Need advice, how to get around these player groups?

[CMDR Hagglebeard]

I'm having yet another really frustrating problem. These various player groups are always swarming the Community Goals wherever they appear, and they make PvP piracy in the Cobra completely impossible. It's hard enough with the Cobra's prime piracy target, the T6, of lower weight than itself, having a magic mass-lock factor (I've assumed it's a bug), but trying to interdict them while player-group members are jumping in on your wakes is impossible. I'm trying to think of ways both I and the Devs could fix this, as it sucks the fun out of every Community Goal. That 1.2 Trailer video, it never happens. The trader runs for it usually, whether it makes sense or not, so dealing with an escort is currently out of the equation.

For now:
-The devs could create 2 versions of Open Play, one for player groups and all those willing to participate in that group, with special catering to those groups such as tags, while another could be create which is the same as today, perhaps with a way to discourage player groups. I don't know how, but it sounds like an idea.

For later:
-Introduce NPC escorts. If NPCs are getting tougher in 1.3 as SJA has pointed out, then they should make good escorts to fight off players, even if not destroying them. Then, the FSD Cooldown could be upped to, say, 50 seconds, perhaps 60 seconds, so that a fight could commence and with enough luck, end and allow the pirates to claim their prize.

Thoughts, and please, suggestions?

 

[avow555]

A fully laden T6 has more mass than a cobra right?
Piracy moment over...

 

[CMDR Hagglebeard]

A fully laden T6 has more mass than a cobra right?
Piracy moment over...

My Cobra weighs 287.6t, more than most rare-laden Type 6s, and it can't Mass-lock those. With a full B-outfit and milspec armor I can weigh much, much more than a T6. Also, if I were to carry a full load of cargo, all 58t, and use all B equipment along with Milspec armor and the heaviest weapons etc etc, I wouldn't be able to affect any of the Type 6 transports. Ridiculous, no?

 

[Arsen Cross]

Not to mention a properly fit T6 can counter any ships interdiction with proper piloting skill and submitting with the current game mechanics. It is quite literally the ULTIMATE blockade runner and smuggler in the game in my opinion.

The counter to player groups in Open, is team work. Sorry to say but I feel that this is working as intended.

Oh and typically, a T6 is going to be engaging their FSD before you get within mass lock range, which eliminates the effect of your mass.

 

[Agarthan]

I suggested NPC wingman in another thread, It is silly that it can't mass lock a T6, but may be instead of mass locking the longer FDS cooldown? I don't know, not enough first hand experience with scenarios like this to make a really educated judgment.

 

[Arsen Cross]

That fit I linked is 295 tons. Ships that close in mass to each other have little to no effect on each others ability to jump regardless. Just, FYI.

 

[Valethar]

Weight and mass are not the same thing. A ship can weight 300 tons, and not mass 300 tons.

 

[avow555]

Looks like you need some sort of death star to get those pesky traders

 

[X2Eliah]

Wow. Guess we've come to this, then.
A person whining about pvp pirating being too hard as a pirate. All suckers (ahem, sorry, "traders") please only fly alone, submit to every interdiction, and please don't run, that's not fair, let me pirate you, otherwise it's not fun, see?
And here I thought I had seen everything these boards had in store.

 

[Don Alvarez]

I'm having yet another really frustrating problem. These various player groups are always swarming the Community Goals wherever they appear, and they make PvP piracy in the Cobra completely impossible. It's hard enough with the Cobra's prime piracy target, the T6, of lower weight than itself, having a magic mass-lock factor (I've assumed it's a bug), but trying to interdict them while player-group members are jumping in on your wakes is impossible. I'm trying to think of ways both I and the Devs could fix this, as it sucks the fun out of every Community Goal.

I think you mean to say its taking the fun out of your ability to disrupt the community goal, because it doesn't sound like you're really participating in it through piracy. My next comment cannot help but to be a simple solution to your problem is to stop attacking players in groups. There are plenty out there. When you scan a ship, you can see they are in a wing, no? Do you expect to tackle the freighter while his buddies stand idly by and watch?
-
I've nothing against piracy, but by definition it is supposed to be an extremely hazardous profession to deal in, if not the most hazardous. If you're having trouble going it alone against wings of players, I'd say that game mechanic is working as it should, but I know some people can't help wanting to change some aspect of the game to better suit how they want to play. We have players who want to ditch solo and groups as it is just because they want to funnel more targets into open play. Now two modes of open play? No. Please no. I should think that the best thing you might do to combat player wings, is to form one of your own.

