Returning Player: What did you do to Combat AI?

Reading around I heard that the enemy AI got an upgrade. I'd like to know what Frontier's definition of "Upgrade" is because so far every ship I've encountered has done two things.

1. Constantly try to ram me
2. Constantly try to fly a circle around me

And both of those tactics have been thwarted by reversing and blasting it's face open with a laser beam. The thing I used to do when I was in the starting sidewinder and sucked at flying. Combat has lost all of it's energy and become a stale mess. I'm so disappointed.
 
Reading around I heard that the enemy AI got an upgrade. I'd like to know what Frontier's definition of "Upgrade" is because so far every ship I've encountered has done two things.

1. Constantly try to ram me
2. Constantly try to fly a circle around me

And both of those tactics have been thwarted by reversing and blasting it's face open with a laser beam. The thing I used to do when I was in the starting sidewinder and sucked at flying. Combat has lost all of it's energy and become a stale mess. I'm so disappointed.


First up, it is still a far better combat AI than what we had in 2.0. Secondly, any problems with the current AI can be sheeted home to all the Carebears/RES farmers who whined about how difficult the 2.1 AI was. Between Beta 4 & initial release it was truly awesome. Sorry you missed out on that.
 
Reading around I heard that the enemy AI got an upgrade. I'd like to know what Frontier's definition of "Upgrade" is because so far every ship I've encountered has done two things.

1. Constantly try to ram me
2. Constantly try to fly a circle around me

And both of those tactics have been thwarted by reversing and blasting it's face open with a laser beam. The thing I used to do when I was in the starting sidewinder and sucked at flying. Combat has lost all of it's energy and become a stale mess. I'm so disappointed.

1. I would try to ram you.
2. I would constantly try to fly a circle around you.
3. AI seems pretty spot on albeit a little under powered still.
4. Is it not an upgrade from spinny ship go bang?
 
1. I would try to ram you.
2. I would constantly try to fly a circle around you.
3. AI seems pretty spot on albeit a little under powered still.
4. Is it not an upgrade from spinny ship go bang?

'difference is, when something isn't working, you would change tactics & ultimately 'do a runner, Guv' if things were going 'pear shaped' - unlike the multi-cannon fodder AI!
 
Reading around I heard that the enemy AI got an upgrade. I'd like to know what Frontier's definition of "Upgrade" is because so far every ship I've encountered has done two things.

1. Constantly try to ram me
2. Constantly try to fly a circle around me

And both of those tactics have been thwarted by reversing and blasting it's face open with a laser beam. The thing I used to do when I was in the starting sidewinder and sucked at flying. Combat has lost all of it's energy and become a stale mess. I'm so disappointed.
Isn't that what many Commanders do in PvP?
Combat jousting?
The reversing tactic is only feasible if you have superior defensive and offensive capabilities.
Recently I got interdicted by a Wing of 2 NPCs. I was in my vanilla A spec Vulture and I managed to destroy one and damage the other to make it jump out.
My shields lasted a few seconds and my hull at the end was down to 25%. The NPCs where expert or master IIRC and Cobra and Adder. I'm supposed to ''expert' but it didn't feel that way!
Doing the reverse tactic did not help here, there being 2 opponents.
I don't do combat often so it's not become a 'stale' activity.
 
Only someone who missed the infamous 'kebab of death' manoever that struck fear into the hearts of the galaxy's finest pilots for months could see the current npc AI as a downgrade. :D

Just thinking of the Rotisserie Spin of Doom makes me break out in a cold sweat!

Funnily the NPCs still do that in a slightly different from.

Yet pilots are still complaining of dying too frequently.

The increased aggressiveness and the much better use of the maneuverability of the NPC ships increases the difference between a combat and a trading ship full of cargo. In addition the interdiction rate increased and the NPCs got adjusted to the rank of the player.

They're funner now.

Yes, braindead Elite Clippers with only fixed weapons trying to shoot at a T-6 and only hitting the rock left and right or the T-6.
Eagles doing everything to stay in the firing arc of my heavily shielded combat ship making aiming super easy.
NPCs ramming themselves into death.
Elite NPCs not firing as they only have fixed weapons.

The 2.1 NPCs are funnier now, but worse than pre 2.1

Isn't that what many Commanders do in PvP?
Combat jousting?

Just because a lot of players do that doesn't make it fun. Instead of adapting NPC behavior to player behavior FD could have changed the game mechanics to make jousting and backward flying less effective.
 
Back
Top Bottom