Newcomer / Intro Difference between CMDRs vs NPCs - Background Info?

ITZC0ATL

ITZC0ATL
So I've seen a few references around to CMDRs being some higher class of pilot than NPCs, that have special protections (escape pods) and such. I've tried searching the forum/internet to see if the discintion is actually explained anywhere but so far I've found diddly squat on the subject.

Is there any lore or explanation for how CMDRs are seen by others, and what separates us from NPCs?
 
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CMDR Heisenberg B. Damned

CMDR Heisenberg B. Damned
CMDR's are humans (other players) with hollow icons on the scanner. There's no guarantee a CMDR will be a better pilot, if it wasn't for my hollow icon you'd never tell me from an NPC!
 

Michael Brookes

Game Director
HAL- 9000 said:
So I've seen a few references around to CMDRs being some higher class of pilot than NPCs, that have special protections (escape pods) and such. I've tried searching the forum/internet to see if the discintion is actually explained anywhere but so far I've found diddly squat on the subject.

Is there any lore or explanation for how CMDRs are seen by others, and what separates us from NPCs?
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Players are members of the Pilots Federation - almost all NPCs are not.

Michael
 

dynamicbob

Banned
D
so asking for maybe engineering sciency technical stuff, which npcs might be members of the pilot federation ( or just those npcs that belong to the pilots federation minor faction) which means expanding that minor faction might have implications, thanks for clearing that up micheal
 

Arry

Arry
It is not clear what Holly 6000 above is asking?

The handle, portrays a cold miss-understanding, of what make humans players, different to pixel generated players.

Or it could be a question, of 'how to tell the difference?' As 'the man' says; Humans are hollow.
 

d8veh

d8veh
It's not that commanders are better pilots. Mainly, it's that they have better ships that are designed to be able to disable your ship very quickly. They scan your ship to checkout what load-out you have. If their load-out gives an advantage, they attack. You can be the best pilot in the world, but your chance of surviving is not high unless you use a load-out for PvP too, but then you can't make money like you can with a PvE ship.
 

fossil

F
HAL- 9000 said:
So I've seen a few references around to CMDRs being some higher class of pilot than NPCs, that have special protections (escape pods) and such. I've tried searching the forum/internet to see if the discintion is actually explained anywhere but so far I've found diddly squat on the subject.

Is there any lore or explanation for how CMDRs are seen by others, and what separates us from NPCs?
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Think of a good CMDR as being a Formula 1 driver and an NPC "driver" being a 3-year-old. Guess who wins the race every time ? It doesn't matter about the equipment/ship/car - a good CMDR is in a different league than an NPC.

Having said that there are plenty of CMDRs in ED that seem to have the flying skills of a 3-year-old.

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d8veh said:
It's not that commanders are better pilots.
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Very very VERY wrong. Some CMDRs are much much much much much better pilots than any NPC. Fact.
 

fossil

F
mrsanders said:
And some are way way worse (looks in mirror). So his statement is correct. You cannot deduct that by being players they are the better pilots... Some are, some not.
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I didn't deduct (I think you meant deduce) anything. I said some pilots are very very very good pilots. I should have added that no (zero) NPCs are very good pilots. Thats the difference.
 

d8veh

d8veh
fossil said:
I didn't deduct (I think you meant deduce) anything. I said some pilots are very very very good pilots. I should have added that no (zero) NPCs are very good pilots. Thats the difference.
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Good is relative. I doubt that an average pilot can beat an Elite NPC in the same ship with the same loadout. If elite NPCs are better than average pilots, does that make them good?
 

fossil

F
d8veh said:
Good is relative. I doubt that an average pilot can beat an Elite NPC in the same ship with the same loadout. If elite NPCs are better than average pilots, does that make them good?
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Good is not relative. "Better than" is relative - good is an absolute. A good combat pilot will beat an ELite NPC every time given the same ship and loadout. All F1 drivers are good drivers - but some are better than others. Most CMDRs are not good combat pilots. NPCs are not good combat pilots. If Elite NPCs are better than average pilots then that makes them better than average pilots - not good pilots.
 

d8veh

d8veh
fossil said:
Good is not relative. "Better than" is relative - good is an absolute. A good combat pilot will beat an ELite NPC every time given the same ship and loadout. All F1 drivers are good drivers - but some are better than others. Most CMDRs are not good combat pilots. NPCs are not good combat pilots. If Elite NPCs are better than average pilots then that makes them better than average pilots - not good pilots.
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That's just playing with words. What's good is relative to the observer's frame of reference. To somebody that's just started, someone that's been playing for three days would appear to be good. There's no measure of what good is. You've made your own that says a good pilot is one that can beat an Elite NPC in the same ship. To somebody else, that might be an excellent pilot, and to somebody that's just started, he might see that pilot as some sort of god. It's all relative.
 
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fossil

F
d8veh said:
That's just playing with words. What's good is relative to the observer's frame of reference. To somebody that's just started, someone that's been playing for three days would appear to be good. There's no measure of what good is. You've made your own that says a good pilot is one that can beat an Elite NPC in the same ship. To somebody else, that might be an excellent pilot, and to somebody that's just started, he might see that pilot as some sort of god. It's all relative.
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That is your opinion. Mine differs.

NPCs, of whatever rank, are not very good pilots. A good pilot will beat them every time. If you believe that a player who has been playing for 3 days is a good pilot (or even some sort of god) then you are deluding yourself - regardless of your frame of reference. Being able to beat an NPC is an action that everyone can relate to - thats why I mention it.
You said it yourself - "To somebody that's just started, someone that's been playing for three days would appear to be good.". They only "appear to be good" - but thats an appearance - they aren't actually good. You are trying to justify "good" as being relative by using the phrase "appear to be good". By doing so you are implicitly agreeing with me. Thank you.
 
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