Too bad you don't get it. Players shouldn't have to handicap themselves to find a challenge.
Possible to have HARD elite NPCs at CNBs/HazRez/HighCZ/piratelords?
- Thread starter sb413197
- Start date
Too bad you don't get it. Players shouldn't have to handicap themselves to find a challenge.
But if you play Elite long enough, you will realize that a lot of the game is player-driven, rather than developer-driven.
The game becomes a platform for other activities such as Fuel Ratting, PvP, piracy.
Many of us prefer it that way.
So while I'm handicapping myself by playing with a harder ship, I am ultimately going to 'git gud' (well, hopefully I will). A month ago, I couldn't hit the side of a barn with my PAs. Now I can tickle it.
Rails...I hate them.
I'm happily playing the game by setting my own challenges, how happy are you with ED ?.
Troy_McClure
Banned
How cool would it be to read salty post after salty post of explorers being destroyed randomly out in the black by the Thargoids?
Ahhh I'd certainly raise a glass to our green bug friends/overlords for all those systems, ELWs, WWs I came across while on Palin's 5k grind that had already been discovered! Oh yes, I certainly added a few names to my KoS list on that trip!
Why not? It's no different to a manual difficulty slider.
Let's be honest here. The first problem with difficulty in this game is that resistance stacking via shield booster mods is ludicrously overpowered in PvE and needs to be nerfed (will never happen, though). Once you have your shields sufficiently modded, you are basically invincible against any reasonable NPC opposition. This is especially a problem on ships with lots of utility mounts.
These days, I usually only take my FdL out when I want to grind combat rank. Even with only four boosters it is now ludicrously hard to kill (for NPC's, anyway... players I'm certain would find ways without much trouble). If I am looking for a challenge, my combat Courier provides that for me.
The problem with asking for harder NPC's is... what do the players who don't have Horizons do?
These days, I usually only take my FdL out when I want to grind combat rank. Even with only four boosters it is now ludicrously hard to kill (for NPC's, anyway... players I'm certain would find ways without much trouble). If I am looking for a challenge, my combat Courier provides that for me.
The problem with asking for harder NPC's is... what do the players who don't have Horizons do?
Last edited:
The idea that good combat pilots should skip game content in order to create a false challenge is lazy and short-sighted at best.
The "fun" of a challenging fight is in fighting an aggressive and intelligent opponent, not flying something that underperforms. People are not understanding what the actual complaint is.
I would love for things like High-density CZ's, Haz-RES's, or CNB's had much smarter better-performing AI. I'm not too optimistic though. There's too many players who would complain that it's too hard - and entirely ignore that they don't have to go in there.
The "fun" of a challenging fight is in fighting an aggressive and intelligent opponent, not flying something that underperforms. People are not understanding what the actual complaint is.
I would love for things like High-density CZ's, Haz-RES's, or CNB's had much smarter better-performing AI. I'm not too optimistic though. There's too many players who would complain that it's too hard - and entirely ignore that they don't have to go in there.
Game sliders are game mechanics as well.
You're buffing your ship, so sure - if you want the same level of challenge you once enjoyed, don't buff your ship. I don't see any bad game balance. Instead I see players wanting it both ways - buffed ships and buffed AI which puts you right back to where you were.
But that's not what's historically happened in ED. AI has X amount of intelligence. All that changes is how much damage they can take, and how effective their weapons are. The docking computer cannot even dock your ship right, how do you expect AI pilots to be able to out maneuver you? The AI already has game abilities that aren't available to players.
When you engineered your ship, did you become a better pilot? Probably you just gained the ability to survive more mistakes, and to kill ships faster (along with the other things like range and engine speed/sensors). The only difference I've seen between harmless NPCs and elite ones is their loadouts. They all seem to fight basically the same way though, at least nothing different enough to make me think they are better pilots than the harmless.
Improving your ship will improve your firepower, acceleration, agility, speed, or defenses. Improving the AI would mean AI that doesn't only try to suicidally face-tank you, AI that tries to avoid fire, AI that tried to get in your blind spots, AI that will run if low on health. Those are two vastly different things.
No. I've been in betas with much better AI. People cried that it was too hard (often people who hadn't actually played the beta), and the AI got a lobotomy.
I am very happy with ED but I also think that the OP makes a good point. It shouldn't be set aside simply because players can make things harder for themselves.
I apologise for the confrontational tone of my first post. It was just my gut reaction to the dismissive way people are treating the OP's suggestion. I do like the idea of having some areas with harder AI. Personally, I'd like to see FD pull out all the stops and make them as difficult as possible (without cheating).
Just a thought, but what if FD were to put together a few of the larger ships that have perfect god-rolls (if that's the right term) with everything maxed out and create a new Dangerous/Deadly Res site where these ships would randomly appear. Sometimes in wings.
