Discuss the AI here!

[TiberiusKirk]

Unless something has drastically changed in 2.1, this just isn't true.

Pips to shields has a direct effect on how resilient they are. 0 pips = wet bog roll. 4 pips = practically double strength.

Zero pips with shields that need repairing will prevent them from repairing, *if* there is also no energy in the reservoir, because there is no immediate energy to draw upon. But zero pips with full shields will make absolutely no difference to their strength. It is how the mechanic works. All the pips do is affect the recharge rate of the reservoir - they don't even directly affect the recharge rate of the shields - only the reservoir.

I could make some snidey comment here about people not understanding the combat systems (very much the style of *some* on these boards)- but I won't - I'm trying to be helpful.

 

[AttackedDesert]

This is one of those features that shouts SHALLOW GAME since day one........I mean, they list Bounty Hunting as a profession, they know people don't like these annoying fines....well, work it in to the game...Have a side track where you can get a Police Sanction Bounty Hunter licence.......you can then help out the space fuzz and they ignore minor indiscretions....."That's all right old bean, we know you were trying to help" with maybe a 10-20k and no fatals limit before they turn on you..........But if you hunt without the requisite paperwork and tag Plod........watch out.....it gives us choice, career diversity and a logical realistic working environment..........Instead of You vs The Universe over a shield Micro Fizz......
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At the moment the process is about as deep as swallowing the big pill in Pac Man.....and then you can eat the ghosts........this is just opposite....once those 1's and 0's detect a hit, Everyone changes colour and shoots at YOU!!!!!........the cop you shot, the cops with the cop you shot, the criminal the cops were chsing, people fromo wedding and funeral barges gunning out their port holes..........it is just so 80s GAMEY!!!!...........
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It is like if you winged a fellow soldier on the beaches of Normandy during the heat of battle, in an attempt to save his life, it was a minor flesh wound....but then him, all the allied soldiers on the beach, the boats at sea and bombers in the sky and all the Germany soldiers on the cliffs....STOPPED their battle for Normandy, all to HUNT YOU DOWN as that 400 cred is now the most important thing going on...........CLUNKY!!!!! lol
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It is things like that that break my "Imagination" (TM)....I just can't believe the future is going to be that stupid.............

This was amazingly accurate and funny to read, bravo.

 

[Seonid]

firstly all that does when you have no shields less is leave you more time at slower speed to get out of range.

Eh? If I have no shields then pips to SYS is pretty pointless in the run to SC charging, I assumed that it was obvious that I was talking about a situation where shields were still up?

 

[Cmdr Roma]

Trying to do the trading CG, every trip I am interdicted at least once sometimes 3 times, it's an Anarchy system so I expected more Interdictions so not really anything bad in that. However the game is simply unplayable for me in a combat situation. Unless I submit, boost and jump away , however even that doesn't always work of course because of mass disruption.

The last trip I was interdicted by a Clipper, managed to boost away and jump after a mass disruption but I was close to the Sun so I had heat damage but the time I jumped I was at 236 degrees! something that didn't seem to affect the NPC at all. I jumped and he interdicted me again straight away. This time by the time my FSD had charged he had taken out my shields and destroyed me. No means of defence at all, there was simply nothing I could do. Where is the fun in this situation? It took him 10 to 15 seconds to destroy me.

 

[Moonax IRL]

The game has many ships to enjoy. Why would anyone want to avoid using 90% of the ships in the game? If that's what you enjoy, good for you, but it sure isn't how everyone wants to play.

All the ships need to be viable. It's not a one ship game.

Whatever, come up with wild assertions to derail the point, by the way I have the imp eagle,cobra,courier and asp as well and fly them all regularly and often rather the small ships to the big one but what am I saying you know better.

 

[SnowyNI]

From the looks of the poll, the Too Hards are catching up. As more of us casual gamers get on, the results should be interesting.

Welcome to the light side! Soon the Deathstar type AI's will learn the true power of the force! (Sry Starwars is on TV atm lol).

 

[the100thmonkey]

Zero pips with shields that need repairing will prevent them from repairing, *if* there is no energy in the reservoir*, because there is no immediate energy to draw upon. But zero pips with full shields will make absolutely no difference to their strength. It is how the mechanic works. All the pips do is affect the recharge rate of the reservoir - they don't even directly affect the recharge rate of the shields - only the reservoir.

