Are CZs for Single Players?

Cliché

Cliché
I'm getting back into ED after not playing much the last two years (especially combat). I've also cleared my save and am getting my first real experiences with engineers. I took my engineered Viper into low intensity conflict zones, and over and over again within minutes I was being attacked by 3, 4, even 5 ships (ok, I guess some of those white triangles could have been missiles, thinking about it). My Viper against Pythons, Vultures, Defenders, as well as Cobras and Eagles and so on. I ended up overwhelmed and running away. Even trying to hang around the periphery I just can't stand up to the onslaught.

I never played in CZs much before, preferring role playing in the RES. But I could hold my own for a long time until I'd finally lose my shield and have my cockpit blow out. Usually flying my Vulture or Python at the time. I understand "git gud", and I am very rusty! But should I be able to hang around in a CZ with a little ship? Or are they really meant for wings or more powerful ships?
 

CMDR Yates

C
Choose "High Intensity", rather than "Low Intensity" Combat Zones. Counterintuitively, the low intensity ones are harder because there aren't as many allied ships around to take heat off you, and you'll usually be the biggest threat as seen by the AI. You can easily end up with almost every enemy ship focusing on you.

Stick close to concentrations of green contacts and don't get cut off by reds. Let the allied AI help you. Stick to the edges of the CZ where possible and lure any powerful ships away from their allies before dogfighting too hard.
 

Cliché

Cliché
@CMDRs Yates and Faybs (you look like twins), Thanks. I'm dumbfounded. Why is this a thing? I'll give a high intensity CZ a try and see what happens.
 

Ian Skippy

Ian Skippy
Cliché said:
@CMDRs Yates and Faybs (you look like twins), Thanks. I'm dumbfounded. Why is this a thing? I'll give a high intensity CZ a try and see what happens.
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Every ship has a threat rating. The higher the rating, the more likely NPCs are to attack you. In a hi-intensity setting there are tons of high-end ships, with high threat ratings. They will draw fire from you. In low-intensity settings you are more likely to be the highest threat, and you'll be ganged up on. If you want to go into low-intensity, chose a low-intensity ship yourself. In an Eagle things are much calmer, and an Eagle in high-intensity is a blast as well. :D
 

Chaparral

Chaparral
I prefer the ieagle with that medium hardpoint, but ieagle in a hi-intensity cz ESPECIALLY with a cap ship coming in is fantastic. One of my favorite things in the game.
 

PhanttoM

PhanttoM
Conflict Zones can very much be a single player experience. I personally find them quite relaxing and use them to zone out while listening to podcasts. Kinda like getting into a first person shooter trance - where you just follow a rythm without thinking.

Obviously this requires that you understand the mechanics and behaviour of the CZ first.
As others have mentioned, on Tuesday there will be some changes to them.


*Shameless selfplug* If you're having trouble, I have a video tutorial in my signature that goes into detail of how they currently work.
It's divided into subjects - see timestamps in video description and comments section so you can skip parts.
 

rekurzion

rekurzion
CZ's are definitely for skilled solo commanders.

my two cents...take the low vs high intensity suggestions with a grain of salt. its good advice for the timid and the new. however, in my experience, once you've mastered your way around a CZ and have a fairly adequate machine to inflict/take pain low intensity provides no real challenge since a well crafted ship can destroy any low intensity ship faster than they can swarm you - most of the time. be warned, you can also be swarmed in a high intensity CZ and with ships being of higher rating can be far more deadly in terms of time to kill.

my advice is to take the advice given so far, work on your build then adjust as you see fit. have an exit and re-engage strategy in place and know how to read your radar. also, understand scenarios and how they will change CZ's going forward as most of what you will learn today will be thrown on its head once the new features make it to the game. also, speed is king.

fly dangerous CMDR o7
 
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schmicknick

schmicknick
ArchAngelofDeath said:
I am now curious to OPs forum avatar. [big grin]
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No doubt it's probably the CQC Elite badge...

...and I totally agree with the comments on the high vs. low czs...
One thing... is when you drop into a CZ.... it is always best to fly out to the edge and give the ships a little bit of time to start targeting each other before you declare for a side. If you drop in and declare quickly, often you will have many NPC's targeting you straight away.

...and I am looking forward to the new CZ scenarios coming on Tue. Looks like it'll be super nice :)
Cheers, o7
 

jacozilla

jacozilla
Watch any National Geographic re-run about jackals vs lions and it will prepare you well for solo CZs.

1. Find the kill area then slink around towards the edges - don't be the dead jackal in the middle of the lions

2. Only the lions will be upset - all the other jackals will high-five you for getting that last little tiny nip on the just about to die gazelle, and get full kill credit. Let the lions from the red team go all halo on blue team, then score the cheap kill.

3. Once you are at the outer edge, stay there. Lions are stupid and don't really care you are sniper shotting them in the head like an 11 year old CoD massacre master in the bell tower or take them out 1v1.

4. Don't sit and stop to eat the whole feast, all the little nips add up - deploy your limpets, forget camping a dead kill to get everything, just keep hoovering around the edges of the kill zone - the smorgasbord is infinite, dash in jackal stype to take a bit, run away like brave sir robin, rinse repeat.
 

Jmanis

Jmanis
Cliché said:
@CMDRs Yates and Faybs (you look like twins), Thanks. I'm dumbfounded. Why is this a thing? I'll give a high intensity CZ a try and see what happens.
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The thing is, as a player, you can take up either side. So high intensity means the ships on *both* sides are tougher. Therefore the RNG coin-flip impact of one side gaining an advantage is much more stable, as it's harder for either side to get a leg-up over the other, as opposed to a low-intensity CZ where there's a greater chance for one side to get the advantage (which can work in your favour, or really, really against it).

Also, in case it's happening, target one ship at a time, and don't pick a side straight away in the CZ. Wait for the radar to fill with contacts and for all the NPCs to pick targets before joining, otherwise you're much more likely to have a bunch of fresh spawns target you.
 

Troz

Troz
@OP - another warning: every now and then a hostile will head off away from the CZ. It will seem like a great opportunity to follow him and pick him off. But when he crosses the boundary of the CZ (and there is nothing to tell you when this has happened) he will cease to be a legitimate target and you will be up on a murder rap if you kill him.
 

Jenner

I wish I was English like my hero Tj.
Jenner
CMDR Yates said:
Choose "High Intensity", rather than "Low Intensity" Combat Zones. Counterintuitively, the low intensity ones are harder because there aren't as many allied ships around to take heat off you, and you'll usually be the biggest threat as seen by the AI. You can easily end up with almost every enemy ship focusing on you.
Click to expand...

I never would have thought that! Learned something new...
 

smiths121

S
I do not buy the high intensity is "easier" advise. Well not all the time. I have certainly subscribed to this in the past. I do think combat rank of the player plays its part. It also depends on whether you are forced to a particular side by BGS needa. If not, think the advise coupled with the advise to fly to 5km and then choose sides is based around letting one side get the upper hand, makes high intensity a better choice.

Anyway only advise, what ever intensiyu is to let it form for a while - 5km and then choose, if you do not fancy the odds off to another CZ see if RNG is kinder there. Always have a high wake ready in route planner for a quck escape.

Simon
 

[VR] Marrs

[VR] Marrs
I'd always assumed the difference between low and high was more to do with the numbers of ships rather than difficulty, low being more suited to less powerful PCs. I concur that high CZs can be easier, even with more and stronger ships because there is less chance of being swarmed.
 
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