Will NPCS follow the same rules as us in 3.0 :D??

[IndigoWyrd]

Hehe, ok mate. You sound like a flat earther ;-)

Proof the Earth cannot be flat:

If it were, cats would have pushed everything off the edge of it by now.

 

[777Driver]

They also said at one time that NPCs weren't using engineered weapons even though commanders were getting almost instantly vaporized. I just don't take statements at face value when it comes to game developers.

You are coming up with more misinformation..

They never said NPC's never used engineered weapons, they did use those weapons during the beta and on release. There was a network bug that as far as I am aware only affected users in Private group and Open (shortly after beta went live) engineered weapons were being merged, from memory one of those weapons involved modded plasmas firing like multi cannons, it even made the gaming news. The bug was fixed, they also removed NPC engineered weapons as a precaution, a few still cried because they incorrectly thought impulse attack was an engineered effect, it's just plain old rails.

Devs left low level engineered mods for high level NPC's (I think dangerous and higher) has been like that ever since.

NPC's always had engineered modules, it was just the weapons that got stripped after the skynet incident - https://www.pcgamesn.com/elite-dangerous/elites-npcs-turn-sentient

 

[Craith]

TrackIR is good for that.

I use VR personally

 

[IndigoWyrd]

I use VR personally

I alternate between a standard view and TrackIR and an Avagant Glyph. The SBS 3d in the Glyph is exceptional, and it has no screen-door effect at all.

 

[JRok]

I think not and the same Python that I fought tooth and nail to almost get his shields down will still magically replenish his shields almost instantly with his single equipped mega super unlimited shield cell bank... note to self... run next time.

 

[Craith]

I think not and the same Python that I fought tooth and nail to almost get his shields down will still magically replenish his shields almost instantly with his single equipped mega super unlimited shield cell bank... note to self... run next time.

It replenished its shield more than 6 times if it is really only one 6B cell, (12 times with 2x 6B shield cells - d i dnt Double check numbers in game so stone leniency here please)?

Yes, run next time, saves a lot of time. Or bring bigger guns. In the Eagle I run usually (except sometimes to check test builds)

 

[Blackcompany]

The biggest challenge when making NPCs is to add the imperfections. Making AI that land every shot and evade your fire is relatively easy.

Most of the cheats the AI does in ED, are to give players more targets. For example they have infinite ammo on Multi canons, because players complained that the NPCs waked out when they ran out.

Making difficult AI is easy for developers. Making them realistic is the tricky part.

Well said indeed. I could not agree more.

At the same time, making them less than perfect - and in many cases, FAR less than perfect - is absolutely key for maintaining the fiction your game offers its players. If every AI pilot FLIES like an Elite pilot, then ranks mean nothing, and the fiction goes bust. Thats not good.

 

[Lucius-Darcia]

To OP:
Why didn't you tested it yourself? It was an open Beta.
We know, that NPC's use engineering (just without special effect on weapons). They also use the new improved 3.0 mods. How i know? I've played the Beta.

I think, that many bugs got sorted out already in live, but some things will never change i fear.
Target-lock-breaker will still don't have ANY effect on NPC's neither does Silent Running. They will still aim perfectly with fixed weapons at 2.8 km distance if you are in silent running. Also they won't get the same amount of module damage through heat like we do (can fire SCB's without heatsinks without malfunctions) and they will generally experience never malfunctions through damage (scramble spectrum only exception).
On top of that, they will use now maxed out rolls (atm defined as 'god'-rolls) which will hit a lot of players directly into the face.
Take just for example the Beam-/Pulse-/Burstlasers:
They are nearly useless because NPC's now use not random but maxed out thermal-resistant shields. It was significantly harder to drop shields with thermal weapons.

NPC's have in 3.0 a little curve upwards in terms of difficulty and we need to adapt again. Not that big problem but if beamlasers will be completely useless in 3.0 due to 90% of NPC's using maxed out thermal resistant shields will make me very very sad because i like them.

The NPCs do cheat, but I think that part of the frustration with them is that they can simultaneously manage pips, boost, shoot, chaff, deploy heatsinks and FA on/off faster than any human could. It's like they have an extra set of hands. It might be easier to match them with a hotas setup, but using a game controller is a struggle sometimes. Not enough buttons or fingers.

I was angry about that myself in the past, but since i use myself an HOTAS, i know that this amount is really possible with the right hardware and since that it doesn't disturb me anymore.
Every control has it's up and down so this isn't something i see as 'cheating' from the NPC's

 

[CMDR Plexus Ironrot]

so if the wing leader leaves...the other npcs poof? wow okay Please tell me thats a bug

To OP:
Why didn't you tested it yourself? It was an open Beta.
We know, that NPC's use engineering (just without special effect on weapons). They also use the new improved 3.0 mods. How i know? I've played the Beta.

I think, that many bugs got sorted out already in live, but some things will never change i fear.
Target-lock-breaker will still don't have ANY effect on NPC's neither does Silent Running. They will still aim perfectly with fixed weapons at 2.8 km distance if you are in silent running. Also they won't get the same amount of module damage through heat like we do (can fire SCB's without heatsinks without malfunctions) and they will generally experience never malfunctions through damage (scramble spectrum only exception).
On top of that, they will use now maxed out rolls (atm defined as 'god'-rolls) which will hit a lot of players directly into the face.
Take just for example the Beam-/Pulse-/Burstlasers:
They are nearly useless because NPC's now use not random but maxed out thermal-resistant shields. It was significantly harder to drop shields with thermal weapons.

NPC's have in 3.0 a little curve upwards in terms of difficulty and we need to adapt again. Not that big problem but if beamlasers will be completely useless in 3.0 due to 90% of NPC's using maxed out thermal resistant shields will make me very very sad because i like them.



I was angry about that myself in the past, but since i use myself an HOTAS, i know that this amount is really possible with the right hardware and since that it doesn't disturb me anymore.
Every control has it's up and down so this isn't something i see as 'cheating' from the NPC's

Oh i DID