I want a Vulture SOOOOOO bad!
Kill Target Elite Anacondas and Viper 1.1
- Thread starter Stalzy
- Start date
I want a Vulture SOOOOOO bad!
This. Pure and simple. The recent 1.1 changes were a step in the right direction towards achieving this. And also this sets up the need for more player cooperation, wings, etc.
There _is_ still one problem though. Well, two actually:
* The payout for taking down harder, larger ships should be MUCH higher than it is now.
* The maintenance/upkeep/repair costs on the larger ships is stupidly out of balance. It should take a lot of time to initially bootstrap into a larger ship, but it should not require 2-3 hours of trade grinding to recover from hull damage from one fight in a larger ship. The overall curve for "maintenance costs" should be fairly flat. Once you get into a ship, your maintenance costs should be pretty much the same as everyone elses. Anaconda pilots should pay not that much more than Viper pilots to repair the same proportional amount of damage.
Why not? Surely 10% damage to a 75,000,000 ship would be expected to cost far more to repair than 10% damage to a 75,000 ship?
I think I share a similar opinion to many on this. It's great the Anaconda NPCs are tougher - and they are, as myself AND a fellow commander found out last night when we got our arses handed to us on a plate (and we were in 2 ASPs as well). I don't feel that it's done truly legitimately though, it feels to me like that are "buffed" internally with extra abilities such as ridiculous turn rates, ability to hit perfect shots and so forth, but so be it. They should indeed be tough nuts to crack.
However, the knock-on effect is a very obvious one that I can't believe Fronter haven't thought about, but presumably don't care.
Right now, that engagement cost me 44K in repairs. The bounty on the Anaconda was something like 65K. Minus the ammo costs, even if my ship was capable of it, there is very little point in me bothering. So once again, another gameplay aspect has been ruled out. So now my thought pattern is to avoid those types of missions or large bounties, instead just going for run-of-the-mill nav beacon farming. Or trading rares, of course. I'm at an Asp and seriously thinking I might dig out the old Cobra because it would seem anything Asp upwards is just in no way logical to fly looking at the risk versus reward.
I was struggling to find fun things to do in the game enough as it is, but you know what? I am seriously - seriously - thinking the only fun left to be had is to kit out in a sidewinder and go do mindless PvP pew-pew online.... and I really didn't think this was that sort of game
However, the knock-on effect is a very obvious one that I can't believe Fronter haven't thought about, but presumably don't care.
Right now, that engagement cost me 44K in repairs. The bounty on the Anaconda was something like 65K. Minus the ammo costs, even if my ship was capable of it, there is very little point in me bothering. So once again, another gameplay aspect has been ruled out. So now my thought pattern is to avoid those types of missions or large bounties, instead just going for run-of-the-mill nav beacon farming. Or trading rares, of course. I'm at an Asp and seriously thinking I might dig out the old Cobra because it would seem anything Asp upwards is just in no way logical to fly looking at the risk versus reward.
I was struggling to find fun things to do in the game enough as it is, but you know what? I am seriously - seriously - thinking the only fun left to be had is to kit out in a sidewinder and go do mindless PvP pew-pew online.... and I really didn't think this was that sort of game
It gains an advantage by cheating the system and flying in a way no player can. How is this a step in the right direction? Condas cannot turn in a dime, even with flight assist off, optimal range and boost enabled. Yet somehow I keep encountering NPC pilots that can flip their huge ships around in the blink of an eye.
Nothing to do with 'skill'. It's another example of NPCs having a law unto themselves, along with no mass lock, jumping after hull is at 0 etc etc.
Ok, I believe this sums everything. It's correct for the bigger ships to be very hard to beat, but we do not want big ships being "invincible" just by virtue of being big. A competent Viper pilot should have at least a chance to beat an incompetent Anaconda.
big ship upkeep and repair: An Anaconda can make trade profits an Asp can only dream of. So the upkeep is relatively even, regarding the cr/hour.
Anaconda assassinations: I take these missions if they pay 160k cr and avove. With the right strategy, they are still easily doable in Vipers. Elite pilots should be able to do it in Eagles (Not me).
If you are struggling, attack them in groups, thats even more fun. Or change your tactic. The playing field has changed, but there is plenty room to change, adapt and conquer. Survival of the fittest. Learn to fit.
Anaconda assassinations: I take these missions if they pay 160k cr and avove. With the right strategy, they are still easily doable in Vipers. Elite pilots should be able to do it in Eagles (Not me).
If you are struggling, attack them in groups, thats even more fun. Or change your tactic. The playing field has changed, but there is plenty room to change, adapt and conquer. Survival of the fittest. Learn to fit.
