Assassinations too complicated

[Golemone]

Assassinations are too complicated with the redirect and contract update and what else not. In the end, I visit several star systems and check out every USS for hours... this all for a lousy bounty of 150'000 credits. In the same time I make millions of bounty by visiting nav beacons of anarchy systems.

It's a pity, because it would be nice to hunt down one particular evil buddy.

 

[Kitfox]

They're long winded, but not complicated.
You usually get three systems listed in the contract. Go to one and keep dropping into USS's until an npc talks to you about your target.
You're contract gets updated with the system the target is in from this. Go there and keep hitting USS's.
You may get another npc offer a counter contract, but you can ignore this and just keep on visiting sources in the system until you find the Anaconda/Dropship/whatever.

Use a KWS - those annies usually come with additional bounties to the value of around 300 grand on them. Which is nice.
Good luck.

 

[quickr]

They are not complicated, they are broken

 

[tough boy]

hopefully it will get better with the new mission system in 1.3...

 

[Mungrul]

I just wish there was a way to turn down or discard the counter offers so they don't muddy the original mission in the description.
I'd also like to be able to attack the NPC that offers the alternative. They're obviously associated with the target, so how come they're never "Wanted"?

 

[Ommasaur]

I just wish there was a way to turn down or discard the counter offers so they don't muddy the original mission in the description.
I'd also like to be able to attack the NPC that offers the alternative. They're obviously associated with the target, so how come they're never "Wanted"?

You can stop the bug by taking a shot at the ship offering the counter offer before he finishes and the mission is updated. You'll get a small bounty of a few hundred credits but the mission stays unbugged and you can finish it. Clunky, but it works!

 

[Iskariot]

Assassinations are too complicated with the redirect and contract update and what else not. In the end, I visit several star systems and check out every USS for hours... this all for a lousy bounty of 150'000 credits. In the same time I make millions of bounty by visiting nav beacons of anarchy systems.

It's a pity, because it would be nice to hunt down one particular evil buddy.

In my experience it never takes hours.
-You take the mission.
-You go to one or two USS: You 'accidentally' encounter someone who tells you where to go.
-You go there and go to one or two USS: You find the target.
-You kill the target.
-Done.

It never takes hours.


But it is always the same pattern and that is boring.
The target also always tends to fly an Anaconda, which is boring too.
I would like to encounter targets in a variety of ships and even with an escort. Why not fight 5 sidewinders, or 3 Cobras. That would be fun.
I would like to get a station as the location where to find the target and then have to stake out near the entrance, waiting for the target to come out and then follow him and attack when opportune.
When Planetary landings are implemented I want to have to go to the surface of a planet, look around the local spaceport to find his ship and then follow him into space etc. etc.
Or I want the ability to take the target alive and double the bounty.
Stuff like that.

I want choice and a variety of opportunities.

 

[Muzz UK]

These missions are being fixed and tweaked in 1.3 so just wait a couple of weeks! I agree though they are boring and broken at the moment I only manage to complete 1 or 2 out of ten and they aren't really worth the time and effort unless it's for rank.

 

[Riktar]

I just wish there was a way to turn down or discard the counter offers so they don't muddy the original mission in the description.
I'd also like to be able to attack the NPC that offers the alternative. They're obviously associated with the target, so how come they're never "Wanted"?

+1 on this. While it does add more "complication" to the mission, I would welcome this addition to the game!!!!

 

[GaryII]

this all for a lousy bounty of 150'000 credits. In the same time I make millions of bounty by visiting nav beacons of anarchy systems.

For Assassination missions (AM) KWS is MUST have, you can get extra money from 110k up to ~380 000 CR (my best payout so far)

I have about 38m in bounties total from those AM.

I agree they are a bit baggy and lousy in design.

Here are few rules that I use:

1) Preparation: visit nearby systems (I do this with my trade ship) before start - here you can plan also nice trade routes and get good profit -

collect as many AM possible I have sometimes up to 20 active AMs

In this case you can get multiple bounties form one Pirate Lord (my best is 4, so ~170x4 = good money)

2)

2.1) Switch to combat ship go to system were you have most active AM, fly 5ls from star (To avoid heat issues in combat) stop your ship and wait for USS to appear - sometimes this can take up to 1 minute,

if USS does not appear after minute fly a bit around star (keep ~5ls distance) if mission still does not appear this system is bugged - move to next system with AM active

2.2 Also keep in mind that often USS do not give ship with messages were Pirate Lord is located - but instead you can get a random ships, wedding, funeral etc - if I get 2 of those USS I move to next system.

2.3) If you get in USS ship that offers payout for not killing Pirate or other option - move to other system.


Sure this can not compare with trading in T7 and better trade ship but is more fun at least for me

Unfortunately you have a bit to limited time to kill those Lords and than you can have the same issue what I have sometimes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1VPmRuxH94 at 0:37 = a lot of manual "remove thing" work

 

[Farmboy]

You can stop the bug by taking a shot at the ship offering the counter offer before he finishes and the mission is updated. You'll get a small bounty of a few hundred credits but the mission stays unbugged and you can finish it. Clunky, but it works!

