Would you mind if bounty hunting involved more than farming NPCs at a RES?

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

…

When looking at bounty hunting in RES I just want it gone. …

I want it to stay. I like RES farming. It's not a placeholder, it's not uninspiring - it's fun. It could get some improvements like a more noticeable difference between the different RES types, but overall I like that there are places where I can go and just fight NPCs.

Adding additional things is great and I would like to see that, I don't think that for that things have to be removed.

I don't think that ED is full of placeholders that should get replaced. I think there are gameplay mechanics that provide a good foundation to build upon.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

Yes, they don't make any sense. I'd much rather pledge to a faction and hunt criminals for them. Maybe give me some bonus payment / materials for every 15 criminals that I kill. Maybe also add a ranking system.

Actually the Kill X number of pirate missions could be replaced with a tour of duty mission which we get on nearly all games like elite... Fly to X way point, scan 2 or 3 locations at that way point (those could be generated for that mission) then jump to point 2 then finally point 3.

if ships are discovered there you blow them up... if you end up running away so be it, but if you scanned all the points you get partial payment and they get a better pilot to go out, (or mabe you could return and take out a stronger ship to clean up???). if you clear the areas yourself fully in good time you get a bonus.

 

[Faded Glory]

I wouldn't mind.....if combat rank didnt require you to kill some 6000 ships to get elite. Farming is the only way right now.

6,000? Getting to combat Elite in ED requires a lot more than that.

It used to be 6,000 kills in the old games (because there was no NPC rank, each ship counted as 1 point), and while it took a while, because there was no farming, it was possible.

As to the OP, a definite yes. The only time I go to a RES (well a CNB actually) is to test out a new ship or weapons load out, see how it performs on two or three ships and go. Back in the early days of the game I did a number of kill x pirate missions, but they were different then, and you would find your targets in pretty much all USS's that spawned in the target system, and there were a variety of USS, from a couple of pirates attacking a trader, to wings of 10, to distress calls that involved multiple waves of baddies. This seemed slightly more fun because you (I) felt that you were at least following and completing an objective and not every scenario was exactly the same.

I doubt we'll get really good bounty hunting without persistent NPCs that you could reliably follow, and that keep any damage inflicted (unless they genuinely have time to get to a station and repair - which theoretically they couldn't do easily as most are wanted so would have to realistically jump to an anarchy system to do it). That still shouldn't preclude making the destruction of naughty NPC's objective based, which to be fair, today's massacre missions are, but it seems the spawning of targets is not right, and the best way to complete them is to hang out in a RES...

Farming in every part of the game was (IMO obviously) a mistake, as it has encouraged shallow and repetitive game-play. To go back to the 6,000 kills in FE2, you only destroyed ships that attacked you other than the odd assassination target, so the path to Elite consisted of doing stuff that might cause you to be attacked, not simply hanging around waiting for pirates to spawn then shooting them.

 

[babelfisch]

I want it to stay. I like RES farming. It's not a placeholder, it's not uninspiring - it's fun. It could get some improvements like a more noticeable difference between the different RES types, but overall I like that there are places where I can go and just fight NPCs.

Adding additional things is great and I would like to see that, I don't think that for that things have to be removed.

I don't think that ED is full of placeholders that should get replaced. I think there are gameplay mechanics that provide a good foundation to build upon.

Well that's the thing. You consider it a good gameplay mechanic and I don't. This isn't about right or wrong but about which type of game I want to play.

 

[wrmiller]

When not interested in just making credits, I do a bit role play. I drop into a haz res, find a fat T-9 miner and try to keep him alive as long as possible.

When multiple wings descend on the miner, I attempt to tag all of the ships to distract them and then take them out. Without me loosing my shields of course.

I'm not in favor of adding extra time and wandering around to find pirates. Too much like spending time trying to 'find' HGEs. No thanks.

If I really want to find pirates I just throw some gold in the hold and drive around. Seems to work pretty well.

 

[babelfisch]

When not interested in just making credits, I do a bit role play. I drop into a haz res, find a fat T-9 miner and try to keep him alive as long as possible.

When multiple wings descend on the miner, I attempt to tag all of the ships to distract them and then take them out. Without me loosing my shields of course.

I'm not in favor of adding extra time and wandering around to find pirates. Too much like spending time trying to 'find' HGEs. No thanks.

