Where's this updated AI I keep hearing about?

[Cmdr Kurnek]

So I took a break for a few weeks, and came back today to find that CZ finally have something other than mostly harmless in them. Fantastic! I think. A reasonably challenging way to earn money, where the grind mechanic actually makes sense (I'm looking at you RES...) So I dived in to a high intensity zone and found...

Dangerous Viper. Couldn't keep me in his sights at all, didn't shoot me once. I'm in a courier, and not that great a pilot. He should have been able to hit me. all I did was circle and use lateral thrusters. Didn't even bother moving pips from 4 wep.

Dangerous Anaconda. These things are STILL inexplicably armed with frag cannons, despite them being the most useless weapon on a slow turning craft that I can imagine. Not even one laser. Not one. We entered the usual dance of..well..pretty much exactly what I did to the viper, but with power plant targeting.

So, is this amazing new AI actually even in CZ? or just strong signal sources or something? If not, why?

They don't even seem to use chaff anymore.

I tried out mission bounty hunting too. Honestly, this is WAY better, it simply needs more available missions at each rank level to be truly worthwhile, but is an EXCELLENT first step on the road to persistent hunting. The targets could use some updating for higher ranks too, something like 'take out 5 pirates IN PYTHONS', and adjust spawns to compensate.

I'll be trying out the updated versions of mining/sandbox smuggling (tried the smuggling missions already, they work, well done)/ Piracy (both NPC and player)

Somehow I don't expect stellar results from the red headed stepchild professions, but I can dream right?

 

[teaurn]

I agree, I tried an assassination mission today for the first time since the update, and I can honestly say it was...different

I got to the system and started to hunt USS and also keep an eye out for ships in FS, as I understand targets can be there now too.

Had no joy for about 5 mins and then I was interdicted.

Dropping into normal space, I checked the scanner, and there was my target...the guy I'd been hired to kill had come after ME!

Also, he was in a Python, not the expected 'Conda, and he had a wingman, a Vulture of all things!

Between them they managed to take out my shields before the Python died, and the Vulture ran for it (I let him, since I would get *another* bounty for killing him).

But all in all, well worth the 250k I got paid for it!

What fun

 

[Zenith]

You realise Sarah Jane Avory reads these posts and thinks "Mwuahahaha!"
Come the next update, expect a quantum leap in AI effectiveness.

 

[Cmdr Kurnek]

You realise Sarah Jane Avory reads these posts and thinks "Mwuahahaha!"
Come the next update, expect a quantum leap in AI effectiveness.

Good! Can't wait!

- - - Updated - - -

I agree, I tried an assassination mission today for the first time since the update, and I can honestly say it was...different

I got to the system and started to hunt USS and also keep an eye out for ships in FS, as I understand targets can be there now too.

Had no joy for about 5 mins and then I was interdicted.

Dropping into normal space, I checked the scanner, and there was my target...the guy I'd been hired to kill had come after ME!

Also, he was in a Python, not the expected 'Conda, and he had a wingman, a Vulture of all things!

Between them they managed to take out my shields before the Python died, and the Vulture ran for it (I let him, since I would get *another* bounty for killing him).

But all in all, well worth the 250k I got paid for it!

What fun

I've had similar experiences, great isn't it? Mission bounty hunting (assassination at least) is great now, it just needs the missions to be more common, particularly given the wide range of rank differences!

And more challenging 'kill 5 pirate' missions, as mentioned above...

Oh and persistant NPCs obviously, but now we're in dreamland....

 

[Sarah Jane Avory]

You realise Sarah Jane Avory reads these posts and thinks "Mwuahahaha!"
Come the next update, expect a quantum leap in AI effectiveness.

Yep... and yep!

 

[ChubbyBunneh]

Individual NPCs still aren't dangerous but at least they employ team work in wings now. The guy you're shooting at won't bother shooting back, he just slips and slides every which direction to stay out of your sights while his buddies do all the damage to you.

 

[Cmdr Kurnek]

Individual NPCs still aren't dangerous but at least they employ team work in wings now. The guy you're shooting at won't bother shooting back, he just slips and slides every which direction to stay out of your sights while his buddies do all the damage to you.

Which would be fine, except there was no other NPC attacking me. When this does happen in CZ (and it does, or at least it used to) it's challenging and fun, but otherwise? See above. Though I'm loving wings when mission bounty hunting, fighting 3 elite/deadly/dangerous diamondback explorers in my courier is far more fun than slapping down one. Though I do wish they would attack me more aggressively, I managed to kill one before the others even turned red (and yes they were in range)...

 

[Frop]

Dunno, I found high ranked enemies in CZs to often use chaff, shield cell banks and in case of Elite guys probably also pip settings. Depending on the ship you're in and the maneuvers you're pulling they might keep their distance or apply stuff like hit and run tactics. There are still ways of tricking them into certain behaviour as with every AI, but overall I find them a lot more challenging after 1.3.

