'Attack of the AI' III

How is the AI for you in 2.1.02?

  • I'm too young to die! (Waaay too easy)

    Votes: 25 3.1%
  • Hey' not too rough (Too easy)

    Votes: 89 11.2%
  • Hurt me plenty (About right)

    Votes: 365 46.0%
  • Ultra-Voilence (Too hard)

    Votes: 231 29.1%
  • Nightmare! (Waaay too hard)

    Votes: 84 10.6%

  • Total voters
    794
  • Poll closed .
I love watching Isinona fly, no matter what ship.

Here's the link for those who are curious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSQgGzo2S6Q

This is where the perception gap is strong.

The lobotomized iEagle never returned fire. It had plenty of chances, but instead, just flew around in harmless circles, like a clay pigeon floating in a summer breeze. (ok on reviewing the film, he fired 4 Plasma bolts... four. Over a ~15 min fight :rolleyes:). Is the NPC conserving ammo now?

This lovely bit of janky AI nerf code was brought to you by 2.1.02.

Not sure Isinona was bragging over slaying a toothless bunny, or if this was an unintentional bug post?
 
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Which bugged weapons?

I don't even know what the Hell I got hit with last night. I was traveling with no cargo in my FAS, started getting interdicted. I fought it for a minute until it became obvious that I was going to lose, so I throttled to zero.
When we dropped, I saw that it was another FAS (dangerous), and decided that it might be a fun fight....

And instantly my biweave shield was gone and my military armor (two reinforcements on top of that) was down to 21%.
I burned out of there in a huge hurry and jumped out just as I was being warned of an incoming thermal attack.

I'm thinking anything that can do that kind of damage that fast is probably not "working as intended" ;)
 
I don't even know what the Hell I got hit with last night. I was traveling with no cargo in my FAS, started getting interdicted. I fought it for a minute until it became obvious that I was going to lose, so I throttled to zero.
When we dropped, I saw that it was another FAS (dangerous), and decided that it might be a fun fight....

And instantly my biweave shield was gone and my military armor (two reinforcements on top of that) was down to 21%.
I burned out of there in a huge hurry and jumped out just as I was being warned of an incoming thermal attack.

I'm thinking anything that can do that kind of damage that fast is probably not "working as intended" ;)

FAS with bi-weave is less than 160mj (stock) of shields without boosters. It's under 300mj even with 4 A rated boosters. A volley of large plasma will pretty much one shot it. A handful of rail shots would as well.

Do you have any defensive modules? Torps and missiles are extremely effective against hull. You do have A rated boosters, right?
 
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FAS with bi-weave is less than 160mj (stock) of shields without boosters. It's under 300mj even with 4 A rated boosters. A volley of large plasma will pretty much one shot it. A handful of rail shots would as well.

Do you have any defensive modules? Torps and missiles are extremely effective against hull. You do have A rated boosters, right?

Yeah, I'm very well equipped. I also run point defense and chaff.

Losing the shield would have been one thing (only one booster). But stripping military armor with two hull reinforcements down to 21% INSTANTLY was a bit over the top, sorry.

Oh yeah....if I hadn't had A rated boosters, I most certainly would have died ;)
 
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Yeah, I'm very well equipped. I also run point defense and chaff.

Losing the shield would have been one thing (only one booster). But stripping military armor with two hull reinforcements down to 21% INSTANTLY was a bit over the top, sorry.

Plausibly. What did it sound like? Torps and missiles are pretty distinctive. Might have been buggy weapons fire, but mods have been stripped so I'm thinking it's more likely a combination of weapons fire.
 
Agreed, the Python is in 2.1+ is a liability. I'm back in a Vulture.

HA! That's just what I did in the last BH CG. I got sooo sick of loopty looping I wanted to see if I was just that bad at getting out of a loop or if it was my beloved Python. The Python is now just so slow to turn. With the Vulture it was about tied, although on average the Vulture turned slightly faster in the loop than most I encountered. I wasn't trying "combat tactics" or anything fancy, just pulling back on the stick to see if I could keep up with the looper. I think that mechanic needs to be changed, at least the tormentor needs to be a little further away from my ship, seems downright illogical how it is now.
 
Plausibly. What did it sound like? Torps and missiles are pretty distinctive. Might have been buggy weapons fire, but mods have been stripped so I'm thinking it's more likely a combination of weapons fire.

It sounded like a combination of "oh sh**!" And my booster as I got out of there in a hurry.

Sorry I didn't have time to take notes, it was literally like one shot.

I'm thinking that it's fairly obvious that some of the weapon bugs have survived and are appearing occasionally.

And if not?? How is it remotely rational to expect players to enjoy fighting AI that can literally two-shot kill a player in the same frame?

When I think of challenging AI, I think of a fun, engaging battle that lasts for a bit and leaves me with a sense of accomplishment. Not a quick-draw, wild west duel where the first to shoot instantly wins.
 
Which super NPCs are these, then? Frontier has removed virtually all modifications from AI and stripped large numbers of high ranking NPCs out of systems.