It does, but you probably want to switch 'report crimes against me' off lest the system authorities turn up while you're fighting the target and start shooting at you.

Or you can just abandon the mission if the counteroffer comes before you know the target system location.

 

[Golemone]

In my experience it never takes hours.
-You take the mission.
-You go to one or two USS: You 'accidentally' encounter someone who tells you where to go.
-You go there and go to one or two USS: You find the target.
-You kill the target.
-Done.

It never takes hours.

That's the ideal case. But today I had it in the following order:
-You take the mission.
-You go to ten or twelve USS: You 'accidentally' encounter someone who updates the contract.
-But you want to go for the original target.
-You go on for USS in all three systems: You don't find the target and you don't find someone to tell you, where the target is.
-You don't kill the target.
-I gave up after two hours.

BTW: Of course I use a KWS.

 

[digitalscream]

That's the ideal case. But today I had it in the following order:
-You take the mission.
-You go to ten or twelve USS: You 'accidentally' encounter someone who updates the contract.
-But you want to go for the original target.
-You go on for USS in all three systems: You don't find the target and you don't find someone to tell you, where the target is.
-You don't kill the target.
-I gave up after two hours.

BTW: Of course I use a KWS.

You're doing it the hard way. Once you're told where the target is, just hang around in that system in supercruise at the minimum speed - every USS you come across will be in immediate safe-disengage distance, so no farting around with speeds.

In any case...these missions are worth anywhere from 300k to 500k (including the bounty, with a KWS). Do you really expect to be able to complete them in the same time frame as a mission worth 10k?

 

[Golemone]

You're doing it the hard way. Once you're told where the target is, just hang around in that system in supercruise at the minimum speed - every USS you come across will be in immediate safe-disengage distance, so no farting around with speeds.

In any case...these missions are worth anywhere from 300k to 500k (including the bounty, with a KWS). Do you really expect to be able to complete them in the same time frame as a mission worth 10k?

Before I got told where to find the target, the contract was updated. So I think, there's a bug, because after that I never encountered an NPC to tell me about the target. Of course, I cruise at minimum speed to check out the USS.

Some targets (particularly Generals) don't have a bounty on them.

 

[digitalscream]

Before I got told where to find the target, the contract was updated. So I think, there's a bug, because after that I never encountered an NPC to tell me about the target. Of course, I cruise at minimum speed to check out the USS.

Some targets (particularly Generals) don't have a bounty on them.

Fair enough on the bug. I've never come across it where I get the counter-offer before the point-in-the-right-direction encounter. Perhaps that just means you're in the right system already?

I tend to avoid the military ones - just go for the criminals, they always have a significant bounty (unless it's a progression mission).

 

[TriumphANT]

Before I got told where to find the target, the contract was updated. So I think, there's a bug, because after that I never encountered an NPC to tell me about the target. Of course, I cruise at minimum speed to check out the USS.

Some targets (particularly Generals) don't have a bounty on them.

Yup, that was discussed yesterday. If you get a counter-offer, you need to abandon the mission. Apparently you can shoot the counter-offerer and they won't complete the offer of the branch mission, but I've never had weapons out to try this.

The mission system in 1.3 (should be out for late next week if Beta appears this week?) is totally rewritten from scratch, so it should (a) be fixed and (b) more interesting. Until then, just get used to abandoning the assassinations once in a while. When you get one to work and see 280KCr going into your account for 5 minutes work, you'll still grin. Trust me.

 

[Ancipital]

They are not complicated, they are broken

That was character for character what I was going to post- except that I was also going to use a full stop. Thus, I have nothing to add to your comment except:

.

 

[brakaton]

Every time I've attempted to do one of these missions something <messes> up in the game. I've still got a mission from 2 months ago which I can't abandon.

 

[Jmanis]

If you've got time to spend a couple hours looking for a target, I find this actually works well. Run a few missions for a while through the same station, or trade, or heck, go res bounty hunting and come back to repair/reload now and then.

Since assasinations last over a day, spend some time accumulating them at the one station. Missions from the same station generally have you checking similar stations. Once you have 8-10 under your belt (with overlaps of systems to search), you increase your chances of the USS being a pointer to the target. Additionally, don't take contracts where all the systems to look in are uninhabited, nor waste your time looking for targets in uninhabited systems. USS take forever to spawn in these systems, and will literally take hours to find what you're after.

 

[dayrth]

I just wish there was a way to turn down or discard the counter offers so they don't muddy the original mission in the description.

There is. Shoot the guy making the offer, just once will do. You will get a small bounty if your not in an anarchy, but it is worth it to shut him up. It will also stop the mission from breaking.

Sometimes I have found an npc talking to me, but his messages are blank. If this happens check your galaxy map and if the system you need to search has changed the new system will be labeled.

... this all for a lousy bounty of 150'000 credits...

KW Scan him before killing. They can have a bounty as much as twice the price offered for the mission. You could get up to 450,000 for a target with 150,000 offered on the builtin board.