NPCs (creatures and drones)

Discussion in 'FAQ & Feedback' started by EleonGameStudios, Jun 26, 2015.

  1. TwistedMaster

    TwistedMaster Commander

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    It pisses me off to see 37 turrets on my CV all firing on an enemy POI with only 4 turrets. And the POI is able to destroy my guns. Plus POI able to blow out ammo boxes inside middle of CV, without taking out anything between the POI and Ammo box. I think people should stop issuing kudos to these authors and start talking reality. The MAJOR problems with this game are being ignored by the authors. Instead they focus on tiny bugs and eye candy. Which is great for getting new people to buy the game. But tells all others they no longer matter, we got your money, now your on your own. I'm posting this in the hope that others will start talking the truth about this game. If enough do then the developers MIGHT start addressing some of the ongoing MAJOR issues that already exist in game. This game has a lot of potential but will be dead in the water before completion if major issues are not addressed. And they won't be addressed until players start speaking out, LOUDLY.
     
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  2. Zedd

    Zedd Captain

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    Something else I noticed in my latest playthrough on Masperon:

    There doesn't seem to be any consistency with the NPC narrative, or maybe there is and I just don't get it. I used to think Overseers, Nightmares and Alien Assassins were intelligent, like the Zirax. They were present inside bases and in troop transports, so this suggested to me at least they weren't just wild animals. Would a modern day military base/assault helicopter have lions, tigers and bears inside?

    On Masperon though these three creature types are just wandering around in the wilderness. They don't seem to be intelligent at all. They don't have clothes, weapons or vehicles, and just wander aimlessly.

    I understand that narrative is probably waaaay down the line, but I just thought it was worth mentioning. If sometimes they are dumb animals and other times elite troopers dropped in by space ship, that is just too confusing :D If they really are animals and are being controlled somehow, perhaps the ones in the POI's/troop transports could be wearing a 'neural implant' or 'control collar' something like that, which they drop as loot (gives 1 computer + a few metal components when broken down.)

    As always, awesome work you guys are doing!
     
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  3. Tbosh

    Tbosh Commander

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    Who really attacks a poi with a CV anyway? A SV with rail guns is more than able to do the job.

    Now maybe cv vs cv, yes it's frustrating when clipping and or splash damage occurs but it's almost expected.

    I'm sure this is a issue that is being looked into how to fix.
     
    #243
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  4. TwistedMaster

    TwistedMaster Commander

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    I'm not attacking a POI. I just enter planet and ran right into one. But when that 37 guns are firing against 4 it seems a little ridicules that the 4
    comes out on top. It's also non realistic that ammo box placed in center of CV can be shot out, without taking any blocks around it out. That's not splash damage. That's a physics problem. And I am aware, as is anyone else. That this is an Alpha build. But if issue are not posted, then developers aren't obligated to fix them. I can also post pic of a 50kt plus CV with it's rear end up in the air, with NOTHING under it. No rocks, trees, or plants. Just grass. Again, physics gone wild. And the list goes on. Bottom line, the physics engine needs a serious overhaul.
     
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  5. rainyday

    rainyday Rear Admiral

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    4 turrets destroy 37 turrets? Really? Or 4 turrets are able to destroy a turret or few turrets from your 37? Can't see anything wrong with that, there will be damage especially if you are forced into combat instead of a planned attack.

    Anyway, the damage getting through armor is something that has been reported by many and they are well aware of it - its been looked into. Probably not an easy fix or we would have seen one already by now.

    And its been said many times - visuals have nothing to do with major bug fixing, ie. they don't take time out of each other. Different guys do different things.

    I think they are just that - "attack dogs". On some other planets Troop Transports carry Zirax that are accompanied by those vampire dogs.
     
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  6. Tyrax Lightning

    Tyrax Lightning Rear Admiral

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    I always figured the Aliens did Genetic Experiments on stuff & Overseers & Alien Assassins were their successes, whereas Nightmares were among their failures.

    Yeah, I think Crawlers are the Empyrion equivalent of Goddamned Bats & the Alien equivalent of Dogs at the same time.
     
