new NPC behavior or was I just lucky?

[ArgusP]

been exploring in solo near bubble for past year & never encountered an NPC. Just had an lame interdiction about 100LY out for 1st time. New AI? [where is it] I've recently upgraded to Asp, collected a few escape pods along the way (didn't have cargo space to do this before). I'm bad at combat, had to jump twice & back before I got my data.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

been exploring in solo near bubble for past year & never encountered an NPC. Just had an lame interdiction about 100LY out for 1st time. New AI? [where is it] I've recently upgraded to Asp, collected a few escape pods along the way (didn't have cargo space to do this before). I'm bad at combat, had to jump twice & back before I got my data.

It's the cargo. Within ~500LY of Sol (or Colonia) you'll get pirates showing up in uninhabited systems after it.

 

[marx]

Yep, it's the cargo. Small correction to what Ian Doncaster said: it seems to be around 500 ly from any inhabited system. To be safe, expect interdictions within 1000 ly of either the old or the new bubble if you're carrying cargo, especially if it's valuable. (Like Unknown Artefacts and Probes.)
However, if you aren't carrying cargo, pirates that successfully interdict you won't shoot you.

 

[Zieman]

However, if you aren't carrying cargo, pirates that successfully interdict you won't shoot you.

They will shoot if you deploy hardpoints. And then there's the occasional (quite rare, I think) psycho NPC who just goes "Hahaha!" and starts shooting regardless of your lack of cargo.

 

[iain666]

I'm jumping round the bubble unlocking engineers so getting interdicted regularly. "Give me 7t of that Fujin tea" they say so I open fire (zero tolerance for piracy here). Hey ho, but it just cracks me up that as I blast the second 50% of their hull integrity away they keep saying "This can all stop if you just give me 7t of Fujin tea." FDev really need to add some losing-the-fight dialogue to their repertoire...

 

[Aura Lorell]

I'm jumping round the bubble unlocking engineers so getting interdicted regularly. "Give me 7t of that Fujin tea" they say so I open fire (zero tolerance for piracy here). Hey ho, but it just cracks me up that as I blast the second 50% of their hull integrity away they keep saying "This can all stop if you just give me 7t of Fujin tea." FDev really need to add some losing-the-fight dialogue to their repertoire...

Carrying plenty of stuff around in the bubble, including rares. So interdictions are frequent. I've just killed Prince Random... Who first cried "No, no". Then tried to charge the FSD. Then cried No, help!". Then died. So bloodthirsty, me...