Update - This situation has seemingly been resolved, with reports this morning of non-human signals and distress calls working on all platforms in horizons! a Massive thanks to everyone, QA, Dev and CM who helped get things sorted out =)
Advanced warning - this focuses exclusively on the game mechanics, results, and current in-game consequence/situations.There is no thought for lore here, due to conflicting situations across the horizons and odyssey versions of the game. Something has to be functionally at fault in the initial issue here.
Abridged - Horizons Non-human signal sources completely refuse to spawn interceptors above the Cyclops class across multiple Nebulae, all three platforms and all reports since Odyssey launch, with Distress Call Points of Interest in both nebulae and bubble providing at best Extremely reduced instances of the same (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/34705).
Given Odyssey sees a differing situation that mostly affects 'non-guaranteed' spawns, with all sizes still being available (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/34188) - with both issues acknowledged, this lack of large interceptors is interpreted as not intentional.
The one remaining way to Reliably find these interceptors across Horizons both PC and console now that Incursions are cleared (Damaged Megaships), can have a severe knock-on BGS effect (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/40033), and since its wider adoption by necessity, this has crashed the Controlling faction of Delphi to 1% Influence in system, without any wars on their way down - something I haven't seen full stop since the Beyond BGS updates.
This has hurt stability and relations in the pleiades, and with damaged megaships scattered across the pleiades and the bubble to this day (spreadsheet), there is a notable risk of further BGS trouble in future.
Its been 4 weeks since the last update on NHSS (June 7th), and the BGS exploit issue as posted by the party suffering from these BGS effects was confirmed Yesterday.
I humbly request the issues be checked up on if at all possible, and if no update is available aim to at least broaden awareness, and care.
Long Version -
I apologise for this being its own thread, but my enquiries in the Update 5 thread and stream chats last week got buried - contact was made the evening after posting, but maybe the long-form version still helps.
It is nearing a month since the last update on the associated issue tracker post (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/34705) and things have reached a crisis point due to the most reliable remaining method to find larger interceptors. Some Netlogs and videos have been provided, but it seems to have been overshadowed by a separate NHSS issue in Odyssey.
In short, Non-Human Signal Sources in Horizons, from all reports across the AXI and AX Skunkworks discord, from the HAND xbox group and others, do not spawn Basilisk, Medusa, or Hydra class interceptors, since approximately the Odyssey launch - earliest mention I could find for ref:
This did not matter too much at first, due to the active story situation - https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/galnet/mass-thargoid-strike-emergency-declared
Anti Xeno Conflict Zones and active Incursions filled in the gap, and the general assumption was they would be fixed relatively quickly.
After a couple more days, an issue was posted - https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/34705 which has since reached #11 on the overall tracker. (with the similar Odyssey issue at #15)
While the incursions continued, effort was put in to confirm this issue, though it was still seen as non-essential, something that's surely being worked on. On June 7th, contact was made with the CMs about it, both this and a similar (but less severe) issue in Odyssey were acknowledged, with a request for netlogs forwarded. A similar statement was added to the Issue Tracker.
This renewed hope, and over half a dozen contributions have been added since with netlogs attached - along with some queries from console commanders about whether they could provide netlogs somehow. For the time being Incursions continued, and people worked around the issue as best they could.
Sadly, nothing has been heard on the subject since.
A few days later on the 10th, it was noted that incursions had ceased moving and seemingly could not be cleared - this was honestly interpreted as a positive move in AX and rescue group terms - There had been some issues with the incursions, stations falling out of the sky on alternating weeks, odyssey rescue missions not appearing on the board and some stations being Re-Attacked later on. So between those and the missing thargoids, it was a considerable positive to the people who engaged in both avenues of gameplay.
Unfortunately, it was later declared Not intended, on the 22nd being declared fixed and apologized for. Over the next few hours for pleiades, and day or so for California, the incursions were cleared. For bonus points, this was two days before the AXI server's 10k event started - which was entirely focused on competing teams racking up points by defeating the most, biggest interceptors they could.