The thing is, if frontier wanted to make AI only attack on Sunday's, inside a small sector three thousand light years from civilised space? They would do that. They haven't. AI are supposed to be a bit of a challenge - but not impossible (hence why they have removed mods and massively reduced high ranks from SC).

Imagine if Solo had virtually no AI. How does that work? What if open was basically just 100% commanders. Would that improve it? Why is it AI should only be able to defend themselves in specific zones, when commanders can shoot them wherever the commander pleases?

The AI has always been a part of civilised space (the bubble). And yet it's only when they fight back a bit, do people suddenly decide they shouldn't be there. I don't actually think it's the AI that's the problem at this point.


Mate no Offense.
But a Gunship which is Basicly Glued to my Rear and Orbiting me like a         Planet his Sun no matter just how Frantically I move around.
Is Not Normal.
No Human could ever Manage that as unlike the NPC he does not get the Info as soon as I push a Key. But only after I am actually Visually moving in that Direction.

Heck. Today I was sitting there. Watching how an Security Viper MK3 NPC was Leisurely Killing an Anaconda NPC of a Lower Rank because he was simply Orbiting his Rear like a Goddamn Satellite.



And See Mate. Here comes the Problem.

On Work we got a Nice Picture to that.

Imagine an Elephant and an Monkey sitting in Front of an Tester.
The Tester Says.
Ok We.ll Give you a Fair Test. Climb that Tree.
Faster one Wins.

Now who do you think is Challenged by that. And who is Bored ? :)



It would be nice if you guys would get this into your Head.
If to you in your Combat Outfitted Ships. An NPC is an Challenge.
Than what do you think that NPC means to an Trader ? :)


Imagine all Games would Set Difficulty so that the Player with highest Combat Ability finds it Challenging.
You think anyone but Hardcore Combat Players would Play this Game :) ?



How about we turn this around and Change another Game Mechanic.
Lets Reduce Bountys by 90% and Increase Ammo, Fuel and Repair Costs by Factor 10 :)
End Result Being that the Game becomes very Challenging Financially for anyone but the Trader who wont really care for it :)

Would you Find that Good ? :)
Because thats pretty much what happened here.

A Game Mechanic Suddenly made it almost Impossible for People to Maintain their Favorized Playstyle.
Right now your Piloting a Combat Ship or your Dead Meat
 
I don;t hunt with my Python, but I am inclined to defend my ship when interdicted. I am using 2x c3 Multi-cannon, 1 c3 Pulse, and 2x c2 Pulse. I don;t even need the MC's on the smaller ships, but when they go off, the hull gets shredded. I have no comparison to the pre-nerf Python, but it's agility is dreadful compared to my FdL. I intend to do more combat in the Python to form a decent strategy for fighting it. It can haul stuff, and I want it for when I start visiting the Engineers.
 
[video=youtube;tZeaeGEtXu0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZeaeGEtXu0[/video]
I am not saying it kills me in an evenly matched one on one.
Something is off now though.....hard to put my finger on it
but what the hill?!!??!?!

TOO BALANCED?!
 
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It would be nice if you guys would get this into your Head.
If to you in your Combat Outfitted Ships. An NPC is an Challenge.
Than what do you think that NPC means to an Trader ? :)

Traders don't stand and fight. Fighters do. There is a key difference in playstyles here, and a single NPC difficulty level could accommodate both playstyles. Traders don't need to be able to take a lot of damage.

But in fact you can spec them quite easily to take way more damage than a combat fitted ship and still haul a tremendous amount of cargo:

T6

653 MJ of health (2.5 times my Viper)
85 % of the speed
92 T Cargo Capacity

http://coriolis.io/outfit/type_6_tr...45020127.Iw1-kA==.Aw1-kA==?bn=Blockade Runner


T7

930 MJ of health (1.2 times my Vulture)
208 T Cargo Capacity

http://coriolis.io/outfit/type_7_tr...03030505040403452727.Iw18aQ==.Aw18aQ==?bn=T-7


T9

1232 MJ of Health (107% that of my FDL)
496 T Cargo Capacity

http://coriolis.io/outfit/type_9_he...a0303020227.Iw18eQ==.Aw18eQ==?bn=Beefy Trader
 
Tried a mission again this morning, my issue isn't with the AI and how they fly, i'm in a A grade FAS and I know they have pretty crap 5 rated shields but any NPC seems to blow through them instantly, if I hit a shield cell the first time I take fire, shields are gone before the cell starts to regen the shield, might is well just do away without Shield Gen seems to be pointless atm on any ship I fly. Something seems off with either player shields or the firepower of the NPC, like I said no issue with how the NPC's fly now.
 
It seems the Bad Guys are all out of smaller, less capable ships.
9 out of 10 times I'm bounced, it's an Elite Anaconda. I'm hauling cargo and no way to get close to winning a fight with it.
 
