Patch XX - AI combat and maneuvers, boarding behavior, NPC locations and travel routes and all other NPC feedback issues

[Hethwill]

Fair points. But AI will not shoot and will go in a straight line presenting always the same broadside. That you cannot deny and I got it, it is easy.

My opinion is that it shouldn't be as easy as it is. They should be more aggressive, always shooting always moving.

They would give players a good practice. That practice would then turn into confidence going into pvp - how to evade shot, how to capitalize shot, why to wait for a good angle and not waste a broadside ( AI does this btw, pros as well, average players don't ), etc.

[n_Ka]

Asked and answered, apparently it's not important enough to fix.. lol. 🙄

Ok, i havent see that. The good point, its just they will resolve that before the realase.

[n_Ka]

My opinion is that it shouldn't be as easy as it is. They should be more aggressive, always shooting always moving. 

Some IA ship are same of that.

[Barbancourt]

8 hours ago, Hethwill the Red Duke said:

They would give players a good practice. That practice would then turn into confidence going into pvp - how to evade shot, how to capitalize shot, why to wait for a good angle and not waste a broadside ( AI does this btw, pros as well, average players don't ), etc.

The AI will never be good practice for PVP.  They just don't do the same things, and I doubt they ever can.  I can sink AI all year long, but I'm not going to win a PVP battle.  

 

[Hethwill]

13 minutes ago, Barbancourt said:

The AI will never be good practice for PVP.  They just don't do the same things, and I doubt they ever can.  I can sink AI all year long, but I'm not going to win a PVP battle.  

 

No harm in trying. At least so that they don-t sail put along and eating broadsides and don't stop shooting. That would be a start and fairly similar to what many players do.

[Barbancourt]

1 hour ago, Hethwill the Red Duke said:

No harm in trying. At least so that they don-t sail put along and eating broadsides and don't stop shooting. That would be a start and fairly similar to what many players do.

The AI are very predictable, and if you take too much damage you just have to head downwind and kite them because the AI lets you shoot them up the nose all day long.  Fighting AI would be pretty scary if they manouvered, repaired, retreated, escaped, had good ships with mods, didn't always follow the same boarding script, etc, etc. 

Edited November 29, 2018 by Barbancourt

[Sir Texas Sir]

@Hethwill the Red Duke most average players never see the no shooting part cause they don’t hug the AI mainly out of fear of being instant boarded and killed.  I seen it a frew times but most the time the AI is turning all the time and going through irons and doing other stupid stuff than staying at my side

[Hethwill]

4 hours ago, Sir Texas Sir said:

@Hethwill the Red Duke most average players never see the no shooting part cause they don’t hug the AI mainly out of fear of being instant boarded and killed.  I seen it a frew times but most the time the AI is turning all the time and going through irons and doing other stupid stuff than staying at my side

Yes, I agree perception is not the same for all players. Still not a valid reason, in my singular opinion, to not improve the AI and make them more challenging, at least that little bit.

AI is to be admired - they are brave and never back down from a good fight. Opposite to your average player. Hope you understand this.  

[Kilo60]

The Devs have stated that the AI are basically there for target practice for newer players who are not skilled enough for PVP and need to level up!

Increasing the difficulty of the AI just for the sake of all the experienced players would frustrate all those that only have basic cutters and need to practice and level up.

If you can easily gank AI ships you should be doing PVP PERIOD!

 

This game still needs to attract and keep newer players long before the vets get any new challanges.

Sailed in the Daily Patrol PVP zone for an hour and a half last night and did not see a single enemy ship!

Only 149 people on last night at 9 PM EST in the USA and the numbers keep dropping...

That and the fact that this game is on sale for $15 this games severs will get shut down long before the AI combat behavior gets an overhaul!

 

[Barbancourt]

6 hours ago, Kilo60 said:

If you can easily gank AI ships you should be doing PVP PERIOD!

 

There's a vast gulf between curbstomping AI and surviviing PVP.  For one thing you can do the former solo, but need a fleet of allies for the latter.   They're also done in very different ships. 

 

[Barbancourt]

11 hours ago, Hethwill the Red Duke said:

AI is to be admired - they are brave and never back down from a good fight. Opposite to your average player. Hope you understand this.  

I see them as stupid and offering themselves up for slaughter.  Why did they leave port without repairs and armor?  (they are also cheats, but that's a well-worn subject)

 

[Hethwill]

1 hour ago, Barbancourt said:

I see them as stupid and offering themselves up for slaughter. 

Oh man... saw so much of that with human naval officers as well... won't name any capitals

 

[Sir Texas Sir]

On 11/29/2018 at 8:02 AM, Kilo60 said:

The Devs have stated that the AI are basically there for target practice for newer players who are not skilled enough for PVP and need to level up!

Increasing the difficulty of the AI just for the sake of all the experienced players would frustrate all those that only have basic cutters and need to practice and level up.

If you can easily gank AI ships you should be doing PVP PERIOD!

 

This game still needs to attract and keep newer players long before the vets get any new challanges.