Source: https://youtu.be/neOxikxAaR0?t=2091
With the incursions gone, Non-human signal sources empty, and Distress Call points of interest seemingly similarly afflicted - having personally seen One report of larger than a cyclops seen therein in horizons since the odyssey launch, things were bleak.
Of the further options - Planetary thargoid spawns are severely inconsistent; a test event seeing Zero interceptors spawn across three surface sites and four wings, and can be cheesed somewhat as the interceptor does not deploy their swarm below a set altitude - many commanders would both prefer more reliable chance of any interceptor at all let alone a desired type, and to give them a fighting chance to some degree.
This left Horizons AX players with only One reliable option. Damaged Megaships and their scenarios, which provided there is a BGS faction in-system spawn all classes of interceptor and scouts, and can do so continuously for an extended period.
These megaships have remained damaged since their system's last incursion, across the Pleiades and the Bubble (The most commonly reported ones being in Deciat). Witch Head and Coalsack examples were repaired following their incursions by contrast, with the coalsack ones proving immune to the most recent Incursion (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/30881)
The damaged megaship points of interest have one severe flaw, which saw the heavy discouragement of use at least under AXI channels - the BGS generated scenarios themselves.
These missions appear by themselves, and whether you accept or decline, if the timer expires for repairs (say because you and your buddy are being scooby doo chased by a Hydra) or the search & rescue ships die (to one of the fifty caustics from scouts or actively engaged Interceptors, and random fire/scouts destroying their decon limpets) - they declare themselves failed, with the associated Rep and INF decrease, which is multiplied for every single player in the instance. Even experienced groups actively trying to both use the megaships for ax And complete these missions have had little success in the past.
These failed scenarios, combined with megaship activites being the next-best thing to conflict zones, resulting in multiple wings worth of people work together during group events, this can snowball Severely.
There being BGS consequences was known to some degree - seeing the ban by some groups of the Delphi and Maia megaships in particular. Active research was put into finding some which did Not affect one player group or another's BGS, or at least an Abandoned player group. This request was generally adhered to while there were other ways to find thargoids.
Now however, with anyone who does not (or can't yet) own odyssey having one remaining way to find more challenging interceptors, and a severe quantity left in the Pleiades following the incursions clearing including the one in Delphi, commanders across all platforms who wanted to continue fighting had 5 megaships to choose from, right in-system.
...Which saw the most extreme result recorded to date, as more and more people learned they could still fight larger interceptors, many of whom either didn't know, care, or could not complete the missions therein.
For scale I have included the in-game system map note - Sirius Inc. is still listed as the controlling faction as-of today, at this 1%. No wars slowed this decline, they just crash dived to 1% over three days.
In a sense, the end of incursions has been Worse for the factions in Delphi than burning stations were, due to the side effects of ax commanders with no other functional option - With more commanders returning from the Salvation CG with their new shiny shard cannon and wanting to test it, this may have grown worse as it went.
The associated 40033 issue on the tracker (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/40033) being written by those affected, after seeing a system fought over for years crash and burn, is all things considered an extremely generous, understanding perspective, given that they suggest the damaged megaships be handed to the PFed or another BGS-neutral faction rather than they be removed entirely.
To close, and further the point that the initial issue directly causing the latter as been consistent across multiple platforms and independent commanders, I have gathered comments from the AXI -
and AX Skunk Works -
Discords. (Note - Woland being from the HAND xbox group, Indignant Sheppard from the Marauders Vanguard squadron, Manti and Katie from the SKWK itself).
Noone across either discord (bar one self-outed troll) has reported finding a basi or larger in horizons NHSS to date since odyssey, so we have direct comment by members of 3 of the top 5 squadrons on the PC Xeno Defence leaderboard, the best-known Xbox squadron, and players from no interceptor kills to defeating ten in one instance Solo, all finding the same situation... and noone in the 10,000 people in the AXI discord reporting to the contrary.
I hope with this post to enlighten those who unintentionally harm that the megaship missions have a Severe effect even if ignored, to inform of a worsening situation stemming from this issue, and ideally, to find out if there's any news on the issues, or if a resolution can be found for the BGS side at very least.
