(10-31-2013, 03:20 PM)MiniStryke Wrote: I've read 7 pages and still seen no explanation to the mentality that caused the respective Dev to program Gates to shoot Trade Lanes out.
Should not happen. They should be "shoot all red I see" with no smartness about them apart from a mild form of aim. Like they were before. I can deal with the damage as long as it's easy to get away and carry on pursuit. Though they shouldn't have any more than Trade Lane turrets or pulse turrets at most.
AHA! So lolwuts get melted down and made into jump gates!
I do think that the sheer number and power of NPCs needs adjustment.
Having flown on a lawful side trying to take down a hostile, NPCs, especially friendly ones, get in the way quite a bit. We all know how annoying it was earlier when NPCs went hostile because you CDed your opponenent and they were in range and then went hostile. Now imagine a half dozen plus of these with standard HFs or VHFs and Class 7 guns shooting you while you're trying to take your opponent on, and how annoying it is for said "friendlies" to eat the mines/missiles/etc. you meant to put on your opponent.
Having flown on the unlawful side, the overwhelming swarms of hostiles you can aggro just by flying is obnoxious. I recall trying to pirate some trade vessels in the Sigmas not too long ago. I was fine with shooting them in my VHF when they failed to pay up until I aggroed a dozen plus hostile NPCs; NPCs that weren't even allies of the trade vessels in question. This completely ruined my interaction with the players and any chance I had striking one down and/or getting them to pay up to avoid further damage from my guns.
tl; dr
Cut NPC numbers significantly, reduce damage potential by a bit.
(10-31-2013, 03:20 PM)MiniStryke Wrote: I've read 7 pages and still seen no explanation to the mentality that caused the respective Dev to program Gates to shoot Trade Lanes out.
They might hit them in the crossfire (not just the gates do that, all static objects can hit the gates in crossfires - seen it happen around Freistadt too). A static object is not programmed to target another static object, so the arguement that jumpgates target lanes specifically is plain false. Aside from that, a jumpgate and nearby tradelane -should- have the same IFF ('though with the TLs no longer having weapons, they don't really -need- an IFF anymore). As for the hostiles aggroing... again, that's being worked on. They'll be reduced to gnats until you get to the cap patrols. Those will still hurt. But adjusting the loadouts on a few hundred NPCs takes a little time to do. I'll probably have to define NPC specific shields and weapons as well, -and- redo the NPC transports as well...
Big job, but considering how much it's being asked for, worth the effort. I'll start this weekend, no ETA on it.
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I agree, NPC'S are well to strong and some missions are completely impossible ! i was doing a level 38 mission in my capital ship and i had to kill 13 cruisers all on my own for a meer 3.4 million !
If you were able to somehow avoid NPCs like in other MMOs, it'd make sense to have them stronger. In Freelancer on the other hand, the NPCs cannot be avoided, they spawn and screw with you as they like until you get rid of them. And let me tell you, an "AU 8 Sabre" (it seems Rapier NPCs for example have the same base armor as if it had an AU8) with top equip does a lot of damage while not going down easily at all.
You cannot sit around, writing in chat (-> RPing) when there're NPCs around who kill you in seconds. Of course, one shouldn't do that anyway if there's enemies around, but obviously you don't always "RP with enemies only". Even transport shields ... and hell, even GB shields, go down easy with that NPC fire power now. The game is about interactive with other players, NPCs are just decoration in most places, something to make the place feel alive. Sure they shouldn't be harmless at all, but they should also not go around wrecking players like crazy. I do agree on main systems (capital systems + guard systems + iRP strongly defended systems) to have harder NPCs around. At least at major junctions. Overall NPCs should not have Debs for example...
I like having many NPCs around when few players are there. But I don't like them slaughtering even heavy armored ships easily...
Pretty happy that they will be reworked. Hopefully not too strong, but also not too weak this time.
Now I just wish the cap NPCs of missions didn't have massive dmg guns with their unlimited cores.
And that there should be missions with "low lvl" snubs.
ha i just did another mission this time 12 GRN cruisers and i managed to survive, with nearly no hull left and no bots or shield batt and as im about to enter cruise a valor patrol pops out of no where and whipes me out in a second's i couldn't even cruise away it wouldn't let me, so i lost all my cargo nearly 7 million worth of goods from the mission ! yet again another lvl 38 mission worth 3.5 million ! im spending more on repairs and bots and shield batt!
If you'r going to nerf NPCs please increase the spawning range example 3k for fighters 4k for caps. Thus giving players more time to react. I do agree with Cuttsy the high level missions at the moment the loot is not worth having.
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