Unlike NPC's, the unpredictability of human players really adds that much needed depth to this game.
After killing hundreds of NPC's, its very easy to know whats going on, the required situational awareness of your surroundings is minimal as a result. It feels dull.
So last night I decided to leave my highly lucrative trade route and check out this famous luxury site everyone is talking about, I flew over 230 light years and began doing the luxury trades.
Being in highly "human" populated zones feels like a completely different game. As you simply never know whats next. Will I spend the next 30 minutes trading in peace? or am I going to get attacked by this pilot who just passed me. Are these players in groups? What is this viper doing here?
It was a blast(no pun intended). The random interdictions, the small chats, the group invites. Suddenly, there was this much needed life to this game that was never there before when playing SOLO (or OPEN in remote areas).
The amount of players trading in this area has brought lots of pirates, murderers (according to some griefers), bounty hunters, bounty hunting groups, vigilantes, and random people who just sit and watch you trading luxuries... Players go there and have a purpose, and unlike single player mode (i.e. every where else in the galaxy except Lave), everything is ambiguous, nothing is predictable, and a high level of situational awareness is critical. These dynamics make the game fun.
One second you see a human player camping the luxury site wondering what he is doing, the next minute you find out he was waiting to get revenge on the player who killed him earlier. Those things makes the game interesting, it makes you wonder about everything and it makes the game feel dangerous.
IMO, highly lucrative trade routes need to be there. There should be just a few in the galaxy, that way it creates hot spots for players who are interested in PVP environments.
It makes PVP players happy, it makes traders happy. Thats a "Win-win" situation if I ever saw one.
just my 2 cents.
After killing hundreds of NPC's, its very easy to know whats going on, the required situational awareness of your surroundings is minimal as a result. It feels dull.
So last night I decided to leave my highly lucrative trade route and check out this famous luxury site everyone is talking about, I flew over 230 light years and began doing the luxury trades.
Being in highly "human" populated zones feels like a completely different game. As you simply never know whats next. Will I spend the next 30 minutes trading in peace? or am I going to get attacked by this pilot who just passed me. Are these players in groups? What is this viper doing here?
It was a blast(no pun intended). The random interdictions, the small chats, the group invites. Suddenly, there was this much needed life to this game that was never there before when playing SOLO (or OPEN in remote areas).
The amount of players trading in this area has brought lots of pirates, murderers (according to some griefers), bounty hunters, bounty hunting groups, vigilantes, and random people who just sit and watch you trading luxuries... Players go there and have a purpose, and unlike single player mode (i.e. every where else in the galaxy except Lave), everything is ambiguous, nothing is predictable, and a high level of situational awareness is critical. These dynamics make the game fun.
One second you see a human player camping the luxury site wondering what he is doing, the next minute you find out he was waiting to get revenge on the player who killed him earlier. Those things makes the game interesting, it makes you wonder about everything and it makes the game feel dangerous.
IMO, highly lucrative trade routes need to be there. There should be just a few in the galaxy, that way it creates hot spots for players who are interested in PVP environments.
It makes PVP players happy, it makes traders happy. Thats a "Win-win" situation if I ever saw one.
just my 2 cents.
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experience so far: Was patrolling the area with the luxuries traders in my Viper (2x Beams, 2x Dumbfires). Already low on ammo when a Python jumps in. I check the target. He is not wanted. It is also a player I have not seen before, so I think maybe one of the "good guys". As I continue my flyby, I see a HUGE volley of dumbfires coming my way. I dodge, but not quickly enough. Get hit by some of the missiles, shields down, hull down to 8%, canopy breached, 10:00 of air left. I turn and run. Drop Chaff, Boost, Dodge like a madman. I somehow make it into hyperdrive and run for the station. As I am almost there I get interdicted. It is the Python who just mauled me and now wants to finish the job. About 6:00 of air left. After a few pointless maneuvers I decide I am dead anyway. So I turn into him and attack head on. This time I manage to dodge his missile barrage. I somehow get on his 6 and unload all my remaining dumbfire missiles into him (not sure how many, probably about 10-15). His shields go into deep red, almost down but not quite. Now HE turns to flee. Before I can do any significant damage he jumps out. 2:30 of air left. I manage to get back into hyperdrive and make it to the station with just about 00:30 of air left in the life support system. Needless to say at this point I was jittery and laughing like a maniac.
