My first PvP encounter, exciting? No, a damp squib.

[bAdbUd]

So yesterday whilst doing my usual Reputation gaining Bulletin Board missions I find my self in an Anarchy system, Komovov, just outside Silves Dock, minding my own business waiting for USS's to pop up.

At this time I wasn't even looking at the radar as I'd just turned around in my cockpit to roll a smoke then I get interdicted, having no idea what it was I do my usual and submit only to find it's a CMDR. Finally I thought my first PvP encounter.

Not wanting to just start attacking immediately I start to chat, only to realise later that my messages didn't get through, there comments where of the ilk.

"Why did you friend me"
"You have 30 seconds to answer"
"Get out of this system before I destroy you, like I have done to everybody else"

I did respond to all the messages but none where received, after reviewing the message list I can see that my replies were not there.

I then decide to attack, I deploy my hard points and hit boost in preparation to maneuver around the Viper to start attacking. That's all I managed to do, because as soon as my hardpoints were deployed the Viper shot me out of space with a dumbfire volley, dead before I could even blink.

I'm not going to get into the dumfire nerfing debate as that's discussed here: Rebalance dumbfire missiles please (But they shouldn't be destroying shields so quickly)

However I do feel I missed out on my first PvP encounter, I would so much have liked to have had a scrap, lose or win, I don't care lets just rock.

Lessons Learned and Issues:

1: Don't just sit there facing your target whilst deciding what to do, that's a very foolish thing to do and just makes those with dumbfire missiles lick their lips in anticipation. Take evasive maneuvers until you know what's happening. Dam stupid mistake that was, I don't do that with NPC's obviously.

2: Check CMDR's loadout, if they have dumbfire missiles, get outta there, you'll have little to no chance of winning, two volleys on an A Rated Cobra and you're dead.

3. The comms failed for me, so that CMDR never knew my intentions and so shooting me when I depoloyed hardpoints was the obvious thing to do. Which again is a dam shame, I'd have so loved to have had a chat and then a scrap, although as per Point 2, I'd have not stood a chance anyway.

I'm not upset that I got my butt kicked, I'm just a little miffed I made some stupid mistakes and that I didn't even get a chance to even try and have a scrap with a CMDR.

If it was you, I'll be over later this evening for another go, but can I request you get rid of the dumbfire missiles and we can have a proper fight, please.

TL : DR: Nothing is unfair in a fight, just make sure you know what you're up against first.

 

[IceyJones]

its sooo easy to avoid dumbfire missiles in a viper........

 

[bAdbUd]

Not when you're just sat there facing each other, as I was, like a pillock.

 

[Jex =TE=]

Not when you're just sat there facing each other, as I was, like a pillock.

LOL well lesson learned. Don't be a victim

 

[fergal]

Someone interdicts you, you should either boost away and hope you are quicker, or deploy hardpoints straight away and start shooting.
Text comms are too slow to do anything with.

Looking at their loadout probably takes too much time, just assume they checked out your loadout before they interdicted you, so are happy with the matchup.

I've had a few clean commanders interdict me. No idea what they wanted.

 

[Ozrix]

I'd just turned around in my cockpit to roll a smoke

What strain?

 

[Morbad]

I then decide to attack, I deploy my hard points and hit boost in preparation to maneuver around the Viper to start attacking. That's all I managed to do, because as soon as my hardpoints were deployed the Viper shot me out of space with a dumbfire volley, dead before I could even blink.

[/B]1: Don't just sit there facing your target whilst deciding what to do, that's a very foolish thing to do and just makes those with dumbfire missiles lick their lips in anticipation. Take evasive maneuvers until you know what's happening. Dam stupid mistake that was, I don't do that with NPC's obviously.

Yeah, never sit still, never attack second, never fly in a straight line (unless you know you are faster and are running away), never deploy hardpoints until you've already committed to an attack, never bother with comms if someone is anywhere close to a position they could take advantage of the delay.

2: Check CMDR's loadout, if they have dumbfire missiles, get outta there, you'll have little to no chance of winning, two volleys on an A Rated Cobra and you're dead.

Actually, fighting me with dumbfires usually means I automatically win, because dumbfires are almost impossible to hit anything smaller or faster than a type-7 with, provided the target has any idea you are attacking them.

its sooo easy to avoid dumbfire missiles in a viper........

It's easy to avoid dumbfires in a Type-6.

Looking at their loadout probably takes too much time, just assume they checked out your loadout before they interdicted you, so are happy with the matchup.

If I'm faster, I look at their loadout...from 5km away, before I decide to leave or attack.

If I'm not faster, I'm already attacking, and I'll find out what they have got soon enough.

 

[bAdbUd]

What strain?

The green strain.

 

[CMDR Moortz]

Someone interdicts you, you should either boost away and hope you are quicker, or deploy hardpoints straight away and start shooting.
Text comms are too slow to do anything with.

Looking at their loadout probably takes too much time, just assume they checked out your loadout before they interdicted you, so are happy with the matchup.

I've had a few clean commanders interdict me. No idea what they wanted.

I got inderdicted a few days back in an anarchy system. I was moving systems, and the only thing that I could make any profit on in this move was explosives, so I was full of boom sticks!
The Asp inderdicted me, I submitted (as I was in a shieldless weaponless Type 6) and he proceeded to scan me. He hailed me through text comms "Just a scan", then came back with "Be careful you don't blow up " and jumped out.

 

[bAdbUd]

I made way too many mistakes to avoid anything, good lessons though, I think I've got too complacent with NPC pilots.

 

[Loskene]

Ehh, I'd like to see less of any weapon that can end a fight before it starts, particularly when players are involved on both sides. I hate missiles in air and space combat games, they're there because they do their job well and kind of have to be there, and ending a fight as quickly as possible may be important in real combat, but it makes for dull and frustrating gaming. This is why, for example, I prefer WW2 flight sims to modern air combat. Dogfighting that doesn't involve waiting for a lock on a radar blip 15 kilometres away, pressing the trigger once and going home. Coincidentally this is why star citizen's arena commander is a joke to me at the moment. Spawn, fire missiles, suicide for more missiles, repeat.
I'm glad ED isn't like that and missiles are only a major problem if you get caught with your pants down like OP here. I'm fine with getting vaporised on impact if I let myself get slapped in the face with a whole missile volley, so long as the game doesn't make that the most appealing play style and therefore the most common thing you'll see.

On the subject of encountering players of questionable hostility, I like to take the approach of viper pilots from Battlestar Galactica when they were facing off against another squad of vipers with no orders to engage but no guarantee the others wouldn't fire. They all ended up flying around each other essentially in a dogfight pattern, trying to keep the target in their sights and themselves out of anyone else's, while waiting to find out whether to shoot or not. I found out pretty quickly the safest way to avoid starting a fight or getting caught off-guard was to just make the same manoeuvres you would normally but with hardpoints retracted. If you do this the other person pretty much has to do the same, thus buying you time to talk it out or charge your frameshift.

I don't like to run away as soon as I get pulled out of supercruise unless I feel like I'm gonna get ganked.

 

[xondk]

Just wondering, I've noticed some people on streams or such seemingly able to tell the difference between fixed lasers and gimballed simply from viewing the subtarget list, and for missiles how'd you know if it was dumbfire or heatseeking?

How are you guys noticing this?

 

[thorn-]

When I get interdicted, I'm deploying the guns while the ship is still tumbling around after leaving SC and trying to get a bead on the target. I never send a comm or wait to see what the other is doing first; i consider the interdiction itself to be the aggressive act. If I'm in the T6 and not the Viper, substitute "determine escape route and boost" for "deploy hardpoints".