Some things about pirates...

[Jack Teach]

Being a pirate needs to have just as many benefits as being part of a nation. It seems to me that the merchant upper crust shoots down good ideas concerning ranks for pirates or organized piracy. For your information, mates, such things did exist. Pirates were called "captain" too and their where organized pirate groups, such as the Bretheren of the Coast.
Pirates should get ranks of their own, and organized nation like groups of their own. I almost feel as if the merchants are scared...

[Meliva]

I disagree that they need as many benefits, but I wouldn't be against them getting something more then what they have within reason. However you need to remember that most nations don't actually have many worthwhile benefits. Most of the best benefits comes from port ownership-which is a costly and risky business and only a handful of nations can actually keep a port. In fact the only benefit in being in a nation with no ports is whatever laws it can afford, and the marquess ship upgrade discount. Everything else is port specific-so no ports no bonus essentially. As for the beneficial laws, like I said they mainly only work so long as you have gold in the treasury-and if no ports are owned then the only gold going in is taxes-meaning your gold in taxes is being given back in insurance.

[Jack Teach]

All I want is for pirates to have ranks

[Shadowood]

Teach. You are kind of beating a dead horse mate. You are newer here and there are ideas that have been suggested for many years now that have not been implemented for what ever reason.

Stomping your foot a bit won’t make this come any faster.

IMHO there are several other upgrades that need admins focus at the present that will make this game so much better and enjoyable for all. Ranks should be an after thought for now.

If ye be a true pirate then add to the discussion about Ship Specialization, Flagship, perhaps Port Blockades. These updates will be very good for pirates.

Cheers mate

[Jack Teach]

That makes sense.

[Meliva]

All I want is for pirates to have ranks

You literally said in your first sentence of this post that being a pirate should have as many benefits as being in a nation. And honestly giving pirates ranks that are nothing more then fancy titles is rather a waste of time. Now I do think that pirates having ranks could be an interesting concept and idea to explore, but it should have some sort of purpose, and have some sort of task to acquire said rank. Some ideas off the top of my head could be ranks could increase tail ransom, grant a bonus to piracy tech, increase the power of certain voodoo, there is definitely things that could be added to give benefits to being a pirate and adding pirate ranks, which I do think should be discussed, but certain features take precedence. Piracy does need an update soon though. I feel its getting a bit too easy for merchants at the moment.

[Haron]

Piracy does need an update soon though. I feel its getting a bit too easy for merchants at the moment.

It's a bit easy both for merchants and pirates, I think.

I blame piracy tech, which has as a consequence that plunders increase the in game money, that is, the attacker earns more than the target loses. It would have been better if the target lost more than the attacker earned (as it once was), in my opinion. Now, if I hit you and then you hit me, we both end up with more gold than we started with.

[Meliva]

To be fair though, piracy is not exactly cheap to max out, though it does pay for itself eventually. I think I still have your tech guide you wrote ages ago talking about it, though that was before piracy got the bonus of scraps added.

[Haron]

True, Meliva. Piracy is not that easy for new players, but for those of us with a decent amount of attacks under our belt, it's rather easy. The experience helps too, of course ;-)

[Shadowood]

If ye be a pirate, making the investment of Piracy tech is a must. Yes it pays for its self. It’s actually one of the fastest ROI techs there is.

Just have one of the big bankers finance it while you hit their trade Fleets to pay them back.