Getting EXTREMELY frustrated with a certain interdiction exploit

[Alexander the Grape]

Apologies for the flame-war-ey title, but I've grown increasingly annoyed over the past few days and I need to vent. I even created a forum account to post.

So I'm a pirate operating in Yembo. It's a tough, poorly paying career fraught with danger and risk (I suppose that's the price for player interaction and good gameplay...).

However, more and more lately, CMDRs (always in type 6s for some reason) have been SUBMITTING to my interdiction, and then IMMEDIATELY supercruising away, bypassing the usual interdiction FSD cooldown and making them virtually impossible to do more than a few points of hull damage to.

Just now, I interdicted the same commander 3 times. The first time, they submitted, and I told them to cut their engines. They didn't respond, merely charged their FSD. I attacked them in response, but failed to get their shields down.

I immediately followed them to supercruise, and had to follow them for 400LS before I could catch up and interdict again. Once more, they submitted, and once more, they immediately boosted away and charged their FSD. This time, I opened fire immediately, managing to do 10-20% damage before they jumped again.

Once more I followed, once more I interdicted, and yup you guessed it once more they submitted. This was only 20Mm from the station so I didn't even bother with the warning, blasting at their shields immediately. I had just managed to get them down again before they vanished.

I even followed them to the damn station, but was too late, they slid through the docking port just as I got in range. I proceeded to camp outside the station with thrusters off and temp at 27% to hide my wanted status for a good 5-10 mins, but they either retreated back to Solo or logged off for the night.

Needless to say, I am extremely annoyed and tired of the fact that "submitting" to interdiction lets you leave almost as soon as you arrive. I know many of you will say "get gud" or "get a faster/masslocking ship" but I don't want to grind to play at pirate whilst losing money. Ever since my first million credits, I have only pirated. It should be a career not an expensive hobby.

But I digress. My Cobra is nearly the fastest ship with weapons possible (455m/s boost speed) and heavily armed. Should it really be impossible for me to pose any threat to a weaponless mid-tier trader? (whose ship, btw, likely costs far less than my 3mil). All while making more money in one trip than I do in an evening!

PLEASE Frontier, do something about this ridiculous exploit. And traders who play in open: please don't use it! If you don't want to face pirates, that's fine, just don't trade in the most populated system in the game in Open mode!

 

[BrewerGeorge]

As primarily a trader, I'd say you're right.

With the current mechanic, traders are foolish to attempt escaping interdiction. Submitting should give the target some disadvantage.

 

[TannakaObi]

Don't expect any sympathy from the community, they will just call you names like griefer or psychopath and say that Elite is not a PVP game even in open play. I've not even logged in for several days now because it is just no fun. More than half my targets vanish into the log-off void.

I too am in a fast Cobra maxing at 453m/s boost. I tried Bounty Hunting but unless you spend the time getting a much better ship then it's too costly and fighting the NPC's is like watching paint dry it's so mundane and easy.

 

[Asp Explorer]

I have basically given up on these forums, and I promised myself to not post anything more - but your post kind of made me want to cry a bit.

If you are going to pirate people - then do so to players willing to be pirated and play along. If harmless traders can beat you at your own game, then more power to them. If spamming interdictions and station camping isn't working for you, then learn to do it better. Many people have.

And as for complaining about harmless traders smacking pirates in the face with a wet fish in Open - with just as many pirates complaining about not having enough harmless traders in Open to seal-club - my mind just boggles.

Enjoy the game for what it is. Look forward to it's evolution and forthcoming improvements, just don't get upset when someone else can dictate how you interact with them.

 

[Alexander the Grape]

If you are going to pirate people - then do so to players willing to be pirated and play along.

Um... I'm not sure you quite understand the definition of piracy. I don't want it to become glorified begging.

In any case, surely playing in Open at all is an indication that you like the idea of player interaction? Especially in a location like Yembo.

I've no truck with the idea of wanting to run, just exploiting a game mechanic to do the literal opposite of its intention.

 

[Jerakeen]

I hate pirates. It's no better than the chav down the road who steals a kid's mobile phone or who burgles a pensioner. That trader might have struggled to raise the money for that load of goods and you think you have the right to come and take it away from him because you have a better armed ship? I hunt people like you down and blow you into space dust. And you won't get a warning from me. Am I carrying anything nice? You betcha. A full load of bullets and they're all aimed at YOUR face.

