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Turmoil posted:Even then it's wonky at times with how mismatched it makes the NPCs compared to you. The other side of this is if you want to be silly and fly around in a Federal Dropship outfitted like a Rogue Trader (with engineered FSD of course), the game will spawn an endless supply of FDLs and Pythons with plasma guns and aim-bot like accuracy. (Tying NPCs to your ship type goes purely by money, I think. So the game will see your trading Anaconda and spawn Federal Corvettes with two huge guns and ream your rear end, because the price is on a similar level.) The smaller NPCs sometimes showing up are spawned naturally as a part of the system you're in, I think. Local ships and interdiction NPCs can be different. (The difference being, instead of a ship especially spawning for you, the local ships are already there and can or can not decide to interdict you.)
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Dec 23, 2016 15:05
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Pilchenstein posted:... yeah they should really have the difficulty of npcs tied to where you are rather than who you are. Absolutely this. I'd much rather feel that going to an Anarchy or other low security system should be more dangerous than corporate/high security. It just doesn't fell that way at the moment and merely gives less cash from bounties from the pretty much identical RNG'd NPCs. But then I'd also like particular named NPCs from factions I've annoyed to try to hunt me down across the vast reaches of space rather than whichever thing happens to spawn on top of my head and knows that I have expensive cargo without scanning me. Even something simple like assassination missions where they give a lot of cash but just a beacon on the map for where the NPC or player is, rather than just a "go here at time t and shoot bad man with randomly-generated name X". But I guess that sort of thing isn't on their plan because walking on your ship to your space-toilet is more immersive?  (I still have fun in this game so far, and engineers has made me do other stuff like mining and launching off hills in my SRV which I otherwise probably wouldn't have done, but I'm not trying to min-max so it hasn't felt arduous  Fake edit: Qwent and Palin were still annoying to unlock, but DD5s... (Sorry for the lengthy rambling)
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Dec 23, 2016 15:05
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Wolfechu posted:20kly only adds like 5 minutes in sc , it's not Hutton or anything. When I'm exploring, I usually scan everything within 50kls of the main, so I get you. At the same time, think about the reasoning from FDEV: they are making a new community goal, do they give it content or some engaging story line? Special spawns or any kind of effort at all? No, just write a two paragraph blurb which wouldn't be accepted in a basic writing class, then go "OH poo poo THERE'S NO CONTENT" and pick a random station with a gently caress-off distance so that people feel that they have accomplished something since what would have taken five minutes now took twenty. They could have put a blockade up where you get auto-interdicted, or have an NPC try to goad you into helping the other faction, make the station a CZ, or just do the same thing but pick a station at 800ls and get more people engaged in the CG. Making something take longer for no reason is not content and flying your ship in supercruise, which involves having the throttle at max and going in a straight line, is not "flying your ship." Actually...I guess I think it is content if there is an unexplored WW/EL at the end, but I am a crazy person who doesn't want to force others to play like him. I have no problem with the journey, or with locking end-game content behind distance (no one complains that the badass raid dungeon is at the outskirts of the map), but just arbitrarily adding 10-30 minutes of travel time because you can't think of anything more engaging is just  . Add on the fact that half of these CG are nigh-impossible without third-party tools to source materials and find systems/stations and that the stations only drip out a few items per hour...And where is the tactical paint pack for the Corvette???? 
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Dec 23, 2016 16:15
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Nostalgia4Infinity posted:Chrome Fed Gunship Oh man 
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Dec 23, 2016 16:37
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I didn't get to jump on Draconis 17 again due to real life getting in the way but seeing as I started out with a hundredth of what I earned milking the skimscum teat, now I'm curious as to people's opinions on the conda<>corvette<>iCutter debate. I'm looking mostly for shooty with some utility thrown in, but I hear the 'vette's got a seriously gimped jump range. My funds (most of the assets are a clipper, python and vulture) 
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Dec 23, 2016 17:14
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Corvette has FDL levels of bad jump range, but can be engineered to not completely stupid levels. Once you do you can use it as a daily driver. It's got the internals to support a class 5 scoop along everything else, which when combined with routing for scoopable stars means you get nearly infinite autonomy. I like it better than the conda. Compared to the conda it gets lower damage and a much better tank, much lower jump range, and much better looks. The cutter just isn't a combat ship, no matter what FDev says. You can certainly use it, with fixed weapons even, but you'll be fighting the ship itself every step of the way. I consider this sort of thing a challenge, but IMO the vette is just the better of the two at combat. E: those funds aren't enough for a top rated vette, much less if you want armor. Your entire assets might get you to an armorless build Chrysophylax fucked around with this message at 18:10 on Dec 23, 2016 |
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Dec 23, 2016 18:01
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starting to wish I'd chewed some addies during that last civil war and poopsocked it for two days straight, yeesh. That half a billion is still "eh, won't get you a decent build" is 
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Dec 23, 2016 18:40
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You could always hack the gibson.
