Why are the NPC-pirates so stupid?...

AKoM

AKoM
I trade/smuggle a good deal of my time in the game, and I've come to the conclusion that NPC-pirates are idiots.
They interdict you and ask for your cargo, but if you don't give it to them they will (obviously) open fire.
Thing is, they're not trying to disable you. They want to kill you.
Any pirate should know that you take out the engine and cargohatch, then the cargo is yours. Why go to the trouble of destroying the ship carrying cargo, when you won't get the cargo if you destroy the ship..

Ah well. I for one hope they fix this sooner rather than later.
 

AKoM

AKoM
But speaking from a basic coding perspective it shouldn't be too hard to define certain "weighted goals" for the npc's, even if they are procedural?

At least that's how I would try to angle that.
 

avow555

avow555
Yeh the whole NPC interdiction/pirating is getting a bit lame now, especially when you have no cargo whatsoever.
It has been said they were going to get looked into soon, I certainly hope so.
 

Terrana_Conscorn

Terrana_Conscorn
I do enjoy when a cargo-conda gets interdicted by a pirate eagle, sidewinder, vulture or viper... who asks me to give them my cargo...

So Mr Pirate sir, where are you planning to stash that 400 ton booty?
 

Banana's_Are_Good_For_You

Banana's_Are_Good_For_You
Probably is a lot harder than suggesting this but how about making them, or at least some of them target the cargo hatch then desist after a percentage is dropped relating to how much they can carry.
They used to ask for more but I run more often than not or just kill them.
They also see limpets as cargo which is another thing they'd need to try and fix.
Just thoughts.
 
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Derath

D
I'm not convinced its that hard to make them scan you, identify if you have goods or not then leave if you don't.

I mean they do it right in extraction zones lol
 

Lateralus

Lateralus
Because the AI is not sophisticated enough to be prepared for most potential gameplay scenarios.

For example, one missing bit of AI doesn't check a targets shields are down before firing hatch-breakers at them - so they just fail instantly. NPC pirates are probably the worst types for missing if/then checks like this, which is more noticeable than other NPCs because piracy interactions tend to be the most complex.
 
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Lateralus

Lateralus
anikaiful said:
Code: 
if (acquireTarget(x)) {
    if (!x.haveShield()) {
        fireLimpet(x);
    }
    else {
        fireAt(x):
    }
}

*shrug* ...
Click to expand...

Something like that I would imagine, are you a developer?

NPC pirate AI is frustratingly basic right now, hopefully they will get a buff in 2.1!
 

shadragon

shadragon
AKoM said:
But speaking from a basic coding perspective it shouldn't be too hard to define certain "weighted goals" for the npc's, even if they are procedural?

At least that's how I would try to angle that.
Click to expand...
Frontier is hiring.

https://www.frontier.co.uk/jobs

For every person who complains the AI is too weak, there is a rage quit from someone saying they can't beat the AI. So, you know...
 
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Derath

D
shadragon said:
Frontier is hiring.

https://www.frontier.co.uk/jobs

For every person who complains the AI is too weak, there is a rage quit from someone saying they can't beat the AI. So, you know...
Click to expand...

Its not like you can't tweak difficulties on a person by person level, they do need to make the AI harder they just need to give leeway for the people who don't find it easy as it is, thats usually accomplished with tailored difficulty just give people a hidden rating associated with how good they are at mowing NPC's down and scale it from there.
 

Ashnak

Ashnak
Ah well, MoM has proised some improvements on that for 2.1.

And I must say, the crazy pirates who interdict me already have improved in the last week. At least that guy in the Sidey had a crazy laugh. Still was difficult to make him last long enough to complete the KWS scan. And the NPC FDLs in the High RES have become positively polite (unlike those guys and gals in the Sideys and Vipers, though - must be a learning thing: an NPC that managed to work itself up to a FDL has learned what a pirate in a Sidey won't get to learn...).
 

insanephoton

insanephoton
They can be quire persistent if not very bright. I had a Viper interdict me, with all the usual bluster. I had got his hull down to 3% and as he was running away , so let him go. Moments after I get back into supercruise the same NPC interdicts me. He's already down to 3% and tries to press his attack. I think what happened after that can only be described as a mercy killing. At least he didn't suffer for long.
 

AaronWatkins

A
I have always found it odd that the smallest ships in the game sidey, eagle et et interdict me and they demand cargo from me when my cargo is like heavier than the entire ship they are flying, hell my guns are heavier then their ships, how did they "think" this would work?

Pirate interdictions should at least have a chance of working wings of at least two ships with one able to carry something.
 
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