 

[Alexander the Grape]

I have basically given up on these forums

P.S. I agree with you on this part, the amount of rage and namecalling can reach absurd levels

 

[Cmdr Andy B]

hang around the sun and interdict them as soon as they drop out of hyperspace, if you drop them nice and close they won't have a clue how to escape without boiling themselves alive due to the heat. carry a heatsink launcher so you can jump out when you are done but if the ships you are attacking are as cheap as you say its doubtful they would have one installed themselves.

 

[Alexander the Grape]

hang around the sun and interdict them as soon as they drop out of hyperspace, if you drop them nice and close they won't have a clue how to escape without boiling themselves alive due to the heat. carry a heatsink launcher so you can jump out when you are done but if the ships you are attacking are as cheap as you say its doubtful they would have one installed themselves.

Thanks for the tip! I tend to run pretty cold so this could work. How to stop them crashing into the sun during interdiction though?

 

[Asp Explorer]

Um... I'm not sure you quite understand the definition of piracy. I don't want it to become glorified begging.

In any case, surely playing in Open at all is an indication that you like the idea of player interaction? Especially in a location like Yembo.

I've no truck with the idea of wanting to run, just exploiting a game mechanic to do the literal opposite of its intention.

The thing is - and my apologies for posting any further - is that you are in a game. Player interaction in that game depends upon players wanting to interact with each other to some degree and abide by certain rules. That is what a game is all about.

What we have at the moment though - is limitless space populated by shoot-for-funs with friends, mindless pew-pews, combat loggers, cable pullers, firewall aficionados and network redirectors. None of those behaviours affect the game itself, but those players determined to stick to one gamestyle and say any other are inferior - are bound to be affected by that choice - which Elite is, by design, not going to give the slightest flying fruitfly about

 

[Cmdr Andy B]

Thanks for the tip! I tend to run pretty cold so this could work. How to stop them crashing into the sun during interdiction though?

it depends on what they are doing at the time, if you are lucky enough to catch one fuel scooping you're laughing as they will already be at zero throttle and drop out right away.

 

[Mr_Blastman]

Yes please. Interdiction submission is an exploit.

 

[Mohrgan]

This topic has come up a number of times. From what I have read FD are concerned about this subject. I kind of remember a Dev posting comparing it to an exploit. I believe they are working on a solution.
.
The delay stems from how to make interdictions fair to both parties. Pirates need to feel like they have a decent chance at success, and the traders need to feel like they have a chance to defend them selves. What I got from the discussions is that FD wants the matter to be settled with the interdiction mini-game.
.
The first step in this process was to make interdicting a clean player, in a controlled system a crime. My guess is that cargo/KWS scans will be done in SC, and interdictions will stick whether the target submits, or looses the mini-game. This is all from speculating off of the other discussions I've read through. Let's hope they can find a balance that won't send the last of the traders into Solo/Group.

 

[Odan Brota]

I'll let you interdict me if i see you, OP. You're going to run into 4x beam lasers and 2x multicannons, though.

 

[Arkantes]

How is this an exploit when it was designed that way?

Call it a bad choice from FD if you will (from your point of view at least), but it certainly isn't an exploit.

 

[gravedodger]

To the OP, I've no sympathy for you mate, period!

I fly the Asp for Exploring and Trading, that's why I play E.D.
I've played the space-combat role to death in other games so if I need to I can hold my own in a dog fight, but the thing is, I DON'T WANT TO ... I have zero interest in going down that path so when I get interdicted I will use whatever resource / skill at my disposal to get rid of the annoyance that interrupted my game and continue with trading and exploring.

I'm not against having pirates in the game, I welcome it in fact because maybe, long down the road I might return to dog-fighting but please don't complain because somebody is better at escaping than you are at pirating.

Maybe you're in the wrong profession?

 

[Mohrgan]

How is this an exploit when it was designed that way?

Call it a bad choice from FD if you will (from your point of view at least), but it certainly isn't an exploit.

I'm pretty certain a Dev has called it an exploit. I am totally sure that they said the 'submit, boost, FSD' is not intended to work the way it does. Submitting was introduced so that clean players could avoid damage when interdicted by the authorities. Of that I am sure.