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Dec 23, 2016 18:42
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E Equals MC Hammer posted:You could always hack the gibson. Alas I am not Zero Cool
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Dec 23, 2016 18:52
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I have a gunship, I've stripped it to pay for Python upgrades but can't bring myself to sell it. It's the only ship I'm interested in chroming (besides the Adder because the Adder is a Space Technical) but man, the ship already looks perfect in midnight black. Clad in that, it becomes a Space Black Helicopter which suits it as a Federal peacekeeper so loving well. And if I buy it, I'll have to refit my FGS... maaaan. What's the outlook on the FGS after this "military slot" stuff?
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Dec 23, 2016 19:02
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Now I'm curious too because a FGS sounds like a serviceable stand-in for the vette I wanted
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Dec 23, 2016 19:05
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It's a bad ship, weak shields, armor sucks for pve (but it's getting better next patch). If you absolutely must have a fighter bay, by all means. Otherwise FDL and Python are strictly superior.
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Dec 23, 2016 19:15
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Chrysophylax posted:If you absolutely must have a fighter bay, by all means. Otherwise FDL and Python are strictly superior. Excellent, my continued ownership of the DFS Failure To Communicate is vindicated.
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Dec 23, 2016 19:17
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Chrysophylax posted:It's a bad ship, weak shields, armor sucks for pve (but it's getting better next patch). If you absolutely must have a fighter bay, by all means. Otherwise FDL and Python are strictly superior. Can you talk more about the armor stuff? I used (and loved) the ship a year ago, and I either didn't fit shields at all or only fit them to use as a ramming weapon for initiating fights. Both the FAS and FGS worked way better for me with straight up hull tank, as I could pump power to engines and weapons and shred the poo poo out of things. Then I left the game, and came back last week, and tried that, and wow that did not work at all. Some NPC cracked my cockpit, blew out half my weapons, and set my core to <50% very quickly. What changed to make it so much worse, and what is going to change to make it more viable again?
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Dec 23, 2016 19:35
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Sard posted:Can you talk more about the armor stuff? I used (and loved) the ship a year ago, and I either didn't fit shields at all or only fit them to use as a ramming weapon for initiating fights. Both the FAS and FGS worked way better for me with straight up hull tank, as I could pump power to engines and weapons and shred the poo poo out of things. Then I left the game, and came back last week, and tried that, and wow that did not work at all. Some NPC cracked my cockpit, blew out half my weapons, and set my core to <50% very quickly. What changed to make it so much worse, and what is going to change to make it more viable again? 1. Frontier buffs armor by giving armor-modules additional protection against module damage. 2. Frontier buffs missiles and rail guns: If your shields are down, missiles will hit multiple modules and do tons of damage, rail guns are buffed to penetrate armor better. Next up: New armor buffs Probably followed by new buffs to armor penetration in 2017
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Dec 23, 2016 19:49
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Libluini posted:1. Frontier buffs armor by giving armor-modules additional protection against module damage. Serious question: Is PDS viable? If yes, is one enough? I'm not above dropping a chaff launcher to fit one if it means I can return to my traditional shieldless ways without fear of being missilefucked again.
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Dec 23, 2016 19:52
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Sard posted:Serious question: Is PDS viable? If yes, is one enough? I'm not above dropping a chaff launcher to fit one if it means I can return to my traditional shieldless ways without fear of being missilefucked again. They were, but after the missile buffs you need two, or three on a larger ship. One is only sensible on a small, fast and nimble ship. As long as you have two, most missiles will reliably be shredded. Torpedos are another story, but for most ships torpedos are too slow to be a threat. (If you have a fat slow ship consider 3-4 instead, depending on how much you fear torpedos.) Some time ago ECM was also good against seekers and torpedos, but there's a nerf planned making it so seekers and torpedos can re-target your ship after a while. So ECM is hosed now.
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Dec 23, 2016 20:03
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If the pds has good coverage yes it's a good investment.
