Is ED not so dangerous anymore?

[Rat Catcher]

Just a bit more: I've been playing in AX CZ's over the weekend, they provide plenty of challenge for me, but for others may be just too easy. Same as the NPC's are of a level that provide some challenge, for me

For those who are very combat oriented the challenge by NPC's would be non-existent, and there is no other combat scenario within the game (bar CQC - I play it but know that it is loathed by many) to provide any meaningful challenge for those skills.

Exploration could be much more engaging (from one who is rapidly approaching a million Ly travelled) but the only real challenge there is player error...
Trading has had even less love than exploration, in the original elite it could be quite lucrative...
Mining has had major improvements and is much better and can be very lucrative.

ED provides me with plenty to do still, so is still a great game, but I don't play it to the exclusion of others.

 

[Faded Glory]

If I'm reading you correctly, then I agree. NPC challenge should not be based on the pilot's rank but rather a combination of the systems we are in and the missions we are running.

That's been suggested for as long as the game's been out. Longer even. It's possibly even what FD intend to be the case - hence the warning when you are going to jump into an anarchy system - but it really isn't. The only difference with system security levels is the speed with which system authority turn up.

Missions are another problem in that for scaling to work well there would need to be a much greater choice of missions, certainly of mission levels. Once a player ranks up, they don't generally see very low level missions.

Then again, isn't this what the game attempts to do? An Elite Pirate Assassination mission is going to generate much harder NPCs than a "Peddler" data courier mission.

Yes, missions do scale in terms of NPC opposition, mostly. Part of the problem though is that opposition doesn't always show up, and when it does it's always the same, based upon the mission rank so becomes predictable. At which point the player figures out how to deal with the opposition and it too becomes less challenging.

And based upon the security response, frankly if you take an Elite delivery mission but to a high security system, then you might just as well be in a wing as security turn up in seconds and the enemy NPC is one against four. Not great odds for the NPC.

I'm hoping that when OP and others are complaining that the game is not dangerous, they are focusing on those Elite missions, CZs, AXCGs, etc, as the entire galaxy really should not be equally dangerous.

I'm sure some people find NPC's laughably inadequate, however...

It's quite easy to sit behind a keyboard and claim to be a combat god. I am quite sure that FD scale NPC toughness on metrics. They know how many players are destroyed by NPCs and what ships and ranks are involved. There used to be a lot of videos of players destroying Elite Anacondas in Sidewinders, but at that time NPC's really were poor, they rarely even shot at you. That's not the case now, certainly with the higher ranking ones.

I remember a rant post about how awful NPC's were where the player did provide a video, but it turned out the player was fighting a harmless Anaconda.

 

[Babellon]

[QUOTE="B1rdy, post: 7765209, member: 78008"
What you describe is the game being difficult, because you still have to figure out various basic mechanics. If you have done that, what is left?
[/QUOTE]
This reminds me of conversations in Warframe forums where people bring up the same topic. The game becomes easier because you learn how everything works, what the right builds are, how to do all of the things properly. What is left is to play the game until you're tired of playing the game.
I find that game to be very easy now, I've also invested 6 years of game time into playing it so I expect it to be simple to me. Much like every other game out there once you've played it for some time it becomes easier. World of Warcraft is not a difficult game but its design is such that it requires you to group together to complete objectives like raids and dungeons until you've out leveled those areas sufficiently to do them yourself. ED doesn't have that type of difficulty gating or grouping dynamic so at some point everything will be simple, is simple once you understand it all. Experience is its own reward.

I look forward to having that same understanding of this game. I agree though much like in Warframe it would be great if they can come up with something which challenges the more experienced player so they don't feel that sense of dysphoria with the game.

 

[ebbrell]

apparently, the NPCs had to be turned down a little way back, as they battered players. that would be nice to have them back at this level, and your rank should specify what level of NPCs you encounter. I know it sort of does.

but unlocking the engineers its a little back to front. if you open an engineer when you are high ranked, you still end up fighting low rank ships. surely these should scale up as you have a high rank.

I have also logged a bug, when you win a CZ.... you do not drop rep with the enemy faction. if you did this would be fun, the more you fight against them in a CZ, the more they dislike you. can you imagine, being chased in systems you have been fighting in by the opposing faction,

power play, when I am HOSTILE, nothing attacked you, they should.... and stations should scan you and turn you away giving you X seconds to bug out

 

[Vasco Sapien]

Is ED not dangerous?
I seem to be having no trouble from npcs anymore.
Even Elite ones in anacondas.
And not as many, if any, interdictions.
Come on surely 200 tons of gold is worth some pirate's effort?

Its more Elite : Delicate now.

 

[Old Duck]

By the way, I personally think it's not unreasonable for a game to become "not so dangerous anymore" after a player puts thousands of hours into that game. This thread is like Chuck Norris complaining that the majority of his opponents are "not so dangerous anymore". Now if someone who has only been playing for a month says the game is "not so dangerous anymore", then I think his complaint has a bit more merit.

 

[Werewolf13]

Short answer: No ED is not dangerous.

Even if you suck at combat like me. There's no dishonor in learning how to run away when necessary or if you just don't feel like fighting at the time.

As some guy who lived 3 or 4 thousand years ago said: "Don't fight battles you can't win". And if it makes one feel better, "he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day."

 

[Krash]

By the way, I personally think it's not unreasonable for a game to become "not so dangerous anymore" after a player puts thousands of hours into that game. This thread is like Chuck Norris complaining that the majority of his opponents are "not so dangerous anymore". Now if someone who has only been playing for a month says the game is "not so dangerous anymore", then I think his complaint has a bit more merit.

