I'm just reading about the game as a newbie, and it seems like if you get jumped while carrying loot, there's all to lose, but nothing to gain.
I just want to clarify, does the aggressor have anything to lose, other than their time? Does the attacked player have anything to gain if they win instead of running away (other than experience?)
If not, shouldn't there be some detriment to starting and losing a PvP battle, even if you had no loot onboard?
Generally starter supplies run out pretty quickly, especially on like a sloop.
So if someone immediately guns after you, all you have to do is out sail them for a while and they become combat ineffective. Then, they either:
A: sink
Or
B: have to go find more supplies, which takes even more of their time
I usually try to keep them alI’ve so they have to hobble away.
But realistically other than a serious lack of staying power, there is little downside to relentlessly hunting a ship every time you spawn in.
However, each time you sink you tend to spawn further and further away.
Edit: oh! If you sink an enemy ship fast enough you can also take whatever food/supplies they have. Again, if they have defaults it’s not even worth the time, but sometimes you sink someone that’s been doing a ton of fishing for example and now you have a lot of excellent pvp food
OK so basically the only detriment is time lost while hunting ye?
Yeah pretty much, and generally if a crew sinks you once or twice, you’re out skilled and they will sink you again.