NPCs need to be reworked and be an actual threat.

[Suteksio]

Since the engineers most if not all NPCs have become cannon fodder. Doesn't matter what you do, CZs, HazRES, assassination missions, you name it. When you start firing from your fully engineered ship with G5 overcharged weapons with special effects any NPC dies in a few seconds and it doesn't feel right.

Today I moved to a system with a stock, A rated ship and I started playing there doing some missions for the local factions, dropping at the USSs, taking a look at the RES in the system, etc. And it was a LOT of fun. I dropped at a Weapons Fire USS threat 4 and there were 3 vultures waiting there and I had to low wake away. Took a mission to kill a pirate lord and I met a deadly Anaconda who breached my canopy and dropped my hull to 12% before dying. It was fun because it was challenging.

So I really think NPCs need to be rebalanced. Elite single NPCs should give you a hard time and put up a good fight, HazRes should be really dangerous places and CZs should be overkill to a single player and only manageable in a wing. I don't know how this could be done, maybe improving AI flight, adding them engineer mods. I've read there was a patch that made the AI overkill, that could be a good start. Give wings to the AI programmers!

Maybe add mods based on their rank, so a competent NPC has a few mods and average flying skills and a Elite pilot has a fully engineered ship with G5 mods on all modules and the flying skills of a killing machine high on midichlorians.

What do you all think?

 

[shadragon]

So the FAS who jumped my Python last night, launched a fighter, dropped my shields and melted my hull from 40% to 0% with two PA hits at point blank range isn't hard enough?

The 4 mil rebuy would disagree.

 

[SaliVader]

So the FAS who jumped my Python last night, launched a fighter, dropped my shields and melted my hull from 40% to 0% with two PA hits at point blank range isn't hard enough?

The 4 mil rebuy would disagree.

The FAS can't fit a fighter bay.

 

[DefiledDragon]

The problem is that heavily engineered ships such as yours share the same gamespace as non engineered ships, like mine. If the challenge of the NPC's were levelled to give your ship(s) a challenge they would likely destroy me in no time. The answer is more intelligent spawns that take into account the capability of the players ship rather than just their combat rank.

 

[Suteksio]

So the FAS who jumped my Python last night, launched a fighter, dropped my shields and melted my hull from 40% to 0% with two PA hits at point blank range isn't hard enough?

The 4 mil rebuy would disagree.

I've seen that happen too, the odd overpowered NPC that curbstomps you in the most horrible way, but they are not very common.

 

[ShimEnki]

So the FAS who jumped my Python last night, launched a fighter, dropped my shields and melted my hull from 40% to 0% with two PA hits at point blank range isn't hard enough?

The 4 mil rebuy would disagree.

I agree!

Leave the npcs alone already and let them finally move on to new ground!

I do admit though, there seems to be a heck of a lot of harmless cobras and sideys around, even in Anarchy---Its as if the npc's defaulted paying the feds and are receiving no more replacement ships, FAS and FDS's seem to be ever so rare unless you carry mod terminals as bait, or flying a T9...that seems to draw them out!

 

[c00ky1970]

Maybe some sort of comparable threat is presented.

So if you are flying a standard in-engineered ship you get un-engineered NPC's with the odd Enginnered one to keep you on your toes.

With engineered ships, the more your ship has shield and weapon buffs the more common the NPC opposition has the equivalent.

That way all players get to experience a challenge without the experience lopsided towards the min-max engineered Frankenstein monsters some dedicated players have tweaked.

 

[Suteksio]

The problem is that heavily engineered ships such as yours share the same gamespace as non engineered ships, like mine. If the challenge of the NPC's were levelled to give your ship(s) a challenge they would likely destroy me in no time. The answer is more intelligent spawns that take into account the capability of the players ship rather than just their combat rank.

Maybe some sort of comparable threat is presented.

So if you are flying a standard in-engineered ship you get un-engineered NPC's with the odd Enginnered one to keep you on your toes.

With engineered ships, the more your ship has shield and weapon buffs the more common the NPC opposition has the equivalent.

That way all players get to experience a challenge without the experience lopsided towards the min-max engineered Frankenstein monsters some dedicated players have tweaked.

I like this. I'm tempted to start playing with stock ships without engineering combat modules.

 

[Midian27]

I've seen that happen too, the odd overpowered NPC that curbstomps you in the most horrible way, but they are not very common.

Yeah can't say I've ever seen that. Once you figure out all the games little quirks that aren't documented anywhere decently... there really isn't any challenge. Unless you are a potato...

 

[viper666]

The game needs to cater for all pilots of varying ability. As there is no difficulty setting, FD need to be very careful with NPC ability. Maybe as part of special missions to take down a pirate lord, they could add harder ships to fight, but in general, nope.

 

[Hooplah]

I disagree with another NPC skill change. The programming currently takes into account a player's combat rating and increases the danger accordingly with Deadly and Elite NPCs having access to engineered weapons and all of them having better maneuvering and shield replenishment. Generally increasing the NPC skills for experienced pilots looking for more challenge effects too many players who have difficulties with them as is. As you have discovered one can easily degrade a ship to non-engineered stock and also with less effective weapons to increase this challenge. In doing so one can become even better at combat maneuvering and defensive skills. Sounds like a valid beginning path for seriously upgrading to the real challenge with live players in PvP. Thus a win-win for everyone.

