Interdictions - enough is enough

[=71st=RuSh]

Since 1.3 the AI interdictions have been absolutely out of control. Even avoiding PP and not carrying any cargo, it is incessant.

I have yet to actually make it to a friend who needs help while being interdicted because I can't avoid being interdicted by a stupid NPC in a barely-armed Eagle who wants to splatter himself across my Python's windshield for even the 5-15 seconds necessary to do that. It is interfering with the actual gameplay!

Carrying NO cargo, flying a Cobra III, not pledged to a power - interdicted a FEW TIMES PER SYSTEM.

ENOUGH OF THE SPACE ZUBATS!

FD, the game would be far better without having to dust hundreds of useless little ships that wasted my time from my coat tails. This is an epic space journey, and no journey was ever improved by the equivalent of stopping to take a few minutes' break every couple of seconds of actual progression time.


Unless there's a good reason to be interdicted, ie. carrying narcotics in a high-sec system, STOP THE SPAM! It's unbelievably intrusive and irritating. Your NPCs have no weight to them, no presence, because they're all just ants that I dust aside with one sweeping motion. Even the hard ones are still nothing more than a momentary annoyance at most. Do you know why? It's not because they're easy or not unique enough, it's because I have to deal with them EVERY FEW SECONDS. Do you know what happens to peoples' attention when you show them the same thing constantly over and over even when they beg for you to stop? It stops dead. Harder AI would go down a lot better with the community if they didn't have to fight it every nanosecond of game time for no reason or gain.

It's been a year, plenty of others have complained in that time, and nothing has been done about this. It's time for that last bit to change.

I have a python fully upgraded and modded, and can tell you that the interdictions are for anything you have: materials, cargo, missions, anything! ... I can make my way out fighting, but in your case with a cobra is difficult.

The best is, during the jumps to destination, always submit your ship to any interdiction, in order to have cool the FSD, and can high wake quickly.

If you are recharging, keep closer to the sun as possible, looking for any ship thats try to get your six!

While in HC to a planet or station, filter the left MFD destinations to SYSTEMS, in order to select quickly the nearest SYSTEM and jump if interdicted

If it's possible try to find friends/private groups that can fly with you in group

 

[WreckWren]

I have a python fully upgraded and modded, and can tell you that the interdictions are for anything you have: materials, cargo, missions, anything! ... I can make my way out fighting, but in your case with a cobra is difficult.

The best is, during the jumps to destination, always submit your ship to any interdiction, in order to have cool the FSD, and can high wake quickly.

If you are recharging, keep closer to the sun as possible, looking for any ship thats try to get your six!

While in HC to a planet or station, filter the left MFD destinations to SYSTEMS, in order to select quickly the nearest SYSTEM and jump if interdicted

If it's possible try to find friends/private groups that can fly with you in group

I appreciate the sentiment but as I've said a couple times I mainly fly a Python, not a Cobra, and I have between 550-650 hours in-game plus well over a year lurking on here. I've heard all the tips and tricks before several times.

I am complaining about NPC interdictions, knowing full well the best methods to avoid them. I am saying that the interdictions are spammed to often, not that we need more ways to avoid them. There are simply too many instances of them happening in the game. It's unrealistic, it's lazy of the developers, it massively negatively impacts the game and it's all for literally absolutely nothing.

 

[Lendri]

I just wish I could open fire on any nasty person who pulls me out of supercruise without having to wait for them to throw the first punch. Interdiction is a hostile act and should count as the first blow in a fight. Cops? They can announce themselves as such before pulling me over.

 

[ForeverN00b]

@ Wreck (quote function not cooperating), FD does fix things from time to time, such as the star filter for plotting in the galmap. They fixed the OP bugged NPC weapons in the 2.1 beta. They reduced the engineers grind to a manageable level....don't give up hope!

@71st...hi waking isn't always a good option, especially when you are in your destination system. Hi waking out and back in sometimes puts you back to square one. My personal adaptation to this is to skullf@#k any NPC who interdicts me. Hence my dead cop antectdote.

I will agree that the buggy interdiction tunnel needs work....with so much spam we shouldn't have to rely on FD servers when their servers can't even handle the mission boards.

 

[WreckWren]

I just wish I could open fire on any nasty person who pulls me out of supercruise without having to wait for them to throw the first punch. Interdiction is a hostile act and should count as the first blow in a fight. Cops? They can announce themselves as such before pulling me over.

I like this. Interdiction should definitely be considered a hostile act.

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@ Wreck (quote function not cooperating), FD does fix things from time to time, such as the star filter for plotting in the galmap. They fixed the OP bugged NPC weapons in the 2.1 beta. They reduced the engineers grind to a manageable level....don't give up hope!

@71st...hi waking isn't always a good option, especially when you are in your destination system. Hi waking out and back in sometimes puts you back to square one. My personal adaptation to this is to skullf@#k any NPC who interdicts me. Hence my dead cop antectdote.

