Anyone noticing odd NPC behavior recently?

[Norwin Palmer]

For the past couple days I have been getting two sets of NPC ship spawns when I drop into a ring to do some mining. One when I first drop as normal and another set ~12-15 minutes later. The second set act weird too, sometimes they don't even scan, other times they scan and send derogatory messages about me or my ship but don't demand anything or attack even though I have Void Opals or LTDs in my hold. They also seem to hang around abnormally long, I always end up leaving before they do because they creep me out.

Another odd thing I noticed was when I high waked away from an NPC interdiction then spent a few minutes to get my shields back and top up on heat sinks before jumping back to finish the delivery, the same named NPC was still there and trying to interdict me, as if I had never left. Is that normal? I thought NPCs were instanced and disappeared when changing instance.

Earlier I saw a report that NPCs start firing before the interdiction is fully complete which I took with a grain of salt as they can be pretty trigger happy and time can seem distorted under stress. Then it happened to me so I went back and looked through the logs as it seemed like the shooting started before I got the message asking for items, or if not before so near as to be indistinguishable.

Spoiler: This is what it looked like.

{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:00Z", "event":"ReceiveText", "From":"$npc_name_decorate:#name=D Bennett;", "From_Localised":"D Bennett", "Message":"$Pirate_HunterHostileSC_Relevant04;", "Message_Localised":"Big haul like that, surprised you made it this far.", "Channel":"npc" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:10Z", "event":"ReceiveText", "From":"$npc_name_decorate:#name=D Bennett;", "From_Localised":"D Bennett", "Message":"$Pirate_StartInterdiction06;", "Message_Localised":"Make it easy on yourself and submit.", "Channel":"npc" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:21Z", "event":"Interdicted", "Submitted":true, "Interdictor":"D Bennett", "IsPlayer":false, "Faction":"Noegin Purple Boys" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:22Z", "event":"FSDTarget", "Name":"Pyritapiyar", "SystemAddress":6680855188154 }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:22Z", "event":"SupercruiseExit", "StarSystem":"Bhagutsuk", "SystemAddress":5031587746490, "Body":"Bhagutsuk", "BodyID":0, "BodyType":"Star" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:22Z", "event":"Music", "MusicTrack":"Interdiction" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:24Z", "event":"ReceiveText", "From":"$npc_name_decorate:#name=D Bennett;", "From_Localised":"D Bennett", "Message":"$Pirate_Arrival12;", "Message_Localised":"I hope my reputation precedes me.", "Channel":"npc" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:24Z", "event":"ReceiveText", "From":"$npc_name_decorate:#name=D Bennett;", "From_Localised":"D Bennett", "Message":"$Pirate_ThreatenUnits01:#units=13;", "Message_Localised":"Give me 13t of cargo if you want to live.", "Channel":"npc" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:25Z", "event":"ReceiveText", "From":"$npc_name_decorate:#name=D Bennett;", "From_Localised":"D Bennett", "Message":"$Pirate_ThreatenTimer03:#seconds=10;", "Message_Localised":"You've got 10 seconds before this gets real interesting.", "Channel":"npc" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:25Z", "event":"ReceiveText", "From":"$npc_name_decorate:#name=D Bennett;", "From_Localised":"D Bennett", "Message":"$Pirate_ReminderUnits01:#units=13;", "Message_Localised":"This can all stop if you just give me 13t of cargo.", "Channel":"npc" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:26Z", "event":"UnderAttack", "Target":"You" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:26Z", "event":"UnderAttack", "Target":"You" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:26Z", "event":"UnderAttack", "Target":"You" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:26Z", "event":"UnderAttack", "Target":"You" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:26Z", "event":"UnderAttack", "Target":"You" }
{ "timestamp":"2019-04-07T19:08:26Z", "event":"Music", "MusicTrack":"Combat_Dogfight" }

That seems like new behavior to me and if there is any delay between when the message is logged and when it becomes visible to me ingame then the NPC could have actually started shooting before I saw the messages. Either way from the 10 second warning message to shots being fired was ~1 second (because that seems to be the finest resolution in the log file).

 

[rrobes]

Some NPCs are persistent, particularly the ones sent after you when running missions.

At times, when you engage an interdicting NPC and damage them, they will wake out and the same one will return quite quickly fully repaired.

There are also "terrorist" NPCs that will shoot you for no reason, claiming cargo you don't have.