Tried a mission again this morning, my issue isn't with the AI and how they fly, i'm in a A grade FAS and I know they have pretty crap 5 rated shields but any NPC seems to blow through them instantly, if I hit a shield cell the first time I take fire, shields are gone before the cell starts to regen the shield, might is well just do away without Shield Gen seems to be pointless atm on any ship I fly. Something seems off with either player shields or the firepower of the NPC, like I said no issue with how the NPC's fly now.


The FAS has crap shields because it has amazing dexterity. Use it right, and you won't take any fire at all. FAS is not a shield tank, or any other kind of tank. It's a warbird. A oversized dogfighter. Kind of like the Vulture, but with more guns, more speed, and better turning radius, yet somehow larger...
 
I asked this a couple of weeks ago, but now that the AI has been re-rebalanced, are Powerplay interdictions more frequent than they were before 2.1? (I'm still outside the bubble, but within a few thousand LY now.)
 
Traders don't stand and fight. Fighters do. There is a key difference in playstyles here, and a single NPC difficulty level could accommodate both playstyles. Traders don't need to be able to take a lot of damage.

But in fact you can spec them quite easily to take way more damage than a combat fitted ship and still haul a tremendous amount of cargo:

T6

653 MJ of health (2.5 times my Viper)
85 % of the speed
92 T Cargo Capacity

http://coriolis.io/outfit/type_6_tr...45020127.Iw1-kA==.Aw1-kA==?bn=Blockade Runner


T7

930 MJ of health (1.2 times my Vulture)
208 T Cargo Capacity

http://coriolis.io/outfit/type_7_tr...03030505040403452727.Iw18aQ==.Aw18aQ==?bn=T-7


T9

1232 MJ of Health (107% that of my FDL)
496 T Cargo Capacity

http://coriolis.io/outfit/type_9_he...a0303020227.Iw18eQ==.Aw18eQ==?bn=Beefy Trader


Yeah Because especially new Players Generally Start out with Tons of Money to Add high Grade Shields and Extra Equipment.
Especially Turrets which Cost the most out of all Weapons. "insert Facepalm Picture here"



See Mate.
Just now.
Just before I logged out for Today and gave this Forum a Check for the Evening.

I did an Novice Ranked Trade Mission.
Yep Novice Ranked.
Some Fast Cash and an Material before I go to Bed.

And in this NOVICE Trade Mission.
Which was to Source 12 Beryllium.

And which I am very Glad I used my Python to Fly.
I got Interdicted 3 Times.

1. By an Viper MK4 Ok not so Bad.
2. By an Vulture which was Master Rank and did the Usual Orbiting that NPCs can do now.
3. By another Vulture which was Deadly Rank and was Grilling the Heck out of my Shields using Beam Lasers.


Now the Good Thing is.
I am not a Novice.
I am         Combat Equipped Python with 32 Cargo Space just to give you an Idea of whats not in my Compartments.

And Sorry.
But if you Seriously Claim that an Novice Trade Mission which will usually be Done by People in (lets be Generous) A Type 6 or maybe just maybe an Low Grade Equipped ASP Explorer or an Cobra.
Is Supposed to Survive this.



Guys.
For Heavens Sake.

Stop Measuring Things by using yourself as the Scaling.


If I compare current Difficulty to my Fully Combat Equipped Python I wont really have a Problem with it Either.
But.

In this Game there is Tons of People who dont have the Money for Fully Equipping their Ships.
Who have no Combat Experience.
Who have no Combat Ships.
And who dont want to do Combat in the First Place.



Of Course I can Equip even an T9 to be Combat Ready.
I mean hey the Current NPCs will Still      you because they just Down your Shield in few Seconds and then take out your FSD from 4km away.
But yes you can Survive it.

But Guys.
Not everyone has Access to this Stuff.



Maybe you Forgot it.
But this is not some Multiplayer Game with Seperate Levels.
Where you on lvl 50 Face your own Enemies on Lvl Number 50 and the New Guys Face lvl 1
Its Open World. So the Lvl 1 Sidewinder and Hauler which is just trying to make its few Credits.
Is Interdicted by the Same Goddamn Master Rank Vulture that will Interdict you if you got Cargo.



Sorry.
but my Opinion Stands.
The Current AI Difficulty is Game Breaking for anyone but the Combat Oriented Players.
Its Turning the Game into an Spaceshooter. And this will Cost us Tons of Users because not Everyone wants to Play Spaceshooters.
 
Yeah Because especially new Players Generally Start out with Tons of Money to Add high Grade Shields and Extra Equipment.
Especially Turrets which Cost the most out of all Weapons... not Everyone wants to Play Spaceshooters.


The cheapest build runs at ~7 million CR. That can be earned in a few hours of running missions in a sidewinder.

The weapons on these builds are 100% optional. In fact, I don't even mount them 90% of the time. Feel free to remove them completely. HRPs are also an extremely cheap alternative until you can afford bulkheads.

For some reason you seem to be under the illusion that you need a fully kitted combat python to deliver 8 T of cargo safely. Frankly this is not a realistic appraisal of the level of danger in the game. If you want to keep believing you need to be a combat god to survive as a trader, go ahead. No one is stopping you. My advice is for people that are looking for realistic solutions to realistic problems.
 
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