I never seem to die anymore against NPCs!

[flynnmichael81]

So I've been playing the game since launch and during the first month or so I died a fair few times, sometimes through error and other times because NPCs were too tough.

I'm now flying a vulture for bounty hunting purposes and I'm starting to believe that, without pilot error, its almost impossible to die against NPCs. I log on, fly to a asteroid belt, fight for a few hours collecting bounties and fly home to collect at the end of a session. I don't even worry about how much I've made anymore because I don't die.

Now, don't get me wrong, I have a huge amount of fun killing ships and whizzing in and out of asteroids, but their is no fear any more, and for me that has meant that the game has lost something... its Dangerousness! For that I now have to go find humans to kill but it must really suck for solo players.

I think that the game should be difficult against NPCs no matter what ship you are flying... or at least there should be some chance of death! My personal opinion is that the difficulty should be raised several notches. Am I alone in thinking this?

 

[pippo]

Maybe you are just getting good at it.
From what I remember, Sarah once said that even if NPC's AI was improving over time, Players' A-graded ships would always have the upper hand.

 

[huwthomas]

ISTM that most of the RES/NAV NPCs are not using the best code, the NPCs that actively target you are much stronger. At the moment the biggest risk in a RES is crashing into an asteroid.

 

[flynnmichael81]

Oh I've definitely improved as I've spent all my time fighting, but I wish there was somewhere I could go to fight harder NPCs. I don't mind fighting human players but it's quite hard to get people to engage and takes ages to find someone.

 

[andyraptor]

Oh I've definitely improved as I've spent all my time fighting, but I wish there was somewhere I could go to fight harder NPCs. I don't mind fighting human players but it's quite hard to get people to engage and takes ages to find someone.

Clue for you ................................... NPC

 

[hoppingdeth]

So I've been playing the game since launch and during the first month or so I died a fair few times, sometimes through error and other times because NPCs were too tough.

I'm now flying a vulture for bounty hunting purposes and I'm starting to believe that, without pilot error, its almost impossible to die against NPCs. I log on, fly to a asteroid belt, fight for a few hours collecting bounties and fly home to collect at the end of a session. I don't even worry about how much I've made anymore because I don't die.

Now, don't get me wrong, I have a huge amount of fun killing ships and whizzing in and out of asteroids, but their is no fear any more, and for me that has meant that the game has lost something... its Dangerousness! For that I now have to go find humans to kill but it must really suck for solo players.

I think that the game should be difficult against NPCs no matter what ship you are flying... or at least there should be some chance of death! My personal opinion is that the difficulty should be raised several notches. Am I alone in thinking this?

Good. Now try investigating a few random SSS's (strong signal sources...)!!!

Let us know how you get on....

 

[Rocktapus]

Eventually they'll introduce Thargoids. I'm sure they will save all the AI tricks for them

 

[Apos]

Oh I've definitely improved as I've spent all my time fighting, but I wish there was somewhere I could go to fight harder NPCs. I don't mind fighting human players but it's quite hard to get people to engage and takes ages to find someone.

Enter Strong Signal sources until you find 4 gold canisters.
Try to pick them up.
...
Have fun.

 

[hoppingdeth]

Enter Strong Signal sources until you find 4 gold canisters.
Try to pick them up.
...
Have fun.

or just turn up carrying anything...

 

[Vagabond]

Yeah RES really are for no-risk farming.

Check out High-Intensity Warzones and things can get sketchy when 3+ ships suddenly converge on you.

 

[Renegade Roach]

The issue is that you can always disengage and always escape with your ship intact. The same issue kind of applies to pvp as well, a clued up commander will always be very hard to destroy if they choose to disengage, so anybody saying 'yeah npc, what do you expect' is missing the point. We could have the most highly advanced AI ever seen with brutal combat skills which far outstripped any human capability. You would still be able to stow weapons and jump away, either to SC or in the case of players to another system.

