WHAT THE HELL! - AI way too strong now

[Brusilov]

AI is just fine.. just pick your fights more carefully.

 

[Cosmos]

Yes, AI is a bit harsh. I just deleted my save and started from the scratch. Maybe engineers is a bit more polished when I get to meet them again.

So I was in my sidewinder in a nav beacon and tried to get some easy money. I attacked elite type 6. It didn't shoot back so I thought I just blow him up slowly when he suddenly turned towards me and zapped with railguns. Shields down and hull down to 70 percent. Huh, I turned away and got another zap though I was evading at the same time. This time hull got down to 3 percent. The last zap made my a flying fireball. So yeah, elite npc's are a little harsh but I was to one who started it [yesnod] Like said, if you are not up to it get some cops to help you.

You attacked an Elite ship in your starter sidewinder?

 

[Arithon]

Sorry, but the AI is fine. It might not be easy, but it is quite beatable.

I went into a HAZ REZ yesterday several times in both my Corvette and FAS without losing more than 25% hull. On my own.

I didn't engage any large wings, because I'm not suicidal; but wings of two ships or three small ships were manageable in both Corvette and FAS and the Python is way more agile than the Corvette.

Try changing your weapons load-out for something more damaging (combination rather than all pulse). Utilise cannons or multi-cannons with beams or burst-lasers.

 

[Angus]

If you lose your Python on any ship, then you are doing something wrong, period.

Pointers? I'm flying an A-specced Vulture, I only fight NPCs, I'm nothing special, but I like to think I'm at least competent. I would agree that combat need to become more challenging than it was but I would expect my Vulture using mid blue zone throttle, and occasional FA-off to be able to out-turn most ships most of the time, but I often seem to be out-turned by the opposition. I'm not complaining, but I'm unclear on how to raise my game in this regard. Any thoughts?


Second point
I'm a bit concerned that the game may be headed towards a place where to be successful in combat you need to do what I regard as a bunch of geeky things. There are places that I just don't want to go purely to be successful in the game, all that stacking of shield boosters, using shield booster calculators and multiple shield cell banks, flying backwards (a la battlezone coin-op) and generally ticking a lot of boxes in order to obtain a victory.

While Engineers itself can also be seen in this way, I'm hopeful that it will feel more like an adventure, but certainly there's a danger that the future Kings of Combat will be the people with the inclination and spare time to dedicate themselves to days and weeks of obtaining the components to produce the best mods. Not because they are enjoying those days and weeks, but because they want to be top dog.

And I do feel there are lot of people out there to whom victory and beatiing the game is everything. That seems a bit sad to me, but its fair enough if that's what brings them pleasure. It doesn't seem like a lot of those people take a similar view on "PVE bunnies" like myself. I don't want to beat the game, I want to play it, focussing on the journey not the destination, I want combat to be more challenging than it was, but it seemed like the 'feel' of the combat game was very, very good - and I hope that's not going to be lost in the legitimate desire to provide more challenge.

 

[Whiterose]

Since both of you didn't seem to bother to read and comprehend the original post: the OP claims FD has tinkered the AI again with the latest minor patch. Which they haven't. Which I pointed out.

By the way: if you want to gripe about the oh-so-difficult new AI, the general thread for this purpose is here.

Oh I don't have any issue with the AI, what is was complaining about was the "you suck" comment, hence my term unhelpful