Battle Pirates Sector Etiquette and Player Reputation Guide

Battle Pirates Sector Etiquette and Player Reputation Guide by Mike Cherven

This guide outlines one of the more interesting aspects of online gaming: player interaction. What do most sectors expect from players? Is it OK to hit in-sector? Should a sector cooperate to repel attackers, promote growth, and keep comms drama-free? How can I earn a good (or bad) reputation?

The content is my opinion only and based upon nearly 20 years experience in online pvp gaming.

Sectors and Alliances

The discussion applies well to both Sectors and Alliances. Alliances are generally subsets of Sectors. A given sector can be the home to many alliances of varying levels and size.

“Good” versus “Evil”

The concept is interesting and subjective. So-called evil players consider the actions of good players to be bad, while good players consider evil players to be bad. As an example, cannibal children were raised to believe that eating missionaries for dinner was good, while the rest of the world recoiled from the pure evil of cannibalism.

In gaming, it is very easy to fall into an “Us” versus “Them” relationship with opposing forces. It is easy to believe that “They” are rotten, overly aggressive, evil players with the sole purpose of making “Our” good lives miserable, or at least difficult. In reality, “They” generally feel the same way about “Us”. It all depends upon which team you’re on.

Perception powers perspective.

It is an enlightening experience to actually speak candidly with opposing players. “They” are generally just like “Us”. In Battle Pirates, “they” just happen to live in another sector.

PvP and PvE

Player versus Player. Player versus Environment. Battle Pirates is definately a PvP game, with PvE elements. A term common to Battle Pirates is F2F or FvF, meaning Fleet to Fleet, or Fleet versus Fleet combat.

Currently, the game has only 1 restriction to PvP, that being the 5 level difference in order to attack a base. There are no restrictions to F2F. High level fleets can attack low level fleets at will. Conversely, low level fleets can also attack high level fleets.

PvE includes Salvaging and Resource Mining, and will eventually apply to Draconian base attacks once the feature is released.

Player Types

Imagine a scale stretching from “Quiet Miner” to “Mouthy In-sector Base Attacker”. Everyone sits somewhere on the scale. The difference in position between players relates to the level of conflict you can expect between those players. A couple of Quiet Miners can get along nicely. A couple of Loud In-sector Base Attackers can get along just as well. A Quiet Miner and a Loud In-sector Base Attacker is a recipe for conflict, though not guaranteed.

Some players prefer PvP, others prefer PvE, and still others prefer a mix between the two. It doesn’t matter what kind of player you are as long as you’re having fun, which is the point of any game.

Trust

In Battle Pirates, sectors want to trust and depend upon other players in the sector. Cooperating with others in repelling attacks is a great way to earn trust. Raiding opposing sectors with a large group of fellow pirates is a very fun and fulfilling experience. The more you work with fellow players, the better off you will be.

Cause and Effect

Causality: The relationship between one event and a second consequential event. Attacking another player generally results in that other player seeking revenge upon you. If you attack a base before you head off to bed, don’t be surprised if your base is attacked in revenge by the time you wake up.

The Effect action can be much larger than the Cause action if you attack a member of an alliance or cooperative sector.

Just as in real life, the revenge attack itself usually becomes the cause for yet another effect, resulting in an endless loop of revenge attacks. Cause and Effect, Rinse and Repeat.

Another reason to consider Cause and Effect is that your solo actions may effect your entire group or sector.

Owning Actions

If one causes an effect, they should understand and accept the fact their action was the cause. They should own their action. Failure to own actions results in what some might consider to be unrealistic complaining, or whining. The realistic pirate owns their actions, is never surprised by effects, does not complain about effects, and thinks 4 or 5 moves ahead like a chess master.

Solo versus Group

There is no doubt that a group of pirates is stronger than a single pirate. It is simply a good tactic to group up with others. The wise pirate respects this fact even if they prefer to play solo.

Friendly Fire

Friendly fire refers to accidentally hitting a player who is not otherwise your enemy. This usually happens due to poor clicking actions or a misunderstanding due to player name visibility. It can be considered unwise to park a fleet behind a base so as to hide the name of the fleet’s owner. The hotter the action, the greater the chances for friendly fire.

Base Hitting

Hitting bases is both fun and profitable. The savvy pirate knows they can pillage the most resources from a good base attack.

Hitting other players in your own sector is pretty much the quickest way to make enemies and earn a bad reputation within that sector. In-Sector base hitting is generally frowned upon in most sectors.

Mine Bumping

Mine bumping is the act of engaging in F2F battles with fleets sitting at resources nodes. Often, the mining fleet owner is AFK which tends to make the battle relatively easy for the attacker. Mine-bumping members of your own sector is also generally frowned upon. It makes no difference if the attacked player is mining in sector or in another sector. Yet, pirate miners should consider that mining out of sector is much more dangerous than doing so in sector.

Comms

How you present yourself in chat is just as important as your overall actions. Whining, begging, flaming, etc.., are undesirable behaviors.

You can’t easily chat your emotions. If you joke around in chat, be sure to use a smiley face or wink to make your intentions clear. If you find yourself in an argument, sometimes the best thing to do is reduce or stop talking altogether. It stands to reason that if opening your mouth gets you into trouble, closing it might help you out. Personally, I’ve learned this lesson several times over the years and still have more to learn.

Reputation

Good vs Evil, Trust and Cooperation, Cause and Effect, Owing Actions, In-sector Hitting, Comms, etc… All of these things go into building one’s reputation, also known as “rep”. Just like groups are stronger than solo players, good rep is much more benefical than bad rep.

It’s easy to disguise a previously bad reputation with relocation and name-changing. However, that results in having no rep at all.

In Summary

Giving some thought to how you play can go a long way towards enhancing your game experience.

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