Horizons Help please. Noob Questions - What is the current state of play in 2.1.02?

After the devs have confirmed that the zero threat USSs are in fact traps set for (noob/casual) players to walk into, I'm left with three options.
1. Walk and find other games to play that don't annoy me to the level of frustration that ED has been since 2.1.
2. Only play as an Explorer well away from the bubble and forego any engagement with the game as intended. Although I'm not really getting value for money with this option, but then again fdev already have my money anyway... They just won't be receiving any further financial support from me.
3. Try to understand why they have done this and what the current 'state of play' actually is.

I could spend more frustrating hours trying to learn my way through to obtain the answers to options 2 and 3. But I'd rather just ask here and save myself any further upset. so... My apologies if some of these questions seem obvious but I'd like to go over them.

1. Are npc's (pirates?) still randomly lunching you regardless of whether you are carrying any cargo or not? If so, (and I see no reason why fdev would have changed this) how is the level of the attacking npc determined? This might be difficult to answer now as I believe FDEV are still working on this one.
2. Does carrying cargo a) increase the frequency of npc attacks over and above 1. b) increase the rank level / difficulty of the attacking npc and if so, by what amount?
3. Does the type or value of cargo (e.g. Fish compared to Palladium or Imperial Slaves) determine the frequency and/or rank of npc attacks?
4. Do your own ranks (be it combat, trade or exploration) equally affect the frequency or rank of attacking npc's or is this solely determined by your combat rank? In other words, does the Elite trade rank for example, have the same impact in game as Elite combat rank? If the answer to this is yes, then obtaining profits and spending them on better ships is directly driving the level of npc threat a player experiences in game.
5. Does previous game playing style (e.g. smuggling, imperial slave trading etc) affect the frequency/rank of attacking npc's? [I'm presuming it does as otherwise why would ppl suggest wiping your game and starting from scratch again. Although, I can't really understand the logic of this other than just going around the loop again. You still end up with an unplayable game at the end of it by being right back to where you were before wiping your game file].
6. How much less likely are you to be attacked by npc's if you only trade in high security systems? How do Medium and Low Security systems scale? I'm presuming here that interdiction by npc's is inevitable regardless of what strategy you play. Or is the incident rate/severity the same but security ships might come to your aid in a high security system?
7. Are there goods that can be traded that do not impact upon the npc's attacking frequently / severity and if so, what are these goods?
8. Are there any other in game 'features' I need to know about that are not obvious. Like the zero threat USSs that are not zero threat at all and have been setup as deliberate traps? What else am I being lied to about?
9. Lastly, given the current AI bugs still being ironed out in future updates, where is this game likely to be once these are resolved in relation to the above questions.

Thank you for any advice given. It will at least help me decide between the three remaining options and the information will at least help other noob players out too.
 
I'm a bit of an explorer/generalist, and have basically been pottering around in the same ol'Cobra MkIII (the "Moving Target") on the edge of the Bubble for a few months. I manage to play for a few hours of a weekend, luckly if I make a million, and avoid trouble if I can manage it - I know who I can take on, and run away otherwise.

I don't grind. I have ground bloody fingers in other games (crafting 25,000 leather helmets in one game...), but if something is feeling grindy and repetative I'll do something else instead - plenty of options. Racing up stats is a "noobs" game IMHO.

This weekend I had about as much fun as I've experienced since the game was released. I was not expecting this.


Oh, and in answer to your points:

Random NPCs will still appear, intercept, and harass you as before. Frequency and ranks appear unrelated to your rank, history, cargo, etc., however may be influenced by the law level of the system.

Mission NPCs appear to be scaled according to the level of the mission they related to - so an Elite Poo run may warrent more deadly attention than a Harmless Gold rush. But then, the Elite mission will now have greated ramifications when complete.

Police seem much better at turning up - presumably based on law level - provided you don't get the doughnut patrol.
 
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I've been to quit a few zero thread USS's to scan and collect stuff, so far I've not run into a trap yet. So I think those are as common as the old gold traps before 2.1. Besides the options you mention how about just not entering USS's, no need to go there. With regards to mission related USS's to find some data or military plans and so on, that never was a trap eigther, empty with just the stuff floating arround.

Without any cargo I have not yet been interdicted by pirates wanting cargo. Of course the NPCs might interdict you for other reason, they allways will tell in communications what it is.

One piece of cargo, doesn't matter what it is, will attract pirates, that is for sure. Just load 1 ton of fish or biowaste and enter a compromised place, everyone wants your tasty cargo after a ship scan. But that is not something new.

