We all know the big issues most consider the key outstanding bad things with 2.1 so will skip and go onto what seems to me - a returning player new to both Horizons and Engineers - is the good stuff.
1. FA off flight is the new normal
very much like that this is the new clear standard.
no way of knowing as fact, but as one who has now faced and felt the pain of both the
A) new AI + crazy souped up NPCs with bugged super weapons, and the
B) fixed version today of just new AI NPC but normal weapons,
I highly suspect the common denominator of those saying the new NPCs are impossible is because they are not flying FA off or never had to learn how.
this is not to say the reports of insta kills are not legit. I got popped 4x right after starting 2.1 where I don't care what 'tactics' and top gun flight skills one may think they have - there is no evading insta death when it is literally drop from SC --> instant fraction of second shred of all shields --> death in less than few seconds time end to end
i now realize those deaths must have been from the 'new' and unintended super combo of weapon traits NPCs had like machine gun rails, etc.
the new AI flight acrobatics, fight tactics, and flee then come back, etc is much much better. So much so, that in my entire time of play till now, while FA off made you a better NPC killer, it really wasn't needed because that's how bad the NPCs were before.
you could use lower grade ship, lower grade weapons, and never use FA off and still dominate the NPCs like the great turkey shoot of 3301. But now, methinks FA off is basically the new normal. If you don't learn, use, and adapt with both FA on, FA off, and FA on-off combo maneuvers, players are going to be the turkeys to the NPCs
in short, all new reports of players stating their combat xp vs NPCs - good or bad - is going to require the obligatory question first - did you / were you flying with or without FA off maneuvers?
2- aside from the hubbub about where and how the heck we store (or lack thereof) of engineer mats, the new content it brings is a vast breath of fresh air into the game. Won't reiterate the issues about RNG, storage, or ease of finding some mats - just saying on the overall content piece of it, I think it is pretty fair to say engineers brings a lot more content to the game - and one pervading criticism, some valid, some just blowing wind, was the 'mile wide inch deep' eulogy to ED
whether you came down on the side that said mile wide but deep enough, or so shallow I can't/won't play anymore, engineers, crafting, and customizing ships to really be custom and not vanilla FDL = FDL = same old slight change in usual build FDL has added a good deal of that needed content to shore up the mile wide critcism
overall, am enjoying very much the new ED, although to be fair horizons is new to me too so I'm getting both content all in one rush.
*and yes. I do have my share of deep, specific concerns and gripes about old and new bugs/issues as well, but already posted those in other threads. This is my review of positive first impressions vs my other negative impressions.
1. FA off flight is the new normal
very much like that this is the new clear standard.
no way of knowing as fact, but as one who has now faced and felt the pain of both the
A) new AI + crazy souped up NPCs with bugged super weapons, and the
B) fixed version today of just new AI NPC but normal weapons,
I highly suspect the common denominator of those saying the new NPCs are impossible is because they are not flying FA off or never had to learn how.
this is not to say the reports of insta kills are not legit. I got popped 4x right after starting 2.1 where I don't care what 'tactics' and top gun flight skills one may think they have - there is no evading insta death when it is literally drop from SC --> instant fraction of second shred of all shields --> death in less than few seconds time end to end
i now realize those deaths must have been from the 'new' and unintended super combo of weapon traits NPCs had like machine gun rails, etc.
the new AI flight acrobatics, fight tactics, and flee then come back, etc is much much better. So much so, that in my entire time of play till now, while FA off made you a better NPC killer, it really wasn't needed because that's how bad the NPCs were before.
you could use lower grade ship, lower grade weapons, and never use FA off and still dominate the NPCs like the great turkey shoot of 3301. But now, methinks FA off is basically the new normal. If you don't learn, use, and adapt with both FA on, FA off, and FA on-off combo maneuvers, players are going to be the turkeys to the NPCs
in short, all new reports of players stating their combat xp vs NPCs - good or bad - is going to require the obligatory question first - did you / were you flying with or without FA off maneuvers?
2- aside from the hubbub about where and how the heck we store (or lack thereof) of engineer mats, the new content it brings is a vast breath of fresh air into the game. Won't reiterate the issues about RNG, storage, or ease of finding some mats - just saying on the overall content piece of it, I think it is pretty fair to say engineers brings a lot more content to the game - and one pervading criticism, some valid, some just blowing wind, was the 'mile wide inch deep' eulogy to ED
whether you came down on the side that said mile wide but deep enough, or so shallow I can't/won't play anymore, engineers, crafting, and customizing ships to really be custom and not vanilla FDL = FDL = same old slight change in usual build FDL has added a good deal of that needed content to shore up the mile wide critcism
overall, am enjoying very much the new ED, although to be fair horizons is new to me too so I'm getting both content all in one rush.
*and yes. I do have my share of deep, specific concerns and gripes about old and new bugs/issues as well, but already posted those in other threads. This is my review of positive first impressions vs my other negative impressions.
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