I just started watching the show "One-Punch Man". This is a super hero that can kill the most powerful super villians with one punch. His biggest problem? Boredom. I love this show

 

[Deareim]

News : Never been. Always been Elite Carebear.

 

[Hullreaver]

I don't know. I am in the middle of a wing assassination mission and find that I am regularly battling 2-4 NPC's in a wing that are anywhere from master to elite. I find them challenging, especially when I run out of ammo at a compromised nav beacon.

 

[Threeofseven]

Without PvP the game is boring to me. NPCs are incompetent and previously fun and risky activities (Robigo smuggling) have been nerfed. Now the highlight of the game appears to be blowing up rocks and being a truck driver.

 

[Majic-12]

The bugs are extremely dangerous, not to mention the Thargoids.

 

[GeneralIdea1964]

It's not dangerous. Any time there's some semblance of challenge from NPC's the forumdads go into apoplectic rage at their snooze simulator requiring a modicum of attention and skill and the changes inevitably get reverted.

If you want some danger, go do PvP, it's the only challenging thing in the game.

By the way, I personally think it's not unreasonable for a game to become "not so dangerous anymore" after a player puts thousands of hours into that game. This thread is like Chuck Norris complaining that the majority of his opponents are "not so dangerous anymore". Now if someone who has only been playing for a month says the game is "not so dangerous anymore", then I think his complaint has a bit more merit.

Thanks for all responses folk.
Ill admit I'm flying a fairly upgraded anaconda, but I'm not the best combat pilot ever. Also I don't go looking for a fight.
Prior to latest releases however, I got a fair number of npc interdictions and they were well equipped and capable of giving me a hard time. I often limped away with some hull damage and a few bounty credits to claim. I have also had to run.
The game does scale the challenge to the player, but I think overall this seems to be reduced.
That was the query in my post.
I've also tried RES sites with similar results. I was even relatively untroubled in a CZ I tried.

 

[GeneralIdea1964]

OK so it's case of be careful what you wish for!
Just uploaded the mini update, jumped to next system and "POW" I'm interdicted by an Elite Type 10.
And what's more, was attacked again before getting to space station.
Obviously npcs read the forums and heard about my cargo bay of gold.
Cheers FD.

 

[Oopsie]

Is ED not so dangerous anymore?

The game should be rebranded as "Elite - Not so Dangerous"

 

[Schmack]

Cue the response that NPCs are unfairly OP and why do pirates relentlessly hunt me down for no reason? Rage quit.

Or menu log, am I right? Hey how ya doin'? Good to see you.

 

[Stinja]

apparently, the NPCs had to be turned down a little way back, as they battered players. that would be nice to have them back at this level...

i'm guessing you didn't experience this for yourself?
It's not like they were blowing up cobras, but 4-pip-to-SYS vettes in seconds.

Couldn't find a good video now, but here's a python being obliterated:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNrpDnp9-tE


Best thing to fight harder NPCs currently are doing wing assassination missions solo; or at least last time I tried you'd typically get 1x FDL and 2-4x Vultures, all engineered.

Overall though, I preferred combat pre-engineers. Everything felt a little more balanced (post python nerf, pre FDL buffs).

 

[Agony_Aunt]

In Frontier, i got myself a Panther Clipper, loaded it up with 100 units of shields, an auto-repair unit, and could leave my ship parked above a military installation with swarms of ships attacking me, and then walk away from my computer, go to work, and return with hundreds of kills (through the dumb AI ramming my ship). It was god mode.

ED also allows you to enable god mode.

It is up to you whether you enable it, but if you do, its your choice.

More closely on topic with what OP is complaining about, no idea, its been a long time since i hauled anything significant. I used to get interdicted, but if Elite Anacondas don't give you trouble then.... you got gud?

 

[Barlog M.]

Best thing to fight harder NPCs currently are doing wing assassination missions solo; or at least last time I tried you'd typically get 1x FDL and 2-4x Vultures, all engineered.

But be aware that missions challenge only because FDL has shields stronger than best engineered Cutter.

 

[Screemonster]

The difficulty of NPCs is a constant wobble. Too easy, and they present no challenge to the people with engineered murderboats and/or experience under their belts. Too difficult, and the people who don't have horizons might as well not play.

Scale everything to rank (which only ever goes up and never down) and some players find the NPCs scale up to exceed their own ability and the game ceases to be fun when it was before because while the earlier expert-ranked enemies they were facing were a nice challenge for their skill level, now they get a string of elite anacondas on their tail every time they take a hauling mission, because the game no longer offers them a mission below elite rank.

Scale it to choices such as missions or threat level of signal sources? That's a lot better, there are definitely days where I'll not be in the mood to take down a wing assassination by myself and I'll just want to pop a pirate lord or two, but again that comes with problems - namely that if they try to add encounters that are scaled to the top 5% of players and intended to be taken on in wings, they're going to face an endless wave of screaming from Bobby Noviceconda and his friends complaining that they can't solo it, it's too hard, nerf it posthaste. Thankfully you have to go out of your way to encounter thargoids, but I remember it happening the instant spec ops were added to conflict zones - people in unengineered ships and little experience screaming for them to be nerfed, when the low-intensity zone is right there.

fdev are caught in a trap - if they try to cater to the outliers at either end of the skill curve, they end up facing screaming from the majority of players in the middle.
Not to mention that with NPCs getting engineering as well as us, even some NPC fights are turning into a case of "make it more difficult by just slapping more hitpoints on it". At least downing an interceptor feels like something that takes skill rather than just throwing a million bullets at it.