Pirates and the early game

[MindfulOcean]

Thanks to some help from here, I have a decent understanding of how to start the game. I need help with one further thing: pirates. For the first 6 years, I concentrated on building mines to increase mineral and energy production. Then pirates appeared. Both the pirate fleet and their base proved too much for my starting fleet. At that time, I was getting around 20 mineral income, and it would have taken ages to put together a new fleet, and they were actively attacking my mines.

How do you balance the early game economy to have sufficient income to build a worthwhile fleet and still be ready to build your first colony ship? That 20 mineral income was the best I could do even after extending my borders with an outpost.

[Bomber]

You did right.
The pirates that "actively" attack you are from an event (so they are around 160 strength (at least at normal). Basically even with 20 mineral income you have to save it for some years and built your fleet up to have around ~200+- strength, then crush this one fleet and their pirate base (which has only that event fleet or none^^).

-> All the other pirates (these 1k or more fleets and bases) will never attack you activly. After these event spwaned pirates just don't go to the other pirate systems until you are strong enough.

[Dustpuppy]

5 ships is enough to fend of the pirate fleet, 8 ships is enough to take the fleet out without losses. If you blow up the pirate station you'll get between 50 & 100% of the minerals you need to build a colony ship. However sometimes an AI beats me to it.

This said, these days I savescum a bit to ensure a good starting location. I absolutely hate spawning near xenophobic FE's. I reroll till I have 4 to 5 systems within my starting radius, save, hit tilde type observe check for FE and glance at mining stuff. Reload save and go about the rest of my game without cheating.

Also setting your homesystem to Sol, gets you an above average starting system. (earth can still spawn elsewhere)

[Big mean bunny]

before banks1.5 pirates hada trigger spawn chance after you built a station or oupost ouside of your starting system. After 1.5 they are spawned with a diffrent set of conditions (probably based on fleet size). Depending on your nieghboring players/AI it is a healthy decision to build a fleet up to initial cap for defence as soon as posible and at least build up to 12 ships before your first colony if they are hostile types.

[Rax Savvage]

draw them into the stations guns n watch em burn.