I hate this. I suspected something like this is/was happening but couldn't really prove it, of course. When games do that it shows a real lack of time spent balancing, getting the fundamental rules of the virtual world right. And rather than attempting to get those rules working, they just put artificial buffs in place as a 'remedy'. Of course, we all know, it doesn't fix anything but just create further arbitrary scenarios that are unaffected by future rules changes/balancing... and just makes the whole thing even more of a nightmare to manage.
I'm hypothesising, of course; there's no way I can categorically say NPCs get some sort of buff like this. But for a long time I've been amazed how these massive 400T Anacondas can seemingly turn on a dime and constantly maintain their nose at me, while sideslipping backwards at any speed they like to maintain distance. But the mass-lock stuff smells familiar, and I've never yet counted how many missiles a ship throws at me to see if it ever runs out... how long their shield cells take to deploy.... how they worry about overheating, or subsystem damage affecting their ability to jump out, etc etc etc...
Or more realistically, can you hunt a B17 Bomber in a BF109?
Yes, yes you can. I'm not sure why people are so mind boggled by the fact that a small, cheap, and fast ship can run circles around, and even KILL something bigger, slower, and more expensive. WW2 Bomber losses over Germany demonstrate that rather grimly, since LOTS of giant, expensive, flying gun platforms were felled by small and cheap fighters.
My guess is: Everyone struggling now with Elite Anaconda missions has used Dumbfires pre 1.1 and is either still using Dumbfires or has to play without for the first time.
Am I correct?
Looking at you brumster.
btw., the NPC Anaconda's turn rate was crazy fast before 1.1, that didn't change, but you had Uber SCBs and UBER missiles, so you probably didn't notice, because once damaged, they redirected energy away from the engines. In other words, you were buffed beyond responsibility, using features that were waaaay too powerful to be acceptable and were never used by the NPCs, and you never learned effective piloting. Sorry, I mean no offense. I am sure you will adapt, now that the win-button was removed.
Am I correct?
Looking at you brumster.
btw., the NPC Anaconda's turn rate was crazy fast before 1.1, that didn't change, but you had Uber SCBs and UBER missiles, so you probably didn't notice, because once damaged, they redirected energy away from the engines. In other words, you were buffed beyond responsibility, using features that were waaaay too powerful to be acceptable and were never used by the NPCs, and you never learned effective piloting. Sorry, I mean no offense. I am sure you will adapt, now that the win-button was removed.
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No. That's not it at all. Using beam lasers and multi cannons. Always have. These things keep up with Viper agility. If you haven't for one yet or before then sir comment
That is part of the problem, us combat pilots don't really have an upgrade path, there is no medium size ship equivalent of the viper, the python was the large equivalent but not sure now after the nerf, never flew one anyhow, I would put the python as the jack off all trades ship now in line with the cobra and the Asp
I don't think anyone should be able to take out an elite conda in a viper if there fighting out in the open. Now if your fighting in an astroid field or close to a small moon or any place where you can find cover then yes. the advantage should go to the smaller ship.
I hope all elite NPC will get smarter. And that larger expensive ships get a buff. Perhaps when we can have more the one shield generator....
I also agree that when/ if elites are finely elite they should be worth a lot more.
I hope all elite NPC will get smarter. And that larger expensive ships get a buff. Perhaps when we can have more the one shield generator....
I also agree that when/ if elites are finely elite they should be worth a lot more.
I have about 175 Elite Condas on my list (calculated that from my assassination earnings since the counter is still broken, have ~31 mil and divided by 175k), and I flew Cobras, Vipers, and Pythons. I killed 3 Condas in assassination missions since 1.1, 2 in my Python (~45 seconds too destroy it), and one in my Viper (I was careful, so it took more than 10 minutes kiting the damn thing, but no damage). I know this is just anecdotal evidence, there are different types out there, but these 3 were really doable/easy.
And despite my boastful demeanor, I still consider myself only slightly above average skilled as pilot. That, in turn, could mean that everyone who is struggling is a bad pilot, but I don't think so. I just think you have the wrong strategy.
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Don't believe the noise, the Python is still great. 45 seconds for Elite Anaconda destruction, and I am sure I can shave that down to 30 seconds again.
i am therefore a rambo
nothing really hard to be honest. just 2 shield cells and multicannons on the main power of the anaconda and the deed's done
(and ofc stay the f** OUT of his front ) ^^
Its not that the Conda handles super well... Its the fact its in the middle of space and you can flip your ship around and kite.