I will agree that the buggy interdiction tunnel needs work....with so much spam we shouldn't have to rely on FD servers when their servers can't even handle the mission boards.

I know what you mean, however this particular brand of furore is driven by FD's combined silence & inactivity on the issue for the entire time it has been present. Issues were raised during 1.3 beta and post-release and were largely outright ignored by FD.

FD has not shown any evidence whatsoever, at any point, that they are looking or have looked into anything even remotely related to improving interdictions or the still-inconceivably-bad instancing system. This is just comically unacceptable from a company that has charged players $160AUD to be up to date.

 

[=71st=RuSh]

@ Wreck (quote function not cooperating), FD does fix things from time to time, such as the star filter for plotting in the galmap. They fixed the OP bugged NPC weapons in the 2.1 beta. They reduced the engineers grind to a manageable level....don't give up hope!

@71st...hi waking isn't always a good option, especially when you are in your destination system. Hi waking out and back in sometimes puts you back to square one. My personal adaptation to this is to skullf@#k any NPC who interdicts me. Hence my dead cop antectdote.

I will agree that the buggy interdiction tunnel needs work....with so much spam we shouldn't have to rely on FD servers when their servers can't even handle the mission boards.

I agree, but it's difficult with a Cobra, that's all I said. With my python I fought all them and later collected the reward!

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I like this. Interdiction should definitely be considered a hostile act.

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I know what you mean, however this particular brand of furore is driven by FD's combined silence & inactivity on the issue for the entire time it has been present. Issues were raised during 1.3 beta and post-release and were largely outright ignored by FD.

FD has not shown any evidence whatsoever, at any point, that they are looking or have looked into anything even remotely related to improving interdictions or the still-inconceivably-bad instancing system. This is just comically unacceptable from a company that has charged players $160AUD to be up to date.

Agree! unless you are WANTED

 

[WreckWren]

I agree, but it's difficult with a Cobra, that's all I said. With my python I fought all them and later collected the reward!

I'm sorry CMDR, I misunderstood you.

 

[ForeverN00b]

Afaik interdiction was always a hostile act (in any system where it mattered), so I never hesitated to open fire. The cops should definitely send a comms message if they want to scan me.

@71st, I agree, your best bet in a Cobra is to evade or hi wake in most cases

 

[Cosmos]

I must admit its become something of a nuisance. When 2.1 was released and the NPCs were a LOT more tasty with full on engineer mods it created for some much needed jeopardy that we hadn't had in game before. I remember having to run for the first time in the game and I quite liked that.

Over time though the repetitve nature of the interdictions has resulted in a feeling of it being little more than a pest. It feels very much what it is, regularly spawned bots to underdict us, with the ship and rank of it being determined by our own rank. Bit too gamey that.

I think whats missing is context and variety and perhaps the interdictions are a little too frequent. You may expect to be hounded if you had a huge galactic bounty on your head or were trading through very dangerous territory. The implementation of how these interdictions goes needs some more thought and a bit of a rework.

These days I can cut through anything thats sent my way easily but very often just leave them and jump away. I suppose I'[ve just learnt to deal with it and it doesn't bother me that much any more.

 

[Alderius]

I've just completed a few long range boom delivery missions in my Python, fairly loaded up, about 25 jumps to destination. In two round trips only 3 interdictions, and I don't even bother trying the mini-game anymore as it's probably 90% loss rate. I just do the drop out and boost away routine. I did have a clipper interdict me a while ago and he was too fast to run from, so I decided to have some fun and dropped mines until he blew up. So a 3% interdiction rate is what I'm experiencing, and dealing with them is reasonable, not seeing the same issues as you are......

 

[Lendri]

Afaik interdiction was always a hostile act (in any system where it mattered), so I never hesitated to open fire. The cops should definitely send a comms message if they want to scan me.

If I open fire first in a lawful system, I get WANTED for assault. I have to wait for the **** who interdicted me to get first blood if I want to fight. Surely this is the same for everyone.

 

[Otherwhere]

Yeah, the interdiction itself should constitute an attack. If you're a cop/sys security, you've got cause (I hope!), and I likely won't open fire on you. Anyone else, you've made a hostile act and I'm entitled to defend myself.

 

[howardtay]

NPC's are extremly stupid.

Yesterday I was delivering cargo (not illegal stuff) to a station over 3,000LS in my fully A rated Python this how the interdictions went:-

1st Interdiction - Elite Anaconda 'going to boil me up', I don't fight, so I started to boost (mass locked) but eventually engaged my FSD, no shield loss his laser weapons and heat missiles never touched me, I'm too fast for most NPC's

2nd Interdiction - Same Elite Anaconda 'going to boil me up', same process as before, no shield loss

3rd Interdiction - Same Elite Anaconda 'going to boil me up', same process as before, no shield loss

This happened a total of 6 times (same Elite Anaconda) on this one trip, that's six interdictions on my way to this one station, a human player would have given up after the second attempt, this is just plain stupid!