Doing illegal missions won't get you negative standings with anyone, so no. But if you fail missions and get a fine and don't pay that, several factions with names like Mafia in them will send hitman after you. Also might be bad if you shoot all and any police to avoid a scan and just ignored all the fines.
 
hi , if you like trading i have a trade route for 9 months since i got the game .
1 is in a system with High security , i have been interdicted 2 times out of 4 hours of trading .
you make 3450 /route x your cargo space , i have a cutter and right now i m making 3 mil / (buying from A and sell to B, buying from B and sell back to A)
we can team up if you will , keep in mind that i don't fight the AI when interdicted and they Never killed me since i first sold my type 7.
hop on ts : epicgaming.4np.de or pm me here for the info.
or add me in game Soulhunter911
fly safe and have fun
 
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hi , if you like trading i have a trade route for 9 months since i got the game .
1 is in a system with High security , i have been interdicted 2 times out of 4 hours of trading .
you make 3450 /route x your cargo space , i have a cutter and right now i m making 3 mil / (buying from A and sell to B, buying from B and sell back to A)
we can team up if you will , keep in mind that i don't fight the AI when interdicted and they Never killed me since i first sold my type 7.
hop on ts : epicgaming.4np.de or pm me here for the info.
or add me in game Soulhunter911
fly safe and have fun
Hi Lineagerulz, thanks for the offer! It's very appreciated! If I return to the game, I'll take you up on the offer! At the moment, I'm trying to figure out if I want to do that, hence the questions.
 
There are still issues that you have mentioned, being reported. Pirates pulling us from super cruise, for no apparent reason; even some explorers, well outside of the bubble, have reported this. Feedback, from the Devs, state that they are looking at fixing these issues and making the NPCs act accordingly to what you are doing, instead of the random, unexplained, murder, some have experienced to date.

At the same time, the game, in general, is designed to kill you.

I have dropped power play; simply for the constant NPC, power play 'grieffing' and it has really reduced the hassle, I get. Problem is: I run missions, cargo running, data running and smuggling and so I am asking for grief. At the same time, I run a fast ship, (no engineers mods) I plan my routes, looking at the security status of the systems, I am travelling through.

In short, the game is still very playable and fun. However: Hesitate, drop the ball for a second, or think you can get away with taking a risk; just the once. Will get you killed.
 
There are still issues that you have mentioned, being reported. Pirates pulling us from super cruise, for no apparent reason; even some explorers, well outside of the bubble, have reported this. Feedback, from the Devs, state that they are looking at fixing these issues and making the NPCs act accordingly to what you are doing, instead of the random, unexplained, murder, some have experienced to date.

At the same time, the game, in general, is designed to kill you.

I have dropped power play; simply for the constant NPC, power play 'grieffing' and it has really reduced the hassle, I get. Problem is: I run missions, cargo running, data running and smuggling and so I am asking for grief. At the same time, I run a fast ship, (no engineers mods) I plan my routes, looking at the security status of the systems, I am travelling through.

In short, the game is still very playable and fun. However: Hesitate, drop the ball for a second, or think you can get away with taking a risk; just the once. Will get you killed.

Then I'll wait and see if the game becomes any more new/casual player friendly. Imho, the game should be neutral (so flying from A to B without cargo does not get you interdicted, there is no profit in your destruction...). It should only be defined activities that bring grief your way, and these should be clear and understandable so that you know the risk involved. I do not like the idea of traps being set for those not aware of the risk. Perhaps things will be resolved soon in this regard.
 
Then I'll wait and see if the game becomes any more new/casual player friendly. Imho, the game should be neutral (so flying from A to B without cargo does not get you interdicted, there is no profit in your destruction...). It should only be defined activities that bring grief your way, and these should be clear and understandable so that you know the risk involved. I do not like the idea of traps being set for those not aware of the risk. Perhaps things will be resolved soon in this regard.
I am a very casual player, if I am lucky, about 6 hours per week. I have been playing since December 2014 and have about 85 million in assets. I will not fly what I can't re-buy 5 times; which means the Clipper is gathering dust, but at the same time, wwe are here to enjoy ourselves. Things are no where near as bad, as painted in theses forums.
 
Then I'll wait and see if the game becomes any more new/casual player friendly. Imho, the game should be neutral (so flying from A to B without cargo does not get you interdicted, there is no profit in your destruction...). It should only be defined activities that bring grief your way, and these should be clear and understandable so that you know the risk involved. I do not like the idea of traps being set for those not aware of the risk. Perhaps things will be resolved soon in this regard.

One thing I've done with fair amount of success is bounty hunt at Nav Beacons. Make sure it isn't a Corrupted Nav Beacon, as police don't show up in those systems. You can sit there and scan ships and just wait for the police to attack em and get a fair amount of credits that way, while simultaneously building combat skills if that interests you. Just make sure you don't clip someone with a stray shot. -Note- I run in a combat spec'ed Diamondback Scout. Sure, I can afford a FAS but since I can't outfit it and have enough for rebuy, there isn't much point in it. Plus, I'll be darned if that DBS isn't fun to fly. So maneuverable with a little bit of firepower (2x Class 2 Fixed beam lasers, 2x Class 1 Dumb fire Missles).

In regards to the traps, I think that's a pretty neat idea, actually. I really don't venture into the USS anymore though as most of the time unless I'm running a mission that requires it. For profit, there is no real benefit, ya know?

Note: Just saw your sig, I hope you don't take this as being condescending. Just offering some advice!
 