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  7. Aurex

    Aurex Commander

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    What do you think about the current NPC (creatures and drones)?

    - Should there be more / less?
    Definitely more. Unless some lore is established that would make relatively stupid foot soldiers and other easy-to-kill (even with hard difficulty, if you have access to high tier weapons and cover) and their spawning system lore friendly, I'd very much prefer and appreciate some kind of... vibrant community feeling. The POIs feels so empty that you can't help but to wonder if there had been some system-wide catastrophe... but if that IS the case, then how are those aliens able to teleport directly into their building? From where do their reinforcements come from? If lore (not Data's brother :D) decides that there had been some catastrophe and that the alien you fight are just what remains of a larger empire or maybe a fleet - then you should address the stagnation. They don't build. They don't actively pursue you with foot soldiers, just drones. They're just too passive and far too easy to just ignore or bypass entirely. And if the system EGS is supposed to take place in is actually an alien-controlled system, then why shouldn't they just swoop down the player's first base with warships and multiple troop transport?

    So, long story short, I would love to see some credible military response from the aliens as your "threat level" rises and some civilian activity going on in all those wonderful POIs :)

    - More / less powerful?
    I'd say... that their "power level" is pretty much... well, irrelevant. For example, those minigun aliens (Zirax? Zyrax?) seems to be extremely dangerous in close quarters when I'm inside their bases, but their A.I is sometimes so dumb I can just stay 20 meters away from them and kill a single patrol with three shots from my t2 sniper rifle. In open spaces, they're basically harmless. They don't take cover, they don't shoot at your vehicles or turrets, they don't flee if they're in a hopeless situation and they do not call for reinforcements. I'd say that, damage-wise, they are mostly ok right now (the interior defenses are a little too strong, but it'll get better with the 6.0 player armor system, I think) the problems are with their A.I, their placement, and their numbers. Just too thin if you're looking for a challenge. Imagine attacking a base, destroying a couple of turrets and suddenly they call for reinforcements. Their damage wouldn't mean much, but the fact they're keeping you on your toes and forcing you to adapt to some kind of military strategy would mean a lot for the gameplay and the immersion.

    - NPCs on each planet?
    There's a good number of different and interesting creatures. Sometimes I do feel like they should be more (especially on lush planets) and that they should have better A.I to control them. Speaking of intelligent, sentient NPCs I'd say there's some desperate need of challenging enemies, alien civilians and even (a man can dream!) human survivors. Someone did build those plainly human-made POIs, after all. Also, some large, boss-like enemy would be perfect. Omicron=Arrakis, after all :D (in my mind, at least.) Oh, and I think there should be some barren, desolate world with absolutely no life on it. Someplace with high radiation hazard. It might still have some kind of... automated mining facility, or oxygen/solar farm... maybe something you can pillage (with the risk of enemy reinforcements coming to the rescue of their POI). That said, a place like that could be used to introduce a sentient A.I faction a la Skynet, it could fit right in the lore, I suppose :)

    - General importance of NPCs?
    I think if a survival game is looking to REALLY hold a player's interest for a long time and attract new players as well... NPCs and their A.I are absolutely paramount. I'm very glad to see there are going to be improvements in upcoming 6.0, but I cannot stress enough the need for... activity, for something resembling a living solar system... with trading routes, military patrols, even bounty hunters if you are really considered a dangerous threat by the aliens. You should also be able to "affiliate" with some faction, maybe some other aliens, human survivors or an alien splinter group willing to help you, even by giving you new, unique tech in exchange for help. That could lead to a questing and trading system, if players like it. That said, the solar system where Empyrion takes place should still feel like a "rim" world. A place still rich with places to explore, derelicts ship from unknown races and pirates attacking settlements, aliens and players.

    - Other feedback?
    The game is looking quite great in its current state of development. But it could (and should in my opinion, too good a opportunity to pass up) be SO much better. NPCs are, in my opinion, the part of the game that needs more love alongside the engineering portion. Seeing them able to mount attacks and counterattacks, to sneak up on you at night using real HVs and SVs, and not just drones... would be absolutely magnificent. There are so many wonderful creations on the workshop, imagine if someone was to assign fleets of them to A.I captains with their own faction. Marauders, Pirates... you name it. Oh, and sorry for the wall of text, but I really care about this game and I feel that feedbacks are terribly important at this stage. Space Engineers (in my opinion) failed because the devs ignored many complaints and focused on eye-candy and mod support. I feel this won't be the case with EGS, but still... keep up the good work.
     