 

[Asp Explorer]

Pirates are now complaining about T6's now? Incredible!

 

[Arsen Cross]

Weight and mass are not the same thing. A ship can weight 300 tons, and not mass 300 tons.

You're only partially right. But also wrong. Mass is a measurement of how much matter makes up an object. It is typically measured through weight. If you research what mass is it is plausible that in Elite that the standard "ton" is a measurement of mass, and not weight, as the weight changes based on the gravity you experience. This is in my opinion, the most plausible and common sense way to look at a ships tonnage in Elite.

If you are wondering how a standard ton could be measured in various parts of our galaxy just take a formula that accounts for the current gravity, and the resulting weight of the object in that level of gravity and voila, you convert the "weight" to it's mass number. I can't see tonnage being looked at in any other way in an interstellar civilization.


http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Mass

 

[Rall]

The Cobra isn't well suit to Pirate in crowded systems, your an easy target. Your best off lurking arround one of the popular rares hubs outside of the old worlds or one of the popular turn around spots like Wuthielo Ku. The other option is old beta stomping grounds, Fed worlds arround Aulin and Eranin, they are still quite active.

Hunting grounds for a lone pirate Cobra are going to be problematic though.

 

[Nonya]

Get a better ship.

Love,

The Community

/thread

 

[GibMeister]

I think one needs to be able to hire NPCs to wing with. I don't play in wings but I often have missions to kill pirate lords and they fly in wings sometimes so it would be good to get some help and my buddies don't play as much as me and are never available for wings.

 

[Alex988]

-The devs could create 2 versions of Open Play

thats how games die:

server for solo
server for piratees
server for explorer
sever for groups
server for mulitplayer without groups

no thanks

 

[dayrth]

You have many options already. Among them, don't pirate around CGs, don't try pirating people in wings on your own, form a wing with other pirates, get a better ship....etc. You really don't need the devs to change the game, (WE really don't need the devs to change the game), to make your life a bit easier.

 

[CMDR Hagglebeard]

I think you mean to say its taking the fun out of your ability to disrupt the community goal, because it doesn't sound like you're really participating in it through piracy. My next comment cannot help but to be a simple solution to your problem is to stop attacking players in groups. There are plenty out there. When you scan a ship, you can see they are in a wing, no? Do you expect to tackle the freighter while his buddies stand idly by and watch?
-
I've nothing against piracy, but by definition it is supposed to be an extremely hazardous profession to deal in, if not the most hazardous. If you're having trouble going it alone against wings of players, I'd say that game mechanic is working as it should, but I know some people can't help wanting to change some aspect of the game to better suit how they want to play. We have players who want to ditch solo and groups as it is just because they want to funnel more targets into open play. Now two modes of open play? No. Please no. I should think that the best thing you might do to combat player wings, is to form one of your own.

No, they aren't in Wings, I would've noticed and would've had no problem. I stop lone traders, and the group players jump into my Low-energy FSD wakes that you can find in Supercruise.

Guys, stop bickering. Rall gave me a few good suggestion (Thank you sir, didn't know Wuthielo Ku had much, Peraesii is usually dry), but I'm not really looking for things that the devs can do, I'm looking for things I can do. Thanks

 

[SteveLaw]

My Cobra weighs 287.6t, more than most rare-laden Type 6s, and it can't Mass-lock those. With a full B-outfit and milspec armor I can weigh much, much more than a T6. Also, if I were to carry a full load of cargo, all 58t, and use all B equipment along with Milspec armor and the heaviest weapons etc etc, I wouldn't be able to affect any of the Type 6 transports. Ridiculous, no?

Mass lock has nothing to do with mass, apparently. Each ship has a set mass lock value.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=128416&p=1968902&viewfull=1#post1968902

 

[ToniB]

i think and hope option B will happen with 1.3

- - - Updated - - -

Wow. Guess we've come to this, then.
A person whining about pvp pirating being too hard as a pirate. All suckers (ahem, sorry, "traders") please only fly alone, submit to every interdiction, and please don't run, that's not fair, let me pirate you, otherwise it's not fun, see?
And here I thought I had seen everything these boards had in store.

well, right now traders can run of ANY interdiction and make MILLIONS with one traderun without any risk, so yes this needs serious balancing.