NPC seem to have got a little tougher

[graeme.firth]

Not been on for a couple of days, went on this PM and got into my usual bounty hunting at Nav points.

Noticed (or so it seemed) around 50% of engagements, the NPCs had up rated shields. Also after hanging round a while got attacked by three ships, all wanted and not Feds.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Not complaining, enjoying the challenge.

 

[HeavyGroovez]

I think they have been tweaking, market prices are on the move for me this evening (i just created a thread to this effect) so i think there is a good chance that they have pimped the AI as well.

 

[snotface]

Not been on for a couple of days, went on this PM and got into my usual bounty hunting at Nav points.

Noticed (or so it seemed) around 50% of engagements, the NPCs had up rated shields. Also after hanging round a while got attacked by three ships, all wanted and not Feds.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Not complaining, enjoying the challenge.

I think they have been tweaking, market prices are on the move for me this evening (i just created a thread to this effect) so i think there is a good chance that they have pimped the AI as well.

I cannot wait to go NPC popping

 

[ollobrains]

a lot of influences here, remember the rating of npcs, elite ones are harder tan novice ships.....
The strength of political-economic influences in the background simulator can affect the strength of npcs ( weak anarchy system will have sidewinder system authority) but if enough people strengthen the authorities with the missions they do and so forth, the next day theyll be in vipers and asps ( thats the background simulator affecting the npcs in from what i can see is at least 50 different ways)

 

[anikaiful]

a lot of influences here, remember the rating of npcs, elite ones are harder tan novice ships.....
The strength of political-economic influences in the background simulator can affect the strength of npcs ( weak anarchy system will have sidewinder system authority) but if enough people strengthen the authorities with the missions they do and so forth, the next day theyll be in vipers and asps ( thats the background simulator affecting the npcs in from what i can see is at least 50 different ways)

Or Anacondas... seen those as ISS ships at nav points.

 

[Sanderson]

Definitely a small increase in NPC ability in the last week somewhere along the line. It's a good thing but, they still need to increase the rewards for bounty hunters IMO.

 

[graeme.firth]

Excellent news, was worried I was imagining it or was suffering some serious skill fade. lol

Take care CMDRs - see you out there

 

[Morbad]

I encountered the first single NPC that I have ever felt I had to retreat from the other day.

I popped into a USS that was very close to a star (heat leveled off at 75% or so rather than the 45% that's typical for my ship), and saw a pirate convoy of two Asps, an Anaconda, and a Viper...all wanted, with bounties ranging from 20-80k each. I engaged the Viper (who was bringing up the rear, heavily damaged him, then moved off to tag the Anaconda before it could get out of range; the Asps were getting too far a head to worry about, and I didn't want two Asp on my while I was fighting an Anaconda. After wheeling back around to finish off the Viper, I proceeded to engage the Master rank Anaconda...

50 minutes later I had expended all four charges of my SCB (which had thus far gone unused for so long that I was afraid it was past it's expiration date) and was barely able to get close enough to do worth while damage to the Anaconda who was still at 45% hull (no critical subsystems were presenting themselves as easy targets). My hull was still undamaged, but my progression against the hull of my opponent was so slow that I would have needed another hour to take him down. So, I saluted my opponent's resilience and disengaged.

I'm used to killing Elite Anaconda assassination targets in 5-8 minutes with the same loadout and no consumables used, but this thing was nuts. AI wasn't totally brain dead, it had the perfect mix of weapons (four beam turrets, two pulse laser turrets), plus could manage power distribution and maneuver like virtually no Anaconda I had ever seen. It was fast, very tough, and used it's SCBs. I found it almost impossible to stay out of it's firing arcs, and thus had to run more pips in SYS and ENG than I normally would, which seriously curtailed my damage potential.

This is not the first time something similar has happened. Ever since Gamma 2, I will occasionally run into a "Master" rank NPC pirate, who is vastly more powerful than any other NPC ship of that type I encounter anywhere else. Normally it's an Asp or a Python, but this was the first time I've seen this AI and loadout pattern converge in an Anaconda.

 

[zynaps]

I think they have been tweaking, market prices are on the move for me this evening (i just created a thread to this effect) so i think there is a good chance that they have pimped the AI as well.

AI is controlled by the players so unless you have downloaded a patch there's been no change to the NPCs. The AI is not server driven, all the AI logic runs on your (or someones) PC.

 

[Trickle]

Can't say I've seen any difference.

 

[dermax]

Had my first death last night. NPC Cobra Master rated. I'd been popping his ilk for a week in my Cobra, no sweat. This guy, however, ate my shields in one pass. I was down to 50% hull in seconds. Then my canopy blew off. So I don't know if he had awesome stuff or really earned his rating, but I noticed at least one of the NPCs is pretty badass now!

 

[HeavyGroovez]

I encountered the first single NPC that I have ever felt I had to retreat from the other day.