If I really want to find pirates I just throw some gold in the hold and drive around. Seems to work pretty well.

I think pirates should be almost non existent in Med-High security systems. But there should be some real incentives to travel through anarchies. Don't know how these could look like though.

 

[CMDR Zadian Lichtfrost]

… This isn't about right or wrong but about which type of game I want to play.

OK, thanks for making that clear.

 

[NeilF]

I am not going to play jedi tricks on your mind, so to be honest from the start: Yes, this is another honk thread in disguise. But it's also about the general design and future of the game.

When the game was released almost 4 years ago it was clear to everyone that it consists of many placeholders and lots of mechanics have been (and continue to be) very shallow. 'A mile wide and an inch deep' gets thrown around a lot and it almost perfectly describes the current exploration gameplay. But over the years it seems like some people accepted these shallow mechanics and found ways to get the most enjoyment out of it. One could say that people are having fun with something that shouldn't have existed to begin with.

So with the current discussion about the instant system map reveal I wonder which other areas of the game can't be improved without ing off a certain part of the player base that already accepted the repetitive and uninspired parts of the game.

When looking at bounty hunting in RES I just want it gone. That's not bounty hunting but simply waiting for NPC spawns and farming. Apart from the combat itself, I almost feel reminded of some dull hack & slay. I'd like to see some real bounty hunting mechanics instead, like following wakes, getting tip offs from NPCs, interrogating their complices, etc. I hope you get the idea. And I don't just want this stuff for bounty hunting, I want that level of involvement for all areas of the game.

But with the recent discussions about exploration I feel like the community isn't interested in that type of gameplay and that it's me who has been playing the wrong game all along.

That was one of the moments the game "broke" for me...

I was in a RES, and just realised no matter how interesting and sexy "Bounty Hunting" sounded, all I had done was spawn into a mini-game where a never ending queue of Wanteds were turning up just to throw themselves onto my lasers.

I could sit there for eternity vapourising more metal than there was in the entire galaxy, and yet still they'd come just to commit suicide for me.

Pew pew pew... *sigh*

 

[babelfisch]

That was one of the moments the game "broke" for me...

I was in a RES, and just realised no matter how interesting and sexy "Bounty Hunting" sounded, all I had done was spawn into a mini-game where a never ending queue of Wanteds were turning up just to throw themselves onto my lasers.

I could sit there for eternity vapourising more metal than there was in the entire galaxy, and yet still they'd come just to commit suicide for me.

Pew pew pew... *sigh*

Couldn't say it better.

 

[Muetdhiver]

If players can one day pledge for a minor faction and fly the flag, a nemesis system with juicy bounties + good BGS effects would be neat indeed.

Extra points if said nemesis have goons, bodyguards and hidden lairs.

Moving away from bounty farming would be a happy thing in ED.

 

[wrmiller]

I think pirates should be almost non existent in Med-High security systems. But there should be some real incentives to travel through anarchies. Don't know how these could look like though.

I agree with your position on high-security systems. Maybe medium/high level systems should have a few of the tougher/larger more brave pirate types, but not as many as what you would find in anarchy systems.

I wouldn't be opposed to having to go to a medium or anarchy system to find the majority of pirates. Although shouldn't I expect to find some of the tougher pirates in pristine, metal rich systems, regardless of security level?

 

[Jake Savage]

I would just like to see haz rez being much more challenging.
Bigger meaner wings.
Wings of three or four elite Annie’s for example.
They are meant to be hazardous after all.

 

[Jake Savage]

I have found players hardly ever bounty hunt now.
I think they are all doing the high pay fetch missions, then they get the big ships they wanted, then they quit the game, cos they have the ‘end game ship’.

 

[Mormo]

I have found players hardly ever bounty hunt now

I do. RES farm is my main activity in game since the beginning. And I really like RES as they are. But I support new mechanics to be in game.

 

[Vin58]

I would like to see npc ships with large bounties marked on the Galaxy map. For all commanders to see, have these wanted npc ships trying to make run to a permit locked end zone. The idea would be that cmdrs would chase or ambush fugitive npcs, of course there would a fair amount of infighting amongst the human cmdrs, adding to the carnage.

 

[kamenriderabyss]

While I definitely would enjoy more options, I also like to drop into a RES from time to time to be a volunteer sheriff and blow up the dudes harassing miners

 

[House0fDerp]

That was one of the moments the game "broke" for me...