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  8. ITguy1981

    ITguy1981 Captain

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    I defnitely agree that the NPCs need to more aggressive and smarter. Not sure if you have ever played Arma, but the NPCs are pretty smart. They will flank you and they will chase you for a fairly long distance. I would like to have alien pursuing me to where I either have to kill them, take shelter, or run. For those of us who play multiplayer there isn't much to do other than PvP because it's too easy to just blow a hole in the side of a POI, destroy the core, replace it and just use multitool to get to where you need to be to loot things. Right now a POI is just a building with tons of spawners. So you end up killing tons of the same enemy until you get to the core or destroy the spawners. I've literally seen rooms with 10 plus spawners in them. Why do the aliens only shoot horizontal. All you have to do is stand on a higher block and shoot them in the head and they don't even shoot back. We definitely need smarter AI. As of now though I love being able to build bases and ships of whatever I can imagine for the most part and fly from planet to planet. I like the survival aspect of the game as well. I feel like there needs to be an increase of the NPC AI and more depth or else it's just a space minecraft. Not that I don't love that as well, but I think the game can be so much more. I love it.
     
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  9. seetruck-2000

    seetruck-2000 Ensign

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    The game would be more challenging if the drones waves were increased, and each time they come more attack.

    Example: start your base 1 drone and after that 2 then 3 and so forth.

    Would make you work faster to get the materials to build up your base defenses fast as possible.
     
    #249
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  10. Ballard

    Ballard Rear Admiral

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    I am a long term gamer, going back further than I care to admit. Let's just say well before computers were a household thing. I have helped to design and use 'AI' scripts for NPC enemies. It really does not have to be that complex. Imagine, if you will, the following script system, but a much more in depth one.

    The nearby POI decides that you have become a problem, based on your activities. It rolls dice, and decides that your base needs to be attacked.
    • Drones are sent to reconnoiter the base. To the player this might appear to be just another mindless drone suicide mission.
    • Now the game has the measure of your guns, and assembles a force of attackers. It may have a few different potential types of forces, from SV, HV or infantry
    • Let's say this time they go for an infantry assault. The POI base creates a force of troops, armed with mini guns, rocket launchers and other toys. Of course these toys will be lootable after the battle.
    • A scripted attack begins. In such a case the player might get a notice that their base is about to be assaulted. It is important that the player decide to be there, and participate.
    • The enemy arrives, sets up their long range weapons, and begins the assault. If they manage to win they will do a lot of damage to the base. I would say the core need not be an automatic casualty, but surely at risk.
    • Assuming they lose, then we (the defending players) get to loot some nice stuff from the wreckage, then it's Miller Time! And we realize that we should probably do something about that POI.
    A future attack will remember this one, and adjust its' force upwards if need be. This would make it essential for players to consider nearby POIs when deciding where to build their base.

    I'm curious what players will think of this sort of idea.
     
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  11. Tyrax Lightning

    Tyrax Lightning Rear Admiral

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    Last I knew it was already supposed to work like this... if it doesn't for you, it's Bug Report worthy.

    This sounds like win to me! :)
     
    #251
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  12. petrkovarik99

    petrkovarik99 Ensign

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    My first WTF??? was giant spider shooting self-guided poison at me. WTF. Please, at least drop the self-guided shots. This is horrible.
    My second WTF??? were enemies turned completely different directions who suddenly shoot me, *then* turn around. Also, they turn instantly.
    Third WTF??? was finding out that many enemies - for example robots on bases - can't be shot in some places, like arms with guns, so if only arm is visible and shooting at you, game over, you can't even hit back.
    Another problem is you can't duck - imagine going down an elevator, enemies see your legs and kill you before you even know they are there. And that *does* happen. And you can't do anything about it, because they are not in your view.
     