Now, I expect to get interdicted some times, and sometimes I will turn and fight, depends how I feel, usually I win or if not I run and I have been destroyed a few times (probavbly my fault) and I suppose that's the name of the game, but this constant interdiction by stupid NPC's is just plain STUPID! (I wish I could think of a better way to describe this, but the words I'm thinking of may course offence) This is a total waste of my time, now I know some commanders will disagree and say it's part of the game, but c'mon!!!

I am an Elite Trader so I expect Elite NPC's, I'm also Rear Admiral with the Federation, so I am busy out making credits so that I can afford to purchase and A rate a Federal Corvette, and this is taking forever, I will get there eventually, but these multiple interdictions will make it take even longer, please FD make the NPC's give up after the 1st or second failed interdiction.

 

[Otherwhere]

If it was a mission generated NPC, they won't stop until you destroy them.

I had one who stopped me, and I escaped. He stopped me again, so I turned to fight. I got him down to 37% hull, and he escaped. I resumed my journey, he interdicted me again - and he's back to 100% hull! Yeah - very badly done mechanic. Especially with the instancing system and no persistence for NPCs.

 

[LameoveR]

complains against game mechanics - enough is enough.

 

[howardtay]

If the mechanics are broken we have a perfect right to complain and to voice our concerns especially regarding these constant interdicting NPC's. So called 'Get Gud' commanders tell us (not great at combat players) the only way to survive is to run, so this is exactly what I'm doing, the constant interdiction problem has been happening ever since 2.1 along with Super weaponed NPC's and FD realised that the super weapons were too much and it was a bug so they fixed it in an update, all I'm asking is that they fix the constant interdiction, I'm asking why FD can't make it so that if an NPC fails to engage a target after the first or second attempt then the NPC should give up and find another different target,because they ain't going to catch me, and continuing the pursuit is just pointless and a total waste of valuable time, I play only in Solo, if they want to keep it in Open then I don't have a problem as I never go into open play. So constan interdictions, enough is enough!

 

[CMDR Minion Blob]

Do you carry even dormant bounties from another system(s)? All those will mean you'll be targeted by BH NPCs in addition to Pirate NPCs. If you stack missions--where they warned that "hostile ships maybe sent against you" each of those will increase chances of multiple interceptions. Then there are the "mission-generated" NPCs as someone on the thread earlier referred to them; these will insta-interdict as soon as you drop out of witch-space.

As things stand it's better you destroy them then continuing to evade since ultimately you won't be able to escape for long unless you H-Jump to a different system but that only starts the timer up again by a different NPC.

For now the only alternative strategy I could suggest would be ground-based missions. These can be fun and--so far--guaranteed to be interdiction-free (although you could get attacked during planetary approach or even after landing as long as you stay in your ship)...

 

[SamIAm]

If it was a mission generated NPC, they won't stop until you destroy them.

I had one who stopped me, and I escaped. He stopped me again, so I turned to fight. I got him down to 37% hull, and he escaped. I resumed my journey, he interdicted me again - and he's back to 100% hull! Yeah - very badly done mechanic. Especially with the instancing system and no persistence for NPCs.

THIS... Had the same experience with a dangerous rated Python vs. my A-rated Python. Got his hull to 40% when he turned and went back to SC so I continued to my destination, only to have him interdict me again. Submitted knowing I can easily finish him off, only to find he was 100% and full shields. Wow! Not fun.

 

[Darius Brinn]

Weird. I've made around 150 millions in Sothis these days. I was interdicted TWICE in total. In several days/weeks.

First time it was something I couldn't fight. I boosted away, highwaked and was never seen again.

Yesterday it was a Competent Vulture that lasted 5 seconds against my Python.

I find interdictions to be a non-issue at all. Even with 20 missions accepted at the same time.

 

[howardtay]

I am not concerned with interdiction in general, I can choose not to accept missions that are prone to Elite interdiction, I like to be interdicted occasionally, what I have a problem with is the interdiction that continues on and on by the same NPC until you manage to get to the station, the NPC in general is usually an Elite Anaconda that my A rated Python can't hope to survive against ( I know I've tried) even with 3 beams and 2 Multicannons (and I used to have 2 Seeker Missile Pods) if I decided to take him on, so I boost out. I can usually kill everything else including other Pythons, but the Elite Anaconda seems to be out to get me, and this has been the case since the 2.1 update, is it me???

I do not have any bounties, dormant or otherwise, I am allied with the Federation (100%) and the Empire (93%) and friendly with all the other factions, I am not in, or go near any Anarchy systems. I am trading from a high tech station to another high tech station.

I am currently only trading until I have enough credits to buy my fully equiped Federal Corvette, which will then become my A Rated, tanked out combat ship, and then it will be my time to annihilate these Elite NPC Anaconda's! That's going to be a joy...

But I don't have a problem with other NPC's, those I can handle, usually.