Open Play is expensive!

[Zax]

Hi all,

I've been playing ED since early Beta and have always stuck to Solo mode. I guess I wanted to gain some experience and equip a half decent ship before exposing myself to open play. In the last week, I've tried to make the switch so Open Play but so far the only experience I've gained is that I can't afford the insurance claims!

I'm flying a Vulture with a reasonable loadout:-
http://edshipyard.com/#/L=60N,5TE5TE0mI01Q3gs3wU,306Q8S6k5K7_6k5A,7Su7gy9qSmpT4wE

Each time I'm killed, the insurance cost is approx 0.5M, plus whatever bounties I've accumulated from hanging around Nav Beacons. I fully accept that being killed is part of the game but I certainly wasn't prepared for the total obliteration I'm experiencing. Each time I get interdicted, it seems to be by multiple players with Fer de Lance ships. Fighting them is impossible! My Shields deplete in seconds; much faster than a Shield Cell can react and replenish them. The usual hull integrity countdown doesn't even happen as it seems to go from 100% to zero in an instant. I was looking forward to dogfights but I'm getting annihilated!

Before I switch back to the tranquillity of Solo play, can anyone offer any suggestions as to how to improve my Open Play experience?

Cheers

 

[Malfahri]

Since you are hanging around nav beacons, what are you hunting? NPCs or players? If players then you are going to have to expect to get attack at some point by full wings. If you are hunting NPCs and want to avoid players then fly out the outer systems where the player saturation is almost nonexistent.

 

[DrKronic]

Hi all,

I've been playing ED since early Beta and have always stuck to Solo mode. I guess I wanted to gain some experience and equip a half decent ship before exposing myself to open play. In the last week, I've tried to make the switch so Open Play but so far the only experience I've gained is that I can't afford the insurance claims!

I'm flying a Vulture with a reasonable loadout:-
http://edshipyard.com/#/L=60N,5TE5TE0mI01Q3gs3wU,306Q8S6k5K7_6k5A,7Su7gy9qSmpT4wE

Each time I'm killed, the insurance cost is approx 0.5M, plus whatever bounties I've accumulated from hanging around Nav Beacons. I fully accept that being killed is part of the game but I certainly wasn't prepared for the total obliteration I'm experiencing. Each time I get interdicted, it seems to be by multiple players with Fer de Lance ships. Fighting them is impossible! My Shields deplete in seconds; much faster than a Shield Cell can react and replenish them. The usual hull integrity countdown doesn't even happen as it seems to go from 100% to zero in an instant. I was looking forward to dogfights but I'm getting annihilated!

Before I switch back to the tranquillity of Solo play, can anyone offer any suggestions as to how to improve my Open Play experience?

Cheers

play with a wing(make friends), this is what I've been seeing too, at least running into wings of 3 vultures of 2 FdLs in open doesn't work when you're by yourself.

are you trying to make money at nav beacons? because if so Resource Extraction Sites are much better for finding NPC pirates....

 

[bamber]

Move out of the popular systems
.
never played solo or private
.
I am waiting for the full 1.3 to land and I am doing a clear save - first thing I will do is move on out of the starter system as quickly and far as possible

 

[palerider777]

I have spent 99% of my time in open play and ill be honest i have never been killed. The trick in my opinion is awareness in all things, you really must keep a keen eye on various instruments. So firstly whenever i go into a system or pocket of space i also hit "2" immediately and then "E" to check for players. If there are any its immediately important to figure out what and if they are winged. If you pick your battles you will always either have the upper hand or an even fight. If you let others pick for you chances are your already dead. So knowing when to run and when to hunt is super important. Lastly also consider what it is you want to do in pvp, if your a pirate hang around known routes and go for soft targets. If a bounty hunter then remember you can always throw a fish back if its going to be too much trouble.

 

[Zax]

Since you are hanging around nav beacons, what are you hunting? NPCs or players? If players then you are going to have to expect to get attack at some point by full wings. If you are hunting NPCs and want to avoid players then fly out the outer systems where the player saturation is almost nonexistent.

I've only attacked NPCs so far, although I've seen players at Nav Beacons. My problems have always occurred travelling back from them to dock. You're quite right about staying in the outer systems. I first joined open play in remote regions and saw absolutely nobody! Decided to travel to Diso/Lave/Leesti and received the abrupt reality check that I was way out of my league!

 

[Bazorlag]

Move out of the popular systems
.
never played solo or private
.
I am waiting for the full 1.3 to land and I am doing a clear save - first thing I will do is move on out of the starter system as quickly and far as possible

Sadly, the trick is to either run in wings trying to find ganks/pvp OR get out of the populated systems, which mostly defeats the purpose of the Open mode in the first place. People tend to congregate in popular locations like RES sites / GC goal systems and as soon as the matchmaker throws you in the same instance as PVP group... Too bad, so sad.

