Who else DOESN'T hunt thargoid interceptors, and why not?
- Thread starter VR Jay Le Chardon
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Regardless of what in-game lore might have said, the T10 is one of the worst ships for AX combat precisely because of the issues you mention and the very poor convergence of its hardpoints.
All of our weapon systems are modular, like gun pods or CIWS.
It would be nice if there were other options, allowing for more potent weapons, at the cost of having to store ammunition separately, with the associated vulnerabilities of internal magazines and complex feed systems. Could also give ship-legs another practical thing to do.
Even a redneck with an AR15 in the back window of his pickup truck probably has spare ammo' in the glovebox.
I never found the original small-arms comparison worthwhile, just pointing out that the systems pilotable ships have in ED is more analogous to real-world self-contained modular systems than either small arms or things like tanks and battleships with integral weapons and centralized magazines.
You can't reload the SUU-16/A pods on an F4-C while it's in flight (though you could jettison them, an option this game is sorely missing). Doing something analogous to this with the weapons in ED would probably require complicated EVAs, or at least manually dragging ammunition through service conduits. I've always envisioned ED's weapons as having only power and coolant connections, otherwise being completely isolated from the rest of the ship.
Admittedly, the existence of synthesis upends this, but synthesis was always stupid and I try to forget it exists.
Pain in the butt on a PS4, especially with a controller... and the flight hotas I bought for fighting enemies,(human, thargoid or otherwise), for whatever reason barrel roll my ship when being used in ED. Fine on PC or other PS games but won't fly a straight line in Elite. Been enjoying killing scouts in multicrew for a change of pace; however I've simply spent to much in credits and resources trying to kill interceptors on a PS4 where there are no key binds or properly working Hota options.
Increase the dead zone using the slider below the key bind setting under control until the movement stops.
Alternatively you might want to look for Fixing Hotas 4 in this forum, there is a detailed post about which screws to loose and which switches to clean (and oil) for getting a better performance (or no performance when idle, to be precise).
Did that (although I needed two hours, not the 30 minutes as the original poster) and my Hotas 4 does not move a pixel when I do not want it (especially the yaw was so bad I had to remap that axis).
Does not fix them pescy thardgoids handing me my b*tt in dogfights, though.
But I get back at them by shooting their guard drones in the back and running away.
To be fair, I guess you raise a valid point.
Aircraft weapons can't be reloaded during operations.
Naval weapons, OTOH, most certainly can be.
I guess that leaves us to consider the comparison between ED ships and real-world vehicles.
Any medium-pad (or larger) ship in ED is almost certainly more comparable to a naval vessel than an aircraft IMO and, as such, should be perfectly capable of carrying spare ammo' and reloading weapons.
Maybe FDev could simply create "Magazine" modules that are at least C4 or larger (and, possibly, only suitable for military slots) so they can only be fitted to large ships with a military design?
Reloading many kinds of missile tubes cannot be done during operations without the assistance of a supply tender, and even reloading a CIWS is a more involved affair than reloading most other guns.
All of our ships are explicitly pilotable by a single individual and all of the weapons in the game we can equip on them are largely independent modular systems. They may have the volumetric dimensions of a naval vessel, but that's where most practical comparisons end.
I'm sure they could, and they wouldn't be half as problematic, from logical perspective, as synthesis is.
Thargoids are an innocent insect-like race who took to violence and revenge after being forced off their home world (B****i) by human colonists. According to Drew Wagar's excellent Oolite novels at least.
ed. Feels a bit like a rerun of the colonisation of the American West to me.
ed. Feels a bit like a rerun of the colonisation of the American West to me.
Given al the other stuff we can do, as an individual piloting a gigantic spaceship, I think that's where some suspension-of-disbelief is required.
If I can click a button in the cockpit to repair my damaged thrusters, it isn't unreasonable to assume it's equally likely that I'd also be able to re-arm a weapon in a similar manner.
I dunno if we've got "R2 units" trundling around our ships, doing stuff, or if the ships have built-in systems to do stuff but, either way, clearly the stuff is getting done.
Giving thought to how precisely it's getting done could and should have meaningful gameplay implications, especially if we are eventually going to be able to move around the inside of our ships at some point.
The abstraction and handwavium is fine for now, but a little planning and foresight now will save a lot of trouble later.
How about giving military optional slots the ability to hold a certain number of generic "reloads" based on module size (similar to AFMU).
Was trying to decide if I'd actually sacrifice an HRP in any build for more ammo, then realized I have added a fuel tank for plasma slug builds, so maybe I would.
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AX combat is the only aspect of the game that I haven't cared to touch at all.
Thargoids being totally immune to conventional weapons, rather than at a high percentage, and thus requiring a specific loadout, makes the whole process tedious to me, rather than just harder. And I would very much welcome a much harder but not tedious gameplay.
Thargoids being totally immune to conventional weapons, rather than at a high percentage, and thus requiring a specific loadout, makes the whole process tedious to me, rather than just harder. And I would very much welcome a much harder but not tedious gameplay.
Honestly, if it was me I think I'd go with the "R2 Unit" concept.
When we're (hopefully) wandering around inside our ships we might see them trundling around the corridors, occasionally prodding at things and twiddling them, which'd help create the impression that our ships are "living" environments that are actively being maintained.
That'd also create the most plausible explanation for how improbable things (such as repairing damaged external components) get accomplished.
I was exploring out in the Piades (spelling?) when I started finding lots of "nonhuman signals". A tingle went up my spine. Thargoids!!! I found lots and lots of Thargoids!!!
If you thought this was the start to a wonderful tale of a player encountering an alien for the first time, with possible harrowing combat ensuing...well you would be wrong. Because of course, I didn't have anti-xeno weapons (why would I?) on my ship at the time.