I was in a RES, and just realised no matter how interesting and sexy "Bounty Hunting" sounded, all I had done was spawn into a mini-game where a never ending queue of Wanteds were turning up just to throw themselves onto my lasers.

I could sit there for eternity vapourising more metal than there was in the entire galaxy, and yet still they'd come just to commit suicide for me.

Pew pew pew... *sigh*

Some want to be detectives, others just want to have simple and easy cause yo pull the trigger. Being in the latter group the idea of "bounty hunting" is unappealing because it's just more downtime chasing clues as opposed to actually fighting things.

 

[RamirezKurita]

I want it to stay. I like RES farming. It's not a placeholder, it's not uninspiring - it's fun. It could get some improvements like a more noticeable difference between the different RES types, but overall I like that there are places where I can go and just fight NPCs.

Adding additional things is great and I would like to see that, I don't think that for that things have to be removed.

I don't think that ED is full of placeholders that should get replaced. I think there are gameplay mechanics that provide a good foundation to build upon.

I'd say that the gameplay mechanics behind RES farming could stay even with actual bounty hunting mechanics added into the game, all they would take is a bit of renaming so they are actually somewhat descriptive of what is going on. This is particularly relevant as outside of abusing magically infinite regenerating painite asteroids, nobody in their right mind would ever actually mine in a RES as they currently stand.

For example, HAZRESs could be renamed to "Unauthorised Communications Jammer" that would naturally be used by pirates for clandestine meetings or to begin a raid on a group of miners depending on the presence of local miners. These could quite easily become temporary as well, with them only lasting an hour or so before they get replaced and/or moved as the authorities catch up to them.

Other RESs could be similar, but renamed to "Pirate Raid in Progress", showing a large scale pirate operation against a local mining squadron. Depending on security level, this would range from a few opportunistic pirates trying to snag an out-of-position miner all the way up to a major invasion by a cartel with the intention of overwhelming local security forces and annihilating the mining squadron before escaping with a whole fleet's worth of loot.

 

[Julio Montega]

I think pirates should be almost non existent in Med-High security systems. But there should be some real incentives to travel through anarchies. Don't know how these could look like though.

That only works with persistant NPCs
and good ingame tools to find and list traderoutes
or hack info on specific ships cargo manifest and flightpath.

Currently piracy in high sec is a matter of preference.
NPCs should be a reflection of the world,
including NPC CMDRs with skills to rival CMDRs.
But that without NPC cheating.

 

[Garand1987]

I am not going to play jedi tricks on your mind, so to be honest from the start: Yes, this is another honk thread in disguise. But it's also about the general design and future of the game.

When the game was released almost 4 years ago it was clear to everyone that it consists of many placeholders and lots of mechanics have been (and continue to be) very shallow. 'A mile wide and an inch deep' gets thrown around a lot and it almost perfectly describes the current exploration gameplay. But over the years it seems like some people accepted these shallow mechanics and found ways to get the most enjoyment out of it. One could say that people are having fun with something that shouldn't have existed to begin with.

So with the current discussion about the instant system map reveal I wonder which other areas of the game can't be improved without ing off a certain part of the player base that already accepted the repetitive and uninspired parts of the game.

When looking at bounty hunting in RES I just want it gone. That's not bounty hunting but simply waiting for NPC spawns and farming. Apart from the combat itself, I almost feel reminded of some dull hack & slay. I'd like to see some real bounty hunting mechanics instead, like following wakes, getting tip offs from NPCs, interrogating their complices, etc. I hope you get the idea. And I don't just want this stuff for bounty hunting, I want that level of involvement for all areas of the game.

But with the recent discussions about exploration I feel like the community isn't interested in that type of gameplay and that it's me who has been playing the wrong game all along.

I’d like to see a rework of the wanted CMDR’s bit of it. Say you want to try your hand at finding that CMDR with the 6 million credit bounty on the board at the station you just vistited. Other than the “last seen in” post, there’s not a lot to go on and unless they’re also wanted in the station they were last seen in, that’s where the trail ends (and it’s unlikely they’ll be there or even on when you do arrive there) for the pew pew folks having a way to really go for the high bounty CMDR’s would be good I think. They’d prolly like it because Pee Pew is obviously what they like, and the bounty hunters might go for them instead of ganking when they get bored of NPC smashing.