I could make some snidey comment here about people not understanding the combat systems (very much the style of *some* on these boards)- but I won't - I'm trying to be helpful.

You're right about the shields.

However, you still manage to be snide while pretending you're not. Congratulations. You win the internet today. Please don't die in a car crash tonight.

 

[Derath]

4 pips to shields gives you +50% more strength if I remember right. It's to do with the recharge rate, at 4 pips they're recharging much faster which translates to more damage resistance.

150% is closer and shields recharge at a fixed value as long as there is sufficient energy in the capacitor, 4 pips or 0 makes no difference to that, bi-weaves regenerate twice as fast (2mj/s instead of 1)

 

[jasonbirder]

OK...I've spent the day playing to get a feel for 2.1 (No sense jumping in and sounding off unless you've tried it first)

Now, I'm a pretty poor pilot...meat on the table for anyone competent AND I runa pretty average ship too (for Combat a Vulture with Gimballed Pulses) so I'm not a super-duper dogfighter or flying a super A-rated expensive ship...

I've tried out my ship i na Haz Res (Bounty Hunting till I hit $1m) I've done the same at a Compromised Nav Beacon and taken a couple of Massacre <Faction> Ships missions which involved working a couple of CZs

I found the following...

Missiles are much more threatening (Is it worth equipping Point Defence Now)
Small ships are deadlier (eagles/Sidewinders/Vipers etc) Not sure weather this because they have better drives or better AI
All NPCs seem to be much better at keeping nose on - giving them more time with weapons on you...a smaller profile and making it more difficult to get behind them
NPCs have a greater variety of weapons I've encountered more Rails/Plasma/Missiles than I have done before...
I've only encountered 3 NPCs that definitely had engineer modded weapons - so much less than 10% of total
There seem to be more Elite NPCs about

Having said that...I've not come across any of the "No-Win" scenarios people talk about...nor do the NPCs at any level seem unbeatable...
You definately need to treat smaller ships with more respect and you definately need to be very very careful about engaging wings...but I've played all day in a real variety of combat scenarios...and by being careful about who/when to engage I've survived all day and made plenty of $s...

I've not encountered the constant Interdiction by overpowered NPCs either...just 4 Interdictions all day 1 by an Adder, 1 by 2 Asps, 1 by a Cobra so I'm guessing that occurs if you're Wanted or involved with an opposing Powerplay Faction...

I don't think, even for new players that the difficulty has increased so much as to make the game un-enjoyable...and that's from someone who is the very definition of Mediocre player!

 

[Cybermykl]

This... but with video proof... I have enabled Shadowplay those capable please do the same.
No proof, no post.....

Played 6 hours combat/trader/mission and haven't been one shotted or stripped, just challenged..... D Spec Trader (my risk), A Spec vulture, A/B Spec Asp (engineers enabling).

This amounts to calling me a liar. I am an honorable pilot and would not spam this board with something that wasn't true. You can see the youtube proof if you look back on this board to find the link of others that have had similar experiences. But, you are right, FD probably won't take it at face value without proof they can witness with the telemetry they collect. But they do know and have the telemetry to back up our claims - those with honorable claims. Good day to you, Sir!

 

[DaveB]

My only current issue with the A.I. seems to be the unlimited amount chaff at their disposal that they can use back to back, neither realistic or fair.

Add all their other unfair advantages to that list... The main one being that their modules NEVER malfunction between 85% and 0%, even now that they said they'd fixed that.

Oh no, the mod said all things are equal except they have unlimited ammo for their MC's. That just can not be, sir.

When somebody who is not a volunteer forum mod, but the person who actually wrote the code confirms publicly, on these very forums, that the ONLY place where NPC's have a built in advantage is that their MCs dont run out of ammo, everything else - shield cells, heatsinks, other ammo, every other consumable DOES, and that FD have tested this and confirmed it's working properly..... Well, no offense but I'll take that persons word over somebody who's basing their opinion on a less-informed interpretation of a few stressful in-game encounters.

Whenever anyone from FD has explicitly revealed any of the inner workings of the code like that, on these forums, THEY HAVE NEVER LIED TO US. I don't think they are starting now.

