Horizons Impossible to play this game for me any longer...

Every time I fly somewhere for trading, literally every time, I get interdicted by something that I can't beat in my Adder. Now, I am crappy combat pilot, due to brain damage I am partially blind and I can't see my UI and look at where I am flying at the same time. I don't want to do combat, I avoid it like the plague, but nowadays it is impossible, I get interdicted constantly by bigger ships and I can't escape them. When I try to go mining I am always joined by some ship that attacks me even when I am not in or near a extraction site.

I know that to a lot of players it makes the universe feel more alive, but to me it just means I can't play this game anymore on my low-level account. I just got killed 3 times in a row trying to deliver some trade missions, twice I got interdicted by 2 NPC's right after each other in the same system, I escape the first interdiction and am immediately interdicted by the other and then the first NPC jumps in the fight as well...

I have 2 accounts, one is currently exploring in my Anaconda, the other is trying to earn some money trading, mining, etc. I earned my Anaconda by pretty much only doing those things, but it is impossible nowadays to do so, you can't choose to just trade and mine, you have to fight all the time.

Frontier needs to realize that some players don't want to do combat and getting interdicted from time to time is fine and keeps it exciting, but it just happens pretty much every single time I try to trade nowadays...
 
I do not remember in the days of the orginal BBC version that game was driven by combat ALONE.

While I am OK at combat is it a last resort, but finding myself draw into it more often.
 
Agreed, every time i take off from a planet with materials or cargo, I get a message from some OP NPC wanting my cargo.
So once i leave SC and head to a station i get interdicted, most of the time i can get away, however today i lost my A rated ASP to a wing of 1 Deadly Pyhton and 1 Deadly Imperial Courier wanting my 1 ton of Semi conductors and 2 tonnes of cobalt.

Then when i have claimed insurance, i take off again with no cargo and get interdicted by a deadly Adder and strips my shields off with 2 hits of i don't know what, this game is really starting to pee me off and is becoming a real chore to play.
 
Agreed, every time i take off from a planet with materials or cargo, I get a message from some OP NPC wanting my cargo.
So once i leave SC and head to a station i get interdicted, most of the time i can get away, however today i lost my A rated ASP to a wing of 1 Deadly Pyhton and 1 Deadly Imperial Courier wanting my 1 ton of Semi conductors and 2 tonnes of cobalt.

Then when i have claimed insurance, i take off again with no cargo and get interdicted by a deadly Adder and strips my shields off with 2 hits of i don't know what, this game is really starting to pee me off and is becoming a real chore to play.

I guess it all comes down to that we earned our ranks in pre 2.1 version. Now that AI is more difficult we haven't have time to adjust. It came out of the blue. I started fresh a few weeks ago and my ranks are rather low now. All my interdictors are harmless or novices. So the game mechanic works best if you start over. Then you have time to adjust for the new AI. How to cope with harmless and novices and from there against better AI. If you don't do it then you have to dive to the deep end.
 
Every time I fly somewhere for trading, literally every time, I get interdicted by something that I can't beat in my Adder. Now, I am crappy combat pilot, due to brain damage I am partially blind and I can't see my UI and look at where I am flying at the same time. I don't want to do combat, I avoid it like the plague, but nowadays it is impossible, I get interdicted constantly by bigger ships and I can't escape them. When I try to go mining I am always joined by some ship that attacks me even when I am not in or near a extraction site.

I know that to a lot of players it makes the universe feel more alive, but to me it just means I can't play this game anymore on my low-level account. I just got killed 3 times in a row trying to deliver some trade missions, twice I got interdicted by 2 NPC's right after each other in the same system, I escape the first interdiction and am immediately interdicted by the other and then the first NPC jumps in the fight as well...

I have 2 accounts, one is currently exploring in my Anaconda, the other is trying to earn some money trading, mining, etc. I earned my Anaconda by pretty much only doing those things, but it is impossible nowadays to do so, you can't choose to just trade and mine, you have to fight all the time.

Frontier needs to realize that some players don't want to do combat and getting interdicted from time to time is fine and keeps it exciting, but it just happens pretty much every single time I try to trade nowadays...

Here you go...

Defensive Piloting #1 - The Escape Route

I made this last week, for just such an occasion!


Watch that, and let me know if you have any questions.
 
Here you go...

Defensive Piloting #1 - The Escape Route

I made this last week, for just such an occasion!


Watch that, and let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for the very clear instructions. That was a very good video for every one who is struggling with interdions. I have usually high waked through navigation panel but that's slow. That next route button is really a life saver. I have to start using that asap.
 
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Yes, that "next route" button is invaluable. But you MUST remember to always pre-set your route-plotted escape jump in advance. Don't just select a system so it has the orange arrow; use the route-plot icon.