In mining, if you're away from zone, you won't get as many pirates looking you up. If you have a well-armed ship and of high combat rank, they may "decide" not to attack. I haven't mined for a while but I use a mining Corvette that can also keep up with any attacking NPC. At times they will leave you alone if you kill them off. Other times if you're mining in a wing, the pirates get so thick you can't mine at all.

Just keep killing them off, adds to the fun.

 

[CoyoteXStarrk]

Not sure if this counts, but I was interdicted the very moment I entered back into the bubble after my exploration trip.

I dropped into my first inhabited system in over a month and I was scooping the star when the usual pirate text came on to chat and he tried interdicting me. Keep in mind I'm an explorer not trader. I had no cargo. Not even limpets. I also had no bounties.

This happened 3 more times on my way back to Ito Station in Rhea. I have never been interdicted by pirates so many times while having literally nothing of value on board.

 

[Lightspeed]

In mining, there are pirate NPCs and there are miner NPCs. The latter turn up in your instance and go about their business, but leave you feeling suspicious in case they turn hostile. You eventually leave them behind as you go about your own business.

Pirate NPCs turn up and don't always seem to find you. Some do, others appear to move off elsewhere. They may not "see" you amongst the rocks. Certainly, you can hide among blown apart deep core rocks, because your temperature goes cold. This is a useful technique if you need to log off and come back at the same location. Dive into the exploded rock and the NPCs pass you by.

The other way to avoid them is to say "nothing to see here, move along" and wave your hand dismissively.

 

[Norwin Palmer]

Some NPCs are persistent, particularly the ones sent after you when running missions.

Yea I like the persistent NPCs, especially the ones spawned at POIs as they are persistent and endless. I have not done any missions for days, I'm just hauling station repair materials around (actually probably haven't done a mission in months) so I don't think it was that kind.

At times, when you engage an interdicting NPC and damage them, they will wake out and the same one will return quite quickly fully repaired.

Also if you follow their wake and find them on the other side they will already be fully repaired and restocked even if the system has no stations.

There are also "terrorist" NPCs that will shoot you for no reason, claiming cargo you don't have.

It is difficult to tell the "terrorists" from any other last time I checked. I haven't tried lately but in 2.1 I let myself get pulled over 20 times and tried to drop what was asked for and in only 1 of the 20 did the NPC not destroy my ship, sometime they even sent a message "Thanks that's all I wanted" ... BOOM. But sometimes it is funny like when they send "You have 10 seconds to comply" but never sent any demands to comply with.

In mining, if you're away from zone, you won't get as many pirates looking you up. If you have a well-armed ship and of high combat rank, they may "decide" not to attack. I haven't mined for a while but I use a mining Corvette that can also keep up with any attacking NPC. At times they will leave you alone if you kill them off. Other times if you're mining in a wing, the pirates get so thick you can't mine at all.

Just keep killing them off, adds to the fun.

Well on this iteration of CMDR I'm harmless and my kill count is up to 3 skimmers, also don't have offensive weapons on any ship so far. But I have noticed that on other CMDRS that did have combat rank.

Not sure if this counts, but I was interdicted the very moment I entered back into the bubble after my exploration trip.

I dropped into my first inhabited system in over a month and I was scooping the star when the usual pirate text came on to chat and he tried interdicting me. Keep in mind I'm an explorer not trader. I had no cargo. Not even limpets. I also had no bounties.

This happened 3 more times on my way back to Ito Station in Rhea. I have never been interdicted by pirates so many times while having literally nothing of value on board.

Sometimes it makes me wonder too. Like I went for years without any really large bounties and never saw a NPC bounty hunter but within 30 seconds of getting a 10K bounty one pulls me and attacks.

In mining, there are pirate NPCs and there are miner NPCs. The latter turn up in your instance and go about their business, but leave you feeling suspicious in case they turn hostile. You eventually leave them behind as you go about your own business.

Pirate NPCs turn up and don't always seem to find you. Some do, others appear to move off elsewhere. They may not "see" you amongst the rocks. Certainly, you can hide among blown apart deep core rocks, because your temperature goes cold. This is a useful technique if you need to log off and come back at the same location. Dive into the exploded rock and the NPCs pass you by.

The other way to avoid them is to say "nothing to see here, move along" and wave your hand dismissively.

I scanned these and they were all wanted so not miners, or at least I never found a wanted NPC miner before and they were sending pirate messages.

I have seen some people say NPCs have no issues finding players inside frozen core clouds and I tend to agree. I was inside the cloud and my ship temp was at 0 when they eventually found me and scanned, I need to do some more testing on this.

