It's a miracle! NPC instantly gains 100% health AND shields after waking away 10 seconds earlier!

[Aashenfox]

It already works, there is just a bug preventing it

U sure bout dat? When you are alone in an instance, only that instance exists for you. If the npc leaves, there is no 'container' for their persistent data to go into and if you leave, the instance and everything in it is despawned. To track every npc that high wakes from a player without an instance server dedicated to that (changing the entire net model to a persistence server), I don't see how it could be done in an efficient way. Admittedly, I'm not an elite game developer, but I've been playing enough mmos over the years to realize a few things.

The only thing I can think of in the game that has this level of persistence currently, is combat zones. Those instances seem to live longer than any other. If you think I'm missing something, please do share your understanding, I'd love to have hope!

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

U sure bout dat? When you are alone in an instance, only that instance exists for you. If the npc leaves, there is no 'container' for their persistent data to go into and if you leave, the instance and everything in it is despawned. To track every npc that high wakes from a player without an instance server dedicated to that (changing the entire net model to a persistence server), I don't see how it could be done in an efficient way. Admittedly, I'm not an elite game developer, but I've been playing enough mmos over the years to realize a few things.

The only thing I can think of in the game that has this level of persistence currently, is combat zones. Those instances seem to live longer than any other. If you think I'm missing something, please do share your understanding, I'd love to have hope!

I distantly remember an Anaconda waking out, me following wake and finding it in different system. Not sure about hull status. Been too long. Of course this was all before the cranked up random AI ships to 111 because of the stupid power creep and you could still beat them sensibly.

 

[Stealthie]

Not easy to make their properties persistent in a p2p net model. This is why most MMOs use a client/server model, for reasons of persistent universes and instances.

I'm not 'justifying' it, just saying I don't expect it to ever change (would be great if they found a way though).

To be clear, I've got nothing against people simply pointing out that the game can't manage to do stuff. [up]

It's when you get people attempting to defend the game by saying that NPCs aren't persistent so they can't be expected to retain their stat's for stuff like armour and shield-health, as if that's acceptable and it shouldn't be criticised.

That's kind of like defending the Ferrari F430 on the grounds that it's got a fuel-injection system that's prone to backfiring, a hot exhaust system in close proximity to the engine and an engine-bay made of composite materials and lined with flammable material so of course it's going to catch fire... rather than being critical of the fact that all those things were allowed to happen in the first place.

 

[Stealthie]

U sure bout dat? When you are alone in an instance, only that instance exists for you. If the npc leaves, there is no 'container' for their persistent data to go into and if you leave, the instance and everything in it is despawned.

Yep.

I've had it work properly on one memorable occasion.

I was doing some mission (possibly a "recover the doodads from a planet surface" mission) in my iCourier and a Deadly Annie was sent after me.
For the yucks, I fought it until it's shield dropped and I did a bit of hull damage but then my shield went down so I jumped out.
Saw it again in SC with no shield and hull at 89%.
I dodged it until my shield recharged then allowed myself to be interdicted again and then had another go.
Repeated the same thing about 5 or 6 times (my iCourier just has a single beam laser) until I eventually destroyed the Annie.

Was definitely the best bit of PvE combat I've ever had in ED.
Happened about a year ago and I was really impressed at the idea that persistent NPCs were now a thing.
Alas, it's never happened like that any time since - although it did prove that the game can do it, somehow. [where is it]

 

[hardtopnet]

Hull Cell Banks

Otherwise known as repair limpets...

 

[Deleted member 182079]

To be clear, I've got nothing against people simply pointing out that the game can't manage to do stuff. [up]

It's when you get people attempting to defend the game by saying that NPCs aren't persistent so they can't be expected to retain their stat's for stuff like armour and shield-health, as if that's acceptable and it shouldn't be criticised.

That's kind of like defending the Ferrari F430 on the grounds that it's got a fuel-injection system that's prone to backfiring, a hot exhaust system in close proximity to the engine and an engine-bay made of composite materials and lined with flammable material so of course it's going to catch fire... rather than being critical of the fact that all those things were allowed to happen in the first place.

You have positively put me off buying an F430 now.

 

[babelfisch]

U sure bout dat? When you are alone in an instance, only that instance exists for you. If the npc leaves, there is no 'container' for their persistent data to go into and if you leave, the instance and everything in it is despawned. To track every npc that high wakes from a player without an instance server dedicated to that (changing the entire net model to a persistence server), I don't see how it could be done in an efficient way. Admittedly, I'm not an elite game developer, but I've been playing enough mmos over the years to realize a few things.

The only thing I can think of in the game that has this level of persistence currently, is combat zones. Those instances seem to live longer than any other. If you think I'm missing something, please do share your understanding, I'd love to have hope!

Don't know how Elite does it, but I do know that it's a thing since I experienced it a few times. I believe NPCs are generated client side anyway, there is no reason my PC couldn't remember their hull and shield values and share that information with the host of the instance.