So I went about my business and it was very disappointing that what could have been a really organic random encounter was stolen from me by bad mechanics. The decision to make human weapons useless against aliens and visa versa was really really dumb.
If you thought this was the start to a wonderful tale of a player encountering an alien for the first time, with possible harrowing combat ensuing...well you would be wrong. Because of course, I didn't have anti-xeno weapons (why would I?) on my ship at the time.
So I went about my business and it was very disappointing that what could have been a really organic random encounter was stolen from me by bad mechanics. The decision to make human weapons useless against aliens and visa versa was really really dumb.
I don't kill Medusa or Hydra's for the simple fact I can kill 5-6 Cyclops or 2-3 Basilisks in the same span of time it takes to kill them. Tactically, Medusa's and Hydra's only bring more swarm behaviors to the fight. Aside from that, its the same attacks as the other interceptor variants but more hearts, damage resistance, damage output and regen.
Also, for everyone posting Xeno sympathy and opinions that they are the victims let me leave you with a real in game cautionary tale. Back at the dawn of the Thargoid plot-line introduction I was super excited at the prospects of trying to make peaceful contact with Xenos.
Like many people in Canonn I happily engaged in research at barnacle sites. I collected Thargoid sensors and probes before they were called that. I collected Meta alloys and sought out hyperdictions. I dropped a variety of different commodities to see what types of behaviors i could trigger. I was content with a live and let live relationship.
Then one day that all changed. I saw forum chatter that at a triple barnacle site a Thargoid interceptor appeared and interacted with the barnacle. Excited i jumped into my light weight racing ICourier and made a bee line to where the sightings took place. This was back when you didn't have scannable planet PoIs and needed to navigate using Latitude/Longitude coordinates.
I dropped in the vicinity of the baranacle site but approximately 20 Km off the mark. I made a course correction and started to fly to the location site. As i approached within 7KM I noticed a parked player anaconda at the barnacle site. I also noticed a FDL hovering suspiciously above the cliff side overlooking the barnacle site.
The cruising speed of my Courier was over 600+ so by the point that I can scanned the FDL I was within 3 KM and weapons range. A veteran of Open and not knowing the FDLs intentions I boosted and rolled right to get some distance to discern the players intent. I was so focused on the FDL I never noticed the Thargoid interceptor hovering over the barnacle site and parked Anaconda.
Just as I engaged my boost and rolled right the Thargoids EMP went off. I was dead stick over the planets surface. My boost and roll left me careening at 800+ towards the planets surface. I struck the planet at a shallow angle and flipped end ofver end until my momentum carried me clear of the Thargoid. My systems flickered back to life and I was able to regain control of my spin long enough to boost away and return to supercruise.
As I left the planets surface behind to the jeers and laughs of the FDL pilot "complementing" me my "landing" I knew that if it were not for the shallow angle of my impact, the low G of the planet and the inherent shield strength of the Courier I would have died. As far as I'm concerned, the reckless EMP use of Thargoids was the first shot fired in what has become a very personal war.
Also, for everyone posting Xeno sympathy and opinions that they are the victims let me leave you with a real in game cautionary tale. Back at the dawn of the Thargoid plot-line introduction I was super excited at the prospects of trying to make peaceful contact with Xenos.
Like many people in Canonn I happily engaged in research at barnacle sites. I collected Thargoid sensors and probes before they were called that. I collected Meta alloys and sought out hyperdictions. I dropped a variety of different commodities to see what types of behaviors i could trigger. I was content with a live and let live relationship.
Then one day that all changed. I saw forum chatter that at a triple barnacle site a Thargoid interceptor appeared and interacted with the barnacle. Excited i jumped into my light weight racing ICourier and made a bee line to where the sightings took place. This was back when you didn't have scannable planet PoIs and needed to navigate using Latitude/Longitude coordinates.
I dropped in the vicinity of the baranacle site but approximately 20 Km off the mark. I made a course correction and started to fly to the location site. As i approached within 7KM I noticed a parked player anaconda at the barnacle site. I also noticed a FDL hovering suspiciously above the cliff side overlooking the barnacle site.
The cruising speed of my Courier was over 600+ so by the point that I can scanned the FDL I was within 3 KM and weapons range. A veteran of Open and not knowing the FDLs intentions I boosted and rolled right to get some distance to discern the players intent. I was so focused on the FDL I never noticed the Thargoid interceptor hovering over the barnacle site and parked Anaconda.
Just as I engaged my boost and rolled right the Thargoids EMP went off. I was dead stick over the planets surface. My boost and roll left me careening at 800+ towards the planets surface. I struck the planet at a shallow angle and flipped end ofver end until my momentum carried me clear of the Thargoid. My systems flickered back to life and I was able to regain control of my spin long enough to boost away and return to supercruise.
As I left the planets surface behind to the jeers and laughs of the FDL pilot "complementing" me my "landing" I knew that if it were not for the shallow angle of my impact, the low G of the planet and the inherent shield strength of the Courier I would have died. As far as I'm concerned, the reckless EMP use of Thargoids was the first shot fired in what has become a very personal war.
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Pleiades. Some greek mythology.
I am just ready with my first reasonable fdl anti xeno build and my goal is to kill my first interceptor solo. Is this a stupid idea? I am a fixed weapon novice but I found dropping scouts very easy. I mean it seems like just mechanics and likely several rebuys right?also btw for anyone that finds it 'too difficult' I have guides that may be of help
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpMPMzQFTD0
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDkW69XMzWg
AX combat is very tricky to begin with yes but with practice you can become very proficient -use of synthesis is really only something that comesi nto play with Hydras or big groups of thargoids - though yes heatsink synth is common but the mats are all grade 1 for that so can be traded for with only a few high grade mats