Discuss the AI here!
- Thread starter Agony_Aunt
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So you can enjoy the thousand hour grind to a new ship with the new lower income.
Looking at most of the polls you can see that it is just about even (grant you it is slanted a little toward JUST RIGHT). In this poll (as I write this) 36% to hard/47% just right, so which side can we do without. To which side can we say "If you don't like it leave". Which side, if they went to steam and blasted the game, would do the least damage? Remember we are in a persistent universe, what happens to one effects all. One thing I am certain of is that everyone wants to enjoy the game. Dev, wouldn't want to be you.
Then where are the unshielded trading Anacondas?
Then where are the lightly shielding mining Pythons?
Then where are the unarmed exploration Asps?
And why on earth do so many NPCs have engineer modded weapons?
I think the AI difficulty is a hair too much maybe the spawn rate for Dangerous and Elite ships is a little high, but it's not overly difficult. Elite pilots should be tough as hell. I thought it was too tough at first, but then I realized I took on a dangerous Asp, and it was as hard as it should have been (I also forgot to put any of my pips into sys). I, however, don’t feel that that AI ships should have access to the enhancements that will be brought on by engineers.
That said I think this adds a greater learning curve to the game and makes you look before you leap into combat. Even an elite Eagle can be devastating now against larger ships with a poor build. It looks like I’ll be hanging around low RES zones for a while to get used to the AI changes while fine tuning my combat builds.
On another note I do find that in some cases my hauler builds aren’t as good as they once were. I used to be able to out run nearly anything in my Asp E, but I could n't get away from a pirate in a FAS. I was surprised that a pirate had access to a FAS. I guess in my mind pirates should not have access to the special fed ships or empire ships.
That said I think this adds a greater learning curve to the game and makes you look before you leap into combat. Even an elite Eagle can be devastating now against larger ships with a poor build. It looks like I’ll be hanging around low RES zones for a while to get used to the AI changes while fine tuning my combat builds.
On another note I do find that in some cases my hauler builds aren’t as good as they once were. I used to be able to out run nearly anything in my Asp E, but I could n't get away from a pirate in a FAS. I was surprised that a pirate had access to a FAS. I guess in my mind pirates should not have access to the special fed ships or empire ships.
Don't think that's necessary. I spend most of my time in the small ships. In a Sidey right now (Roleplay reasons) Skill of a pilot trumps class of ship in most cases in this game. Conda pilots saying the AI is too easy doesn't necessarily mean they're just in a big ship with lots of guns and just can't tell.
Nope, it's going to get better.Well, needs another balancing pass perhaps, more variety in tactics (to make mid ranks a little easier), and new skills for higher ranks to make them a little less predictable.
I repeat what I said earlier: The developers need to remember that this is a GAME - it is not a competition to see if NPCs of a certain rating can beat players of the same rating. Yes make them better than the kebab-impersonators but sending Elite NPCs with modified weapons against lower-ranked players just takes all the purpose out of the game. What is the point of trying to increase your reputation with a faction by undertaking missions (even those below your rating) if you are going to get jumped by an over-powered NPC, with a higher combat rating and in a much bigger / more capable ship?
Seriously, even outside of doing missions (which I am now avoiding) - when prospecting a rocky ice planet, on entering the ship from the SRV one is greeted with some trash-talk and some AI twerp proceeds to attack you before you even take off.
The game is going from Elite Dangerous - to Elite F D taking the (... insert preferred expletive{s} here ... )
Gone - even for players this is stupid with the more aggressive AI.
In RES Zones.
Gone - even for players this is stupid with the more aggressive AI.
Because they are high ranking - give it a couple of months and most master + cmdrs will have them to.
Also what has this to do with my opinion.
Why - running is still viable...
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Interesting... More and more CMDRs are voting for "Too hard".
Remember, when Trump announced that he would run for POTUS, no one believed that he would be able to make it through primaries...
Remember, when Trump announced that he would run for POTUS, no one believed that he would be able to make it through primaries...
My initial impressions:
The AI skill is about right, at least for me. I'm not the best combat pilot but not the worst either. The only NPCs that are now instant laser-fodder are ones that are far enough below my combat rank that they count zero towards any progression. Tactically speaking, the rest seem to pose a reasonable sliding scale of threat as their rank increases to the point that taking on an Elite opponent in a ship of equivalent capabilities to one's own most definitely makes the player the underdog. That's a good thing.
I was a little perturbed by the spawn rate of the higher ranks. Seemed a little skewed to me. I recruited a friend who is a new player and kibitzed over his shoulder, seemed a bit skewed there too, in about the same proportions so it didn't seem to be due to my higher rank. (not that it should be - At higher ranks only higher ranks will take you on and interdict you, but HOW OFTEN that higher rank shows up shouldn't change. Just because I rank up doesn't magically change the entire population of pilots in the galaxy)
The thing that really bugged me, though, was the prevalence of engineer buffs in the mid-to-high ranks of NPCs. We've got this small band of eccentric geniuses, picky about who they work with. Suspending disbelief to the point of accepting that all of these NPCs, who don't even have the cachet of Pilots Federation membership to recommend them, were supplied with all of these shinies seems a bit much. Given how much effort WE have to put in to get a decent mod from an engineer, the fact that NPCs seem to be able to pick them up at the local convenience store is a bit irritating.
The AI skill is about right, at least for me. I'm not the best combat pilot but not the worst either. The only NPCs that are now instant laser-fodder are ones that are far enough below my combat rank that they count zero towards any progression. Tactically speaking, the rest seem to pose a reasonable sliding scale of threat as their rank increases to the point that taking on an Elite opponent in a ship of equivalent capabilities to one's own most definitely makes the player the underdog. That's a good thing.
I was a little perturbed by the spawn rate of the higher ranks. Seemed a little skewed to me. I recruited a friend who is a new player and kibitzed over his shoulder, seemed a bit skewed there too, in about the same proportions so it didn't seem to be due to my higher rank. (not that it should be - At higher ranks only higher ranks will take you on and interdict you, but HOW OFTEN that higher rank shows up shouldn't change. Just because I rank up doesn't magically change the entire population of pilots in the galaxy)
The thing that really bugged me, though, was the prevalence of engineer buffs in the mid-to-high ranks of NPCs. We've got this small band of eccentric geniuses, picky about who they work with. Suspending disbelief to the point of accepting that all of these NPCs, who don't even have the cachet of Pilots Federation membership to recommend them, were supplied with all of these shinies seems a bit much. Given how much effort WE have to put in to get a decent mod from an engineer, the fact that NPCs seem to be able to pick them up at the local convenience store is a bit irritating.
If you got the Anaconda back then it wasn't through hunting, it was probably through trade exploits.
Reset your save. Man up and enjoy this new system you say is great.
Your description of the in-game experience is utter rubbish. SJA is clearly talking about making the NPC's scale even better to the skill levels of the Players, not about making them *more* capable.
You're the one asserting that NPCs should be indistinguishable from other players.
The AI is more difficult but still not the hardest AI I've fought against, and is still beatable. My own tactics were revised a bit, as I now have to act significantly more aggressive. I've noticed ship loadouts and the ship itself matters more against certain opponents; I.E. you'll fair better against a Deadly Eagle with your own Eagle versus your FDL or consequently use turrets and/or missiles. Spent a good hour in a CZ last night and managed to rack up 40 kills without losing my shields (A-rated FDL).
But the new system is so great and fun!
It really wouldn't be an Everquest worthy grind!
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