 

[smiths121]

Well to be fair in my mining T-7 not all NPCs are cannon fodder.

I personally liked 2.1 broken NPCs, had to run a lot!

Simon

 

[Gunnet]

The problem is that heavily engineered ships such as yours share the same gamespace as non engineered ships, like mine. If the challenge of the NPC's were levelled to give your ship(s) a challenge they would likely destroy me in no time. The answer is more intelligent spawns that take into account the capability of the players ship rather than just their combat rank.

This. Fully engineered NPCs need to be a part of the game, but throwing them in carelessly would be devastating for anybody who hasn't already engineered themselves.

 

[eraktor]

Maybe some sort of comparable threat is presented.

So if you are flying a standard in-engineered ship you get un-engineered NPC's with the odd Enginnered one to keep you on your toes.

With engineered ships, the more your ship has shield and weapon buffs the more common the NPC opposition has the equivalent.

That way all players get to experience a challenge without the experience lopsided towards the min-max engineered Frankenstein monsters some dedicated players have tweaked.

How would this work in an instance with more than one player, or take players' actual talent into account? There are players who deliberately fly with less-than-optimal loadouts to impose additional challenge for themselves. Someone apparently Harmless CMDR might be an Elite combat pilot who just reset their save data. Rubberband difficulty scaling can lead to combat feeling very bland; no matter how you are equipped, every fight is equally hard or easy, and a "standardised" level of challenge is likely not enjoyable for the high and low extremes of player skill spectrum.

 

[ShimEnki]

I disagree with another NPC skill change. The programming currently takes into account a player's combat rating and increases the danger accordingly with Deadly and Elite NPCs having access to engineered weapons and all of them having better maneuvering and shield replenishment. Generally increasing the NPC skills for experienced pilots looking for more challenge effects too many players who have difficulties with them as is. As you have discovered one can easily degrade a ship to non-engineered stock and also with less effective weapons to increase this challenge. In doing so one can become even better at combat maneuvering and defensive skills. Sounds like a valid beginning path for seriously upgrading to the real challenge with live players in PvP. Thus a win-win for everyone.

Well said cmdr +1

 

[Stealthie]

Since the engineers most if not all NPCs have become cannon fodder. Doesn't matter what you do, CZs, HazRES, assassination missions, you name it. When you start firing from your fully engineered ship with G5 overcharged weapons with special effects any NPC dies in a few seconds and it doesn't feel right.

Today I moved to a system with a stock, A rated ship and I started playing there doing some missions for the local factions, dropping at the USSs, taking a look at the RES in the system, etc. And it was a LOT of fun. I dropped at a Weapons Fire USS threat 4 and there were 3 vultures waiting there and I had to low wake away. Took a mission to kill a pirate lord and I met a deadly Anaconda who breached my canopy and dropped my hull to 12% before dying. It was fun because it was challenging.

So I really think NPCs need to be rebalanced. Elite single NPCs should give you a hard time and put up a good fight, HazRes should be really dangerous places and CZs should be overkill to a single player and only manageable in a wing. I don't know how this could be done, maybe improving AI flight, adding them engineer mods. I've read there was a patch that made the AI overkill, that could be a good start. Give wings to the AI programmers!

Maybe add mods based on their rank, so a competent NPC has a few mods and average flying skills and a Elite pilot has a fully engineered ship with G5 mods on all modules and the flying skills of a killing machine high on midichlorians.

What do you all think?

I think if you want more of a challenge you could forego all the engineered weapons.

 

[Aereon Theed]

A lot of the time I see people complaining about things like NPC's and the missions. You all want new game content, but you also want the current content to change continuously, and re-evolve as your own skill base evolves. Which is it? Focus on new additions that expand the game, or keep re-working the already existing systems that are generally seen as functional?

 

[Smecca is BMFE]

Even in a non engineered ship, no NPC is even remotely a challenge. This is of course considering you have a decent ship and can manage an effective loadout.

I for one am ALLLLLLL for a having a "special breed" of NPC's in this game. They would have heavily engineered ships and have their tactics beefed up by a large margian. Ever play Dark Souls and get invaded by an NPC? Yea, kinda like that.

This could work for crime and punishment as well as player ranking. King rank in the empire? Badass federal NPCs attack you randomly. Got a huge bounty on your head? Same thing. They should be so deadly that the player leaving or dying should happen at least a third of the time.

 

[Comrade Napoleon]

The Hi Rez I was in tonight in my 'Conda had plenty Engineered ships, not many with fighters, but modded weps, for sure. But they are not the most dangerous, the ones that interdict you can be very, very nasty. So avoid interdictions

Cheers Cmdr's

 

[Suteksio]

A lot of the time I see people complaining about things like NPC's and the missions. You all want new game content, but you also want the current content to change continuously, and re-evolve as your own skill base evolves. Which is it? Focus on new additions that expand the game, or keep re-working the already existing systems that are generally seen as functional?

But I'm not complaining. I shared my experiences, how I feel about the AI difficulty and asked the forum how they feel about it.

Anyways, I think I've found the solution at least for me.

I like this. I'm tempted to start playing with stock ships without engineering combat modules.