Discuss the AI here!

What do you think of the new AI?

  • Too hard

    Votes: 954 46.7%
  • Just right

    Votes: 838 41.0%
  • Too easy

    Votes: 117 5.7%
  • Other (give reason)

    Votes: 134 6.6%

  • Total voters
    2,043
  • Poll closed .
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TL;DR

Basically, if the combat is a bowl of vindaloo from day one, people won't buy it.

And if there's no way players can control the difficulty of the combat they face, they'll simply stop playing.

But if random encounters are matched, so that the random interdicting NPC's rank cannot exceed the player's rank in non-anarchy systems, everything will be golden.

This is superbly written. Absolutely nails the problems and articulates them in clear and reasonable language.
Nicely done, CMDR!
 
The AI is given buffs that players can't obtain. They're cheating. Now they're cheating with uber weapons. This is why they're difficult now.

False. The AI is actually given weaker and less versions than we can obtain. We just don't have them yet.
 

Achilles7

Banned
Firstly, will anyone posting AI are too easy, please go to a HazRES in a non-mod ship & just attack high ranked AI equivalent ships and/or wings..then provide vid proof! Thaaaaaanks

NB - We will also take into account that you will cherry pick the ones that your egos are okay with! hehehe
 
Apologies up front if this is a bit of a ramble.

My personal opinion is that 99% of people playing this game do not want to have their hand held through the entire game and be served easy kills on a plate.


But many players, especially those just starting out, want a challenge that meets their current level of ability. That means early on (close to their spawning system) they need to have opponents they can at least have a decent dogfight with, not one that will blow them away in under a minute. It's great to meet an NPC that is that little bit above your current ability and that isn't an issue, but when you don't have the credits yet to upgrade your ship and you keep having to rebuy it and lose money in cargo costs, it causes a lot of frustration.


I personally think the level of NPC AI is pretty good, but in my opinion it would be better if the higher level AI appeared less frequently in open space and more frequently in maybe Anarchy systems or hazardous/high RES.


BTW, I'm not whining. I just think that there should be some way of allowing players to gain experience and skill before throwing them to the lions. Maybe players should spawn in a restricted area of the universe where they only meet NPCs up to a certain level until they themselves reach a particular combat level. We want to encourage more people to play, and that comes from combat that doesn't appear impossible and the feeling of progression.


Many of us have benefited from poor AI opponents in our early days and are better equipped to deal with tougher opponents because we've been able to earn money and buy better ships/equipment. People joining now and not experiencing that easier AI, may well find it a little too challenging and frustrating at the moment.

It doesn't help anyone to just tell them to better equip their ships and learn to fight better. They know that already and it just put people off posting their experiences and views.

Looking forward to getting back in the saddle tonight after being a victim last night. I'll try damn hard not to let it happen again. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

When I reset my save in beta I didnt really run into these killer AI. I think real newbies are relatively fine. 'Medium' players with some established routine will have it hard, at first.
 
Well sadly I think its time I retired my Commanders chair. I've played every single version of Elite since the original back on the BBC Micro B and was ecstatic when I learned about Elite Dangerous! Serious nerdgasm lol. However the AI in the current update is beyond fierce and quite simply made an already tough game even harder. I guess my reactions aren't what they use to be lol but the damn AI now gets behind me and no matter what I do rips me apart in seconds. I truly understand the hardcore players loving the new AI but please remember us working 50+ hours week people who just play to unwind. We aren't into the Hardcore end game we just want to fly a few missions and take down some bad guys.

FD you have a great game on your hands but AI like this will only put off the casual players and sorry guys/girls and billy who lives in his mum and dads basement the casual players pay the FD Bills ;). I will probably check in regularly to see if the AI has been nerfed but as it stands I'm signing off.
 
The AI is given buffs that players can't obtain. They're cheating. Now they're cheating with uber weapons. This is why they're difficult now.

This is complete nonsense, the devs have already stated the ai gets exactly the same stuff available to the player, iirc they are not subject to the power distributor running low, but that's it.
 
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Deleted member 110222

D
I had to vote too hard.

I'm worried that people with less ability to develop strategy will be put off by all this.
 
