Discuss the AI here!

[SnowyNI]

The poll is now within the margin of error. So now almost half of the player base needs to get good or get out? I foresee this game being done with quickly if nothing changes.

Agreed, which would be sad as there is still a lot of love for it from all sides. Can they repair it though, or will they even try (judging by the writer lady's remarks - can't remember her name, I'm not into the Dev fan club side of it)???

As per normal someone will get burned and ED will pay the piper! The longer it brews the harder it will be to heal imo.

 

[JuicerPrime]

Yep. Still waiting for the prophecied demise of Elite Dangerous that was all over the forums before the general release in December 2014.

It's a bit like all the 'end of the world' prophecies. One day one of them may turn out to be correct, but so far its all been a lot of screaming and fearmongering, with no visible result. Then the next one comes along.

Multiplayer games usually have comments regarding their inevitable demise yet continue to exist, ED is not unusual in this regard.

 

[Soopyyy]

But the Python is a multirole - it's supposed to be able to fight. Maybe not as well as a dedicated combat ship, but it shouldn't be helpless either.

As for the 'Vette being good at taking on larger vessels...why bother when small vessels seem to be doing the job just as well? You don't build huge and insanely expensive combat ships when fighters that cost less than 1% of the price can kill anything they can and more besides. Since 2.1 dropped large ships appear to be, variously, worthless or outclassed against their tiny competitors, which is economic madness.

Not really, load-out the Corvette correctly and small ships still get splattered easily.
The thing with the big ships is that the time to kill is greatly reduced and your long term survivability is greatly enhanced. Sure a small ship can kill a big one, but I can tank three or four ships at once in my Corvette. Not so much in my Vulture.

 

[CMDR CLASH]

But the Python is a multirole - it's supposed to be able to fight. Maybe not as well as a dedicated combat ship, but it shouldn't be helpless either.

As for the 'Vette being good at taking on larger vessels...why bother when small vessels seem to be doing the job just as well? You don't build huge and insanely expensive combat ships when fighters that cost less than 1% of the price can kill anything they can and more besides. Since 2.1 dropped large ships appear to be, variously, worthless or outclassed against their tiny competitors, which is economic madness.

I agree with that !
add npcs wings we can bring at least to cover our big ships now

 

[Robert de Vries]

Hello

I'm using a Python for trade (missions and free). The ship felt like a trader, that could occasionnally defend itself if necessary, with the build I choose (A, B, C grade mixed).

With 2.1 it feels like every trade run (mission or free), I get interdicted and face a very strong ship (Fer de Lance, Expert for example) I boosted and high waked away from this one with 40% hull left, because I read about the increased difficulty in the forums before. Otherwise that would have been it for the python and the cargo. Of the other two interdictions, i could handle one - which was clearly a smaller ship - with 90% hull left. The third one I escaped closely as well.

I admit that combat isn't my preferred thing in the game, I'm only competent combat rating after almost 1.5 years of Elite. Now it feels like I cannot handle the ordinary trade runs in the bubble anymore. I welcome a strong AI for military and police ships to maintain peace and order in the core systems, in fighting places and hopefully soon for alien ships, where it belongs (from my point of view). But the ordinary pirate that awaits the traders on every turn in the core systems, clearly no!

I wonder if a T9 is even playable right now, I for my part wouldn't risk my back in it.

Greetings to all and right on Commanders!

Robert de Vries

 

[pippo]

Yep. Still waiting for the prophecied demise of Elite Dangerous that was all over the forums before the general release in December 2014.

It's a bit like all the 'end of the world' prophecies. One day one of them may turn out to be correct, but so far its all been a lot of screaming and fearmongering, with no visible result. Then the next one comes along.

Sorry, I can't read this.
My computer broke on the eve of the year 2000.
Damn clock!

 

[kofeyh]

just curious how do traders or any non combat in solo wing up? and no i wont go to open to get griefed by the pkers before you ask.

To be fair PKers are too busy endlessly dying to AI. Because apparently oh the huge manatee we are all going to die 24/7 and be space hobos with zero credits ever.

*rolls eyes*

 

[verminstar]

There have been a whole bunch of people saying they've tested the new user situation and they get a nice easy ride from the AI, quit coming back to this.

