Combat is Infuriating

[Ndarain]

No problem.

B rated SCBs are just reflex for me now - you get a slightly lower individual charge from each cell, but you get 5 cells instead of 4, so the overall charge is higher. It's most effective on combat ships and can probably be replaced with a lighter 5A without any drawbacks.

With regard to multi-role ships, you can, I think, have one, and the Python makes a really good one, if there's an outfitters to refit the ship for each individual role.

You can fit two if you opt for a 5a fuel scoop instead of the 6.

 

[Darrett]

Sort of a challenge, not really though. I recently had to downgrade to a Viper with C3 shields and fixed weapons to make high CZs actually challenging again. And by "challenging" I mean I lost 2 rings of my shields a couple times in 2 hours of play. No SCBs either. Popped chaff 3 times. Only thing engineered was the dirty drives. No enhanced engines.

In short NPCs are less brain dead now, but for a real challenge, I am still waiting on Thargoids.

All fixed all the time I say. I fly the DBS for the hit box, but I'll admit to using bi-weaves instead of the regular C grade shields. No engineering.

It's still not crazy difficult, really the only risk is when you make it so.

 

[Necronaught]

The combat is just pitching from my perspective. Just looping and looping as I chase down the ai. The annoying thing about it is the slower pitching ships seem to out maneuver me. I tested this in a Vulture and yup a Master Python was out pitching me. Sadly I killed way quicker and made millions while in the Vulture, than in the Corvette. I have only modded the FSD, everything else is default.

 

[the100thmonkey]

You can fit two if you opt for a 5a fuel scoop instead of the 6.

I don't fit fuel scoops to trading vessels, and I'm unlikely to go exploring in a Python any time soon (or any other ship, for that matter!)

 

[jasonbarron]

Sort of a challenge, not really though. I recently had to downgrade to a Viper with C3 shields and fixed weapons to make high CZs actually challenging again. And by "challenging" I mean I lost 2 rings of my shields a couple times in 2 hours of play. No SCBs either. Popped chaff 3 times. Only thing engineered was the dirty drives. No enhanced engines.

In short NPCs are less brain dead now, but for a real challenge, I am still waiting on Thargoids.

Dayum CMDR! I'm not sure whether to be impressed...or depressed! I have no problem staying in a High CZ until my multi cannon runs out of ammo with my highly modified FdL, but I get run out now and again, too. I definitely feel like death is a choice in ED, but I'm nowhere staying in a high CZ with a Viper never losing shields...

 

[Ozram]

Dayum CMDR! I'm not sure whether to be impressed...or depressed! I have no problem staying in a High CZ until my multi cannon runs out of ammo with my highly modified FdL, but I get run out now and again, too. I definitely feel like death is a choice in ED, but I'm nowhere staying in a high CZ with a Viper never losing shields...

Neither am I. How fast is that Viper of yours Ziljan?

 

[Ndarain]

Thank you, for the whole post. Including the last line, because apologies in these modern times are so hard to offer, and I gladly accept them!

I forgot to mention I had switched to pulse lasers (didn't take me a lot to figure out my beloved beams (I put em everywhere) were impossible to use on a Python). Moreover, if you read my first post here, I also had put in a chaff launcher which actually is the device that saved my ships in the worst situations.

In the beginning I wondered - and still wonder - why people use heatsinks when chaff launchers are so good. I can use shield cells just fine without the need to throw heatsinks.

By the way, I see you are using a 5B shield bank... why B grade? Money saving or some reason I don't know about?

Talking about instances, I get in, take 1-2 mission items, Low jump out, wait until it repops afresh (1-2 minutes), go in again and so on.


Finally, I have read this thread about post 2.1 patch Python. Apparently it looks like patch 2.1 made general purpose ships obsolete.
This greatly saddens me, as I truly loved Python with my heart, to the point I did not get a 'Conda.
I don't even understand why making general purpose ships obsolete is fair (they imply that in that thread), it reminds me about hybrid classes in MMORPGs: you cannot make viable hybrids, content is tuned to be reasonably hard for "pure" classes (ships in ED) so hybrids just aren't really viable. You roll a totally mediocre, uncompetitive class just to display some token flexibility that does not matter.
In fact, if Python is not meant do kills stuff any more (just flee), I see no reason using it over a T-7 / T-9 or using it over a pure combat ship. The former carry much more and have to flee the same way, the latter actually kills stuff.

Pythons can do kills just fine.

 

[Dillontheman]

Yeah tough AI doesnt mean more fun. Every NPC fights in the same way, endless loops until youre at an inconvenient angle, then turning ( lot of times in a way that doesnt seem like it matchs the NPC's ship capability) and firing constant lasers.

This isnt WW2 dogfighting lol.

 

[avow555]

I agree. Combat is dreadful. Every fight devolves into FA/off reverse thrusting in a loop until the AI decides it wants to repeatedly ram my ship. I'll take the old AI any day, minus the rotisserie bug.

Couldn't agree more...

