So, another report from my today adventures.
Got interdicted from Fer-de-Lances and Anacondas all Dangerous, Deadly or Elite again all time. I already continue flying to station and when i reach them, i simply dock, ignoring the NPCs. Otherwise i would fight more, then i trade. Haven't noted them anymore, to much work.
Tried my luck with an Dangerous Anaconda to test how it actually is against my Cutter and it gave me the hell of a fight. Shield-cells all time, until i finally managed somehow to break trough the shield. This time aswell no NPC police reinforcements has shown up, what was a bit surprising. Was a close one and i limped back to station with about 60% hull and a broken canopy. At least i got 200k bounty for it, so the 80k repair cost was at least payed.
So i decided to avoid the Anacondas in the future. Easier said as done. Some flights later (i think i could count them with the fingers on one hand
) i got attacked again by an Anaconda. This time Deadly. Wasn't able to reach the station before it interdicted me. So considering my last fight, i tought best idea: run! So i gave full speed with boosting. Good thing by the Cutter is, even when it flys like a brick, its fast as hell. So i was away very fast.
The Anaconda of course followed me to station, but i docked. It holds its distance from the station and i tought its gone, because i hadn't it anymore on my sensors (bad D sensores).
After i launched again away from the station, i noticed a blip on my radar again. "Oh, great. The deadly Anaconda pirate." Was already away from the station but tought, ok, i shoot it some bumps in the shields and then i run back to the station and hide behind it.
Well, funny thing was, as we got in the fight, my beams penetrated its shields really fast, even while he aswell cell boosted and after a short but hefty fight, my shields where down to one red middle ring and the inner one still at full power and then i saw a large explosion, some time after the Anacondas shield failed and its hull reached 0%. Ok, one single police Viper was there aswell but wasn't really doing much. And i got 120k bounty for it. The Anaconda, not the police.
How it seems, the rank of the NPCs is aswell a bit off. So there are ships with lower rank but way stronger equipment and aswell a higher bounty. I have aswell seen FDLs with 200k bounty and i think even 250k and lower ranked (dangerous or deadly) as Elite, where i have seen others with less bounty who where easier.
Ok, because i am not a good pilot and fighter, i blame everything that i was able to still get away or get some kills on the Cutter, who is a real pearl of a ship.
But i already considered, how peoples must feel flying a Type 6, Type 7 or even Type 9. Aswell a Python with way weaker shields. Or even the Anaconda pilotes. The NPCs are deadly accurate now, so size doesn't matter at all anymore, only that a larger ship can frameshift easier. And the Anaconda is slow. So getting away with a full cargohold seems nearly impossible. And i think the number of Cutter and Corvette pilotes is still low and will remain like this, by this great missions we have now.
I remember my way up. I got aswell over Type 6, Type 7, Python and Anaconda. I highly doubt, that i would have survived only one trade run with them by this conditions.
Now what we should look at are new players and player without a ship saving them all day. Flying with an Anaconda or a transport should work aswell. An idea would be to keep the upper 3 ranks (who seems now to be the only ones interdicting traders) from the trade routes. In return, missions with the high level NPCs could become more lucrative, so that even player beeing shooted down from time to time in this zones could make good money.
One problem is for sure. New players are the ones, flushing the money in Frontiers pockets. Aswell the ones still working their ways up and who might buy the Addons. Beta players have the full lifetime pack already and aren't buying them anymore. So the game has to be open for new players and aswell for causal players joining later and even without Horizon. Only if they are enjoying the game, they might buying the addons. And for the new players, if they buy the game is a question of the reviews. I have seen already some articles, writing how bad and evil the NPCs are now. Peoples who will consider buying the game would read it and if they read, that they nearly can't make money as newbie and without beeing a PRO in the game, what would be difficult, if you can't win, then they would decide against the game. And the result is easy.
Few addon sells, no new players -> no money and earlier or later, Frontier has to shut down the servers.
So my overall idea is: The AI how it is can stay. But the interdicting NPC level has to be decreased. They could be in special missions or combat areas with a warning, but a very high reward. So pro gamer can still have their fun against them and even earn a lot of fast money.