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Dec 23, 2016 20:13
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Sard posted:Can you talk more about the armor stuff? I used (and loved) the ship a year ago, and I either didn't fit shields at all or only fit them to use as a ramming weapon for initiating fights. Both the FAS and FGS worked way better for me with straight up hull tank, as I could pump power to engines and weapons and shred the poo poo out of things. Then I left the game, and came back last week, and tried that, and wow that did not work at all. Some NPC cracked my cockpit, blew out half my weapons, and set my core to <50% very quickly. What changed to make it so much worse, and what is going to change to make it more viable again? It's getting two extra armor/scb/damage-soaking only internals. So it'll have greatly expanded survivability whichever way you want to go with it. The soaks really do work, but they're not panaceas. Right now tho, once shields go down to the first enemy who has missiles, your entire ship will break (no guns, engines). Since you last played they buffed the hell out of missiles, but they had the knock on effect of making armor tanking ships completely worthless in the interim. E: p sure the gunship's four utilities are like the fas, all on the bottom. I.e. poo poo coverage for pds Chrysophylax fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Dec 23, 2016 |
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Dec 23, 2016 20:37
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Cool, I'll have to go hit one of the money cheese spots to get enough spare cash again to fit my FGS up again for kicks, but it has utility slots on the sloped plates joining the dorsal and side plates so it can fit a PDS on each side for pretty good, slightly overlapped coverage. Assuming PDS manages a full hemisphere, anyway.
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Dec 23, 2016 20:42
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In what world is PVE combat now impossible without engineer upgrades? It was a mostly riskless faceroll before 2.1, and after it became a reasonable challenge turning into a mostly riskless faceroll again once you got your ship kitted out. Do people really think that having to run away and recuperate after a couple of fights is bad gameplay? Is mindlessly mulching one ship after another for hours on end with no danger supposed to be better?
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Dec 23, 2016 20:58
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If I had to guess it's because people fly big ships without having that 'coming of age' moment with smaller ones. Big ships are big targets and if you never learned how to manage your pips your shields fold fast.
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Dec 23, 2016 21:15
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timn posted:In what world is PVE combat now impossible without engineer upgrades? It was a mostly riskless faceroll before 2.1, and after it became a reasonable challenge turning into a mostly riskless faceroll again once you got your ship kitted out. It isn't. I was just doing combat in a stock FdL the other day. You can't just go head to head nonstop but it's doable.
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Dec 23, 2016 21:20
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Nostalgia4Infinity posted:It isn't. I was just doing combat in a stock FdL the other day. You can't just go head to head nonstop but it's doable. Since the Engineers update, proper pip management has definitely become much more a necessary tool than an afterthought.
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Dec 23, 2016 21:21
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timn posted:In what world is PVE combat now impossible without engineer upgrades? It was a mostly riskless faceroll before 2.1, and after it became a reasonable challenge turning into a mostly riskless faceroll again once you got your ship kitted out. Theres an absolute shitload of grindlords who traded to space riches then got combat elite in a spanky new war anaconda shooting NPC's who rarely shot back and never evaded, they can't fly having skipped the whole small ship combat stage and try to face tank everything. They get their arses kicked all the time by the new NPC's who shoot back. Because they are super space rich they can't countenance a ship downgrade or a save reset, so they are stuck. Frontier have been reducing peoples combat rank on demand to reduce the bleating of incompetent "elite" combat pilots.
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Dec 23, 2016 21:24
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Morningwoodpecker posted:Frontier have been reducing peoples combat rank on demand to reduce the bleating of incompetent "elite" combat pilots. 
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Dec 23, 2016 21:26
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timn posted:In what world is PVE combat now impossible without engineer upgrades? It was a mostly riskless faceroll before 2.1, and after it became a reasonable challenge turning into a mostly riskless faceroll again once you got your ship kitted out. The problem of the system is forcing players who are poo poo at fighting into impossible fights. The RNG just loves generating ships a trader or explorer can only run away from. That the same ships are "too easy" for a good combat player are irrelevant. It's still bad design if only a certain percentage of your playerbase has fun, while the others are hosed. The last time I was in the bubble I could literally get not a single interdiction by a ship I could beat. When I tried to fight, I died three times in a row. Running away like a coward every time isn't something I consider fun, but replacing my ships after every encounter got expensive.  Honestly, I don't even know why I punish myself by putting weapons on my exploration-ships anymore. I just know the first time the game interdicts me, it will be something I can't beat anyway and I'll just have to drop mines and jump out. Morningwoodpecker posted:Frontier have been reducing peoples combat rank on demand to reduce the bleating of incompetent "elite" combat pilots. Are they doing this on general principle, or only for Elite-ranked pilots? It would be nice if Frontier could reduce my "Competent"-rank back to "Novice" or whatever the lowest rank is.