 

[dsagent]

1 vs 1 the AI does not stand up to a decent human player.

 

[Kirk-Fu]

Hi sarah, thanks for dropping by with some much desired info once again. Can you tell us anything about what kind of tactics we'll be seeing in the new AI revision? How will the various ranked enemies behave in wings or by themselves, when outgunned or outmanoeuvred? I can't wait to see what kind of surprises the Elite Anaconda pirate lords have waiting for us.

 

[Tiamat]

in case of Elite guys probably also pip settings.

I believe most if not all use pips and scale their pip management by their rank. The lower ranked guys are slower at both reacting to situations and then slower at rebalancing accordingly but the elite guys are faster at both as I understand it. I'm not sure if there is an "idiot pilot" factor that is over applied in some cases or if it is a lone bug but an AI can currently leave itself with zero pips to WEP and drain the capacitor leaving itself unable to shoot.

The AI is better now than it was but Sarah has barely started teaching her little minions at this point so those higher ranks are going to be fairly unpleasant before long

 

[Sendraks]

I've noticed more varied ship fittings than I have improvements in the AI across the board, although assassination targets do seem to be significantly tougher and more able than AIs in other areas.

I've into lone pirates in USS and who've interdicted me, where they've used railguns in an entirely sensible and very precise way. Sure I had a far easier time of it keeping them in my sights, but I had to be careful about not letting them get a bead on me. Because when they did......oww. So that's more fun.

Assassination missions feel significantly more difficult than they should right now. Even a mission which you only need to be "mostly harmless" to do, resulted in shields being shredded in seconds by the target and its wingman. Not fun and certainly not worth the modest payout.

I'm all for the AI being more sophisticated and the progress in this regard is good, but the payout for combat missions and bounties needs to improve accordingly as well.

 

[Muzz UK]

AI has improved in my opinion but the lack of groups and wings is frustrating when trying to earn large money or grind those merits. In a group it's so tedious having to all jump into an instance for 1 ship thats not even going to put up a fight. If we could have wings of 3, 5 or upto 10 AI ships that would be a challenge.

It's nice the AI use chaff and shield cells more but I still find them bad unless I'm out numbered by 3 or more. It's only when you start getting a couple of dropships, condas or large wings of vipers or vultures you start to worry! Fair play the improvements are good but keep them coming please Sarah

 

[smokingrabit]

Its pretty clever, some cobras with turrets can shoot you from through their hulls

 

[FuzzySpider]

Yep... and yep!

Please don't succumb to the belief the game is too easy because a handful of people whom play too much have become too skilled to find regular gameplay a challenge. If you go too far the casual gamers, the ones with families and jobs who are the bread and butter of the demographic, may well find Elite a frustratingly difficult game.

Until security at safe systems (high security world's and Empire/Federation capitals) is significantly improved, with AI using Vultures and FDLs to patrol systems I wouldn't do much improving because as of now it's good enough for most average players.

 

[William J Smith]

AI dumb? I think its evolving

The other day I flew into a LICZ looking for easy relaxing shooting.

Popped a viper and a cobra... saw a python and began the dance with him, not noticing hes leading me away from all my green npc friends......... then 3 red NPCs break loose from the dogfight and chase after me..

Just managed to get away with 25% hull left

Bill

Next week : the Ai demands voting rights....

 

[Stormprooter]

SJA has done such an excellent job on the higher ranked NPCs that they have achieved self-determintation, and are all now farming RES and CZ in their own solo mode instances mwahahahaha

 

[Sarah Jane Avory]

Please don't succumb to the belief the game is too easy because a handful of people whom play too much have become too skilled to find regular gameplay a challenge. If you go too far the casual gamers, the ones with families and jobs who are the bread and butter of the demographic, may well find Elite a frustratingly difficult game.

Until security at safe systems (high security world's and Empire/Federation capitals) is significantly improved, with AI using Vultures and FDLs to patrol systems I wouldn't do much improving because as of now it's good enough for most average players.

The plan is to boost the high ranks and weaken the lower ranks so we end up with a much better spread of AI abilities. That way hopefully there'll be something for everyone.

 

[Dakron Nova]

Yep... and yep!

Sarah - Hows the Thargoid AI coming, hopefully they are insanely difficult.

 

[Sendraks]

The plan is to boost the high ranks and weaken the lower ranks so we end up with a much better spread of AI abilities. That way hopefully there'll be something for everyone.

This sounds good to me. Although I'd hope FD can avoid making this too linear i.e. mostly harmless have poor fittings and elite ships have good. Clearly the latter should generally have optimal fittings, but there is no reason why a mostly harmless ship shouldn't have a decent load-out, it just won't fight terribly well.