I popped into a USS that was very close to a star (heat leveled off at 75% or so rather than the 45% that's typical for my ship), and saw a pirate convoy of two Asps, an Anaconda, and a Viper...all wanted, with bounties ranging from 20-80k each. I engaged the Viper (who was bringing up the rear, heavily damaged him, then moved off to tag the Anaconda before it could get out of range; the Asps were getting too far a head to worry about, and I didn't want two Asp on my while I was fighting an Anaconda. After wheeling back around to finish off the Viper, I proceeded to engage the Master rank Anaconda...

50 minutes later I had expended all four charges of my SCB (which had thus far gone unused for so long that I was afraid it was past it's expiration date) and was barely able to get close enough to do worth while damage to the Anaconda who was still at 45% hull (no critical subsystems were presenting themselves as easy targets). My hull was still undamaged, but my progression against the hull of my opponent was so slow that I would have needed another hour to take him down. So, I saluted my opponent's resilience and disengaged.

I'm used to killing Elite Anaconda assassination targets in 5-8 minutes with the same loadout and no consumables used, but this thing was nuts. AI wasn't totally brain dead, it had the perfect mix of weapons (four beam turrets, two pulse laser turrets), plus could manage power distribution and maneuver like virtually no Anaconda I had ever seen. It was fast, very tough, and used it's SCBs. I found it almost impossible to stay out of it's firing arcs, and thus had to run more pips in SYS and ENG than I normally would, which seriously curtailed my damage potential.

This is not the first time something similar has happened. Ever since Gamma 2, I will occasionally run into a "Master" rank NPC pirate, who is vastly more powerful than any other NPC ship of that type I encounter anywhere else. Normally it's an Asp or a Python, but this was the first time I've seen this AI and loadout pattern converge in an Anaconda.

I took my MKIII out yesterday and it took me about half an hour to take down a competent Conda and an Elite MKIII who took a disliking to me stealing his prize...

Did an entire A4 SCB just getting the Condas drives offline and then had to snipe his powerplant from 3k with 2 C2 beams while he was pirouetting and spamming turret hell.

 

[starjump]

Definitely a small increase in NPC ability in the last week somewhere along the line. It's a good thing but, they still need to increase the rewards for bounty hunters IMO.

Would be neat with Wings expansion and have maybe a large ship with fighters protecting it. Take all down for a mill reward, and you have to do it grouped up and share since it will be a hard one.
|
Also, nice to hear AI is tweaked up.

 

[Plushun]

Anybody could tell me why federal security ships attacking me without any reason? Im hunting regulary by nav beacons against wanted ships. After a while thos federal security ships begining attack me. This is direct (when yes pls tell me why) or it is a bug?

 

[Bangfish]

This thread is a one big placebo effect.

 

[Red Rascal]

Anybody could tell me why federal security ships attacking me without any reason? Im hunting regulary by nav beacons against wanted ships. After a while thos federal security ships begining attack me. This is direct (when yes pls tell me why) or it is a bug?

One of the ships you attacked probably belonged to their faction. If you leave the instance and come back, it should reset.

 

[HeavyGroovez]

AI is controlled by the players so unless you have downloaded a patch there's been no change to the NPCs. The AI is not server driven, all the AI logic runs on your (or someones) PC.

Evidence ?

Ive been writing adaptive client server systems for 20 years and the parameters for the clients behaviour model always come from the server in my experience.

The clients AI is constructed from server parameters when you boot into a session.

If it wasnt then you would need to release a new build every time you wanted to adjust behaviour.

 

[alkemdah]

Just because they wanted doesn't mean they are wanted in the current system. Each system has jurisdiction. If you want to do what your doing equip a kill warrant scanner

 

[clavain]

And this might be my imagination, but are NPC ships entering/exiting stations a lot faster and more competently than they used to? I am out in the boonies so not sure what it is like in starting or core systems, but here the small ships are literally screaming in and out of the stations at times and clearing the entry quite efficiently. The large ones are obviously going more slowly, but even they seem to be getting in and out somewhat better, without jamming up the slot by sitting in the centre.

 

[Ogidch]

a lot of influences here, remember the rating of npcs, elite ones are harder tan novice ships.....
The strength of political-economic influences in the background simulator can affect the strength of npcs ( weak anarchy system will have sidewinder system authority) but if enough people strengthen the authorities with the missions they do and so forth, the next day theyll be in vipers and asps ( thats the background simulator affecting the npcs in from what i can see is at least 50 different ways)

I regularly bounty hunt resources extraction points at Ualapalour, haved noticed the NPC cops have been increasing flying Vipers with nice paint jobs, they used to be mainly Eagles, have also seen few Anacondas now as well.

I was interdicted by a master Cobra MKIII earlier, had 44 tonnes of Indium in my Cobra. He didn't get my shields down, but the AI definitely seemed harder, with a less predictable flight style from strafing fast runs to keeping real close and circling me.