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Dec 23, 2016 21:27
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tooterfish posted:Please be true, it's too hilarious not to be. Here's a thread about it. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/267719-Why-i-ve-requested-FD-reduce-my-combat-rank-(ticket-submitted) Here's a better one. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/275201-Resetting-Combat-Rank Morningwoodpecker fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Dec 23, 2016 |
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Dec 23, 2016 21:46
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Toxic Fart Syndrome posted:At the same time, think about the reasoning from FDEV: they are making a new community goal, do they give it content or some engaging story line? Special spawns or any kind of effort at all? They used to The Kappa Fornacis war was fun. I recall some community group found an exploit to win one of the community goals and FDEV even worked it into the plot!
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Dec 23, 2016 22:20
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It's not even that complex with the Christmas cg. Someone at FD sat down with an excel sheet and picked the words frost, Santa, and klaus.
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Dec 23, 2016 22:23
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Strategic Tea posted:They used to Yeah, their design bible seems to have some contradictions. On the one hand, every single gameplay choice they make would seem to be in favor of large groups with massive out-of-game organization. But then when those large groups press this advantage, FDEV make it harder for those groups to use that leverage by changing the BGS or ending the CG early. Locking content behind pointless tedium is just that: pointless. Why does the station only spawn 10 at a time? On the face, it is a check to power users who could buckyball back and forth or from large groups getting an advantage too quickly? But it doesn't actually solve either problem since the power users can still get to Jacques and back in ~16 hours, while the large groups have more people to help shuttle books out to the haulers. So, it doesn't actually solve any of the problems and only adds "gameplay" in the form of "waiting outside a station" or "going to Jacques more than once." It's the video game equivalent of adding sawdust filler to your mashed potatoes.
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Dec 23, 2016 22:37
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The pointless tedium is the content. Once you understand that everything Frontier does becomes very clear and predictable.
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Dec 23, 2016 22:54
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I feel obliged to point out that most of us have played this game for two years despite Frontier/Sandro being game satan
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Dec 23, 2016 23:04
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I have been on an extended break because after my summer-long journey to Jaq and back I started to feel a little uneasy every time I saw the jump screen. Coming back to the bubble to find that mission rewards went to poo poo and constant interdictions for my precious mod terminals was the new norm. I might pick it up again over the holiday though. I just wish the interdictions were worth the time to kill; as it is, there is no reward for actually fighting them off. The best course remains to just submit-and-jump, even if it's like 3 loving times in a row on a trip between stations.
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Dec 23, 2016 23:29
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The constant omniscient NPCs that hound you if you have a single ton of anything in your hold or a 100cr bounty anywhere in the galaxy are super loving annoying. If they only showed up rarely, you'd think they were a cool little interaction and they'd make the world seem more alive but since they show up all the loving time the fact that they're basically wizards with teleportation powers becomes obvious almost immediately. Same goes for mission NPCs to some extent - I was running a stack of passenger missions that had all spawned chaser NPCs and when one guy interdicted me, the other 8 all dropped in immediately. It was especially goofy just after 2.2 when the cooldown on them reappearing was zero. I haven't had a chance to check but I suspect that if you were interdicted by one of these guys and had a friend on hand to keep him busy while you fled, you could probably be interdicted by him again while your friend was still fighting him.
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Dec 24, 2016 00:05
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Strategic Tea posted:I feel obliged to point out that most of us have played this game for two years despite Frontier/Sandro being game satan Same, while E:D is a really bad game it's a really good sort of bad.
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Dec 24, 2016 00:20
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Mimesweeper posted:Same, while E:D is a really bad game it's a really good sort of bad. It's also the only theatre in town 
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Dec 24, 2016 00:42
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Chrysophylax posted:It's a bad ship, weak shields, armor sucks for pve (but it's getting better next patch). If you absolutely must have a fighter bay, by all means. Otherwise FDL and Python are strictly superior. Missed this, but I looked into the gunship a little while ago because I think it looks really cool and I was into the idea of a mini-corvette with a fighter for a fun change of pace. Turns out it's on par or strictly inferior to the corvette in every single way including maneuverability.
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Dec 24, 2016 01:15
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Has there been much in the way of quality of life options and general accessibility for scrub tier players? When I originally played this game, back at launch, it was on a friends account and I found the game had an impossibly steep learning curve that I could not figure out.
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Dec 24, 2016 01:36
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The training missions have been totally revamped with voice acting and scripted event stuff to walk you through stuff better. They're actually pretty cool imo. The mission board gives a lot more explicit information about what you're doing and how you're supposed to do it. The map has improved functionality like bookmarks and filters. Overall it's not really that complicated of a game, there's just a wide range of mechanics and you can't learn everything all at once.
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Dec 24, 2016 01:51
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