Engineers I'm not quitting - But
- Thread starter Oldmanbill
- Start date
So what I understand from this thread is that people were generally used to taking on any NPC in pretty much any type of (well equipped) ship and winning without question. The same people are now upset because they can't kill everything and must be in a ship suitable for combat.
Well my message is simple. Adapt to the changes. Before you could kill an Elite NPC, now you can't, so run when you see one. If you see a Master NPC or below then give it a good go, but run if you are outnumbered.
It's really this simple. Elite pilots should be hard to defeat and they are defeat-able. I had to take down an Elite FDL in my combat Python 2 days ago. It was tough but I appreciated the challenge and next time I might choose to run instead (high wake) as I went down to 66% hull and it was touch and go.
Just please don't ask for the challenge to be taken back out of this game, because that's going to kill it. And I'd rather you stopped playing the game than the game dying because there is no challenge. Elite: DANGEROUS.
Well my message is simple. Adapt to the changes. Before you could kill an Elite NPC, now you can't, so run when you see one. If you see a Master NPC or below then give it a good go, but run if you are outnumbered.
It's really this simple. Elite pilots should be hard to defeat and they are defeat-able. I had to take down an Elite FDL in my combat Python 2 days ago. It was tough but I appreciated the challenge and next time I might choose to run instead (high wake) as I went down to 66% hull and it was touch and go.
Just please don't ask for the challenge to be taken back out of this game, because that's going to kill it. And I'd rather you stopped playing the game than the game dying because there is no challenge. Elite: DANGEROUS.
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Absolutely second this, all I'm doing now is running away from fights after trying a variety of my ships in combat and either just getting away in time or losing said ship. There is now no point in me attempting combat, the only ships I've able to kill have been novice rank. Anything else leads to a boring protracted fight, basically flying around circles 'jousting' with an NPC who-outmaneuvers and outguns me. I really do love most of the update, but the amount of 'elite' NPC's bouncing me coupled with the devastating firepower and regenerative skills they possess is making me wonder where I go from here. Kinda upset actually as I've just invested nearly £300 on a Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS for Elite and now wondering if I want to continue playing. As I've said in posts elsewhere, I absolutely agree that the NPC AI needed revising and making stronger, but it appears to me that they also got a massive hike in ship ability and equipment, an elite diamondback explorer jumped only a couple of hours ago in my Asp explorer, which is geared for missions, I didn't even have time to run, I tried, but my shields were down and thrusters gone before I could get away.. I tried my Python after the update came out, A6 Prismatic shields with 2 boosters, destroyed by an Elite Anaconda, ok I know an Anaconda is tougher now than it used to be, but I barely managed to get one ring of shield off it with 2 large beams and large MC.. so now my only option it seems is to run away, or try, and fly cheap ships, which is just not much fun anymore.
The higher ranked NPCs have engineer mods. You don't yet. Did it consider to you that perhaps after getting some engineer mods yourself that you might be more back on par?
Did you also consider how ridiculous the game would be if we get engineer mods and the NPCs were not much more difficult than 2.0 AI?
I don't want the challenge to be taken out of the game, I want to be challenged, I just don't want to be ganked by Elite NPC's everywhere I go, which is how it is right now, at least thats been my experience. Before the update I could make money in a hasres, it was not totally challenging in my FAS, I could hang out there for an hour or so at a time picking off Anacondas or anything else. It was challenging for me if I took on a wing of 3 clippers or other ships, sometimes I would win, sometimes I would lose. Mostly it was just silly to see an NPC ship rolling when being fired upon, I would often cease fire at that point to let them actually do something. I would just like to see the number of elite NPC's reduced, haven't even seen a dangerous or deadly since the update, think I saw 1 competent, but mostly its all elite and they are unforgiving in combat, it's like fighting the Terminator.. I'm half expecting to hear 'Sarah Conner?" over the comms chatter..
So no, I don't want the challenge taken out, I wanted it improved, but perhaps if we could dial it back to 90% rather than 110% that would be better?
So basically you are saying, you want a Hazardous Res, to be more like carebear rez where the AI lines up for you, you press a button and they explode in pretty little colors, and some cred counter goes up. You say you want a challenge, but when one is presented to you, you go this is too hard make it easier. Its simple to make it easier, go into a Low Rez or High Rez, follow the cops around and its easy again. Haz Res is supposed to kick your teeth in, and then laugh at you as you cry in pain. The feeling you get when you kick back and tell the Haz Rez its your b%^&$ is so much more gratifying than making the credit counter go up some.
I am Elite combat rank, when I get interdicted by a random pirate because I am flying around with some cargo for engineers, 100% of the time the opponent is also elite. If I wasn't it would be lower. Its a reall challenge for me to keep my shields up give him a bloody nose and hope the fuzz shows up. Which isn't very long in a high sec system (30 sec or so). Its a real THRILL to survive, it gets the blood pumping.
Before:
Shooting rotating potatoes in a HazRez farm area is boring as heck, it has no challenge, it has no satisfaction, but it does make my credit counter go up.
Now:
Shooting a wing of highly capable killers and not dying is fun as all heck, blood pumping, adrenaline going. I might die, I might not, most of the time I get my ass handed to me and I am running like Brave Sir Robin. But its awesome.
This also baffles me, Engineer mods are supposed to be rare and random and something special, by invitation only you know!
We have to win the Engineers trust, and have to go off and find / discover / scavenge and generally spend a long time upgrading.
