Engineers NPC Aggression - What have you done?

[BIZZNAWICH]

Hello 21...I mean 777, These are random intrdicks and I am fitted with the strongest shields allowed for my FAS. I have a decent weapons load out and can take out an Imperial Clipper 1/1 unless....it is a rammer! I don't usually know this however, until it's done and my shields are down...then the butt keeps ramming as I'm trying to high wake the hell outa there.

An Imperial Clipper is one of the ships that can pretty closely match my speed so it's difficult to exercise the better part of valor while being pulverized.

Also I've noticed that with a hull full of items given me for doing various jobs and from scrounging around (items required for engineer upgrades and I need to hold on to until I can make it to my engineer of choice) that NPC's take notice of me more often than not.

By way I've wanted to ask you 777... did you achieve your Elite status before the game got "upgraded" to hell and gone and thus became just a bit more difficult?

Bizz

 

[777Driver]

Hello 21...I mean 777, These are random intrdicks and I am fitted with the strongest shields allowed for my FAS. I have a decent weapons load out and can take out an Imperial Clipper 1/1 unless....it is a rammer! I don't usually know this until it's done and my shields are down...then the butt keeps ramming as I am trying to high wake the hell outa there.

An Imperial Clipper is one of the ships that can out speed me so it's difficult to exercise the better part of valor while being pulverized.

Also I noticed with a hull full of items given me for various jobs and scrounging around that are required for engineer upgrades that I need to hold on to until I can make it to my engineer of choice, that NPC's take notice of me more often.

Bizz

Yep the interdictions are overdone in my opinion, hopefully the Devs will tone it down, especially for those carrying low value cargo or basic engineer commodities.

My comments are based on the AI themselves, they are using standard weapons, just a lot more efficient, it's great that you have max shielding on your FAS, however they will do sweet FA if you don't keep the correct amount of PIPS in SYS when under fire.

You should always aim to have 4 PIPS when your shields are being hit, take PIPS out of engines if you need more juice in the WEP capacitor, only remove 4 PIPS from SYS if you are in complete control of the situation. If you follow that basic logic you'll be fine, if you do anything else, those shields will drop rapidly.

 

[Oldschool]

Watch some videos or something guys. They are really easy to bail on if you don't want to defend yourself. There are tips here on the forum and videos all over. Adapt and overcome, be wolves, not sheep.

Not true. We have to remember what we paid for, and this isn't it now. By the way, methods of escape don't always work, ( mines, high wake, chaff, sinks, pt. defense etc.). Engineers is another horrible grind. ( a normal type grind wouldn't be so bad, but this is nuts. )

No, this isn't the game play I paid for, but it's what we got, and it needs to be looked at from all perspectives. Get some of this fixed, before we loose too many more players.

 

[BIZZNAWICH]

I follow a certain set of steps depending on what ship is interdicting me. I check the hostile target Que to see what it is and if I decide to fight I put 4 pips in weapons (otherwise weapons overheat and can't do damage expediently), 2 in systems for shield assist and 0 in engines. Then I turn and face it, put on max reverse and have at it.

If I decide not to engage I put 4 pips into systems and git. That is, work at a high wake escape scenario (0 pips in engines gets me nowhere fast but toward a HW departure) It's then that one shot will usually remove my shields if it's going to happen even with 4 pips in systems....I hit a preset "high wake" destination as I would do in a normal situation but with a bit more dispatch.

I've escaped in the past with only 2% hull with my "internals" sustaining a damage level average of no lower than 92%....this why I like my FAS although, smart money says that I will eventually change ships or just purchase another and increase my stable.

Bizz

 

[Dbrn47]

Not true. We have to remember what we paid for, and this isn't it now. By the way, methods of escape don't always work, ( mines, high wake, chaff, sinks, pt. defense etc.). Engineers is another horrible grind. ( a normal type grind wouldn't be so bad, but this is nuts. )

No, this isn't the game play I paid for, but it's what we got, and it needs to be looked at from all perspectives. Get some of this fixed, before we loose too many more players.

I always get away unless I'm doing something silly in an RES against ships I shouldn't be doing them against in a ship I shouldn't be trying it with. No really, adapt and overcome. Change ships, change loadouts, try things. Driver is correct that PIP management is a big deal. You will eventually get to the point where interdictions and unwanted combat is more of an annoyance than a threat again.

Engineers being a grind isn't within the scope of this discussion, plenty of threads for that, so no comment.

 

[777Driver]

Not true. We have to remember what we paid for, and this isn't it now.

I can assure you this is exactly what I paid for, finally a challenge instead of passive AI. Countless threads basically hand holding cmdr's through escape techniques, if you don't follow those techniques you only have yourself to blame.

