Split: Difficulty for new players

[Cody]

Viper behaviour is an enigma to me - unpredictable, even when I'm running dirty. Maybe they should help the player more though.

[Mad Dan Eccles]

I'd like to see that. Especially when the player is less than 'Competent', maybe. (I'l have no kill stealing on my watch, TYVM!)

Currently the cops seem to act as a deterrent to the player, rather than as a protective force. Must admit that their pretty purple beams are useful for knowing where to go looking for trouble, though!

[Diziet Sma]

Definitely agree that the police behaviour, and the pirate balance in 'safer' systems could both use some tweaking..

G'day, statto, welcome aboard, and many thanks for the feedback, too!

[GGShinobi]

Disembodied, that's an excellent diary! Extremely entertaining!!

I even learned some things about the game by reading it, and I already got a fully equipped Iron Ass Cobby with "Deadly"-Elite status!

For instance, I never noticed that law enforcement (always?) uses purple lasers!

...and also some other things that I'm too embarrassed to officially admit!
...let's just say that I maybe not the best trader out there...

I'm looking forward to your next report!!

EDIT!
Oh, I forgot to throw in my 5cents on the police behaviour:

As far as I can tell, they act as follows:

• If I got even the slightest bounty on my head, the don't help me when I get attacked
• when I'm clean and inside the station aegis and get attacked, they come out and help me
• when they are already patrolling, they sometimes come to my help ... but sometimes they don't.

[Cody]

Also being able to dock at injector speed helps.

Good fun, is that... as is docking at a rock hermit on torus!

[Gauntlet]

What are the pirates flying? Specifically, are you using OXPs which routinely give pirates military lasers? The NPC versions of those weapons have been upgraded in 1.77 to match the player spec, which makes them more deadly on the initial attack run (after that they'll have overheated ... unless they have an aft laser too) and a full blast from a military laser will take out most ships.

You answered it. What it's coming down to is that my own oxps are too dangerous for 1.77, LOL!!! It isn't JUST them, though, but what you said makes sense. I hate to do it, because I love ship oxps, for the variety, but I guess I'm going to have to start weeding out the more dangerous ships........or bite the bullet to see if I can survive with them present. I think the second course of action is what I'll try for a while. I will say this, I've been having some pretty hair raising dogfights since I installed 1.77.

I had this with a "Purple Haze" (I think) from random hits d mn thing wouldn't die! After something like six attempts at whittling down all his/her wingmen I could get as far as sparks occasionally but by then laser temp was too high and his/her shields would regen faster than two mil lasers could cool and thats all I had on the Asp. In the end I tweaked the OXP temporarily to simulate a catastrophic shield bank failure ie I dropped the regen rate and shield energy figures.

7th time's the charm

[Disembodied]

More News from Nooby - a short account of an easy haul to Ensoreus:

Part the Second

I emerge into Ensoreus space, and there's nobody - no, hang on, there's a blip at the far edge of the scanner. It's a lone Sidewinder, the Ninth Murder. Not a nice name for a ship. I hunch over the controls, ready for trouble, and approach with caution. But despite the name he seems non-hostile, and a couple of Vipers arrive on routine patrol and put my mind at rest. I catch sight of a few laser flashes in the distance, but nobody seems to be upset out here.

There's plenty traffic: I encounter a Cobra III, the Brass Talisman, and a Python, Samuel's Cantata, along with the Boa The Amethyst Machine. The Ninth Murder and The Amethyst Machine either form or renew a partnership, and close up in formation as I cruise by.

There are some more flickers of laser fire, far ahead, and as I'm waiting for a bit of clear space so I can hit the torus drive, a lone cargo pod drifts by. More cops, more convoys: the Ensoreus market is booming right now, clearly! Any pirate coming here would have to be crazy, or desperate - but obviously, some are. I spy a large asteroid, on a slow tumble, just off-lane. I nose up out of the traffic to give it the once-over: maybe it's a Rock Hermit. I hope so: I've got booze, 13TC of it, and a quick glance at the Ensoreus market prices tells me there's fat profits to be made at the station right now on the shiny things Hermits have for sale: Platinum is Cr79.2 per kilo, Gold a nice round Cr40, and gemstones are Cr22.6 per gram ... my avaricious thoughts are spiked by reality, though: it's just a rock. I burn it for a buck, and fly on, at last free to use the Torus drive.

A white blip sweeps by - let's check that out. Another cargo pod. Someone died near here, most likely, and not too long ago. Uh-oh, ships ahead, a tight little knot of - oh, it's OK, it's a Boa, the Starry Fiesta of Bemaera, and friends. I'm safe, pirates never fly in Boas. I wonder why not? Must be a union thing. Anyway, I'm back in the traffic, and we're angling up, away from the planet and towards Ensoreus's magnificent Dodecahedron station. I overhaul another Boa, the Indigo Bell, and a lone Anaconda, the President of Atriso II. When Anacondas fly unescorted, you know you're in a safe zone. And then I'm inside the station aegis, and signal chatter fills the cockpit. "No worries," someone says, and I nod in agreement. Give me friendly skies, for now at least!