Were they genuine new players or experienced players armed with a wealth of knowledge that a genuine new player simply doesn't have? Your logic is very seriously flawed if you believe that gave an accurate result of what happens in the real world. I have been a beta tester on several games over the past couple of decades...I know exactly how it works so I will keep coming back to it until one of you lot becomes less of a snob and gives me a straight answer as to how exactly I'm supposed to play the game now.

Perhaps one of these so called "expert new players" can come and tell me their big secret of how to progress in this strange new elite...because I'm damned sure none of you guys made yer billions against ultra hard npc...but ye expect me to...how exactly?

 

[yodajedifishmaster]

Im claiming its ok...and im a casual player.
I fly a FAS and have barely 100 mil.
No where near the vettes and cutters bankroll...but I dont think having a bunch of credits makes a difference.
You need to choose your targets wisely and be ready to run when the it starts to go south on ya.
I have noticed that it seems anything rated over competent usually hit harder than before...probably because they are modded.

then you havent met a real NPC during an interdiction. no choosing. no be ready to run when it goes south because it has the speed to keep up while the FSD is charging and you wont have that much time left for the charge and jump, because you wont have power much longer.

 

[Crazy Jedi]

The game is for clever gamers , not casuals who want everything given to them

That's not true. If it was it would be a suicidal market strategy. The gaming industry is a tough one and any company that deliberately excludes the majority of the customer base will not survive.

 

[kofeyh]

Were they genuine new players or experienced players armed with a wealth of knowledge that a genuine new player simply doesn't have? Your logic is very seriously flawed if you believe that gave an accurate result of what happens in the real world. I have been a beta tester on several games over the past couple of decades...I know exactly how it works so I will keep coming back to it until one of you lot becomes less of a snob and gives me a straight answer as to how exactly I'm supposed to play the game now.

Perhaps one of these so called "expert new players" can come and tell me their big secret of how to progress in this strange new elite...because I'm damned sure none of you guys made yer billions against ultra hard npc...but ye expect me to...how exactly?

Is there any group you haven't assumed on behalf of yet. I'm having difficulty keeping count.

Because mostly I am reading lots of people assuming lots of things and not a lot of the supposedly affected people piling in to have a nice whine about the situation. Maybe you should, I don't know, ask them?

 

[Screamapillar]

Been reading this thread from beginning to end now. And I've just had a deja-vu moment. I felt like I was back in Eve. Yeah that horrible, elitist Eve. Where everyone who felt superior in their fighting skills called others carebears and full of tears.

Until now ED forums used to be one of the best, most positive forums of all games I've been playing. I even mentioned in another forum how much I like being here. Until now. It really saddens me how people changed literally overnight from super helpful to horrible human beings just because they are elitists, and in their opinion newbies or those less skilled should 'git gut or git out'. Shame to you.

Yep, that Eve feeling is the same one I'm getting.

 

[Soopyyy]

Actually that's why i don't think your opinion counts you already have what you want so harder or not it changes nothing for you but for people like me in a middle of oufiting a middle class combat fighter like my FDL getting 109 millions to get my mirrored armour is now taking too much time.

Serious?
I started playing when a good bounty from a viper was 4000cr. It took months to crack a million credits. We didn't start with everything we have...

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

2.2 Guardians, anyone?

It's like FD has a plan or something.

 

[Derath]

It's certainly easier to chase small ships in a small ship. Logically it should be, but its far from impossible in a big ship. Turrets are actually useful now.

Yeah I agree, It seems that the small AI got a substantial buff and the large got very little - this opens outfitting options but probably closes some too. You gotta remember not everybody is going to be as comfortable in combat as you & I and currently the low rank smalls seem just as competent as the high ranks.

Of course Its probably going to become too easy once engineer modded though I'm loving the difficulty just think they should make a few tweaks to the lower end before their playerbase rages too much.

 

[Bomba Luigi]

Were they genuine new players or experienced players armed with a wealth of knowledge that a genuine new player simply doesn't have? Your logic is very seriously flawed if you believe that gave an accurate result of what happens in the real world. I have been a beta tester on several games over the past couple of decades...I know exactly how it works so I will keep coming back to it until one of you lot becomes less of a snob and gives me a straight answer as to how exactly I'm supposed to play the game now.

