Forums » Suggestions
Off Peak Times in Grey Space
Now I know 'NPC pirates' have been suggested in the past in various guises but I'm not sure if it's simply because I've not been playing long enough, or because they just haven't been fully implemented yet, but I've never come across one before in grey space, or anywhere else for that matter, outside of a mission.
So before I make my suggestion...
...of having NPC pirates at random WH's in grey during the off peak times that come on the comm channel if you enter their sector with a cheeky demand for payment, which, if not given within a certain time frame is taken to mean that you wish to fight - and if you choose to fight but subsequently lose then the credits gained from your remaining cargo are pooled with other NPC pirate wins which eventually go towards good causes like the prize money for Nation War or The Vendetta Cup etc. etc. - or conversely, if you choose to wimp out and pay the NPC pirate instead of fighting then the credits are again pooled and go to the same good causes...
...I was wondering what the current lay of the land is with NPC pirates, outside of missions, during off peak hours?
So before I make my suggestion...
...of having NPC pirates at random WH's in grey during the off peak times that come on the comm channel if you enter their sector with a cheeky demand for payment, which, if not given within a certain time frame is taken to mean that you wish to fight - and if you choose to fight but subsequently lose then the credits gained from your remaining cargo are pooled with other NPC pirate wins which eventually go towards good causes like the prize money for Nation War or The Vendetta Cup etc. etc. - or conversely, if you choose to wimp out and pay the NPC pirate instead of fighting then the credits are again pooled and go to the same good causes...
...I was wondering what the current lay of the land is with NPC pirates, outside of missions, during off peak hours?
From what i can tell there are no npc pirates anywhere in game.
Given i spent a lot of time in grey its likely they do not exist at all. unless you consider the random fighter here and there ( that i always considered a lose escort ).
Given i spent a lot of time in grey its likely they do not exist at all. unless you consider the random fighter here and there ( that i always considered a lose escort ).
No they were removed. There's been a few threads requesting their return, really they should exist. You can haul an XC through greyspace unprotected for hours in off peak, it's just silly.
I've been told of an attempt at npc rats, but those just shot at anyone and everyone, including player rats with good corv standing. Since said npc's where more annoying griefers than rats, they were removed.
That's a *real* shame, I wonder if the NPC AI is maybe now at a stage where 'bot pirates' could be revisited?
+1 to AI unrats, preferably as Hive Pack
Their AI can be easily improved to ignore fighters and empty ships.
And the Hive already proven that can be done. Indeed, I'd like to see some Hive Ships as a sort of "Hive Pirate", i.e., unlike miner bots, those are bots specialized in "mine ships and cargo", operating in small packs emanating from the Levi and Queens.
Much better than NPC rats, unable to dialog... we don't expect to negotiate with a BOT, while we do expect to negotiate with a NPC in a Ship pretending to be a human rat...
Their AI can be easily improved to ignore fighters and empty ships.
And the Hive already proven that can be done. Indeed, I'd like to see some Hive Ships as a sort of "Hive Pirate", i.e., unlike miner bots, those are bots specialized in "mine ships and cargo", operating in small packs emanating from the Levi and Queens.
Much better than NPC rats, unable to dialog... we don't expect to negotiate with a BOT, while we do expect to negotiate with a NPC in a Ship pretending to be a human rat...
+infinity
[edit]
There did indeed used to be a lot of "un-rats" as we called them. I loved em, you love the idea of them, but like a lot of things I think the devs think them anal to newbs.
My reply is and always was, newbs should not be in grey space.
Sorry I was not around to shoot you, RL does kick in sometimes :/
[edit]
There did indeed used to be a lot of "un-rats" as we called them. I loved em, you love the idea of them, but like a lot of things I think the devs think them anal to newbs.
My reply is and always was, newbs should not be in grey space.
Sorry I was not around to shoot you, RL does kick in sometimes :/
As I understand it the problem was they ended up bunching and then players would be mass attacked...