I guess it all comes down to that we earned our ranks in pre 2.1 version. Now that AI is more difficult we haven't have time to adjust. It came out of the blue. I started fresh a few weeks ago and my ranks are rather low now. All my interdictors are harmless or novices. So the game mechanic works best if you start over. Then you have time to adjust for the new AI. How to cope with harmless and novices and from there against better AI. If you don't do it then you have to dive to the deep end.

In my opinion, the new AI would only require time for adjustment for players who avoided Open. Open Play CMDRs have been doing this (and a lot more) for 18 months.

I'm not talking about combat-focused Open Play pilots, either. If you're trading, mining, exploring, etc. in Open, you learn how to use the game mechanics and tools to your full advantage, just going from A to B.
 
Yes, that "next route" button is invaluable. But you MUST remember to always pre-set your route-plotted escape jump in advance. Don't just select a system so it has the orange arrow; use the route-plot icon.




In my opinion, the new AI would only require time for adjustment for players who avoided Open. Open Play CMDRs have been doing this (and a lot more) for 18 months.

I'm not talking about combat-focused Open Play pilots, either. If you're trading, mining, exploring, etc. in Open, you learn how to use the game mechanics and tools to your full advantage, just going from A to B.

That's just it. Cmdr's that have been playing in solo or groups have used to certain comfort level. AI patch is shaking those cmdr's the most. But in time things will settle down when cmdr's have enough knowledge to survive.
 
Frontier needs to realize that some players don't want to do combat and getting interdicted from time to time is fine and keeps it exciting, but it just happens pretty much every single time I try to trade nowadays...

This. There are PLENTY of opportunities to get involved in combat if you want to. If you don't - well, you're pretty much screwed.
 
That's just it. Cmdr's that have been playing in solo or groups have used to certain comfort level. AI patch is shaking those cmdr's the most. But in time things will settle down when cmdr's have enough knowledge to survive.

It won't though, will it?

I mean, some people love the new way the AI works, and that's fine.
But if the people playing solo and/or in groups decide to leave because it's not fun anymore, then the only things that will happen are:

  • The complaining about the AI will stop (and FD will assume people are happy the way it is).
  • There will be fewer people playing, since the Solo/PG players will have gone, leading to less cashflow and less development.

Maybe this is by design, but probably not. All I know for sure is that with No Man's Sky coming out in a month or so, and Star Citizen on the way, driving away even a small proportion of your player base isn't the most enlightened way of running the game. I personally have faith that FD will fix it, but then, I have a season pass, so they already have my money... *shrug*
 
Thanks for the link, however i am not a novice to the game, i submitted as usual, full pips to shields as i could not outrun the Python and was massed locked, initiated FSD & boost boost, two hits and shields were down, another two hits and thrusters offline line and goodnight.
 
Frontier needs to realize that some players don't want to do combat and getting interdicted from time to time is fine and keeps it exciting, but it just happens pretty much every single time I try to trade nowadays...

This. There are PLENTY of opportunities to get involved in combat if you want to. If you don't - well, you're pretty much screwed.

It's not about what you want.
The game was designed this way on purpose.

Either adapt, or die. Your choice.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Thanks for the link, however i am not a novice to the game, i submitted as usual, full pips to shields as i could not outrun the Python and was massed locked, initiated FSD & boost boost, two hits and shields were down, another two hits and thrusters offline line and goodnight.

Oddly enough, mines are now the new anti-NPC defence measure. ^^
 
It won't though, will it?

I mean, some people love the new way the AI works, and that's fine.
But if the people playing solo and/or in groups decide to leave because it's not fun anymore, then the only things that will happen are:

  • The complaining about the AI will stop (and FD will assume people are happy the way it is).
  • There will be fewer people playing, since the Solo/PG players will have gone, leading to less cashflow and less development.

Maybe this is by design, but probably not. All I know for sure is that with No Man's Sky coming out in a month or so, and Star Citizen on the way, driving away even a small proportion of your player base isn't the most enlightened way of running the game. I personally have faith that FD will fix it, but then, I have a season pass, so they already have my money... *shrug*

Making AI brain-dead morons again could lose players too.
 
Yes, that "next route" button is invaluable. But you MUST remember to always pre-set your route-plotted escape jump in advance. Don't just select a system so it has the orange arrow; use the route-plot icon.

In my opinion, the new AI would only require time for adjustment for players who avoided Open. Open Play CMDRs have been doing this (and a lot more) for 18 months.

I'm not talking about combat-focused Open Play pilots, either. If you're trading, mining, exploring, etc. in Open, you learn how to use the game mechanics and tools to your full advantage, just going from A to B.

Yeah I think this is the case.

One of the basic requisites of Open play is learning how to get out of a fight you don't want to be in, without resorting to cheating or the ESC key.

This is new to a lot of Solo and safe-zone Private Group players. Fortunately, I can see that many Open players are actively helping others and sharing their knowledge, which is nice to see :)

What isn't so nice to see is the sheer stubbornness some people have when it comes to admitting that they may be at fault. I just don't get that kind of mentality. Whenever I hit a problem - be it in games, at work, or in my personal life - the first thing I ask is what could I have done differently? And nine times out of ten, I find the cause of the problem right there.

