Filed / Tracking Hostile Polaris Drones in Andromeda Strain pt.5 [1086]

Discussion in 'Tracking / Filed' started by The Big Brzezinski, Aug 15, 2023.

  1. The Big Brzezinski

    The Big Brzezinski Captain

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    Build: 1.10.2
    Mode: Default Random
    Mode: Singleplayer

    SERVER NAME:
    SEED-ID: 575561

    If applicable:
    MODIFIED PLAYFIELDS: No

    Reproducibility: 2 for 2, presuming Always
    Severity: Moderate, requires console to bypass

    Type: NPC

    Summary: Hostile Polaris Drones in Andromeda Strain pt.5

    Description: Polaris drones that spawn in with the CV at the last stage of the Andromeda Strain mission in Ningues are hostile to the player regardless of standing.

    Steps to Reproduce:
    1) Starter new Default Random game on Ningues
    2) Activate godmode, progress through missions
    3) Reach the last stage of part 5 when the Kellend CV spawns, float up near the Polaris drones.

    Screenshots, Crash Logs, any other Relevant Information or Download links:
    [​IMG]
     
    #1
    teammate and JluKBuD like this.
  2. Arthmoor

    Arthmoor Commander

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    Can confirm, I got attacked by the same drones and lost rep defending myself from them.

    It doesn't matter if you start on Ningues or not, simply following the quest line will have the same result either way.
     
    #2
  3. ravien_ff

    ravien_ff Rear Admiral

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    The only way Polaris drones would attack you is if you were already below neutral with them.
    What faction were they actually? Because that would be a very different issue.
     
    #3
  4. The Big Brzezinski

    The Big Brzezinski Captain

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    Staring at them in godmode, they had Polaris faction labeling. Only faction loss I had taken was the bit where you shoot the commander in an attempt to apprehend him. My standing was Friendly. No other Polaris NPCs or turrets shot at me.
     
    #4
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  5. Arthmoor

    Arthmoor Commander

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    For that game I was already friendly with Polaris due to the previous 4 missions raising reputation, along with killing baddies in their territory while pursuing those missions.

    When the CV spawned, it wasn't firing on me, but the 2 drones, despite clearly being Polaris, fired on me immediately and caught me off guard because I wasn't expecting it.

    They were confirmed to be Polaris drones because when I shot one down defending myself, it immediately caused reputation loss with Polaris to the point of becoming unfriendly which resulted in both the CV and the base turning on me.

    Even worse was that the remaining drone was hell bent on pursuing me across the map.
     
    #5
  6. The Big Brzezinski

    The Big Brzezinski Captain

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    Neither reloading the world nor reentering the playfield deterred them. I had to remove the drones with the console to sidestep the problem. Removed the CV as well, but that was probably unnecessary.
     
    #6
  7. ravien_ff

    ravien_ff Rear Admiral

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    Oh this is interesting then. Thanks for confirming they were actually Polaris faction and not something else.
     
    #7
  8. TwitchyJ

    TwitchyJ Commander

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  9. AxionM

    AxionM Ensign

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    I removed only the CV from the console and the drones stopped attacking.
     
    #9
  10. Arthmoor

    Arthmoor Commander

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    Hmm. Does that mean the drones spawned from the CV?
     
    #10
  11. Scimarad

    Scimarad Ensign

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    I just had exactly the same thing happen to me. I assumed at first they were still firing at the red drones and bombers spawned by the bad guy Polaris NPC but, nope, it was the orange ones that spawned when the CV turned up.

    I did try and just run away and rest but they apparently followed me and blew up my house lol:)
     
    #11
  12. MeatPopsicle

    MeatPopsicle Ensign

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    I went "God mode" and took a look inside the ship the drones spawn from and it looks like the core is red. Other Pol cores are purple. They may have set it up by accident to be hostile no matter what but have the Pol faction tag on it. Whatever you do to it goes back to the faction but it never registers faction standing because it's a red core.
     
    #12
  13. Eldon O

    Eldon O Ensign

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    I just completed this quest today; the drones attack you, and you lose your reputation with Polaris even though you are friendly with Polaris. I had to use the destroy command to eliminate the drones and the main ship. The Science Station was destroyed by the drones as well.
     