 

[Pauciloquent]

Just been in HIGH RES (finally!!! I had problems with constant crashes do to overclocking... I think) and got 800k+ in bounties in 45 min or so with no damage using my not so nimble ASP E.(more multirole than combat setup) So I say the A.I is just right (for me)... Can it do with some tweaking, sure... a better experience for new low ranked players and perhaps go a little easier on trade ships... maybe even give trade ships a bit more armour... I remember my time in the type 6,7 and 9... wasn't always fun and games....

 

[yodajedifishmaster]

Eh? If I have no shields then pips to SYS is pretty pointless in the run to SC charging, I assumed that it was obvious that I was talking about a situation where shields were still up?

sorry i thought you were referencing my posts about my encounter where i had tried running so i assumed you meant i should have been doing 4 pips to sys at the point where i had no shields. i did not realise you were speaking generally about shields use in combat, before you lose them and have to run for it.

 

[TiberiusKirk]

You're right about the shields.

However, you still manage to be snide while pretending you're not. Congratulations. You win the internet today. Please don't die in a car crash tonight.

That's pretty unpleasant. Having been told multiple times I was wrong, and deluded etc., it seemed reasonable to be a bit snide myself.

Anyway, thanks for admitting I was correct, er, ok, I might as well call you noob, now that you have wished for my death.

 

[sndle9]

Zero pips with shields that need repairing will prevent them from repairing, *if* there is also no energy in the reservoir, because there is no immediate energy to draw upon. But zero pips with full shields will make absolutely no difference to their strength. It is how the mechanic works. All the pips do is affect the recharge rate of the reservoir - they don't even directly affect the recharge rate of the shields - only the reservoir.

I could make some snidey comment here about people not understanding the combat systems (very much the style of *some* on these boards)- but I won't - I'm trying to be helpful.

Make all the snidy comments you like, you are still wrong about the pip effects.

 

[Commander Silex]

I went for 'Other'. I like the changes a lot, albeit coming from a bounty hunter's perspective. But my issue is the return for throwing into this more dangerous galaxy. It's not currently too hard, but there's a seriously distorted risk and time to kill/reward balance. I suspect less combat orientated players will feel differently, and perhaps that needs to be addressed at lower levels of combat rating.

 

[Seonid]

that the ONLY place where NPC's have a built in advantage is that their MCs dont run out of ammo

That's less to do with an advantage and more to do with game play, otherwise they would immediately high wake out when out of ammo and we have seen the fuss that fleeing NPC's caused before.

 

[yodajedifishmaster]

...

I've not encountered the constant Interdiction by overpowered NPCs either...just 4 Interdictions all day 1 by an Adder, 1 by 2 Asps, 1 by a Cobra so I'm guessing that occurs if you're Wanted or involved with an opposing Powerplay Faction...

I don't think, even for new players that the difficulty has increased so much as to make the game un-enjoyable...and that's from someone who is the very definition of Mediocre player!

then you havent met one yet. but you will unless they figure whats happening and patch it. its just matter of time. i wasnt in powerplay and had no bounty. just random interdiction from supercruise by master rank npc in a hi sec system. im competent rank.

 

[TiberiusKirk]

Make all the snidy comments you like, you are still wrong about the pip effects.

Well, luckily it is there in future for people who genuinely want to understand how this reservoir concept works. Otherwise they will be - like you - wasting pips to shields when they could be used for the engine and weapons reservoirs.

BTW, your confusion might arise from the fact that the ENG system uses a different approach - I don't know why, as it is inconsistent. More pips to ENG does affect your speed and manoeuvrability, *as well as* the recharge rate for boost. But the other pips merely restore a reservoir.

Does that help?

 

[verminstar]

I don't think, even for new players that the difficulty has increased so much as to make the game un-enjoyable...and that's from someone who is the very definition of Mediocre player!

I'm a 2 week old player...the game is currently completely unplayable fer me ^^

Any advice on how to earn the millions and billions that I need to have even a slim hope is greatly appreciated...so far, not one player has managed to come up with anything useful...apart from save a few million to buy better thrusters so I can run faster...inspiring stuff but how do I save up a couple mill when I can't even complete a 22k mission because the missions are bugged?