Yet Elite NPC's have engineer mods.. and as I said previously mostly all the NPC's I've been ganked by are Elite, because it seems that 90% of NPC's are now Elite, again, that's just what I've observed since the update.
Would not be more accurate to say have Elite NPC's who are good, but maybe only 10% or maybe 20% of them have Engineer mods?
Hell, I'm even getting ganked by Denton Paterous pilots, despite being pledged to Lavigny-Duval and being 100% allied to Empire..
And no, before you get on your high-horse about how ridiculous the game would be etc etc.. I agree that the NPC AI needed upgrading to become better pilots, but being a better pilot doesn't automatically mean you have better ships or equipment, or rare and unusual modifications. Flying against a normal, well equipped FDL with the the 2.1 AI would, I imagine be quite challenging, give that same NPC Engineers mods and you have a no-win situation for many players.
Where did I say that I wanted a Haz Res to be like shooting fish in a barrel? I said it used to be like that, and its fine that it's not now, and I also said that the NPC pilot AI needed upgrading.. everyone likes a challenge, but there are challenges and there is losing your ship in the 15-20 seconds it took for an elite DBX (an exploration ship /scout ship, not an FDL or fighter) to cripple my ship with no chance to escape or retaliate. At that point I have to question if perhaps the game becomes a little unbalanced towards the player.
The last interdiction I had the attacker (novice) few straight at me. I fired my 6 cannons at him and he fired away at me. His first pass brought my shields down to one circle. My first pass at him brought his shields down. As he passed me his shields were already recharging. We circled around and started to make a second pass. On the second pass he knocked out my shields and took out 30% of my hull. I hit him every time on the second pass with my 6 cannons and his shields just kept on recharging. He never hit me except when he was coming straight for me. I could not get behind him as he was faster/more manuverable then my Asp Exp. This was all with my sys at 4 pips. I then managed to run away and survive. I've gotten very good at running away. I don't expect the combat to be easy but getting by a ship I should have been able to kill (not an elite, not an anaconda) is not realistic.
Is the game now going to be one of run away from all combat unless your in a fully fitted combat ship? Why bother having 6 weapon hard points on an ASP Exp if they are no good at providing protection from a single attacker.
Is the game now going to be one of run away from all combat unless your in a fully fitted combat ship? Why bother having 6 weapon hard points on an ASP Exp if they are no good at providing protection from a single attacker.
Engineer mods in a month or so will be very common amongst players. You are kidding yourself if you think otherwise. I've hardly had a chance to play since launch and I already have the mats for 2 FSD rolls.
I'm Deadly ranked and I'm seeing a large range of NPC pilot ranks with interdictions, although nothing below Master. Are you Elite ranked and therefore only seeing Elite NPCs?
And can you kill nothing at all? Not even Competent or below in instanced combat? You say combat is now pointless but is that because you can't kill Elite Anacondas any longer? I guess it might feel pointless, but that's just a by-product of making the game actually dangerous. I'm sure you'll adjust to the situation and enjoy killing a more fitting rank for your skills shortly. And run from the Elites, it's really not that difficult.
Also, for HAZ-RES (which I no longer enter) I would suggest winging up. Previously wings didn't have a point outside of PvP and trading, but now they do. This is something we as players playing an MMO should be happy for.
i am using the corvette now.
'caues of it's own internals: at this time it is a very great ship although it lacks firepower
Yes I am Elite ranked, but why should that mean I ONLY get elite opponents fighting me? You don't gain Elite status by taking a flying test, or by proving how effective a combat pilot you are, you get it by simply destroying enough ships. Forget the Elite Anaconda thing, I'm not sure why you're focusing on that, let me tell you instead about the latest fight I had. It was a Master Cobra MkIII, and a damn fine pilot.. I just about managed to keep a bead on him in my Asp, using a mix of FAoff, directional thrust etc, at that point I had 4x beam lasers fitted, 2x small and 2x medium plus 2 seeker missile racks. I was lacing the ship with laser fire, although admittedly I had to put 4 pips in sys so my shields didn't vanish in a heartbeat. Now, despite managing to empty the entire capacitor on him with 4 beams, his shield didn't drop, it went down to 1 ring. By this time my own shields were down.. so 4 pips to weps, might as well, and get some power in there.. meanwhile I was firing missiles at him, 8 of them to be exact, 2 at a time.. and still his shield didn't drop.. in fact it went up to 2 rings.. it was as if his shield cell (and didn't see a graphic for it) just ignored all the fire pouring onto him.. at 39% hull I managed to get away /cheer /bravesirrobin
But.. you know, 4x beam lasers and 2x seeker missile racks pretty much laced him good.. and it's a cobra mk3 (master) and his shields didn't drop, and even recharged faster than any shield I've seen.. what's wrong with that picture?
Im flying a far from A-Rated combat Anaconda, and i really love the new AI, small maneuverable ships flown by AI now actually pose a threat due to their maneuvarability and turrets are finally proving their worth. I do not engage small ships unless i can obliterate them in 1 run. And combat now feels fun instead of a boring grind. And combat makes some more sense. I should get almost killed if i battle an Elite ranked AI conda and it should be an epic clash of flying bricks. If youre flying a smaller ship and you want to engage a bigger ship. Look if he has turrets and position yourself accordingly for them. Fighting AI takes some more skill. And is no longer a 0 risk
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And with the AI popping chaff every 10 seconds how are turrets going to help you? Even bristling with turrets the shielding on the T9 is woefully inadequate, I certainly wouldn't stop to fight. In a T9 running away is your only option.
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