Dealing with pirates and/or new class of enemy

[slayernz]

If you can't use Monkeybirds, there are always Ratbirds from "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs". Somewhat less useful ... except in cases where you are plummeting to your death after destroying some AI food replicating device 2 miles up in the sky.

[blackgauntlet]

Winged Monkeys are the copyright of "Wizard of Oz". ;D

Anyway, there should be a difference between Pirates, Privateers and Bounty Hunters. If they were one and the same, we would not need to have 3 different names for them.

Privateers: Working within Faction and Shalun Laws
Bounty Hunter: Working outside of Faction but within Shalun Laws
Pirates: Working outside of both Faction and Shalun Laws

[slayernz]

We've got that type of breakdown already - although the first and 3rd categories both have the generic term Pirate.

Privateers - those ships with factional alliances. Shoot them down but don't enslave or destroy intentionally. They respect trade permits so won't attack you once you have em.

Bounty hunters. Scum of the earth who chase you just cos you annoyed their benefactor a few times. Shoot them down if they don't belong to a faction you support

Pirates - Independent pirate ships. Shoot them down and do whatever you want with the crew. Nobody complains about it and they don't respect trade permits.

[Cory Trese]

That is interesting we could change the name of the NPC for Faction Pirates vs. Indy Pirates, it would just be a label on the screen change from the player's POV.

I do not know if that would increase or decrease the clarity of how they will behave.

[slayernz]

Those in the know will understand the difference, and those who are more casual will either not care (therefore not be confused), or pick up on the name difference and think "ah ... that makes sense".

In any event - it shouldn't decrease any clarity of opposition so might be an easy and worthwhile change.