I think Space Battles is a big enough topic to deserve its own thread - and we didn’t have one, so…
Anyway, I was doing some business in a space station. There was a freighter battle going on outside, but it wasn’t any of my business, so I let them get on with it. By the time I left the space station, it had escalated into the largest battle I’ve ever seen in NMS.
Now that’s big. But you can’t see all the defenders yet. Once the battle was over, the defenders all headed back home. I can count something in the order of 200 ships in this defender swarm.
When you consider that each of those ships has its own behaviour, AI, animation, and, if you get close enough, that there are a mixture of different types and models, that’s quite an achievement
Out of curiosity Mr Poly.
Did you have any defence chits in your possession.
I’ve found that if I am travelling with chits in my possession, the number of defence craft expands considerably, regardless of if I get involved.
I havent used any defence chits since next arrived but I can say I’ve had “frigate/freighter defenders” or something like that show up while being attacked by pirates. There were quite a few of them too.
I don’t know what caused it, whether was my fleet or a nearby NPCs, whether it was proximity to Fleet or if I was in a system currently occupied by my frigate expeditions.
It’ll be one of your combat frigates called to action. Weird, it was like sentinel ships zipping about helping me. Didn’t get a shot of those yet though.
So combat frigates actually come to you and fight? I don’t know, I don’t have any yet, but judging by the other frigates I’d expected them to just hang around and do nothing much useful. Do they do any damage at all, or are they as useless as anyone else?
The only time I’ve has my combat frigate come to my rather not needed rescue, I was fighting pirates in some planetary rings. I got the frigate deployed message, and funnily enough a ‘Hostile Ships Defeated’ or whatever it says just when they showed up, as if to tell me the pirates were good as dead Anyways, I saw a few drones zipping by helping me, with blue trails I think, or else green, and they did take out 3/5 pirates, when I let them get at it. Rather quickly too. I couldn’t tell if my actual frigate arrived; I hope it does, and I just missed it, but even if it’s just the drones, it feels awesome.
Yeah. I’ve noticed all the NPCs that come to help can usually 1v1 a few pirates as well, so they’re actually a help now. Just the drones are like 4 of them I think, definitely at least 3, and more powerful. So those are really good
I haven’t noticed, but then I’ve only been in 2 fights with serious NPC involvement. All I know is that in Atlas rises, you and the ships coming to help you when using a defence chit were the only ones that did any real damage. Everybody (including freighters defending themselves) that just happened to be there seemed to be nerved down to not make it too easy.
Yeah, they used to do literally zero damage. But I flew by a station when some pirates attacked me the other day, and when I came back around the pirate had left me and I watched 2 NPCs just utterly dominate him. He died within 5 seconds. The other one quickly got down to half health, and I finished him. Also, whenever I take missions to hunt pirates, i summon my freighter just as I engage, and the turrets do at least a little damage with their limited range, and the NPCs around the hangar fight as well. Makes it real easy
Also, for me at least, using defense chits in AR took the drones until the last pirate was already dead to show up, I hated them. They never did any damage the one time I got them working either.
Just a quick update, regarding combat frigates coming to your aid. Anyways, I got attacked again today, and got the usual frigate deployed thing, and I wasn’t in any area that could obscure vision this time. I’d decided the frigate itself didn’t show up, only drones it sent. So, naturally, I was quite shocked and excited to see my frigate actually show up a little ways off, and drones literally coming out of it to my aid. Of course, I brought the battle towards it, and I heard alarms start to go off. I couldn’t tell if it actually shot at the pirates, because of all the maneuvers I was doing to avoid getting hit, but I like to imagine it did. Even if it didn’t though, I can understand why. That gun on it looks like a freighter destroyer, not something to have the precision aim to destroy fast, small starships. It’s just cool that it actually shows up, not just drones.
Was flying towards a mission board pirate bounty and summoned my freighter just as I approached. All the NPC ships that spawn to land on a freighter summon , went for the pirate.
Anyways, I saw a few drones zipping by helping me, with blue trails I think, or else green, and they did take out 3/5 pirates, when I let them get at it. Rather quickly too. I couldn’t tell if my actual frigate arrived; I hope it does, and I just missed it, but even if it’s just the drones, it feels awesome.
sentinel defence is red, pirates are pinkish.