Edit to add - it has been pointed out that an Incredibly similar issue (with the NHSS) was observed in Fleet Carrier update Beta 2 (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/15505), in case that helps narrow things down.
Advanced warning - this focuses exclusively on the game mechanics, results, and current in-game consequence/situations.There is no thought for lore here, due to conflicting situations across the horizons and odyssey versions of the game. Something has to be functionally at fault in the initial issue here.
Abridged - Horizons Non-human signal sources completely refuse to spawn interceptors above the Cyclops class across multiple Nebulae, all three platforms and all reports since Odyssey launch, with Distress Call Points of Interest in both nebulae and bubble providing at best Extremely reduced instances of the same (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/34705).
Given Odyssey sees a differing situation that mostly affects 'non-guaranteed' spawns, with all sizes still being available (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/34188) - with both issues acknowledged, this lack of large interceptors is interpreted as not intentional.
The one remaining way to Reliably find these interceptors across Horizons both PC and console now that Incursions are cleared (Damaged Megaships), can have a severe knock-on BGS effect (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/40033), and since its wider adoption by necessity, this has crashed the Controlling faction of Delphi to 1% Influence in system, without any wars on their way down - something I haven't seen full stop since the Beyond BGS updates.
This has hurt stability and relations in the pleiades, and with damaged megaships scattered across the pleiades and the bubble to this day (spreadsheet), there is a notable risk of further BGS trouble in future.
Its been 4 weeks since the last update on NHSS (June 7th), and the BGS exploit issue as posted by the party suffering from these BGS effects was confirmed Yesterday.
I humbly request the issues be checked up on if at all possible, and if no update is available aim to at least broaden awareness, and care.
Long Version -
I apologise for this being its own thread, but my enquiries in the Update 5 thread and stream chats last week got buried - contact was made the evening after posting, but maybe the long-form version still helps.
It is nearing a month since the last update on the associated issue tracker post (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/34705) and things have reached a crisis point due to the most reliable remaining method to find larger interceptors. Some Netlogs and videos have been provided, but it seems to have been overshadowed by a separate NHSS issue in Odyssey.
In short, Non-Human Signal Sources in Horizons, from all reports across the AXI and AX Skunkworks discord, from the HAND xbox group and others, do not spawn Basilisk, Medusa, or Hydra class interceptors, since approximately the Odyssey launch - earliest mention I could find for ref:
This did not matter too much at first, due to the active story situation - https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/galnet/mass-thargoid-strike-emergency-declared
Anti Xeno Conflict Zones and active Incursions filled in the gap, and the general assumption was they would be fixed relatively quickly.
After a couple more days, an issue was posted - https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/34705 which has since reached #11 on the overall tracker. (with the similar Odyssey issue at #15)
While the incursions continued, effort was put in to confirm this issue, though it was still seen as non-essential, something that's surely being worked on. On June 7th, contact was made with the CMs about it, both this and a similar (but less severe) issue in Odyssey were acknowledged, with a request for netlogs forwarded. A similar statement was added to the Issue Tracker.
This renewed hope, and over half a dozen contributions have been added since with netlogs attached - along with some queries from console commanders about whether they could provide netlogs somehow. For the time being Incursions continued, and people worked around the issue as best they could.
Sadly, nothing has been heard on the subject since.
A few days later on the 10th, it was noted that incursions had ceased moving and seemingly could not be cleared - this was honestly interpreted as a positive move in AX and rescue group terms - There had been some issues with the incursions, stations falling out of the sky on alternating weeks, odyssey rescue missions not appearing on the board and some stations being Re-Attacked later on. So between those and the missing thargoids, it was a considerable positive to the people who engaged in both avenues of gameplay.
Unfortunately, it was later declared Not intended, on the 22nd being declared fixed and apologized for. Over the next few hours for pleiades, and day or so for California, the incursions were cleared. For bonus points, this was two days before the AXI server's 10k event started - which was entirely focused on competing teams racking up points by defeating the most, biggest interceptors they could.
With the incursions gone, Non-human signal sources empty, and Distress Call points of interest seemingly similarly afflicted - having personally seen One report of larger than a cyclops seen therein in horizons since the odyssey launch, things were bleak.
