Elite Dangerous is the Largest Empty Sandbox Ever Made

[babelfisch]

Oh I'm talking a while back, NPC combat was just farming, SJA promised to give them some teeth, she delivered on her promise, many cried, some asked what a PIP setting was, AI was eventually dialled back again.

The Thargoids definitely pack a punch.

That's not exactly how I remember it.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

This thread sped up a lot recently. America woke up?

Gooooooodmorning America!

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

No they don't.

I play with people, by choice, so if FDev implements NPC wingmates it won't benefit me a bit.

If you don't play with people, by choice, and FDev does multi player improvements it won't benefit you.

but here is the thing YOU already got your wing mates, and have had then since.............. 1.2 was it?
I have been waiting for 2.5 years for mine, and , unlike some of the features added into the game, npc wingmates were in the very original design plan that you bought into.

Technically i am not asking for special treatment, just asking for equality and for what was advertised.

 

[777Driver]

That was a moment between 2.1 beta 4 and 2.1 beta 5 IIRC

I believe the only difference was that NPCs always run as soon as they lost shields, which was pretty boring if you ask me.

AI running was only a small part of the changes. I have always mainly been a trucker that enjoyed fighting in a freighter, so punching well above my weight, could easily tell any changes in tactics and aggression.

Honestly don't mind anymore, am not interested in combat these days.

 

[Goose4291]

Any attempt to make Thargoids into the big bad has been met with indignant "but what about people who can't play at that level" type arguments from the forum as a whole, exactly the same way the new AI was lobotomised pretty badly after engineers dropped (and no, I'm not referring to the broken engineer weapons the AI had given to them).

Whether the AI represent a threat, or not, depends on the player. Remembering that half of all players are at or below median skill, Frontier cannot make the AI a challenge for all players without adversely affecting a significant number of players (unless they tailor the encountered AI difficulty to each player - which would get tricky in a multi-player instance).

Cheers for proving my point Rob!

 

[babelfisch]

AI running was only a small part of the changes. I have always mainly been a trucker that enjoyed fighting in a freighter, so punching well above my weight, could easily tell any changes in tactics and aggression.

Honestly don't mind anymore, am not interested in combat these days.

Yes, there was more than just running away, but they didn't dial it back completely either

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Honestly don't mind anymore, am not interested in combat these days.

*grabs shirt lapels, drags close* WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE REAL 777DRIVER?!

 

[777Driver]

That's not exactly how I remember it.

Exactly how I remember it, plenty of posts on this forum to back it up. Heck I was involved in most of them, trying to justify the harder AI, just put a little effort in, learn PIP management, learn about optimum loadouts.. Blah blah blah. Couldn't care less now.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

I agree, solo players should get the extra pip when they have a hired multicrew. Also be able to hire some NPC's to drop in with you with standard ships.

tbh an extra pip is a cheap way of doing it imo...... where does this "pip" come from?.

imo it would be better like in the DDF, where depending on what crew you have and what rank they are will give you subtle increases. a "pip" is too binary and has no context.

i would suggest balancing it by pulling back some of the engineer effects which are, imo, totally out there. the G5 engineered shields for instance are not tweaked, they are magic!.

 

[Muetdhiver]

AI running was only a small part of the changes. I have always mainly been a trucker that enjoyed fighting in a freighter, so punching well above my weight, could easily tell any changes in tactics and aggression.

Honestly don't mind anymore, am not interested in combat these days.

TBH, combat is too boring to be interesting in PvE*. Well, with the exception of our coming octogonal overlords.

*The only case where vanilla NPC's became scarry is when attacking authority ships to crash a faction influence in the BGS.
That became quite nuts quite fast.

 

[777Driver]

*grabs shirt lapels, drags close* WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE REAL 777DRIVER?!

Heheh, retired Enjoying peaceful mining out in the Witchhead sector, or hauling cargo out in Pleiades.

 

[babelfisch]

Whether the AI represent a threat, or not, depends on the player. Remembering that half of all players are at or below median skill, Frontier cannot make the AI a challenge for all players without adversely affecting a significant number of players (unless they tailor the encountered AI difficulty to each player - which would get tricky in a multi-player instance).