Perhaps one of these so called "expert new players" can come and tell me their big secret of how to progress in this strange new elite...because I'm damned sure none of you guys made yer billions against ultra hard npc...but ye expect me to...how exactly?

I did a clear save in beta and its true I will have a edge thanks to knwoledge compared to a completley new player.

However, while the AI before the clear save and while I was at high rank could provide me challenge and trouble, once back on harmless and in the sidewinder no troubles at all. That may not be true for completley new player, but the lower ranks are really not diffrent then before 2.1, its even easier in many ways.

 

[Ralph Vargr]

It's definitely not as simple as "get good"

Prior to the update, you were starting to become used to a set of tactics and had begun to develop a set of subconscious expectations of your weapon effectiveness. You similarly had begun to develop these expectations of NPC flight skills and their weapon effectiveness.

Post-update this has changed. You need to throw out your tactical thinking and your expectations of NPC skills at a given rank. Fortunately, at your stated combat rank you're in a better position than those of us who have fought enough NPCs that those subconscious responses are trained in a lot deeper. It's not a "get good" situation, it's just a matter of recognizing the change and adapting to it. And staying away from high ranked NPCs until you have.

This is called transitioning in aviation. 35 years ago, I went from the F-4D to the F-16A, and you can only imagine the change.

Once again, Elite is becoming a DACT (Dissimilar Air Combat Tactics) sim, rather than a space game. And I have no desire to go back to work in tactical aviation again.

 

[Sim Maker]

Yep. Still waiting for the prophecied demise of Elite Dangerous that was all over the forums before the general release in December 2014.

It's a bit like all the 'end of the world' prophecies. One day one of them may turn out to be correct, but so far its all been a lot of screaming and fearmongering, with no visible result. Then the next one comes along.

.
Yeah, its always a good sign when your forums are melting down and people are walking away from the game.....GO check out the Star Wars Battlefront forums......lots of people with your attitude "Good riddance" they say.,....but DOh!...now they are moaning because their servers are empty................You guys who paid 20 quid for Early Access will no doubt be happy to pay for the Frontier team, to stay in work?

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Serious?
I started playing when a good bounty from a viper was 4000cr. It took months to crack a million credits. We didn't start with everything we have...

Yeah. I am all about commanders giving a fighting chance, but complains about credit grind doesn't work on me. I am still thinking Anaconda should be 1 year achievement. This is even more apparent with this thread.

 

[Masochrist]

Disclaimer: I haven't played this game for long, and I am definitely not "gud". I guess this is as much a question related to the difficulty upgrade as it is a complaint.

Since this was advertised as a sandbox game, I set out to play it for the exploration. I tried the combat stuff, and it doesn't really have too much appeal to me, so my main strategy would be to try escaping whenever I was interdicted. Before the update, it seemed like I could get away most of the time by submitting to the interdiction and trying to evade shots until the FSD had cooled down.

Maybe it is a coincidence, but since the update, all the ships that have interdicted me have killed me instantly. Basically, I get the message that my shield is down at the same time as the message that I am being attacked, and then I explode. If this is intentional, it is game mechanically the equivalent of having your ship randomly explode without any way of avoiding it. Sure, it adds some tension, but it is only coin-tossing, which gets boring after a while since there is no way of affecting the outcome. I would much prefer the challenge of exploration/trading/mining to be related to that style of playing the game instead of flipping a coin to see if you succeed.

Realism-wise, it also makes very little sense for these high-level pirates to attack me when I neither pose a threat to them (I am ranked "harmless" and they are usually ranked "deadly"), nor have anything they would be remotely interested in stealing. Is the game simulating griefers because the actual players are too honorable?

So my question is: Is this all because I am crap at games? Should I be able to avoid interdiction or escape? Am I traveling through star systems where I have no business being? If that is the case, then I can live with that, I guess. I will either learn how to play properly or find a different game. A tutorial on how would be appreciated, of course, but with the amounts of user-generated documentation out there, it might not even be necessary.

If it is not, then I would vote to either make the overpowered NPCs focus on people with comparable combat ships, or provide ways of escaping battle. This could very well be at the expense of being able to do combat at all (the weapons could be exchanged for some sort of interdiction protection or something.)

Anyway, just my two cents. I am still enjoying this game immensely, but I probably won't go on any long quests for thousands of light years as long as I know I have a 30% change of exploding right before I reach my base