Didn't vote in the poll, I'm rather giving my feelings about the present IA. As a prelude I will point out that I haven't yet lost a single ship since 2.1. Had a couple of close calls with the first version of the patch, but luckily didn't come across the insta-kill NPCs with buged weapons.
I've been playing Friday night and yesterday quite a lot. At first I participated in the Mehet CG in my new Python, fitted as an armed trader/mission runner. It has 5D shields with two 0A boosters (can't affors 5A shields for now), lightweight bulkhead, one chaff launcher and a PD. I have two large gimballed pulses, two medium and one large gimballed MC.
I first headed to a Low-RES, as I'm not very familiar yet with the Python in combat, and my previous combat ship was a Vulture. I expected to have a bit of trouble against nimble ships, even with some use of FA OFF.
It was pretty easy there, lots of cops giving a very helping hand, so much that it was sometimes difficult to reach the target in time and scan it with my KWS before they were destroyed. Lots of smaller targets with low ranks, a couple of Condas and Pythons and FDS. Didn't loose more than one ring of shields, never felt I could loose my ship. That was exactly was I was expecting from a Low RES. In my Python it seems that because of the low manoeuvrability, most of my fights turn into a series of head-on passes, where I just out-gun and out-tank my victims. FDS, Condas and Pythons are the only ship I an stay behind for some time, Pythons being the easiest ones to take down.
Next I went to the HI RES. More high ranking enemies, a few 2 and 3 ships wings, more target diversity. With the help of the security forces it was again not too hard, some fights I felt I could have had troubles if I had to take them one on one, again due to the lack of agility of my Python. NPCs were fighting back and firing (except for one FDS), but didn't seem to deal unsual levels of damage. Racked up quite a lot of kills and again didn't feel I could really loose my ship if I stayed alert. Managed to take on a few Elite Sideys and Eagles, they manoeuvered quite well but their shields and hulls still could note cope with my firepower. I also thought that some NPCs had bad loadouts, like Clippers who were facing me and couldn't hit me with their PA istalled on the wing mounts. I think that NPCs loadouts should be proably looked after and be more adapted to their ship.
Came back a bit later and the AI was much more aggressive, struggled a bit more and had to work more for my kills. It felt quite different from the first try. Then I was suddenly set upon a wing of three deadly Eagles I was scanning (I didn't attack), they started chewing my shield pretty good, seeing that the cops were not near, I knew I wouldn't be able to despatch the all three before they could get me, so I just had to flee that one, my FSD charged up just as my shields went offline (I put 4 pips in SYS a soon as I took fire, but unfortunately I had used up all my chaffs). Again I felt that the AI wasn't too hard per se, but that I could still run into trouble, epecially in an assymetrical fight.
I didn't ven try HAZ RES, as I'm not very keen on loosing the Python. Thought about building up a little cheap fighter, turned out I couldn't because I had 20 tons of special cargo (those new items that I got doing missions) and didn't feel like selling them as they probably are used by engineers... Having a place to stock stuff would be very nice indeed now.
So as far as combat, when I'm actively looking for it, the new AI didn't seem so OP in LOW and HI RES.
Now about unwanted combat (interdictions).
Since 2.1 came out, I've been intedicted only by Master and above NPCs, with a majority of Deadly and quite a few Elite. My rankings are Competent/Broker/Pathfinder.
I've managed to win the interdiction game quite often, but still it seems buggy at times, like some NPCs turning the tables in seconds when you're winning, getting an FSD failure when submitting, having an interdiction the very second you eter a system and having the escape vector sending me flying in the sun (I survived but the NPC didn't
) and having an interdiction starting and stopping immediately but with the sound of the interdiction going on until you exit SC.
The rate of interdictions is quite high, even frantic when running several missions at the same time, sometimes it's just ridiculous and a bit of immersion breaking. As an example, I took 5 missions in Mehet, delivering Non Lethal Weapons, Reactive Armour and a couple of Boom Data deliveries. High ranking missions for most part (Entrepeneur), to see how it would go. I wasn't disappointed.
Seconds after entering my first target system, the usual message telling I'm about to be jumped. Interdiction starts and I see that it's a Dangerous Python. From my previous experience in RES sites I think I can handle it, and also he's winning the mini game. Submit, 4 pips to SYS and I face him, KWS scan and I let loose with all I got right in his face. No reaction. The Python flies as he's fightng me but he doesn't fire back. I finish him and collect 62'000 CR. Easy money, but it feels bad.
I jump back in SC, and two seconds later I get interdicted again, Dangerous Cobra Mk. IV. I don't feel this one, I fight the interdiction and win. I haven't time to take a breath that I'm interdicted again, Dangerous FDL, I immediately know I'm not winning the mini game, the red bar fills very quickly, so 4 pips in SYS and I submit. Come out of SC, FSD failure and I spin helpless for quite a long time and I start to take fire. ? I boost away and select the nearest system. FSD takes ages to come back online, my shields are melting, I finally jump with 86% hull. Not a close call but a bit angry about submitting and having a FSD failure. Select the closest outpost and g there for repairs.
I head back to my destination, hoping that I won't have to jump out of the system every time I try, if I can't complete my missions, the fine will be quite a heavy one. I jump into the system and get insta interdicted by an Elite Vulture. Great. Escape vector sends me straight into the sun as described before. I survive and escape, the NPC has disappeared. I manage to get to my target outpost and complete the remaining missions without any further interdiction.
Later on I decided to sell al of my cargo, including te special items, and I've been able to travel a lot without any interdiction.
I think that the interdiction system needs a rework, it gets tiring and boring very quickly to know you'll be interdicted every time you take a mission and/or have cargo, and now you receive cargo as mission reward too. Also having chain interdictions is really putting me off. It should be much more random, both in frequency and in NPC level, and more tied to security level/type of ship you're flying/mission you're running. Deadly and Elite NPCs hunting you down for 4 tons of Domestic Apliances? Really?
I feel that the actual AI is a bit of a mess now, especially as far as interdictions go (unwanted combat), too much interdictions and out of whack NPC levels, and it's hurting too much people who aren't playing in a combat oriented way. When looking for combat, I found it "just right" in LOW and HI RES, I can't comment on CZ, HAZ RES and Compromised Nav Beacons.
I think it shouldn't be tougher than this for most situations, but it could be upgraded for some specific places (HAZ RES, HI CZ, high ranking combat missions) for people who really want to look for a hard fight.