Problem with this game currently is that PVE has no grouping incentives worth it to deal with the hassle of having someone else with you. They either reduce your income or keep it steady. On the other hand, PVP incentives for grouping are huge as you need to deplete the shields from the target quickly before he fires off his shield cells again.

 

[ozrix84]

Move out of the popular systems

8 characters

 

[Deleted member 38366]

--- Deleted ---

 

[shadragon]

OP - If you want to fight other players then Open is your only viable choice. If NPC's are your target then a middle step between Solo and Open could be a private group where you can interact safely with other players, but fight NPC's.

Mobius has the largest group and combat between players is not allowed outside of combat zones. All depends on your goals.

 

[jankster]

Its the way it is some times mate I'm afraid...I got blasted to bits coming out of a station last night in my t9cost me about 9 million ...but it means nothing to me as I can afford it...I just take names I'll come across this guy again when I'm in a better suited ship

 

[Zax]

Thanks for all your comments, I'll try hoping around in the hope of finding a system that has some evenly matched players. I'd like to have a go at dogfighting with some real people but it's not much fun when they travel in packs and hold a massive advantage. Sounds like my tactic of letting them come to me was also an error! My caution was part of my undoing!

The group suggestion sounds promising, I didn't know there were private groups that allowed players to join them. Thanks for that idea!

I should probably have tried some open play combat before the wings update came along. I guess, prior to that, only a single ship could interdict!

 

[Jaeger]

Fighting them is impossible! My Shields deplete in seconds; much faster than a Shield Cell can react and replenish them. The usual hull integrity countdown doesn't even happen as it seems to go from 100% to zero in an instant. I was looking forward to dogfights but I'm getting annihilated!

Before I switch back to the tranquillity of Solo play, can anyone offer any suggestions as to how to improve my Open Play experience?

Unfortunately no, this is not a game. It's a simulation of how you get beat up in space by those with bigger ships. It's designed this way, you don't matter except as fodder for the ego's of the bigger guys.

Best you can do is hope an actual game is released in the future. Enjoy the simulated grief.

 

[xondk]

Unfortunately no, this is not a game. It's a simulation of how you get beat up in space by those with bigger ships. It's designed this way, you don't matter except as fodder for the ego's of the bigger guys.

Best you can do is hope an actual game is released in the future. Enjoy the simulated grief.

Erm, this has very little to do with it being a game or a simulation. Because this happens in a ton of other online games as well.

There are a lot of people around that get their thrills by overpowering someone who is clearly weaker then them, it has become about 'winning' not about the fight itself in online games of late.
Fights in pvp used to be the fun part, a good fight, win or lose is a good fight, but now, yeah, people don't want anyone to get near them that even might have a chance, because then they 'might' not win.

And just to clear up, this doesn't mean 'everyone' should win, no, that would make things just as pointless, it means people should fight on reasonable terms and see who wins, and have fun doing so, and the better person wins, without rubbing it in their face, without looking down on the one that lost, because the fight was a good fight.

 

[GluttonyFang]

How did this not get merged o=o?

Oh well, learn to take advantage of your ship. If you are flying a Viper, use your maneuverability to stall until your high wake charges. If you are a Cobra, just boost boost boost.

Either way, high-wake can get you out of any undesired situation (As much as I hate to admit this).

 

[HeavyGroovez]

The old worlds and community goals are always hotspots for gank wings.

Get yourself a Clipper and get your interdiction escape routine nailed. Speed is your friend.

Submit, 4 pips in shields, 2 in motor, boost, pick a system for hyper, spam shield cells while boosting and waiting for the FSD to fire up.

 

[Priko Phobomanic]

Hm...

I just wanted to join the open play after my first two month in solo/group modus.

I think I should stay at solo/group.

ATM I´m just trading...

 

[Thasarion]

I am about 100 LY from the diso lave cluster doing an amazing trade route in open only, and I only see other players about once or twice a month, and they are usually just passing through.

I have only been killed by other players during CGs, and only the Quivira event when I was flying my vulture and got targeted by a couple vultures, a FDL, and an Anaconda who were in a wing.

My other close call was during the Diso event. I was hauling a full load of 232T of harvesters in my T7 geared with only cargo racks, and I got interdicted by CODE 4 times in a row, somehow escaping to another system with my life and cargo. Still not sure how the hell I managed to do that.

 

[Elorius]

Except for the first few hours when I was figuring things out I have been playing Open Play for the 177 hours I've been playing. I have yet to interact with another player at all...