Whats up with high rank NPC always escaping combat

[AV2012]

I have noticed it also. But found if you can disable it they are still easy to kill.

The question we have to ask why are they elite? They only kill unskilled and run from better pilots?

Part of being Elite is knowing when it's time to run away. Retreat and live to fight another day. NPC's should not simply be dumb cannon fodder. There should be some skill involved in fighting stronger opponents. For example, focus on sub systems, take out their FSD.

 

[adoredtv]

Doesn't work with NPC's. When you follow they're completely gone

Edit:
Well, the scanner works but jumping after them is pointless. You arrive in the new system just as if you had jumped there without following a wake. No NPC or SC wake in sight.

It works, I showed it working in my #6 let's play near the end vs another Eagle which I chased and killed. Not only that but I reckon the AI waits for a bit as well.

You might have to actually follow through the wake though (as in use the keybind) instead of targeting the system via the galaxy map.

 

[kiario]

Especially if you look at it as an AI programmer... fighting always is a risk/reward equasion from the first shot fired. The weaker the AI, the more it will ignore that, fire missiles prematurely, ignore damage, refrain from retreat, etc. The higher ranking the AI, the more it will take into account all those factors. It's the far better way to make believable NPC behaviour then, say, just make them turn faster or hit better... you'll only end up with unbelievable/unfair NPC's like that.

Yeah, but when they run with 95% hull its either very cowardly elites or the AI is a little broken

 

[Poseidal]

I think it depends on the AI archetype. I think wanted smugglers are more likely to run sooner for example.

 

[Lestat]

To be honest, I think that's the correct behaviour. Retreat is never a shameful tactic in battle - you live to fight another day and can learn from the experience and come up with new tactics.

Only the foolish bravely carry on fighting to the death, and in my opinion, an NPC Elite pilot is emulating a perfectly reasonable retreat tactic.

Rgds.

I agree with you. This win all the time or I will cry is dumb. There needs to be a challenge. If I wanted hand holding I would play a game that has Easy medium of high level. Even then I would play Hard.

 

[ElectricZ]

I think the problem is the game mechanics, if you hit the FSD, it should take a very long time to charge it. Now i am just a few hundreds meter away and banging thair fSD and poof they are gone

I always hear "Frameshift Drive Detected" or something like that a good 10-15 seconds (sometimes more) before a ship flees, and there's a little indicator on the HUD that says "Power Surge" or something, and even before then the enemy pilot will start transmitting things like "Screw this!" "This isn't worth dying for!" and the like...

When I'm in their position I'm doing the same thing. Throwing everything into shields and trying to boost like mad. Only an idiot would sit around and let their ship blow up around them when they have a working FSD. It's annoying to lose someone at 1% hull but that;s a sign that there's some "I" in the game's AI. Like others have said, targeting the drive is an excellent way of keeping someone from running.

 

[Bikky]

Part of being Elite is knowing when it's time to run away.

Sure the post at the top of page 2 says the same

Doesn't work with NPC's. When you follow they're completely gone

Edit:
Well, the scanner works but jumping after them is pointless. You arrive in the new system just as if you had jumped there without following a wake. No NPC or SC wake in sight.

I've followed one through two systems and SC, got the bounty. I was trying out my wake scanner for the first time, or I wouldn't have bothered, as I was interdicted, and it was a smallish ship, only 5k bounty.