This is obviously by design. Frontier have a bit of a thing about not 'forcing' people into pvp and part of that is to always allow players the option to escape. Sadly the side effect of this is to trivialise combat.

 

[Iori]

Try the strong signal sources and beat a pack of 3 Anacondas.

 

[ianw]

The issue is that you can always disengage and always escape with your ship intact. The same issue kind of applies to pvp as well, a clued up commander will always be very hard to destroy if they choose to disengage, so anybody saying 'yeah npc, what do you expect' is missing the point. We could have the most highly advanced AI ever seen with brutal combat skills which far outstripped any human capability. You would still be able to stow weapons and jump away, either to SC or in the case of players to another system.

This is obviously by design. Frontier have a bit of a thing about not 'forcing' people into pvp and part of that is to always allow players the option to escape. Sadly the side effect of this is to trivialise combat.

I don't think it trivialises combat - it makes sense to be able to run away - provided you time it right.

Or, you can choose to punch it out all the way to the bitter end.

But if they somehow made it a win or lose only proposition that would seem worse to me.

 

[Troa Barton]

Youre in a vulture. Marketed as a "space superiority fighter". You not going to have any trouble with npc's in a vulture.
its a duelist split up your enemies and engadge them one on one and you're going to win even in a strong signal source. It's the enemy at your back that you need to worry about.
players are another thing all together. They don't have to stick around for starters I've seen PvP battles between a dropship and a vulture end badly for the vulture. It is a whole other level, it would be nice if instances scaled more depending on your rank and ship. But npc's are insanely easy to defeat once you're in a viper, you could fall asleep in a vulture and have money when you woke up..

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I don't think it trivialises combat - it makes sense to be able to run away - provided you time it right.

Or, you can choose to punch it out all the way to the bitter end.

But if they somehow made it a win or lose only proposition that would seem worse to me.

I agree, there's always an option to retreat in any real battle it should be an option in any sim as well.

 

[PhanttoM]

Just wait until you become "hostile" in reputation with the factions you are farming at RES's.
It gets interesting when you suddenly find that 2 wings of Python/Cobra/Cobra starts attacking you, while you are already fighting an Anaconda.

 

[Jackie Silver]

or at least there should be some chance of death!

Try Strong Signal Sources. There's a chance that you'll run into a couple of Wings worth of immediately hostile Vultures and if you're flying a Vulture yourself you may find that hard to escape.

 

[Renegade Roach]

I don't think it trivialises combat - it makes sense to be able to run away - provided you time it right.

Or, you can choose to punch it out all the way to the bitter end.

But if they somehow made it a win or lose only proposition that would seem worse to me.

I agree that there should always be an option to disengage, or at least attempt to do so. However, that should require a greater level of pilot skill. Currently it's trivial to hit the jump/sc button and be out of there. It takes little to no skill, only a cursory awareness that your ship is at risk. This is why it trivialises combat, the cause of death by npc is only ever inexperience or massive pilot error. Contrast that to a game like DCS World. Disengaging from combat, especially if you are outclassed by a superior aircraft, is a matter of considerable skill and experience. If you simply turn tail and run in a straight line you will die pretty much every time, unlike Elite.

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Try Strong Signal Sources. There's a chance that you'll run into a couple of Wings worth of immediately hostile Vultures and if you're flying a Vulture yourself you may find that hard to escape.

You just hit hyperspace/sc and jink for the few seconds it takes to charge. Not exactly taxing.

 

[WlLL0W]

go out in a cobra if its too easy in a vulture

 

[Riktar]

Try the strong signal sources and beat a pack of 3 Anacondas.

+1

And yes, let us know how that goes,,,,,,,,

 

[Renegade Roach]

go out in a cobra if its too easy in a vulture

Again, I think you are missing the point. We can go out in Sidewinders, once you know the mechanics it's all too easy to disengage from any unfavourable situation.

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+1

And yes, let us know how that goes,,,,,,,,

Same deal with this. Beating the ships is not the issue, not loosing to them is.