Hello Space Friends/Enemies,
I am actually creating this thread because of a NPC combat logging on me. I know it sounds ridiculous, and I wish I had video proof of it, but you will just have to take my word for it because I didn't think recording an NPC fight would result in such humor. I was fighting a PP NPC when all of a sudden it vanished (it was less than 1km from me). It didn't high or low wake, it just vanished. Previously I had made jokes about NPC's combat logging because of my bad experiences with other players in Open combat logging, but this is the first time a non-player magically disappeared. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things I suppose, but it did get me thinking about all the combat logging I've experienced and the 15 second timer to log off "safely".
Let's pretend that NPC was a player for argument sake. I'm well aware of the 15 seconds required to log off "legally" once you are in combat. I want to analyze this mechanic for a moment.
15 seconds is actually a long time for some, but a very short time for others.
If you're an Anaconda pilot you have very thick shields. 15 seconds with some chaff and a shield cell bank or two will get you out just fine unless you're under hellfire from the Thundercats. Assuming you know what you're doing and don't panic you'll be fine. But as an Eagle or Sidewinder pilot? You're toast in less than 15 seconds, especially considering while you're awaiting the countdown you can't maneuver.
Well this game does seem to reward those who spend their time grinding for the larger ships (which I'm not a big fan of but that's another thread/discussion), but I already feel like those in larger ships already have an advantage. With mass lock mechanics Pythons and Anacondas are pretty invulnerable; they're also the top tier trade ships which, combined with their safety measures I find it to be extremely unbalanced. You have to be pretty dense or under-equipped to die in these situations as a Python or Anaconda pilot. I've interdicted both a player Anaconda and Python (in separate conflicts) in a Viper only for them to run away....and even though I'm at a huge disadvantage there's nothing I can do to either mass-lock nor prevent them from logging off 15 seconds later. Cowards, right? Well that's a matter of perspective. The reality is they're playing within the means of the game's mechanics.
My complaint is these mechanics make absolutely zero sense. I am of the opinion if you decide to play on Open Play, then you are acknowledging the risk of other pilots trying to kill you and it should not be so easy to avoid other player interaction. I do understand that people may have an emergency phone call or some other reason to leave suddenly, but I also don't think that if I had an emergency phone call I would wait 15 seconds to log off. I would close the game immediately because real life will always come before a virtual world. Technically this is against the game rules assuming you're engaged in combat (shot someone or been shot) yet if you are actually trying to respond to an emergency, nobody is going to wait 15 seconds when their time actually matters. Take for example a care-taker who has to respond immediately to someones health problems. Are they to be shunned or banned because they chose someones well-being over a timer? So what does this 15 second timer really do? I've seen people start to log off as soon as someone begins to interdict them. That's some great, invigorating gameplay...
Am I the only one who sees this as a broken mechanic in Open Play? What suggestions might you have if you agree with me? And if you disagree with me, do you play in Open and why do you disagree?
I'd like to offer some suggestions but my opinion is a bit biased from other games I've played. Also the instancing in this game is quite terrible so that doesn't help. I can't tell you how many times I've interdicted an enemy only for them to not appear in my sub-space instance and then when I go back to frame-shift space they're nowhere to be seen. Whether they've logged off or not is a big question for me; how am I to know? Quite frankly as someone who plays this game to have interaction with other human beings it's very disappointing. I know there are some people who like to pretend to have conversations with static NPCs who say the same jibe every system you go, but personally I play online games for the interaction with other breathing humans (Thargoids be damned).
I am actually creating this thread because of a NPC combat logging on me. I know it sounds ridiculous, and I wish I had video proof of it, but you will just have to take my word for it because I didn't think recording an NPC fight would result in such humor. I was fighting a PP NPC when all of a sudden it vanished (it was less than 1km from me). It didn't high or low wake, it just vanished. Previously I had made jokes about NPC's combat logging because of my bad experiences with other players in Open combat logging, but this is the first time a non-player magically disappeared. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things I suppose, but it did get me thinking about all the combat logging I've experienced and the 15 second timer to log off "safely".
Let's pretend that NPC was a player for argument sake. I'm well aware of the 15 seconds required to log off "legally" once you are in combat. I want to analyze this mechanic for a moment.
15 seconds is actually a long time for some, but a very short time for others.
If you're an Anaconda pilot you have very thick shields. 15 seconds with some chaff and a shield cell bank or two will get you out just fine unless you're under hellfire from the Thundercats. Assuming you know what you're doing and don't panic you'll be fine. But as an Eagle or Sidewinder pilot? You're toast in less than 15 seconds, especially considering while you're awaiting the countdown you can't maneuver.
Well this game does seem to reward those who spend their time grinding for the larger ships (which I'm not a big fan of but that's another thread/discussion), but I already feel like those in larger ships already have an advantage. With mass lock mechanics Pythons and Anacondas are pretty invulnerable; they're also the top tier trade ships which, combined with their safety measures I find it to be extremely unbalanced. You have to be pretty dense or under-equipped to die in these situations as a Python or Anaconda pilot. I've interdicted both a player Anaconda and Python (in separate conflicts) in a Viper only for them to run away....and even though I'm at a huge disadvantage there's nothing I can do to either mass-lock nor prevent them from logging off 15 seconds later. Cowards, right? Well that's a matter of perspective. The reality is they're playing within the means of the game's mechanics.
My complaint is these mechanics make absolutely zero sense. I am of the opinion if you decide to play on Open Play, then you are acknowledging the risk of other pilots trying to kill you and it should not be so easy to avoid other player interaction. I do understand that people may have an emergency phone call or some other reason to leave suddenly, but I also don't think that if I had an emergency phone call I would wait 15 seconds to log off. I would close the game immediately because real life will always come before a virtual world. Technically this is against the game rules assuming you're engaged in combat (shot someone or been shot) yet if you are actually trying to respond to an emergency, nobody is going to wait 15 seconds when their time actually matters. Take for example a care-taker who has to respond immediately to someones health problems. Are they to be shunned or banned because they chose someones well-being over a timer? So what does this 15 second timer really do? I've seen people start to log off as soon as someone begins to interdict them. That's some great, invigorating gameplay...
Am I the only one who sees this as a broken mechanic in Open Play? What suggestions might you have if you agree with me? And if you disagree with me, do you play in Open and why do you disagree?
I'd like to offer some suggestions but my opinion is a bit biased from other games I've played. Also the instancing in this game is quite terrible so that doesn't help. I can't tell you how many times I've interdicted an enemy only for them to not appear in my sub-space instance and then when I go back to frame-shift space they're nowhere to be seen. Whether they've logged off or not is a big question for me; how am I to know? Quite frankly as someone who plays this game to have interaction with other human beings it's very disappointing. I know there are some people who like to pretend to have conversations with static NPCs who say the same jibe every system you go, but personally I play online games for the interaction with other breathing humans (Thargoids be damned).