Edit - What does Engineers being a grind have to do with anything? This topic is about dealing with the AI using non modified ships.

 

[Dbrn47]

I follow a certain set of steps depending on what ship is interdicting me. I check the hostile target Que to see what it is and if I decide to fight I put 4 pips in weapons (otherwise weapons over heat and can't do damage expediently), 2 in systems for shield assist and 0 in engine. Then I turn and face it, put on max reverse and have at it.

If I decide not to engage I put 4 pips into systems and git. That is, head for the high wake escape (0 pips in engines gets me nowhere fast but for a HW departure) It's then that one shot will remove my shields....I hit a preset "high wake" destination as I would do in a normal situation but with a bit more dispatch.

I've escaped with 2% hull with my "internals" sustaining no lower than an average of 92%....this why I like my FAS though odds are that I will eventually change or just increase my stable.

Bizz

IF you are putting 4 pips into shields and are SURE that your PIP reinforced FULL shields are going offline to ONE shot, you need to file a bug report.

 

[777Driver]

IF you are putting 4 pips into shields and are SURE that your PIP reinforced FULL shields are going offline to ONE shot, you need to file a bug report.

Yep defintely, and post a quick video demonstrating it happening. I think it would finally put to bed all the arguments about it happening.

@ BIZZNAWICH - Just out of curiosity, why have 0 PIPS in ENG during a high wake? you should be '4 in SYS' '2 IN ENG' a decent capacitor will give you the required boost with just 2 in ENG

 

[Sams]

I have wondered how difficult it would be to code the interdiction based on ship type

Player in Hauler, Adder, T6 = NPC Sidewinders and Vipers

Player in T7 = NPC up to Cobra

Player in Python and above = Any NPC ship

For new players in low level trading ships the NPC's wouldn't be in "one pass and you're dead" ships.

Edit: It does still happen btw. I've been in lots of High res and Nav beacons for hours at a time. Every now and then I still get a ship that strips my shields and 80% of my hull (Python) in a single pass where the hours before that everything was manageable.

 

[BIZZNAWICH]

777...

I'll watch for it in future but I really can't say that I hope it happens

Bizz

PS- Speaking of a weird bug that I was ask to watch for by the Devs themselves and send in info on it...I finished a fight outside a station after which I couldn't go to super-cruise either inside that systems or hyperspace to another one. My computer kept telling me both by visual message and by verbose means that it "cannot comply" because my hard points or cargo scoop were deployed which they were not. I had to go all the way out and restart my computer before it cleared, nothing else worked...scary. That one hasn't re-occurred yet but when you think about it you have to ask how that could happen??!!

 

[eqinox]

We've messed with the NPC AI's for decades in Elite, Frontier, First Encounters and more, shooting millions of their sorry ships into oblivion. Every now and then they were able to kill us, only to see us come back after loading a save or rebuy, continuing our killing spree.

Finally, they've had enough. It's karma.

 

[Ouranos]

The thought of fixing the AI is nice, just not like this.
I am talking about interdiction and the levelling,
because you must face a Dangerous Vulture in your freighter right...

2 days before I was in my Asp long range hauling from Sothis to... wherever.
I knew 2.1 had changed the AIs quite a bit but I was surprised by the range of possibilities that you can get from 1 mission,
especially mission update ones.

• NPC Spawning currently is a nail. I couldn't find the interdict until I saw maneuver nodes.
  On rare occasion NPC spawns from the front then might have a chance to force him too close to the arrival star
  But mostly spawn right at the back regardless of your ship's maneuvers

Now I am running a clipper for the most obvious reason.
I got myself two racks of mines and managed to try out on a Dangerous Vulture, works well.
The AI are smart but they still chase in a straight line.
But only I am now in a clipper so things not getting as crap as other ships does and that is the whole point.

This is the reason I did not try to fly freighter anymore:

1. I buy a freighter because it has better internals, so I can sacrifice them for hauling peacefully?
2. I already paid my jump range, firepower and maneuverability, just say every other department for larger cargo capacity.
3. I am not as agile as other ships in SC to dodge interdiction. If I gone unlucky I cannot run away from them unless I trade cargo racks for other things,
4. Check my sensor. Look, is a FAS. Let's pray for not preyed.

And let's not talk about I need to install cargo racks in my FAS for RNG reasons

 

[BIZZNAWICH]

777... I put only 2 in engines because it wouldn't make any difference as far as acceleration is concerned when counting down to "engage". I put the extra 2 in sys to try and bolster my shields while ship's doing the counting down.

Bizz