That was a feature, not a problem.
way too simple t avoid, either using existing hive AI, or simply limiting to less than N unrats per sector.
Unrats killed most player activity in wormhole sectors of systems they were in (Sedina, Odia, Bractus). PvP largely moved to Latos H-2 from Sedina B-8, and there wasn't much point to being in sectors with them. They're a really cool idea, but kind of suck unless implemented perfectly.
Have unrats only attack transports, with a shoot back AI to deal with escorts. taurs, atlas, moth. 3 ship classes cover all the player and npc trade traffic. A proper rat will have no interest in booming a fighter (dueling/griefing aside), so unless a transport jumps in unrats should be hiding at a roid, waiting to ambush.
I feel that something needs to happen with grey space to make it a much more exciting and exhilarating place to visit during the wee small 'ours, it should be scary and intimidating as that's what gets your heart going, gets the adrenalin pumping and makes for a better gaming experience overall.
So tentatively reintroducing NPC pirates, with much more intelligent AI, into grey would be the dog's bollox as far as I'm concerned, no question.
How long ago were unrats removed from the game?
I loved em, you love the idea of them, but like a lot of things I think the devs think them anal to newbs.
When I first signed up and started playing it wasn't that long before I ventured into grey to see what all the fuss was about, because deep down I like the feeling of the adrenalin pumping through my veins and into that large planetoid of a sweed of mine. But in general I was disappointed because, as I discovered, for the most part grey was, and is, mostly empty at off peak times. If, on the other hand, I'd been attacked by NPC pirates it would NOT have put me off VO in the slightest, on the contrary, it would have been awesome. And if I'd been of a weaker constitution I would have seriously considered going for surgery, or at the very least jumped up and down vigorously in the hope that they might have decided to drop.
So tentatively reintroducing NPC pirates, with much more intelligent AI, into grey would be the dog's bollox as far as I'm concerned, no question.
How long ago were unrats removed from the game?
I loved em, you love the idea of them, but like a lot of things I think the devs think them anal to newbs.
When I first signed up and started playing it wasn't that long before I ventured into grey to see what all the fuss was about, because deep down I like the feeling of the adrenalin pumping through my veins and into that large planetoid of a sweed of mine. But in general I was disappointed because, as I discovered, for the most part grey was, and is, mostly empty at off peak times. If, on the other hand, I'd been attacked by NPC pirates it would NOT have put me off VO in the slightest, on the contrary, it would have been awesome. And if I'd been of a weaker constitution I would have seriously considered going for surgery, or at the very least jumped up and down vigorously in the hope that they might have decided to drop.
as I said before:
Their AI can be easily improved to ignore fighters and empty ships.
even a player in an empty moth should not attract unrats, neither "fighters", since their goal is CARGO. And players in duels and furbals are not supposed to carry stuff. But once a fighter picks up 2cu of cargo, then he becomes a valid target!
and again, would be much more logical that unrats are Drones... either the Hive gone into piracy, or NPC rats learned to program their bots to mine cargo from ships instead of ore from roids...
Preferably from a 4th playable faction, were pirates, traitors and outlaws gather...
Their AI can be easily improved to ignore fighters and empty ships.
even a player in an empty moth should not attract unrats, neither "fighters", since their goal is CARGO. And players in duels and furbals are not supposed to carry stuff. But once a fighter picks up 2cu of cargo, then he becomes a valid target!
and again, would be much more logical that unrats are Drones... either the Hive gone into piracy, or NPC rats learned to program their bots to mine cargo from ships instead of ore from roids...
Preferably from a 4th playable faction, were pirates, traitors and outlaws gather...
@Yoda "My reply is and always was, newbs should not be in grey space." I kind of agree, if you goto grey be ready to fight,die or run. NEVER PAY!!!! but then again Yoda and any of his alts doesnt ask or take payment.