Sailed in the Daily Patrol PVP zone for an hour and a half last night and did not see a single enemy ship!

Only 149 people on last night at 9 PM EST in the USA and the numbers keep dropping...

That and the fact that this game is on sale for $15 this games severs will get shut down long before the AI combat behavior gets an overhaul!

 

The Division did this where the elite. Itch the game was to easy.  So they made th AI all tougher.  Most of the player base stopped playing.  So they fixed it but it was to late.  Hopefully they learned from this for The Division 2

On 11/29/2018 at 4:44 PM, Hethwill the Red Duke said:

Oh man... saw so much of that with human naval officers as well... won't name any capitals

 

I can honestly say there been times in past as pirates we said, “these AI are fighting better than the US.”  Some players will always just be bad, but AI should always be balanced for the average player not the top elite players.  Yes we can have hard elite bosses but it shouldn’t be every fight.

[Kilo60]

On 12/1/2018 at 2:08 AM, Sir Texas Sir said:

The Division did this where the elite. Itch the game was to easy.  So they made th AI all tougher.  Most of the player base stopped playing.  So they fixed it but it was to late.  Hopefully they learned from this for The Division 2

I can honestly say there been times in past as pirates we said, “these AI are fighting better than the US.”  Some players will always just be bad, but AI should always be balanced for the average player not the top elite players.  Yes we can have hard elite bosses but it shouldn’t be every fight.

Agreed!!!!!

[FRAN]

After some PVE battles, I have observed that NPCs:

- Unfulfilled orders. After a ship boarded, the NPC orders will be reset. Example: 3 human (1 main + 2 NPC fleet) vs 3 NPC. Order to the fleets, Attack to the NPC. The main ship (human) after winning a boarding, the NPC change the order (they attack another ship). When leaving the boarding instance I can find that my fleet is gone.

- The NPC fleet almost always flees in the direction of the enemy, although it is not downwind.

- The NPC fleet, in case of boarding another friendly NPC, stays away looking at the enemy, even if you order Attack (destroy or demast)

[Barbancourt]

11 hours ago, Intrepido said:

My proposal is to make its loadout random (full longs, full carronade...) so from time to time you will face, for example, a frigate full carronade fitted, which makes you to change the tactics to approach them. This could be a great learning experience for the leveling players as they will have to look at which guns the npc has and adapt tactics to counter it.

Yes, AI need to be enhanced and expanded in several ways.  (and less in some of the ways that they are already artificially enhanced) 

[Fortaleza]

Just have sailed from Belize to Bahamas, about 2 hours, visiting ports, watching around - seas are empty. Completely. Some fleets of 10 or 8. No ai traders, very few single ships. 

[Sir Max Magic]

On 11/29/2018 at 10:49 AM, Hethwill the Red Duke said:

Yes, I agree perception is not the same for all players. Still not a valid reason, in my singular opinion, to not improve the AI and make them more challenging, at least that little bit.

AI is to be admired - they are brave and never back down from a good fight. Opposite to your average player. Hope you understand this.  

 

Agree with improving AI a bit 🤗

 

But this has to go in BOTH ways: for the AI AND your AI FLEET ships !!! 

...becaue they are dumb as hell...

Most Traders who travel solo across the map will agree to that: as soon as you get catched by another player, you ask yourself why the hell you invested the perks for them... ???

its a HUGE difference between AI and your Fleet ships !!

Okay, i can understand that your Fleet Ships maybe not as capable as AI...but

 

1. Why dont we introduce Ranks for your Fleet Ships aswell ???

They could start at the bottom or atleast the minimum possible rank, with which they could muster their ship...with not much "skill" at all

...but If you manage to keep them alive, accompanying you in many battles, they could accumulate XP like a real Captain, gaining skill from rank to rank until they finally reach their climax at RA level, being comparable in "skill" with the "normal" AI

 

2. THREE more options are bitter needed for Fleet Ships:

- set course xyz (to set a reasonable escape course)

- cease/open fire (if they follow ypur set escape course)

- Grape/board 

to make them useful for Players atleast

 

If now all the Hardcore Clan Players join the train, stating: "get a clan, play with friends only, group to ganking fleets, blablabla"

...to those i would like to say, there are also casuals playing the game (and we need MUCH more of them to release latest, otherwise servers will get shut down at some point...) and not everyone wants to spend his gaming time with a clan because maybe he/she has a hard job, big family, kids, whatever and enjoys the silence of sailing 😋

Edited December 17, 2018 by Sir Max Magic

[Sparkydog]

Can we put some more NPC's back into the ocean please? The game is boring when the sea is so empty.  Removing content is not a profitable idea.

[Macjimm]

1 hour ago, Sparkydog said:

Can we put some more NPC's back into the ocean please? The game is boring when the sea is so empty.  Removing content is not a profitable idea.

I hope that comments like this do not result in changes to the current environment.  I suspect that NPCs may always be present, but not every player will know where they are, all of the time.  Working together and communicating may result in discovering the location of the NPCs.  Today I know of several groups that were happily engaging many NPCs or fighting other players,  at the same time that I watched players ranting and complaining in Global chat that they were unable to find fights.  One player complained that there was no PvP, while another claimed that there were no NPCs anymore.