Firstly, will anyone posting AI are too easy, please go to a HazRES in a non-mod ship & just attack high ranked AI equivalent ships and/or wings..then provide vid proof! Thaaaaaanks

NB - We will also take into account that you will cherry pick the ones that your egos are okay with! hehehe

That's not how you beat a wing while solo.

First you have to wait for them engage a tough target. Then you pounce, picking off the weakest members first.

You can do this in an Eagle.
 
This is complete nonsense, the devs have already stated the ai gets exactly the same stuff available to the player, iirc they are not subject to the power distributor running low, but that's it.
It's not nonsense at all. I've had Vultures absolutely annihilate my hull. Yet I have three times the guns and when I fight a NPC version of my ship, it takes way longer. The AI definitely have advantages. They can also fire forever.
 
After another hour or so spent in HazRes, yeah... NPCs are definitely a lot harder, and not only the dangerous/deadly (haven't seen elite one yet), but lower too. They move better than 90% of players (me included) and are hitting hard. I'm also keep getting some weird messages like thermal attack and some other I couldn't understand (probably some 2.1 stuff - I am playing 1.6). All in all, now I cannot rack up more than a dozen of kills before having to run for my life with completely wrecked FAS.

New AI is not a gamebreaking issue, though, farming NPCs just needs a lot more attention and situational awereness than before.
 
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I would say that the new AI is fantastic but the spawn rate of high ranks is a little high. Not much, but possibly needs lowering a little at CZs

I chose Other for this reason. The new AI are amazing but like he said they gotta make the spawning of higher ranks rarer.
 
This is complete nonsense, the devs have already stated the ai gets exactly the same stuff available to the player, iirc they are not subject to the power distributor running low, but that's it.

And they don't run out of ammo. But other than that, complete nonsense! Yeah.
 
No doubt that this post will be lost here on the 25+ page of an already decaying "Discussion" but here goes.

Lets start off with a quote from a Polygon opinion piece on "The Invisible Gamers" from here; http://www.polygon.com/2016/5/11/11656126/the-invisible-gamers

... those of us who are loud about our habits and interact vocally with the industry may not match them in size or importance. We don't speak for what could be the silent majority of gamers, and likely never will.

I tend to stand on the edge of such forum firelight, my game time is precious to me and all to short these days so I spend most of it playing. Occasionally when there are changes or upheavals I will lurk on forums to see if I can find more information and gauge the mood of the player base from the balance of opinions given.

Very rarely am I moved to put my head above the trenches to voice an opinion but, having read all the posts preceding up to the point which I began to post this, I feel that the vocal minority insisting that it's the players fault for not being "Gud" enough are missing the bigger picture.

My interpretation of what I've seen so far is that players who are new to the game and even veterans who play ED to trade and explore are now having a very difficult time, I myself have played a jack-of-all-trades role and consider myself competent but my 5 hours of seat time since the patch has been far more difficult, far less enjoyable and has left me wondering if I should park my ship and play elsewhere while I wait for a rebalance.

These days it doesn't take long for a player to become convinced that they can have a better time playing elsewhere thanks to the myriad of entertainment options that exist for us out there; the space sim genre is enjoying a long awaited revival and the developers of these would welcome disillusioned players with open arms.

How many of the silent majority will collide with a suddenly vertical difficulty curve and rethink what they should play for entertainment?
How many would want to come back to ED after taking a break with such tainted memories?

I would posit that it will be a far greater percentage than a poll of the vocal minority would suggest :x
 
That's not how you beat a wing while solo.

First you have to wait for them engage a tough target. Then you pounce, picking off the weakest members first.

You can do this in an Eagle.

You know I'm not the best pilot in the game, I can't use fixed and rarely dare to fly fa-off.. but even I figured out that if I let the cops do the dirty work, I can reap the rewards.. and I feel no shame :p
 
I see a lot of folks talking about seasoned ED players vs the new people as it relates to the AI. Well from a newbie with only a month in I have no problem what so ever with the AI difficulty. Yes it is much harder but all I did was just adjust my bounty hunting style. I am now taking on AI craft that I have a real chance at defeating and that is not even a certainty. I think it is fun. Then there is that chance that some clean AI pilots are attacking a larger vessel on that case I just joined in and hope it did not turn its wrath towards me. Even though it is much harder I really enjoyed the fact that if I don't fly correctly I will most certainly die. This really promotes team play and wings as well.
 
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