Make these NPCs so OP'd that no matter what the player has in their ship it will take everything they have, and a bit of luck to beat them. Or maybe better still, have aliens randomly drop into these new sites with new uber powerful weps and shields that are near impossible to beat one-on-one.
I would stay the heck away, but for those with the really powerful ships it could be entertaining.
Make these NPCs so OP'd that no matter what the player has in their ship it will take everything they have, and a bit of luck to beat them. Or maybe better still, have aliens randomly drop into these new sites with new uber powerful weps and shields that are near impossible to beat one-on-one.
I would stay the heck away, but for those with the really powerful ships it could be entertaining.
Last edited:
Ok.
My Mildy Engineered Anaconda (1800mj of shields, zero armour), 20t of highest value cargo in market at the time.
Dropping in to a HAZ RES timeline;
0:00:- waiting on a spawn.
0:10:- several pirates approach simultaneously for a scan, I scan them.
0:20:- pirates demand cargo, I open fire.
0:30:- all hell breaks lose. Fun!
2:00:- I'm waiting for more targets.
2:30:- pirate spawn rare is slower than I'm killing them.
Admittedly, all hell breaking lose is fun, but it literally only lasts 2 minutes, until everything is under control. If they could keep the spawning rate as high as when you arrive, where on to a winner.
Although, luring them to me is probably no what FD intended. Lol
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
Ok.
My Mildy Engineered Anaconda (1800mj of shields, zero armour), 20t of highest value cargo in market at the time.
Dropping in to a HAZ RES timeline;
0:00:- waiting on a spawn.
0:10:- several pirates approach simultaneously for a scan, I scan them.
0:20:- pirates demand cargo, I open fire.
0:30:- all hell breaks lose. Fun!
2:00:- I'm waiting for more targets.
2:30:- pirate spawn rare is slower than I'm killing them.
Admittedly, all hell breaking lose is fun, but it literally only lasts 2 minutes, until everything is under control. If they could keep the spawning rate as high as when you arrive, where on to a winner.
Although, luring them to me is probably no what FD intended. Lol
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
I accidentally did something similar in that I dropped into a CNB and forgot that I had cargo in the hold. My ship is only partially engineered as well, although I have more shields than your Anaconda.
The place was full of ships, and everyone started scanning me. It quickly became like a dozen or more against one. When I realized that everyone was shooting at me, and me only, it got a little interesting there for a while. Managed to kill most of the initial spawn, but then I noticed a FAS or FGS in the mix and a couple of condas. I had not seen condas in a CNB before, but this was only my third attempt at one. OK...
Things started going downhill after that, and as I too have no armor upgrades I bailed before my shields collapsed.
That was a bit too intense for me. It would probably be fun for the fully engineered folks though.
Thanks for this, this is what I am VERY MUCH hoping will happen. Forced on no one but available for those who want the challenge!
I won't lie, carrying cargo in to a CNB or HazRES, is incredibly fun and challenging, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a laugh.
But only until you've dealt with the initial spawn. After that, you only get a slow trickle of pirates, maybe 1 to 3 at a time, and doesn't feel any different to not carrying cargo, except the pirates don't wander off after they scan you. Lol
I only carry 1 SCB in the military slot on my Anaconda, and I usually have to use it once during the initial spawn. But half the time I forget it's there at all.
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
I won't lie, carrying cargo in to a CNB or HazRES, is incredibly fun and challenging, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a laugh.
But only until you've dealt with the initial spawn. After that, you only get a slow trickle of pirates, maybe 1 to 3 at a time, and doesn't feel any different to not carrying cargo, except the pirates don't wander off after they scan you. Lol
I only carry 1 SCB in the military slot on my Anaconda, and I usually have to use it once during the initial spawn. But half the time I forget it's there at all.
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
In the CNB that I have gone to, the NPC's never entirely go away, and will re-spawn around 3-6 at a time. Sometimes more. It can get pretty intense for me as I don't have the really fancy weps on my ship, just G5 burst and beam lasers, so it takes me a minute or so to take down a conda. If I have bunch of smaller ships all blasting at me while I'm taking on the Big Guy, they can slowly wear down my shields. I don't carry a SCB or heatsinks as I haven't learned how to use them yet.
EDIT: In the scenario I described above, I had the initial spawn down to about 4 or 5 ships, and actually thought I was doing good, when more ships started pouring in. That's when the condas showed up and the pucker factor meter pegged...
Last edited:
or maybe FD love that scene in the last starfighter where the ship just fires everything its got as the big enemy capital ships bears down on it, spinning and shooting in the full 720 degree sphere type thing. good looking in the movie but as the enemy ship passes overhead as i remember.... most of the firepower never hit it lol.