• Three days ago I sailed to Nassau from Kingston - Port Royal.  From KPR to La Navasse;  I saw a few foreign NPCs, and lots of Brit NPCs.   From La Navasse East; I saw NPCs here and there, until I came close to the Bahamas, then the NPCs were thick and steady.  I seldom sail North East of Cuba and was astounded by the high number of NPCs and Enemy players.
• Two days ago I sailed back from Nassau to Cayman Brac, retracing my steps south and east though the Bahamas and from Nassau south down to the east tip of Cuba,  there were NPCs here and there south of the Bahama shallows, but I sighted them in every direction through from Nassau past Shroud Cay.    There were less foreign NPCs as I sailed west  along the south Cuban coast, but they were there, along with British AI.  There were hundreds of NPCs along the journey.  At times there were continuous, and in other places there were none.
• Yesterday I sailed from Nassau, west above (to the north of) Cuba, and the shallows of the Bahama were thick with NPCs.  The density thinned out as I sailed off the Bahama Bank and progressed west.  Between Key West and Mantua there were almost none.  As I neared Mantua the number of NPCs increased, until there were lots.
• Today I sailed in the safety of the British home waters - Little Cayman - KPR - Bone Cay - Placier.  It was pleasing that there was not a plethora of foreign ships, including warships,  strewn all over the sea,  ... where there is little-to-no-reason for their presence.  But there were a few NPCs.  It's reasonable to expect that British Ships might be seen,  but other nation NPCs are expected to be scarce due the danger from sailing so far from their support of their ports.

The density variation allows for a pleasing mix of play styles.  I'm glad that multiple enemy warships are not sailing with impunity near the doorstep of the capital, and I'm happy to see some areas of the map that contain no ships.  It was exciting to see so many NPC's and Enemy Players in conflict areas.  It is fitting that the opportunity for trade profit was high in the conflict areas.  The open world is becoming a changing virtual environment, with diversity and opportunity.   By creating dynamic areas where players can expect specific conditions, the chance for a surprise is permitted.  When the whole map is a homogeneous mixture of the same population of NPCs, it becomes more boring and less interesting. 

@admin  Please, please do not flood the map with random NPC's everywhere again.  The thoughtful AI movement, and NPC placement, has improved the game immensely. 

My first dog was named Sparky.  He was a great dog.

Edited December 23, 2018 by Macjimm

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Macjimm said:

Please, please do not flood the map with random NPC's everywhere again.

The “Melting Pot” syndrome (Bahamas) and lack of NPCs has focus PvP content but it has worked so well it’s actually focused the whole player foundation to a vanishing point of PvP content, it’s (near or nearly will be) a total failure.

Why…

Realm is feed by clans, clans are feed by committed players, committed players are feed by casuals and solos, causals and solos are feed by new players, new players “need NPCs” (and causals/solos too) in and around capitals to establish.

Secondly, with the way game is designed (like the huge map) and with “total lost” scenario (that is, with no rewards for damage done), “NPCs are needed” to fill the economic and advancement gap of losing players.

When Dev’s removed enemy 7^th, 6^th and 5^th rate ships and there fleets from capitals (not including nations bordering the Bahamas), the whole system began to break down, they didn’t know they were creating the beginning of the end of content (when instead they were trying to create PvP content).

 

The exact opposite of all of what you said is needed to save this game, flood the map with NPCs, return enemy 7^th, 6^th and 5^th rates back to capitals, it’s the beginning of the whole economy, the beginning of “player friendly” introduction to the game, the beginning of player commitment and clans. PvP content via NPCs are the foundation/beginning of a stable realm end game.

 

Edited December 23, 2018 by Guest

[Sparkydog]

i couldn't agree more Mr Buckle Up--- if you play during a low pop time, like overnight- there is often very little PVP and if there are also no NPC's- it results in a very boring game.  Who cares if players stay by their capitals and hunt NPC's-- just let them.  Its better than not having any players at all.  

[van der Clam]

FFS, please, for the love of God, when we tell our Fleet Ships to Escape, make them sail at the best wind angle for the ship AND...this is the big AND... AWAY FROM ENEMY SHIPS.... Good God, there was only one ship left and my fleet ship sailed straight to it INTO THE WIND! I mean really? This has been going on since this game started. Devs keep coding AI to have all perks and all upgrades, they've coded NPC to attack better, yet can't tell our own fleet ship to leave the battle in a safe direction? Really?

And, please, pay us from the Admiralty for losing a fleet ship; it has value also.

Edited January 14, 2019 by van der Decken

[Capn Rocko]

+1

If I enter battle with an AI ship in fleet, I just assume it is going to sink. 

[Guest]

+1

 

May I add: Code the AI ships in general to a more rational behaviour. The few times I've taken an AI in the Christiansted area they seem to sail directly, very purposefully, to the beach... either that or just goes round and round and round and round.. Which has been exacerbated with the reverse speed being increased.. now they just reverse... round and round and round and round..