A temporary fix for assasination missions

The post has a short intro and a detailed explanation, there is a TLDR at the bottom for all those familiar with the missions and the bug.


Assassination missions are currently the best missions in the game. They are a great example of how the mission structure will be a lot more appealing in the future and the only missions that come anywhere near the fun that can be had in training. They are what got me my Clipper and now that bounties have been buffed they are a great source of income, especially for newer players.


However as most of you know, they are bugged at the moment and since they will be changed in 1.3 there will be no fix in the meantime.

Being stubborn I persisted in doing them and found a solution for the bug, my apologies if this is common knowledge but I haven't found it anywhere.

For those that are perhaps unfamiliar with exactly how these missions work, here is a short breakdown:

1. You get the mission, it names 3 systems and a target.

2. You to go one of those systems and enter "unidentified signal sources" until you find somebody who tips you off where the target is.

3. The mission is then updated and you go to the only system remaining and enter "unidentified signal sources" until you find and destroy your target.

Pretty straightforward (although the RNG can be a pain) or at least it was until they added alternative offers, where you enter an "unidentified signal source" and some guy from a competing faction offers you a counter proposal.

This is where the bug comes in, if you receive the counteroffer before step 3 you will never be able to find your target and you might as well abandon the mission.


So without further ado, the fix:

When you see that you have entered an "unidentified signal source" where you are about to recieve a counter offer simply exit to main menu, if you have your finger on the escape button you will have plenty of time to do so.

Namely, for your mission to be updated and bugged the NPC has to say three lines and then after a second your mission is updated and ruined, this gives you ample time to log out, even if they say the third line and you log out before the mission is updated you are good.

Recognizing who is gonna bug out your mission is relatively easy, namely the "good" NPC's that give you the information you want start their speech with either:

a) "Have you heard?"
b) "I just barely escaped with my life."

Anything else coming over the comms is a reason to log out, even if the lines of text are blank.

I have read somewhere that opening fire on the NPC before they finish their lines will also have the same effect, however since they are all clean this is only viable in anarchy systems due to the pesky bounty you will otherwise get.

So for all you guys who love these missions get out there and blow up some Elite Condas : )


TLDR
When you enter an "unidentified signal source" and see that you are getting a counter proposal that will bug your mission, simply log out before the NPC has time to update your mission.
 
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Arrrgghh!

I had counter offer before being told where the is and spent the last 45 mins of my session bouncing around USS, did maanged tro rack up the equivalent to the assasination bounty in other bounties.

Rep to Op for the "fix"
 
I've been searching for another solution than shooting the conter-proposal guy, thanks a lot, I'll give it a try tonight
 
Goddammit, I spent hours last night searching fruitlessly for a Gen. Sagan after some tool in a T9 tried to convince me otherwise. Had no idea those missions were bugged, I haven't taken one since I got spanked for thinking I was hard when I was in fact mostly harmless. Damn and blast. I'll have to abandon it when I get back on later. Cheers, OP
 
I never tried a logoffski when the counter offer ship shows up, although shooting them does work too as you mentioned. I've just been shooting them when I see their first line of text. Guess it's a good thing I'm in an empire system completely surround by indipendent and Federation systems so I don't care if I upset the local factions. Let the bounties add up! I do pay off any Imperial bounties or fines as soon as I can though.:D
 
These missions worked well until the whatever patch messed them up (1.1)?
Why does FD have to breaks things that worked completely fine?
 
It's the law of unintended consequences and it controls all our lives. You fix one thing and it affects something else. Governments are particularly badly effected by it.
 
These missions worked well until the whatever patch messed them up (1.1)?
Why does FD have to breaks things that worked completely fine?

It's only the beginning of the breaking. 1.3 will start the whole process again, bringing the game back down to a beta state. Before it's all done they'll wish they never choose the engine they did to build this game. Only time will tell. I'm waiting to see if it is all for naught.
 
These missions worked well until the whatever patch messed them up (1.1)?
Why does FD have to breaks things that worked completely fine?

Because programming is hard, and stuff like this always happens when a program is patched or upgraded. Doesn't matter if it's a game, a business application, Windows, Mac OS, Android OS... always happens.
 
This is great info! Thanks!

Glad to be of assistance : )

I forgot to mention in my original post that one of the main advantages of assassination missions is that they are great for increasing faction rep.

I think it is due to the fact that the reputation gain is directly tied to the amount of cash the mission nets you. I got to Baron fairly easily by zipping around Empire space and doing assassinations. Which also makes sense, a faction should be grateful when you remove a thorn in their side.

In reply to people wondering how FD managed to bug out the mission system, all I can say is that these games take years to make, any complex system needs to be tweaked many times in order for it to work like clockwork. The amount of patches and new features we get regularly are a testament to their dedication and hard work and it will be just a matter of time before the vast majority of our issues are fixed.
 
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