There is a downside, of course: there's a queue at the dock, and the Python Starboat Drowsy is living up to its name in front of me. C'mon, grandma! Shift that old scow! Tss - I've got two kills to my name, me, and to hell with docking protocols: a twist, a shimmy, a dab of thrust - I'm in, and maybe the heart attack will wake the Drowsy's commander up. No problems finding buyers for the cargo: I sell the Food for Cr8 per TC and the Liquor & Wines for Cr37.6 per TC, and suddenly I've got over Cr500! OK, back down to Cr493.6 after refuelling, but it's still enough to afford an upgrade for the Beginner's Luck ... like an Extended Cargo Bay, for example!

I don't, of course. I'm not nuts. Ensoreus is an Industrial planet, and I'm looking to fill up with Computers. At Cr62.8 per TC, I can only afford 7 TCs as it is: no point in spending money on an expanded bay if I can't afford to fill it with anything, is there? So, 7 TCs of Computers. I've got enough for 1 TC of admirably cheap Machinery, at Cr48 per TC ... but I think of the Beginner's Luck, and her one solitary missile. I could, instead, buy another missile. I got lucky on the last run to Isinor, thanks to that one missile I had; two missiles would be twice as lucky. And it would balance out the ship: I think maybe she's just a little side-heavy just now, with only one pylon loaded up. Just a little. OK: I fit another missile, and have Cr24.6 in reserve.

A glance at the local chart tells me I've got two Poor Agricultural systems in range: Isinor, or Ararus. I've never been to Ararus, what's it like? It's a seething Anarchy, is it? Well, let me tell you, I've killed two Sidewinders all by myself, one of them without even using a missile ... Uh-huh. I set the Witchdrive co-ordinates for Isinor again. It might not be the most perfect milk run in the galaxy, but it's the best I'm likely to find right now.

[Mad Dan Eccles]

This ain't gonna end well, is it?

[Cody]

You taking notes as you fly or something, Big D? Beautifully descriptive, is that... you ever thought of writing fiction?

[Disembodied]

You taking notes as you fly or something, Big D?

Yup - these are the real experiences of a new Jameson starting from Lave in an unmodified Cobra III with Cr100, doing everything, or mostly everything, right (by which I mean choosing what I think are the most sensible destinations, and not leaving the space lanes - the asteroid I investigated in Ensoreus was only a very small distance off the WP-to-planet line).

If you discount the very first jump/witchdrive malfunction, which really was just rotten luck, I've made three trips and not died yet. But of the three systems I've visited - two Corporate States and a Confederacy - every single one has contained pirate activity. I was lucky enough to avoid meeting any pirates in the Corporate States, but possibly that was more to do with the heavy traffic slowing me down, and sweeping up the pirates in front of me. When I did meet pirates, in Isinor, I was fortunate only to have to fight a single Sidewinder, and then a Sidewinder and a Cobra III. If I'd met all three at once, I'd probably have died ... and if I hadn't known a thing or two about combat tactics, the Swings and Roundabouts and the Buccaneer's Gold would probably have killed me, too.

I have to wonder though what pirates get out of visiting a Corporate State. It's clear that none of them live very long, once they're there.

Beautifully descriptive, is that... you ever thought of writing fiction?

I might give it a go, you never know! Things like the ship names really help add atmosphere: like a lot of other aspects of the game I find myself unconsciously adding character to the ships, explaining their behaviours through what their name suggests (I really did get fed up waiting for the Starboat Drowsy, as it faffed about in front of the dock, for example; and seeing a ship called Ninth Murder when I arrived at Ensoreus did give me something to worry about). And I'm using the Background Set OXP, and in its aegis radio chatter I definitely heard someone say, in a sort of Australian accent, something that sounded very like "No worries" (it always happens, every time, but it's all about the context ...).

[Cody]

Yup - these are the real experiences of a new Jameson starting from Lave in an unmodified Cobra III with Cr100...

<nods> Now rinse and repeat half a dozen times (if you have the patience, that is), and see how the dice roll.

[Disembodied]

<nods> Now rinse and repeat half a dozen times (if you have the patience, that is), and see how the dice roll.

That's the plan ... to see how long, and how many deaths, it takes to get Commander Nooby up to a point where he doesn't need quite so much luck, or experience, to survive a minor firefight (where he can afford injectors, primarily - although that will mean dropping the Isinor-Ensoreus run; there's not much left in the tank after that jump - and then maybe an ECM and a Beam laser).

[Diziet Sma]

I'm enjoying these.. and the way you weave little tips into the narrative.. definitely want to see Commander Nooby's Diary made into a PDF. Perhaps even included with the game, down the track.

[Cody]

I took two virgins out last night - the first died abruptly at Isinor, the other made it to Zaalela without a scratch (Ensoreus/Zaalela is a good run).
It does vary from start to start - the dice roll can be very odd, as evidenced by your very early mis-jump. Also - what Diz just said!

[GGShinobi]

Also - what Diz just said!

Also - what Diz and El just said!