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  13. Peter

    Peter Commander

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    Yeah that self guiding poison is bit of strange, however I look forward to overcoming it with tactics.
     
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  14. petrkovarik99

    petrkovarik99 Ensign

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    What tactics? It hits you, you are half dead, without stamina and thus unable to run, with only very little jetpack energy to jump away from next spit.
     
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  15. Peter

    Peter Commander

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    Have you looked at building a stand alone turrets, or even just an HV block with just the open cockpit, or a cement pillbox that you can spawn, a cement pillbox with an elevator about 5 high will give you the advantage of being above, those creatures are not meant to go mono e mono (hand to hand), they are meant to be part of the hostile environment, you need to think and plan ahead to be prepared...hence the survival part.
     
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  16. Tyrax Lightning

    Tyrax Lightning Rear Admiral

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    Or alternatively, in the case of the Homing Spider Poison, The Computer is a Cheating Bastard, which is Fake Difficulty, not Real Difficulty, thus is questionable Game Design. Nothin wrong with Feedbacking on it. Fake Difficulty seriously shouldn't be the ONLY way Games ever get Designed.

    In the case of the Elevator Leg Death, that's simply smart Base Defense Design. With that said, an addition of ability to Crouch WOULD be good seems how 24th Century Humans don't belong in Space if they can't figure out how to do a No-Brainer like Bend your Knees until your Body is folding down a bit causing lowering of Elevation of the Upper Body. :p
     
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  17. Kassonnade

    Kassonnade Rear Admiral

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    Running backwards on rocky terrain while aiming with a weapon is not easy I admit...

    Edit : anyone remember Heretic? I alsmost never saw players complaining about the critters and bosses in this game. There was the Minotaur that could throw a streak of fire that would hit the player through walls and kill him instantly... Some levels were really hard yet what made the game fun was this feeling of constant danger keeping the player on his toes. Even after countless replays I would still fear getting cornered or even "noticed" by bosses when too far from any shelter... I don't expect Empyrion to be too forgiving towards players since there are so many ways to win fights against AI, either by using ships or sniping, abusing the jetpack, etc.
     
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    Last edited: Jun 25, 2017
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  18. Templar

    Templar Ensign

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    I feel that there should be more drones during drone attacks. One cannon turret can deal with them easy mode, at least on Akua.

    I reckon npc creatures should not be able to see you if you are behind them. Right now they kind of seem to aggro onto you like in WoW. Makes trying to avoid creatures more difficult than it should be.

    I guess it is not really a great issue but me and my friend play on masperon at highest difficulty settings. Brings out some BS in the creatures when there are many of them that take 30+ pistol shots each to take out. :(

    Not complaining about their numbers and toughness just fyi, I like that kind of gameplay. It is the eyes in the back of their heads that I don't like.
     
    #258
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  19. Supercrab

    Supercrab Commander

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    how about u get attacked by stronger enemys when u level up, so for example, you will get attacked by monsters with little health, when you reach a higher level, the enemys life will get higher.
     
    #259
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  20. Furious Hellfire

    Furious Hellfire Rear Admiral

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    I like the animals and npc's so far.

    Seeing dinosaurs in any game is always a big ++

    I have watched them, evolve in both looks and sounds over the last few months and have always been happy by the changes.

    However, an extreme oversight someone using a godzilla roar sound effect from the 1998 movie with mathew broderick as the death effect sound to the Otyugh.

    I was more than a little surprised when i thought godzilla krept up behind me to back up this otyugh which btw weak point is top middle tentacle at tip, 1 hit kill with t2 sniper.
    The animals are cool, finding the best method of attack for each is also fun.

    The raptors are hella fast now ! this is good.
    On my server 2 days ago a guy was screaming help me.

    I tracked him down in broad daylight being chased by 10 yes 10 night raptors and 4 plant monsters on akua, never seen anything like it Xd

    I so should have got a pic !

    We will always love to se more variety in predators and fauna.

    More alien type and more dino type, maybe even more villager type for us to find.

    I dont feel like I am missing anything though, I see a nice variety of beasties already.

    I guess what I mean is I have no complaints, and good work so far !
     
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