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What i have found is that if i dont have cargo im more or less never attacked, some times im interdicted by cops wanting to scan but thats not very often. Thing is tho, now after 2.1 chances are that you will be hauling commodities used for modding around, as we have no place to store it, and pirates love that stuff. As for the USS i do them a lot and most with 0 threat dont have anyone dropping in, but you do get a few that will spawn 1-3 rats once you are in there. Its not a big deal just jump to warp and carry on what you where doing. Im currently do some HiRes farming with engie gear in my hold and while it is a pain it also means that i dont have to fly around looking for rats, they come straight to me, as long as you stay near some police you should be ok.
 
Hello,

Thought you might find a post by the lead programmer helpful:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Hello Commander Sharky!

At 2.1 launch there was a bug that caused weapon data to read incorrect values, which resulted in some very powerful and weird weapons, including frag cannons that used rail shots and multi-cannons where each bullet was a dumbfire missile.

We *think* that a fix for this was deployed last Friday for PC and Mac (an XBox fix is coming), so we're very interested if broken weapons are still showing up.

Literal "missile streams" from a *single* launcher is not an effect that should ever occur (pack hound missiles are the closest but these are "drunk fire" and shoot in salvos, making them quite distinctive), and the fire rate of launchers is not particularly fast (about 1 every 2 seconds), so if you are experiencing stuff like this you should definitely file a bug ticket (of course, if a ship has lots of missile launchers then it can release a large number of missiles in a single volley).

In general, the NPC ships have only increased in capability towards the Elite rank (at lower ranks there shouldn't be too much of a noticeable difference, except for the disappearance of some bugs (small ship ram-scanning and endless twirling ships).



_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Edit:
Current Polling about New AI here:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/poll.php?pollid=2758&do=showresults


My comments:

Going by the posted polling, it's clear that the initial environmental threat level was set too high. It was scaled back in version 2.1.01 by stripping mods from most NPCs, but there were still buggy ones that had aberrant behaviour. I have fought such ones, and received hyper-rapid missile barrages (and died). I do not know if they are still extant.

However I can take an armed Python( not the fastest or the best ship) into a HazRes and fight just fine now, come back with a bounty profit.
The present situation with me is simple: I'm flying a gunless Cobra with some basic engine mods and a better FSD. She has legs. I cannot fight with her, and don't get fooled into trying. I'm up by several million since the change over, have had nearly no repairs as shields don't drop because I just run and don't dither wondering if to fight.

Will the balance be further adjusted? Over time, they will fix more of the bugs, I'm sure. No company can survive without customers, and it's probable that the environmental threat will have to be shifted again, because the haemorrhage of players cannot be allowed to continue. We can safely ignore all the people who claim that there's no problem; there really is. The server game metrics are going to show that pretty clearly. Opinions evaporate in the face of math.

What you can do Now?

I'd wait a week or so. See what they alter. It takes time.

The game has some tutorials to play- I can recommend the one with the Cobra fight ( the 3rd?) as a good one to practise 1v1 ship to ship fighting just for fun. You still get to play, losing means nothing, try any crazy tactic you like, and you keep conversant with the controls in case things change for the better and you plan to come back.

Alternatively- wipe the save completely. Start in a Sidey again. Now you have naught to lose. Theoretically, the enemies will be survivable at low ranks. Several posters claim they did this and are enjoying the game thoroughly once more.
 
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Then I'll wait and see if the game becomes any more new/casual player friendly. Imho, the game should be neutral (so flying from A to B without cargo does not get you interdicted, there is no profit in your destruction...). It should only be defined activities that bring grief your way, and these should be clear and understandable so that you know the risk involved. I do not like the idea of traps being set for those not aware of the risk. Perhaps things will be resolved soon in this regard.

As you have said in the many threads you have posted about how hard and difficult this game is, you are fine to have your opinion about how difficult, it is now to farm Dumb AI but what of the majority who have wanted the challenge of more realistic AI, do they not count.


You have mentioned several times how suddenly its all to hard, and despite many forum members explaining and offering help and advice regarding, why you may have lost your ships recently, you wont accept that the game is now a more reflective challenge, based on pilots rank, the missions choosen and what part of the space lanes your in.

It does seem to me that you got to your big ship by farming dumb AI rather than understanding the core mechanics and dynamics of the game, and despite the fact that the Devs have said prior to and since the horizons was launched, that the AI was going to become more challenging, you just seem to be continually ignoring this fact.

This game was and is clearly sold as a multi faceted game, that will have differing skill level requirements and differing paths, with a ongoing development path. If you no longer like the game that's fine, no one is forcing you to play. It does seem to me though the many threads you have created recently moaning about such changes is massive buyers regret.
 
I don't think their is such a thing as zero threat in a game called Elite DANGEROUS

All medicines have side effects.

[video=youtube;vYyx3CBSO_0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYyx3CBSO_0[/video]
 
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No one is reading this? I see many lurkers to my post. The npc bug fix was a direct response to th forum comments. The NPC difficulty is supposed to scale as cmdrs advance in rank. Also 2 years in there are lots of experienced players with big ships. New comers will just have to deal with that, just like in every other long standing online game.
 
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