble accepting the 100% suicidal pirates found in the game so far.

Maybe you could have a game toggle for Pirate AI (easy/medium/hard). Hard AI pirates will only attack your weak points (if you have any) and will run if you are too powerful.

Yay! I got me a cookie.   

I like most everything in the new patch, except one big mistake. now not only are you limited in the number of ships you make, but the ways you spend those points (towards caps or towards frigs) is also limited. I've argued against this "one size fits all" attitude since we've started slipping down this slope, but now its gone WAY too far.

still, I dont think its original or flexible enough to be used in such a pivotal element of gameplay. I can understand where things may get out of control, but I think the fix here is worse than the problem. maybe an alternative would be something that enlightens gameplay more, maybe a "cap ship killer" type of frigate/cruiser, or maybe diversification in the cap ships themselves.

Do you guys think it would have been better if Ironclad had just raised the fleet point cost of capital ships instead of separate points?

I agree with squirls, but I dont think this is the way to go about fixing it.

Am I the only one that thinks all this micromanagement might be on the border of too much (not as far as ships but as far as research)? I don't think the devs should add any more non-combat related stuff. Also, it is kinda hard to get all the research stations that you need to research everything.

In response to the current conversation: who has been playing multiplayer? Just a few devs in the office or like 50 or 60 exclusive beta testers? (aka not open beta)

Ok, well maybe there isn't enough going on. Its just.. idk. Not enough research, I agree with. I think that A space station for A "tech level" is just weird. I think I'm just used to tech levels and there only being four to six tech levels. IDK. Now I'm confused. And since when are you wise, Schem?

Also I only research ships or stuff that I need. Not upgraded lasers or hulls or stuff like that (or advanced trade or stuff).

I don't think anyone has mentioned the fact now with 2 types of research station, military and civilian, we can still only do research one station at a time. So when the civilians are doing research on X, the military is sitting on their lab stools twiddling their thumbs....

BUG ?

Double post with really ugly text, at that.