Cross-Instance attack?

[TMC]

So I'm playing in Open at an RES, and I'm flying around looking for pirates. I keep hearing a faint "wsst...wsst...wsst..." and I see what looks like damage happening to my ship in the little image of it on the console. There is no "under attack" being spoken by the computer like normally happens when somebody fires at you. There are no red triangles on the radar. Spinning around and looking every direction, I don't see any hostiles anywhere. Just the sound of some sort of laser or beam just hitting me steadily and my shields slowly losing rings.. WTH? It felt like I was being attacked by a player in a different game instance, where he could see and attack me, but I could not see or attack back. Not knowing what else I could do, I hit save and exit and went to solo for a while. It did not give me the 15sec timer. Any ideas what may have been going on?

 

[Skuli]

So I'm playing in Open at an RES, and I'm flying around looking for pirates. I keep hearing a faint "wsst...wsst...wsst..." and I see what looks like damage happening to my ship in the little image of it on the console. There is no "under attack" being spoken by the computer like normally happens when somebody fires at you. There are no red triangles on the radar. Spinning around and looking every direction, I don't see any hostiles anywhere. Just the sound of some sort of laser or beam just hitting me steadily and my shields slowly losing rings.. WTH? It felt like I was being attacked by a player in a different game instance, where he could see and attack me, but I could not see or attack back. Not knowing what else I could do, I hit save and exit and went to solo for a while. It did not give me the 15sec timer. Any ideas what may have been going on?

Potentially someone in silent running mode shooting at you?

 

[Bladesteel]

Sounds like a bug or hack, you should report it.

 

[GJ51]

Silent running and popping heat sinks by pilot laughing hysterically.

 

[Malfahri]

Any white triangles, i.e. proximity mines around?

 

[Bladesteel]

Silent running and popping heat sinks by pilot laughing hysterically.

Shouldn't you still be getting the under attack warning? And wouldn't there be weapon sounds, and engine sounds as he moves to stay out of sight?

 

[TMC]

Any white triangles, i.e. proximity mines around?

Great question, honestly not sure. I suppose it's possible I was flying though a mine field.

 

[Roybe]

Not sure if instancing has been fixed enough to prevent all problems with it.

There was a video on YouTube that was prior to wings, when an NPC split itself into two separate instances, but left the two players together...in the middle of a fight. Each player had to kill the version of their ship for credit. Was definitely a weird glitch.

I would believe a glitch in match making over a player running silent. Although in an RES there might be a better chance of that happening.

 

[Lobstris]

Weird stuff like this has been going on since the first multiplayer Alpha. I'd definitely believe an instancing glitch, before any player stealth shenanigans.

 

[DrakeAurum]

I have seen an Anaconda that parked in the middle of a RES but didn't show up on my scanner. I spent about 2 minutes circling it, and the way it evaded when I got close 'felt' like NPC AI rather than a player on Silent Running. Every now and then I'd look back and it'd still be sitting there. As best I can tell, it may have been a 'ghost' ship from another instance.

 

[ocflyer]

I have seen an Anaconda that parked in the middle of a RES but didn't show up on my scanner. I spent about 2 minutes circling it, and the way it evaded when I got close 'felt' like NPC AI rather than a player on Silent Running. Every now and then I'd look back and it'd still be sitting there. As best I can tell, it may have been a 'ghost' ship from another instance.

You want to confirm it is a ghost? Time for Ramming Speed!

 

[Ben Ryder]

Weird stuff like this has been going on since the first multiplayer Alpha. I'd definitely believe an instancing glitch, before any player stealth shenanigans.

Thats what i was was thinking too but you never know

 

[InMemoriamSirocco]

I can confirm that this is indeed possible. Trying to meet up with another CMDR while exploring Orion Nebula, we had the same instancing problem. We were in a wing, both in open play, he could see me but I could not. He was in my instance, saw me drop from supercruise, entered my instance and parked his ship in front of me, asking whether I could see him. I saw only stars. He asked me permission to shoot my shields, and did some test shots on it, bringing it down to one ring. I saw my shield take the hits and heard the whizzing sound, but no computer warning. If he had been so inclined, he could have murdered me there on the spot, without me being able to do anything but try and log out.

After resetting our instances a couple of times, we both got into the same one and could finally see each other.

 

[Soda Popinski]

Thargoid cloaking device.

 

[TMC]

I can confirm that this is indeed possible. Trying to meet up with another CMDR while exploring Orion Nebula, we had the same instancing problem. We were in a wing, both in open play, he could see me but I could not. He was in my instance, saw me drop from supercruise, entered my instance and parked his ship in front of me, asking whether I could see him. I saw only stars. He asked me permission to shoot my shields, and did some test shots on it, bringing it down to one ring. I saw my shield take the hits and heard the whizzing sound, but no computer warning. If he had been so inclined, he could have murdered me there on the spot, without me being able to do anything but try and log out.

After resetting our instances a couple of times, we both got into the same one and could finally see each other.

Thank you, that sounds similar. I'm pretty sure now that's what happened. Watch out people!