Thanks for your input, Northpin. It was helpful and informative. I'm mostly A-OK with PvP and also willing (to accept that I have things) to learn, but this is only when I feel my infra is at a sufficient level to e.g. fund it. Right now, I don't have enough time or cash to throw away in rebuys at the whim of gankers who prey on unarmed newbie ships in newbie-heavy systems, especially since I can't do anything about it without my own dedicated and well-engineered PvP build. Except go private.
But even then, I didn't pay for "private or solo only" license. I think everyone who bought the game should have an equal right to play in open without having to fear of being sealclubbed.
Hello. Unlucky with your first trip to Deciat. Take comfort in the fact that most of us here have faced the same screen after losing interdictions. This is a bit of an essay but I can use paragraphs, fortunately.
You have a couple of options:-
1. PG or Solo mode
2. You could start blocking those players whose activities you find egregious
3. If you have the time and inclination, you can start to learn how to get to Deciat without being interdicted. "gitgud" is such a useless phrase and I hate how taking the time to become proficient at something has somehow become a slur.
For us "roadrunner" types, once the interdiction game has started it's almost a foregone conclusion so what you need to practise is:-
1. If you want only to use in-game tools - bandwidth monitoring (Ctrl B) is the best guide to "alert" you that other CMDRs are in your instance as it wil spike massively. This is your heads up that there may be hostiles.
1b. Out of game tools are the ubiquitous Security Report part of the
Inara Galaxy Guide which will show you high traffic and where CMDRs have been attacked in realtime. If you want to go a step further, you'll need ED Recon which is an overlay that will give you a security report on WHO to look out for - it will also give you a pop up if you scan other CMDRs on their most recent behaviour. You'll also need another tool, EDMC, for that to work, though it's relatively easy to install and set up. None of these are essential, they just help.
2. There's a couple of guides to building for open. The tl;dr version is the biggest shield in the biggest slot. As described above you need your shield to last the 10 seconds needed to be able to high wake away. I'd use
this guide to look at coriolis.io and theorycraft your build accordingly. Your build is your safety insurance when things go south. Not always needed but better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Some CMDRs despair about the fact that an Open-ready build isn't optimal for trading, mining or whatever and that is certainly true - but it's your decision ofc. If you never get interdicted (or are in a position to fly in SC safely) your build is immaterial.
OK, bandwidth monitor set up and tools installed, built for 10 secs survival, what's next?
Generally:-
You'll know when hostiles are in the area from the points above. If there are hostiles and it's important you get to your destination then:-
1. Scanner and spatial awareness is Page 1, Title underlined and in bold. In order to interdict you, they need to get into a cone behind you. There are engineering mods for interdictors that widen this cone. So "simply" ensure they don't get behind you. You can go the long way round (e.g. head off in the opposite direction, turn and then approach the station/planet from a different angle) or turn into attackers so they can't get on your 6. Most gankers are lazy so if there are other targets available, they will probably switch to an easier one. This stage takes a lot of skill and invested time to get good at. I'm not there yet, but I enjoy the challenge, though ofc YMMV.
It's rarely a good idea to head straight for the station / planet from the star as this is where the majority of the hostiles will wait.
2. learn about the effects planets and stars have on SC speeds. You want to ensure that your oppo is slowed, when you are not. Joining and speaking to the Buckyball racers will help with this.
3. If the worst should happen and you are interdicted, immediately submit and go through your high wake drill (as described by
@Helmut Grokenberger above). 10 secs is all you need, and you don't want to panic. Get that drill down.
4. The other hazardous point in SC is when approaching the station or plamet. T
here's this one weird trick that uses SC assist to drop out on point but guess what? It needs practice. Otherwise, make sure no one is around to get on your 6, approach from a sub optimal angle to get there.
Finally when you drop (into Deciat especially) there are CMDRs waiting beyond the range of the station guns with long range rails. You'll need to consider this on approach. At Deciat at least there are canyons etc you can use to approach, experiment with silent running etc.
All in all, I can't say that it is easy or quick to do, but I can say it is immensly satisfying to get past these gankers due to your own piloting ability.
In summary - it is possible with no engineering in any ship - it's just hard. Anyone who calls you a carebear, n00b, says "gitgud" derogatively or calls you names because you have run away is not worth bothering about and Is Toxic.
Fly dangerous, whatever you choose. 07.
about a month ago. Got to Deciat, with Novice combat ranking, got ganked while piloting an unarmed ship. I had an A-rated Krait Phantom but without engineering (well, that's why I was in Deciat). I got interdicted, I easily kept my nose towards the escape vector the whole time, but even so I had absolutely 0% chance of evading it because the pursuer's red gauge never went down for even one notch - not even for a fraction of a second. The whole sequence just felt completely rigged from the get-go, not like a game at all. Also, the "fight" after FSD drop was not a fight at all, just more of the same.