Of the further options - Planetary thargoid spawns are severely inconsistent; a test event seeing Zero interceptors spawn across three surface sites and four wings, and can be cheesed somewhat as the interceptor does not deploy their swarm below a set altitude - many commanders would both prefer more reliable chance of any interceptor at all let alone a desired type, and to give them a fighting chance to some degree.
This left Horizons AX players with only One reliable option. Damaged Megaships and their scenarios, which provided there is a BGS faction in-system spawn all classes of interceptor and scouts, and can do so continuously for an extended period.
These megaships have remained damaged since their system's last incursion, across the Pleiades and the Bubble (The most commonly reported ones being in Deciat). Witch Head and Coalsack examples were repaired following their incursions by contrast, with the coalsack ones proving immune to the most recent Incursion (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/30881)
The damaged megaship points of interest have one severe flaw, which saw the heavy discouragement of use at least under AXI channels - the BGS generated scenarios themselves.
These missions appear by themselves, and whether you accept or decline, if the timer expires for repairs (say because you and your buddy are being scooby doo chased by a Hydra) or the search & rescue ships die (to one of the fifty caustics from scouts or actively engaged Interceptors, and random fire/scouts destroying their decon limpets) - they declare themselves failed, with the associated Rep and INF decrease, which is multiplied for every single player in the instance. Even experienced groups actively trying to both use the megaships for ax And complete these missions have had little success in the past.
These failed scenarios, combined with megaship activites being the next-best thing to conflict zones, resulting in multiple wings worth of people work together during group events, this can snowball Severely.
There being BGS consequences was known to some degree - seeing the ban by some groups of the Delphi and Maia megaships in particular. Active research was put into finding some which did Not affect one player group or another's BGS, or at least an Abandoned player group. This request was generally adhered to while there were other ways to find thargoids.
Now however, with anyone who does not (or can't yet) own odyssey having one remaining way to find more challenging interceptors, and a severe quantity left in the Pleiades following the incursions clearing including the one in Delphi, commanders across all platforms who wanted to continue fighting had 5 megaships to choose from, right in-system.
...Which saw the most extreme result recorded to date, as more and more people learned they could still fight larger interceptors, many of whom either didn't know, care, or could not complete the missions therein.
For scale I have included the in-game system map note - Sirius Inc. is still listed as the controlling faction as-of today, at this 1%. No wars slowed this decline, they just crash dived to 1% over three days.
In a sense, the end of incursions has been Worse for the factions in Delphi than burning stations were, due to the side effects of ax commanders with no other functional option - With more commanders returning from the Salvation CG with their new shiny shard cannon and wanting to test it, this may have grown worse as it went.
The associated 40033 issue on the tracker (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/40033) being written by those affected, after seeing a system fought over for years crash and burn, is all things considered an extremely generous, understanding perspective, given that they suggest the damaged megaships be handed to the PFed or another BGS-neutral faction rather than they be removed entirely.
To close, and further the point that the initial issue directly causing the latter as been consistent across multiple platforms and independent commanders, I have gathered comments from the AXI -
Discords. (Note - Woland being from the HAND xbox group, Indignant Sheppard from the Marauders Vanguard squadron, Manti and Katie from the SKWK itself).
Noone across either discord (bar one self-outed troll) has reported finding a basi or larger in horizons NHSS to date since odyssey, so we have direct comment by members of 3 of the top 5 squadrons on the PC Xeno Defence leaderboard, the best-known Xbox squadron, and players from no interceptor kills to defeating ten in one instance Solo, all finding the same situation... and noone in the 10,000 people in the AXI discord reporting to the contrary.
I hope with this post to enlighten those who unintentionally harm that the megaship missions have a Severe effect even if ignored, to inform of a worsening situation stemming from this issue, and ideally, to find out if there's any news on the issues, or if a resolution can be found for the BGS side at very least.
Edit to add - it has been pointed out that an Incredibly similar issue (with the NHSS) was observed in Fleet Carrier update Beta 2 (https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/15505), in case that helps narrow things down.
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