 

[Ozram]

Interesting. My experiences have been different. Perhaps they react to how one maneuvers in a specific way? For me the combat varies quite widely depending on what ship I'm in and what ship they're in and how I go about fighting them. I've had some nice fights when interdicted in my trade Python where they assault me pretty well until they "notice" that I am avoiding their PA's and Fixed missiles reasonably well and their shields break and they start taking damage and they turn tail and run. Somehow those experiences feel even more satisfying than the ones that stay to the end when they've clearly lost. FA off fighting is fun. I like how the controls work entirely differently from fa on and a delicate touch becomes far more rewarding. Dunno. I'm much happier with the new NPC. My rank is deadly so they are usually deadly or elite that interdict me. The range of ships that try to get me is pretty wide as well. Ive had anything from Elite Anacondas (which I'll usually run from unless I'm feeling feisty and don't mind coming back with a badly damaged ship), Gunships, FAS, FDL, Vultures, wings of vipers and Eagles (these can be the deadliest) and even Cobra MK4s packing missiles and PAs, and DBEs and dbs's... Na, so far as NPCs I'm happier now than I was before (it's not perfect). PVP, on the other hand? That's basically ruined. Heat mechanics trump all and so do dirty drives etc. I hate it. I can only imagine how those who did not pay to win horizons content feel. They are out of the running entirely.

 

[Armia]

If NPCs are giving you trouble, try using some missiles. Those are so effective in crippling engines and weapons, almost to the point of being an insta win.

I have two on my all puspose Conda and they are absolute bliss. A single volley and their engines are gone.

 

[Ndarain]

Interesting. My experiences have been different. Perhaps they react to how one maneuvers in a specific way? For me the combat varies quite widely depending on what ship I'm in and what ship they're in and how I go about fighting them. I've had some nice fights when interdicted in my trade Python where they assault me pretty well until they "notice" that I am avoiding their PA's and Fixed missiles reasonably well and their shields break and they start taking damage and they turn tail and run. Somehow those experiences feel even more satisfying than the ones that stay to the end when they've clearly lost. FA off fighting is fun. I like how the controls work entirely differently from fa on and a delicate touch becomes far more rewarding. Dunno. I'm much happier with the new NPC. My rank is deadly so they are usually deadly or elite that interdict me. The range of ships that try to get me is pretty wide as well. Ive had anything from Elite Anacondas (which I'll usually run from unless I'm feeling feisty and don't mind coming back with a badly damaged ship), Gunships, FAS, FDL, Vultures, wings of vipers and Eagles (these can be the deadliest) and even Cobra MK4s packing missiles and PAs, and DBEs and dbs's... Na, so far as NPCs I'm happier now than I was before (it's not perfect). PVP, on the other hand? That's basically ruined. Heat mechanics trump all and so do dirty drives etc. I hate it. I can only imagine how those who did not pay to win horizons content feel. They are out of the running entirely.

I thought horizons was an expansion, but I agree with everything else. Well mostly. I've taken out an elite anaconda with 2 deadly Eagles in an un-engingered icourier. If I can do that, I'm positive someone else can too.

 

[Ozram]

I thought horizons was an expansion, but I agree with everything else. Well mostly. I've taken out an elite anaconda with 2 deadly Eagles in an un-engingered icourier. If I can do that, I'm positive someone else can too.

Horizons is an expansion. Landing on planets and using an SRV is awesome and Unique and (I think) worth every penny. Things like engineers provides a massive boost to stats that those without it simply cannot compete with. That's all I meant by pay to win. It's really noticeable in (the albeit sorta rare and extremely imbalanced) PVP.

I don't want to get started on the Courier... That ship is awesome.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Not only do we have teleportation now, we also have time travel.. How are the Thargoids in 2.5 btw?

In FE2 we can also advance the time

 

[Ziljan]

Dayum CMDR! I'm not sure whether to be impressed...or depressed! I have no problem staying in a High CZ until my multi cannon runs out of ammo with my highly modified FdL, but I get run out now and again, too. I definitely feel like death is a choice in ED, but I'm nowhere staying in a high CZ with a Viper never losing shields...

It's easy in a Viper. Maybe the same difficulty as an FDL. The only difference is that you can make the FDL shields impenetrable. Whereas the Viper is very hard to damage unless you let them sneak up on you or give them free shots while staying stock still at point blank range.

However, if you can continuously hit a target with fixed weapons while doing lateral doughnuts with FAoff, then Vipers are a small ship pilots dream. With the right setup, they can do some decent damage too.

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Neither am I. How fast is that Viper of yours Ziljan?

That's classified.

But I'll tell you that my agility is what is key to success in CZs, so being light is better then being fast. Fast is good too. But the standard issue turn rate of 10.6 seconds is criminally slow. Frontier really needs to buff the stock Viper agility and lateral thrusters. The engineered version is barely passable. Still worse than the FDL agility!

 

[LoneWolf2183]

Yeah tough AI doesnt mean more fun. Every NPC fights in the same way, endless loops until youre at an inconvenient angle, then turning ( lot of times in a way that doesnt seem like it matchs the NPC's ship capability) and firing constant lasers.

This isnt WW2 dogfighting lol.

Would you rather have them sit in one spot, and spin for 10 min?

 

[Dillontheman]

Would you rather have them sit in one spot, and spin for 10 min?

Thats kinda what they do until you hit them a few times

 

[Forumate]

Firstly I have been part of Elite Dangerous since the Alpha and have logged more hours than I can remember. I recently took a break just after but have returned for 2.5 and now I find combat very un-enjoyable.

I know that the AI need an upgrade and I was all for that but since I have come back I don't enjoy it at all. Maybe I just to brush up on my flight skills, maybe Star Citizen flight controls have given me some bad habits, I don't know. What I do know is I will be spending more time dong non-combat things, at least for a while.

Thanks for your feedback commander. Let us know if there is anything else you do not like about the game.