 

[tagos]

It's not an exploit but it is a mechanic in need of tuning as FD has said. But that's tricky. The trader need a chance to escape if good enough, having said that, with the long fsd cool down and you being in a cobra if you can't even kill a t6 out of frustration you're doing something wrong.

As the forum is full of pirates who manage to force a cargo drop that seems to reinforce the point.

 

[Speculative]

So the whole piracy thing....
.
At the moment, pirate interdicts, target has the option to fight or to submit. if he fights and wins great if he doesn't he has to wait before he can flee...
.

if he submits he has the chance to run away. In this instance, the pirate needs bigger guns and a way of disabling the enemy quickly.
.

What the pirate players WANT however is to interdict the target and that action has the effect of not allowing them to run away. i.e. they must either fight to the death or to surrender cargo. (which may afterwards lead to death anyway).
.

If we allow that to happen, then the targets will demand to be able to find a better way to protect themselves. (remember the whole pirate/trader thing is that the heavily armed prey upon the weak to enable them to make a living)
.

This has happened in real life. These days we are allowed private security onboard. ARMED private security. (see video at about 50 seconds in).
[video=youtube;Ay1FZ2A5C2o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay1FZ2A5C2o[/video]

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There will always be a balancing act, but as we cannot hire private security at the moment (wings etc.) what the pirate wants is an easy target that cannot evade or run. This is not a game play style that will be welcomed by any BUT the pirate. Piracy IS a tough lifestyle. The profits are meagre, the danger high, the probability of success limited. If you passage the Horn of Africa or the Nigerian coast these days, there are navy convoys in the area, private security and multiship escorts. These are to deter pirates. At the moment, all the trader has to rely on are run or fight....
.

I think the E: D pirate is under the impression that piracy should be more like this...
[video=youtube;Yw0YhvrNKWQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw0YhvrNKWQ[/video]
.

I have no problem with people wanting to do the piracy lifestyle in game, but you must also accept what comes with it, sometimes you may not GET to have the prize...

 

[Joe Spivey]

Apologies for the flame-war-ey title, but I've grown increasingly annoyed over the past few days and I need to vent. I even created a forum account to post.

So I'm a pirate operating in Yembo. It's a tough, poorly paying career fraught with danger and risk (I suppose that's the price for player interaction and good gameplay...).

However, more and more lately, CMDRs (always in type 6s for some reason) have been SUBMITTING to my interdiction, and then IMMEDIATELY supercruising away, bypassing the usual interdiction FSD cooldown and making them virtually impossible to do more than a few points of hull damage to.

Just now, I interdicted the same commander 3 times. The first time, they submitted, and I told them to cut their engines. They didn't respond, merely charged their FSD. I attacked them in response, but failed to get their shields down.

I immediately followed them to supercruise, and had to follow them for 400LS before I could catch up and interdict again. Once more, they submitted, and once more, they immediately boosted away and charged their FSD. This time, I opened fire immediately, managing to do 10-20% damage before they jumped again.

Once more I followed, once more I interdicted, and yup you guessed it once more they submitted. This was only 20Mm from the station so I didn't even bother with the warning, blasting at their shields immediately. I had just managed to get them down again before they vanished.

I even followed them to the damn station, but was too late, they slid through the docking port just as I got in range. I proceeded to camp outside the station with thrusters off and temp at 27% to hide my wanted status for a good 5-10 mins, but they either retreated back to Solo or logged off for the night.

Needless to say, I am extremely annoyed and tired of the fact that "submitting" to interdiction lets you leave almost as soon as you arrive. I know many of you will say "get gud" or "get a faster/masslocking ship" but I don't want to grind to play at pirate whilst losing money. Ever since my first million credits, I have only pirated. It should be a career not an expensive hobby.

But I digress. My Cobra is nearly the fastest ship with weapons possible (455m/s boost speed) and heavily armed. Should it really be impossible for me to pose any threat to a weaponless mid-tier trader? (whose ship, btw, likely costs far less than my 3mil). All while making more money in one trip than I do in an evening!

PLEASE Frontier, do something about this ridiculous exploit. And traders who play in open: please don't use it! If you don't want to face pirates, that's fine, just don't trade in the most populated system in the game in Open mode!

So let me see if I have this right. Not only do you want to force PvP on anyone you like but you want to be able to interdict slow, poorly armed type 6s and THEN you now prevent them from using the only tactic they have to avoid you? LMAO. No wonder more and more are going to group or Solo.