Bring back the Combat Aftermath USS please, and add a couple of G5 mats...

[Aashenfox]

There have been lots of good ideas about how to fix the HGE situation (manufactured materials gathering), but if I'm honest, I look at all the ideas, the best of which, in my opinion, was CosmicSpaceHead's suggestion some time ago to have debris fields follow conflict zones, and I say "this is a great idea, but FD aren't going to do this, at least, not mid cycle", so I find myself thinking what would be more reasonable, in terms of coding effort, that would be an improvement that we might be able to get before the next major patch.

Combat Aftermath USSes. For those who started playing in 3.0 and after, the Combat Aftermath USS used to contain ship wreckage (durrr), which had a smattering of grade 3 and grade 4 materials around it. Once traders were a thing, these became less useful, as it was always more efficient to farm g5 and trade, but still, they were 'useful' USSes with materials.

They are now gone. Replaced by these weird black box scenarios that don't make sense, don't even pay credits and don't have any materials (unless you kill the occasional rescue anaconda that appears, lol).

Simultaneously, HGE's got shafted by the changes to the BGS states and became totally unpredictable.

I think the Combat Aftermath USS should be reinstated as a material farm USS, with a small chance to spawn 1-3 g5 materials and a high chance to spawn 4 or 5 G4/3, and these should be related to state (and work properly in regard to such, like, but UNlike HGEs do today). The Combat Aftermath scenario as it is today would make better sense as a distress call.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

I fully endorse this product and/or service.

 

[Bigmaec]

\o/

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

There is simply too much mats diluting loot opportunities. One way to address it is creating more loot opportunities with considerate distribution.

I prefer cutting down on the ingredient bloat though.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

I think the Combat Aftermath USS should be reinstated as a material farm USS, with a small chance to spawn 1-3 g5 materials and a high chance to spawn 4 or 5 G4/3, and these should be related to state (and work properly in regard to such, like, but UNlike HGEs do today). The Combat Aftermath scenario as it is today would make better sense as a distress call.

Perhaps give them a Threat Level as well. Threat 0 would be G3-4 mats, 1 or above would be higher chances/grades, and increase the likelihood that whatever caused the Combat in the first place is still there and still keen to have a frank exchange of views.

 

[Rubbernuke]

That would be good. Make things more exciting if a wing of engineered combat ships pop in checking for looters, or enemy survivors.

 

[metatheurgist]

The old Threat 0 CA do exist, but are much rarer now. Usually it's the Threat 1 Data Scenario. I got a few from Djiwal a few days ago when I went looking for signal sources. They had the same mats as previous though imo the number of items in them seems to have lessened in line with all signal sources, which I think is FD's way of balancing the easier to find USS.

 

[Aashenfox]

Are you sure you didn't drop into an encoded? Encoded are as you describe, but in my experience threat 0 aftermath are always a retrieval scenario. I'll have another look tonight, thanks for the heads up.

 

[metatheurgist]

Definitely CA. So far only the Threat 1s have been scenarios for me.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

Yes!

I've resorted to murdering poor innocent ships in anarchy systems to stock up on goodies.

Although, even with combat aftermath back to how it was, it's still more fun to murder NPC's. Lol

For anyone interested in the debris field idea Ashenfox was referring too...
Debris Field Improvement and Gameplay

 

[GonzTheMalificent]

Anyone else found "Salvageable Wreckage" USS yet? Got 30 Occupied Escape pods, 8 Black Boxes and loads of Wreckage Components until I gave up through boredom - all in and around CZ.

 

[Factabulous]

The old Threat 0 CA do exist, but are much rarer now. Usually it's the Threat 1 Data Scenario. I got a few from Djiwal a few days ago when I went looking for signal sources. They had the same mats as previous though imo the number of items in them seems to have lessened in line with all signal sources, which I think is FD's way of balancing the easier to find USS.

I'd agree - I found a few and thought they were ok, then tried to find more and ... they are rare

 

[Iskariot]

There have been lots of good ideas about how to fix the HGE situation (manufactured materials gathering), but if I'm honest, I look at all the ideas, the best of which, in my opinion, was CosmicSpaceHead's suggestion some time ago to have debris fields follow conflict zones, and I say "this is a great idea, but FD aren't going to do this, at least, not mid cycle", so I find myself thinking what would be more reasonable, in terms of coding effort, that would be an improvement that we might be able to get before the next major patch.

Combat Aftermath USSes. For those who started playing in 3.0 and after, the Combat Aftermath USS used to contain ship wreckage (durrr), which had a smattering of grade 3 and grade 4 materials around it. Once traders were a thing, these became less useful, as it was always more efficient to farm g5 and trade, but still, they were 'useful' USSes with materials.

They are now gone. Replaced by these weird black box scenarios that don't make sense, don't even pay credits and don't have any materials (unless you kill the occasional rescue anaconda that appears, lol).

Simultaneously, HGE's got shafted by the changes to the BGS states and became totally unpredictable.

I think the Combat Aftermath USS should be reinstated as a material farm USS, with a small chance to spawn 1-3 g5 materials and a high chance to spawn 4 or 5 G4/3, and these should be related to state (and work properly in regard to such, like, but UNlike HGEs do today). The Combat Aftermath scenario as it is today would make better sense as a distress call.

I support this request.

 

[Vardaugas]

I can confirm that threat level 0 combat aftermath contains materials while threat level 1 is the new scenario. Encoded emissions have often enough s3-4 materials instead of a data node.

What I'd like is to see all material categories added to the existing site loot tables as currently some are missing entirely.

 

[Sylow]

Perhaps give them a Threat Level as well. Threat 0 would be G3-4 mats, 1 or above would be higher chances/grades, and increase the likelihood that whatever caused the Combat in the first place is still there and still keen to have a frank exchange of views.

Sounds fine. Would like that! May we have that, please? puppy eyes

 

[Heater]

100% Agree OP!

 

[MPL3D]

Uh Combat Aftermath still exists, haven't play much since April update though

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Uh Combat Aftermath still exists, haven't play much since April update though

Yes, but they've been useless since 3.0 (or was it 3.3?) dropped.

 

[Aashenfox]

And even when they were semi-useful they still didn't contain G5 mats, when perhaps they should have.

 

[Factabulous]

And even when they were semi-useful they still didn't contain G5 mats, when perhaps they should have.

I was going to reply that not everywhere needs to drop G5, but actually ... maybe if the chance of G5 was there even in degraded sources it would be cool - maybe 1% chance of any one mat being G5 degraded, 25% in encoded, 75% in BGE etc - part of the issue at the moment is that if I'm grinding I ignore all apart from HGE (which probably wouldn't change), but if I'm out for a pootle just to see what is around it would be nice if more organic farming got the occasional G5 to keep it interesting.

Wake Scanning is quite good like that - everything from G1 to G5, though in that case it would be nice if we could use more smarts to find places with better G5 drops.

USS drops are much like other parts of the game - a nice idea half implemented and then broken differently by every new release.