    #13
  14. Evolvei

    Evolvei Commander

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    Still not fixed
     
    #14
  15. japp_02

    japp_02 Commander

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    I have 2 provisory remarks to make about this bug:

    a) From the last years playing the game I've only seen drones spawning and patrolling on their own, I've never seen them departed from a vessel even if it looks like they do. (But then: I've obviously not seen everything which is in the game even after years of playing). Therefore I believe that in this mission, those drones and the CV - whatever faction they belong to - are separate instances. But if they are of the same faction which is reported above, then the bug can hardly be explained (one does attack, the other not).

    b) Also what I've never seen elsewhere (be it a bug or not) is an enemy following you whatever you do and still being there when you return from out of render range (e.g. you leave planet and return to planet). This is an exceptional behavior maybe only happening in this mission so far.

    All this seems to indicate a DOUBLE malfunction in this mission.
     
    #15
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2024
  16. ravien_ff

    ravien_ff Rear Admiral

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    Patrol vessels can be configured to launch drones according to the playfield files.
    The patrol vessel also needs drone spawner blocks to be able to launch the drones.
    However patrol vessels spawned via the PDA do not have a playfield entry and therefor no drone config.

    I can't figure this out just by looking at the PDA files and I haven't had time to look in-game.
     
    #16
  17. macdude72

    macdude72 Ensign

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    I just died twice on this. Fortunately, the second time, I saved the backup before taking on the final boss.

    Before the CV showed up (before I talked to Heskell) there were like 4 damaged cannon drones and 1 batte4rd bomber drone. My CV and SV took them out with the turrets. Then, when I went to talk to Pendrell (I think it was him), the Polaris CV spawned and launched some UNDAMAGED Rocket drones and started chewing me up. When my turrets took them out, my reputation loss was so severe I went from friendly to hostile, and the CV and Base took me out.

    Glad to see it's a bug, and not me doing the mission wrong, but still very frustrating.
     
    #17
  18. EmotionRainboy

    EmotionRainboy Ensign

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    Had the same happen. what was never mentioned as a quite PLAYER FRIENDLY solution is skipping the quest to "arrest" pendrell in the pda. it will not even spawn the CV nvm those drones. slightly anticlimatic so i will try to have my fun with that CV first and fix my rep lol. and get bored even more right after haha.
     
    #18
  19. The Big Brzezinski

    The Big Brzezinski Captain

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    I recall way back in the experimental builds for the update where this mission line was added, the drones were the new player drones. They didn't have this issue.

    I wonder if there's even a point to having these drones spawn at all.
     
    #19
  20. Asmodan

    Asmodan Lieutenant

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    Holy F, this report is 2 years old and the problem is still in this mission. Here is what happens to me:

    I finished the whole Questline by talking to Pendrell, running to the Console, back to Pendrell and shot him once so he teleported away, then to Mr. Rend and the Quest finishes with rewards and all. The Drones outside were still shot by the Station, so i waited till they exploded. But after a while 2 Rocket Drones where still shooting at me and they belong to the Polaris Faction unlike the other Drones, so the Station wont shoot at them and when i attack them i would become hostile with Polaris and the station kills me. The CV that spawned was also out there but i could not do anything because that 2 Rocket Drones were following me everywhere and shooting at me even inside the station or underground. Don't know what i was supposed to do at this point because the quests were all finished.

    I tried to destroy the Rocketdrones with the console but they respawned every time. So i destroyed the CV that spawned and then the Drones, that worked. I don't know if this messed up some later quest or other stuff but for now everything seems ok and i am still friendly with Polaris.

    Btw. i had absolute no clue who Mr. Rend was, i was running around like a headless chicken until i saw him in the Dome. A more accurate description (or a description at all) who and where he is would be nice. Markers do not work, because they disappear from too far away (that was also a problem in other missions).

    I have a Backup from right before this part of the Quest starts, if someone needs it.

    There is so many wonky stuff going on and i am only at my second Planet (did Akua and the Mission there first). Seeing the state of the Quests so far doesn't give me a good feeling about what may come next.
     
    #20
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2025

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