Solution:

Very hard encounters behind enemy lines (large Thargoid ships)
Normal encounters at the borders (mostly medium Thargoid ships)
Easy encounters in the bubble (mostly scout Thargoid ships)

 

[Jockey79]

Kinda backing yourself into a wall here arent ya? You're showing PVP needs incentive lol.

For the record, you can make money off BGS PVP. I mean if you have your own lil system thats cool. But you can make okay cash when you're vs another faction.

Its funny when the arguments come full circle and everyone agrees.

Not at all, as you said, you can make money of pure PvP, even off GSP that you and Al both advocate.
The point is, you want to talk about how great PvP / GSP is, yet you PvE to make the money for it while telling insulting people who prefer PvE

If PvP / GSP is so great, then reset your characters and don't use PvE to get your stuff.
Because it is hypocritical to mouth off about PvE while using it to fund your GSP.

Didn't you say you were leaving?

I hope he don't, we've been short on entertainment since "The Voice of Open" left us.
I actually miss him, he made me laugh. And 90s is 90% like "The Voice of Open"

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Oh I'm talking a while back, NPC combat was just farming, SJA promised to give them some teeth, she delivered on her promise, many cried, some asked what a PIP setting was, AI was eventually dialled back again.

The Thargoids definitely pack a punch.

Oh good.

Because I figured Frontier resolved the issue by keeping the Thargoids localized to one area. If CMDRs aren't up to the task, they can avoid them.

Still, wouldn't mind them raiding the Bubble now and again.

I hope he don't, we've been short on entertainment since "The Voice Open" left us.
I actually miss him, he made me laugh. And 90s is 90% like "The Voice of Open"

You take that back! [mad]

I knew the Voice of Open, I jousted with the Voice of Open, the Voice of Open was a friend of mine. 90s is no Voice of Open ..... Senator!

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Heheh, retired Enjoying peaceful mining out in the Witchhead sector, or hauling cargo out in Pleiades.

Ok, stop it...you're scaring me now

 

[Theodrid]

It is badly worded, but he kind of has a point in my mind.

Any attempt to make Thargoids into the big bad has been met with indignant "but what about people who can't play at that level" type arguments from the forum as a whole, exactly the same way the new AI was lobotomised pretty badly after engineers dropped (and no, I'm not referring to the broken engineer weapons the AI had given to them).

I think that's a little unfair too Goose, there are a good number of non combat orientated pilots on these boards that are as disappointed at how toothless the Thargoids are as any PVP pro. Personally I think the 'woohoo, we're over here, come see us if you want' current implementation is laughable. The same goes for the AI in general, many want better AI, sure there are some that find them challenging now and I don't envy Frontier in having to strike that balance.

So no, not 'forum as a whole' and not 'any attempt', this game needs improving way, way beyond harder Thargoids and AI and certainly beyond PVE and PVP pew pew pew.

 

[Robert Maynard]

Cheers for proving my point Rob!

That Frontier have to ensure that the game remains playable for the majority of players? That's a given.

.... remembering that Frontier have access to all their in-game analytics and can make decisions based on those.

 

[babelfisch]

Exactly how I remember it, plenty of posts on this forum to back it up. Heck I was involved in most of them, trying to justify the harder AI, just put a little effort in, learn PIP management, learn about optimum loadouts.. Blah blah blah. Couldn't care less now.

As said above, they didn't reintroduce the kebap maneuver. AI was definetely improved in 2.1 (and IIRC they just improved it again with 2.3?) but it wasn't as good as it used to be during one of the betas.

 

[777Driver]

Yes, there was more than just running away, but they didn't dial it back completely either

Definitely not completely mate.

 

[S3B4ST13N]

Exactly how I remember it, plenty of posts on this forum to back it up. Heck I was involved in most of them, trying to justify the harder AI, just put a little effort in, learn PIP management, learn about optimum loadouts.. Blah blah blah. Couldn't care less now.

My brain has summarised that whole thing as the "git gud" crowd vs the "it's too hard and I don't want to learn" crowd.
Unfortunately, Frontier capitulated to the latter. Kind of like how our government introduced an education system that caters for the lowest performing students in order to get them to pass.. ultimately resulting in a current pass mark of 30% (oh I really wish I were joking).