I'd like to think that my own willingness to accept my faults and adapt my approach is what's keeping me alive and rich as I run smuggling missions for my faction in a Python.
 

verminstar

Banned
Ok, got off to a shaky start here...literally only came into the game on the eve of this latest update, so I have no experience really with the old dumb AI you guys had before. I'll admit that when it first came out, life as a new player was pretty much intolerable due to being ed by uber NPC with purple lightsabres that eat shields fer snacks. Since the hotfix however, things have calmed down considerably.

I now have an asp explorer with all A and B modules...a vulture that I'm building up when I stop enjoying the asp and a type 6 freighter for trade runs with average sorta stuff B and C mostly...and about 15m in the wallet.

All that was done since the update and I really am a new player...most of my experience with games of this nature are pvp orientated and adapting to a single player game has been tough but certainly not impossible as the op seems to suggest. I've never lost the type 6...have somehow managed to either escape and that's 4 escapes in a row this morning alone so it's not without a degree of risk granted.

I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet by saying "hey look at me I'm brilliant"...I'm just trying to give the perspective of someone who who never had the easy AI sandpit that the majority here had and I'm able to grind up to a decent level in the space of a couple weeks. I barely even know what half you guys are talking about which is why I largely stay away from these forums and while I do play in open, I have yet to see someone actually say hiya in chat. This is truly just an open single player game to me...fer pvp I'll play something else but if this game was easy, I probably wouldn't be sitting here typing this rubbish that nobody will read.

Cya in the black...verm out ^^
 
It's not about what you want.
The game was designed this way on purpose.

Either adapt, or die. Your choice.
I am a customer, I bought this game, liked it and then bought another copy so I could Explore with one account and do the other stuff I like with the other. Then they changed the game in such a way that, for me, the game isn't playable anymore with my second, low-level account. The customer is king isn't he? I knew what I bought but then they changed it... That is like buying a green couch and then finding out that it is painted with a paint that changes color over time...

Here you go...

Defensive Piloting #1 - The Escape Route

I made this last week, for just such an occasion!


Watch that, and let me know if you have any questions.
That is good way of escaping in a Type 9, but I would never arrive at my destination if I just had to jump out every time I am interdicted... Like I said, I am interdicted EVERY time I spend any amount of time in a system, this morning I was interdicted by 2 different NPC's in immediate succession. And when I failed to escape my 2nd interdiction and got pulled out of supercruise the 1st one immediately joined the fight. Now a Type 9 has some beef, an Adder doesn't so if I get interdicted I don't have time to jump away, I am just dead, especially if I am attacked by 2 bigger ships. So I used my insurance, tried again and the exact same thing happened again and both times my Thrusters were disabled at ~30% hull left over. This was my fourth death in a row that morning trying to finish those missions...

The current rate of piracy isn't just annoying for people like me that do not play this game for the combat, it is also completely illogical: what government would manage to stay in power when it does such a horrible job at fighting piracy??
 
What the AI are looking for in targets needs to change, not the AI's level of fight ability. If you're running large amounts of valuable cargo or a risky mission, or you've just        someone in a faction off, then you should get the heat you deserve. But someone running standard missions or trade cargo back and forth, they shouldn't even be a blip on the AI's screen. Where you are also should be a factor, and I think that was/is the intent of the shipping lanes. Follow those routes in a place with security, and not only should the cops show up when you're attacked, but the attacks shouldn't really happen, because of that enforcement. It should be a safe place. Anarchy areas should be the other way around, if you trade in those areas you should watch your back and know you're on your own, but the profits should also reflect that demand and risk.

So it's a lot more than the AI being harder, it's the rest of the game and how the AI interact.
 
...

That is good way of escaping in a Type 9, but I would never arrive at my destination if I just had to jump out every time I am interdicted... Like I said, I am interdicted EVERY time I spend any amount of time in a system, this morning I was interdicted by 2 different NPC's in immediate succession. And when I failed to escape my 2nd interdiction and got pulled out of supercruise the 1st one immediately joined the fight.

That could have been an NPC wing; a pair that "work" together. By high-waking, it breaks the cycle of any "wings" of NPCs having a go at you, and any chained interdictions that can occur if a motivated NPC comes after you.


Also, are you trying to cross an ANARCHY system? Those have massively higher interdiction rates. Be aware of the government of the system, and avoid ANARCHY.

Be aware of the "System Security" level in general. It's listed In the SYSTEM MAP. Low Security is more problematic.
 
+1 Rhaedas. It's overly simplistic. Combat AI is fine. It's the overly and psychotically aggressive NPCs who will pursue you to the death over low value cargo, or no cargo whatsoever, simply because you're "on a mission" and the coding has flagged you as a target.
 
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