 

[Hullreaver]

What annoys me is that when you pick up a bunch of missions, you get either 5 of them in a row with time bonus, or 5 of them with pirate targeting you. There's no mix. Either you get a series of one or the other. And when you get a couple of pirates hunting you for different missions, they tend to show up in the same interdiction, so now suddenly you're face 2 or 3 pirates with engineered shields and weapons. Not fun when all you have is a non-engineered cobra.

Had this happen to me stacking a bunch of data and courier missions. Next thing I knew I had 2 then 3 engineered pirate/merc Annie's on me. I was in my python kitted out for hauling, not combat. Luckily, I was in a high security system and the cops eventually dropped in to help out. Of course, each mission had 3/4 mercs one after the other, so this happened 3/4 times in a row. I high waked out, grabbed my combat FDL, went back and let one interdict me and the others showed up again.

 

[[VR] M4st0d0n]

Yes this is an old issue with mission NPCs. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, kill the NPC before he can escape. Or kill his drives so he can't escape. That is my SOP when hunting one of these SOBs. As soon as shields drop, target drives with packhounds or seeker missiles.

Killing it is not enough. Not uncommon to have the same Npc from a mission necroed and come back.

 

[sollisb]

It's bad design, pure and simple.

 

[Old Duck]

On a serious note, it would actually be cool if the NPC were to jump out (low or high wake) and fly to a station to get their repairs. The idea of an NPC coming back repaired after a period of time should not bother us - look how often have we done that to them!

 

[Spaceman Si]

You have positively put me off buying an F430 now.

I have cancelled my order for a pair of them already.

 

[Krash]

Killing it is not enough. Not uncommon to have the same Npc from a mission necroed and come back.

If I complete the mission for killing him, I hardly care if his clone comes back to haunt me. I'll kill him too. Stupid zombies.

 

[Stealthie]

On a serious note, it would actually be cool if the NPC were to jump out (low or high wake) and fly to a station to get their repairs. The idea of an NPC coming back repaired after a period of time should not bother us - look how often have we done that to them!

That's another excuse that's often made for NPC's magical properties; "They might've gone to a station for repairs".

Cobblers.

If I see an NPC in a damaged ship fleeing to a station in SC and then coming after me again, I'll buy it - and I'll be impressed - but when they just jump out with ~20% hull, aren't visible anywhere in SC and then interdict me again with 100% hull, I call bullpoop.

 

[GODofDUTY83]

eeealy getting tired of the all the lousy coding in this game. NPC returns to continue his attack on me after losing most its hull and high-waking, but now totally healed and shields recharged after......oh about 15 seconds.

Try wake scanning then follow the target. It used to work just fine when I used to use it.

 

[Han Zulu]

On a serious note, it would actually be cool if the NPC were to jump out (low or high wake) and fly to a station to get their repairs. The idea of an NPC coming back repaired after a period of time should not bother us - look how often have we done that to them!

Agree. Or (if they're equipped with repair limpets) be in normal space repairing for whatever time it would take.

But I suspect it's too much to ask.

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

Had this happen last night. An NPC named David Blackburn in an Annie interdicted me while I was flying my Vette. At 13% hull, he managed to wake out (Only because 3 of my hardpoints were low on ammo). So I low wake as I'm almost to my destination port when lo and behold, the same anaconda NPC David Blackburn interdicts me again, and now he's back to 100% shields and hulls. This time he didn't get away, but it was annoying to say the least.

 

[BL1P]

Typical for me is :-
your doing a transport mission and SC is clear then KAZAAM a ship appears directly behind you saying some copy paste about "that is the ship im looking for" as it interdicts you.
You drop down and try to ignore the copy paste "this could all end if blablablablablablablabla" that is being spammed in your chat over and over and over.
You drop the copy paste spamming NPC down to 50% hull and low wake when hes dealing with the security.
Only to have the same guy suddenly KAZAAM directly behind you 15 seconds later fully repaired spamming "the rumours are true" (as he seems to have forgotten you just messed him up) and interdicting you.

I miss the ignore npc chat button so much

 

[Deadlock-3000]

Had this happen last night. An NPC named David Blackburn in an Annie interdicted me while I was flying my Vette. At 13% hull, he managed to wake out (Only because 3 of my hardpoints were low on ammo). So I low wake as I'm almost to my destination port when lo and behold, the same anaconda NPC David Blackburn interdicts me again, and now he's back to 100% shields and hulls. This time he didn't get away, but it was annoying to say the least.

You're lucky he was still in a 'Conda. I've seen them magically switch ships in the middle of deep space.

They should replace all the NPC interdiction banter with "This is a game. This is a game. This is a game. This is a game."

 

[2plex]

They should replace all the NPC interdiction banter with "This is a game. This is a game. This is a game. This is a game."

Or rather, "This is a badly done game. This is a badly done game. This is a badly done game. This is a badly done game."