 

[Maymo]

Had an imperial eagle try to interdict me on the way back to a station after mining. Got back and unloaded my haul/restocked limpets and returned to the ring, same eagle dropped in on my now empty ship and opened fire while stating I had “10 seconds to comply”!?
Uh....comply to what?

HighRES combat has also changed a lot since I last played. Most of the cops leave the instance after the first few fights and let the pirates do what they want.

There’s also complacent cops in some instances that just don’t bother firing their weapons at pirates in combat with me.

 

[Flossy]

I always play the mini-game when interdicted and 99% of the time will win and escape, but at one point during this last weekend while hauling to repair stations, I lost. I initially tried to boost away but noticed he was demanding 3 tonnes of cargo, so decided to comply and dropped 3 - only for him to start shooting at me! Fortunately I managed to escape and reach the station. I was in a T9 which isn't the easiest to escape with but am still usually successful. Also, I'm Harmless so unless I'm doing missions the attacking NPCs aren't too high in combat ranking.

 

[Norwin Palmer]

Had an imperial eagle try to interdict me on the way back to a station after mining. Got back and unloaded my haul/restocked limpets and returned to the ring, same eagle dropped in on my now empty ship and opened fire while stating I had “10 seconds to comply”!?
Uh....comply to what?

HighRES combat has also changed a lot since I last played. Most of the cops leave the instance after the first few fights and let the pirates do what they want.

There’s also complacent cops in some instances that just don’t bother firing their weapons at pirates in combat with me.

Those "10 seconds to comply" with no demands used to mostly come from hit squads that were generated by missions, angry ex-employers, hostile factions, etc but now it seems like they can appear at any time. I wonder if that means they are still hit squads? By your description I guess maybe so.

I thought of a couple more odd things related to RES sites as well, like some wanted NPCs will not return fire until their shields drop. Also, I thought the security on security battles were fixed but I'm still seeing them - or maybe started seeing them again if they were reintroduced.

I always play the mini-game when interdicted and 99% of the time will win and escape, but at one point during this last weekend while hauling to repair stations, I lost. I initially tried to boost away but noticed he was demanding 3 tonnes of cargo, so decided to comply and dropped 3 - only for him to start shooting at me! Fortunately I managed to escape and reach the station. I was in a T9 which isn't the easiest to escape with but am still usually successful. Also, I'm Harmless so unless I'm doing missions the attacking NPCs aren't too high in combat ranking.

As close as I can determine that destroy your ship regardless of what you do behavior was introduced sometime between 1.X and 2.X, that is when I noticed it and started seeing others report it. But it does seem like these new breed may be even more trigger happy and don't even give the 4-5 seconds warning before opening fire.

Almost same thing happened to me, I was in map screen when interdicted and exiting the map auto fails the interdiction so I started to dump the 17t they asked for when I remembered it probably wouldn't make and difference and they were already shooting so I used the "select next target in destination" button to set high wake target and jumped. In the 10 seconds or so it took to jump that "novice" NPC pirate took out my 6A shield with 3 A shield boosters and 44% of my hull, if I had waited to see if they accepted the 17t before jumping I would be BOOM. What is the point of NPC "pirates" if there is no piracy involved?

 

[Norwin Palmer]

Some NPCs are persistent, particularly the ones sent after you when running missions.
...

After I thought about it a while I decided you could be right. If repairing stations are treated similar to persistent POIs (like damaged/destroyed ships) then the NPCs created in them could also be persistent.

 

[GeneralIdea1964]

Not sure if this counts, but I was interdicted the very moment I entered back into the bubble after my exploration trip.

I dropped into my first inhabited system in over a month and I was scooping the star when the usual pirate text came on to chat and he tried interdicting me. Keep in mind I'm an explorer not trader. I had no cargo. Not even limpets. I also had no bounties.

This happened 3 more times on my way back to Ito Station in Rhea. I have never been interdicted by pirates so many times while having literally nothing of value on board.

This does happen on return from exploration. At least it used to. (can't be sure since Beyond release)
They are obviously after your valuable data store.

 

[Zieman]

Some NPCs are persistent, particularly the ones sent after you when running missions.

I'd call them semi persistent because all their damage magically vanishes if there's an instance change. Sometimes their ship or loadout changes too.

 

[Stealthie]

I'd say that almost everything NPCs do counts as "odd behaviour" at the moment.