Elite roleplay: Q&A and OOC

Kasumi Goto
11 Jun 2023, 8:43pm
My own carrier - as I have it in-game and in RP - is usually just a big ship that carries my ships around for personal uses. The crew does all the actual work other than where to go, and what gets loaded onto it. No way Kira would actually want to take proper command of anything that size(if anything that requires a crew at all).
Meowers
11 Jun 2023, 8:51pm
Silvia SharpeDefinitely wasn't suggesting anything of the sort. It was more of a hey I see you're AXDF maybe you could call in some ships. Wasn't at all implying that you could bring a carrier into the system just a small defence force. Sorry if it seemed like I was alluding to that
Meowers can't do that. She's in command of a small force, three wings tops, stationed in the refugee camp that is quite far away from Inara. And, with local defence forces being not in a good shape, undergoing reorganisation, resupplying, all that, those wings can't leave the camp anyway. Yeah, apart from AX forces, there are ships with conventional weapons, but they're used for transport escort roles and whatever.

But if it's about meeting some of Vengerfield's forces on-foot, then Meowers can do that, of course.
Silvia Sharpe
11 Jun 2023, 8:53pm
Meowers
Silvia SharpeDefinitely wasn't suggesting anything of the sort. It was more of a hey I see you're AXDF maybe you could call in some ships. Wasn't at all implying that you could bring a carrier into the system just a small defence force. Sorry if it seemed like I was alluding to that

Meowers can't do that. She's in command of a small force, three wings tops, stationed in the refugee camp that is quite far away from Inara. And, with local defence forces being not in a good shape, undergoing reorganisation, resupplying, all that, those wings can't leave the camp anyway. Yeah, apart from AX forces, there are ships with conventional weapons, but they're used for transport escort roles and whatever.

But if it's about meeting some of Vengerfield's forces on-foot, then Meowers can do that, of course.


All good was just a suggestion. I honestly expect the response I got lol.
Kasumi Goto
11 Jun 2023, 8:54pm
VodanJust coz Creamy is going solo thanks to fuckin good guy complex, doesn't mean Vengerfields men are all gonna follow him if your in the mood for a fight

I'm down for keeping it spicy.

Eh, I’m not sure things have to get hot. And if they want to go on a suicide trip into the Maelstrom, who’s going to stop them?

(People did see my latest post in the bar section? Just making sure cause it landed on the last post of the page right as another one got in.)
Creamy Goodness III
11 Jun 2023, 9:08pm
Yes, its all got a bit eager I'll have a read back and check
Silvia Sharpe
11 Jun 2023, 9:09pm
VodanJust coz Creamy is going solo thanks to fuckin good guy complex, doesn't mean Vengerfields men are all gonna follow him if your in the mood for a fight

I'm down for keeping it spicy.


Silvia is fresh out of the hospital and still very much so struggling with the side effects. I am very glad her bluffs didn't get called because that would not have ended well.
Kasumi Goto
11 Jun 2023, 11:50pm
Can an AFMU even keep Guardian weapons/modules from being anywhere other than 0% in a Maelstrom system? I’ve genuinely not tried that.

(I would totally take a repair module that doesn’t just render said module completely unusable during the process, though, just saying. And don’t need to ask about Kira, she’s out of this one for good. If you ask nicely the carrier crew might provide a ride out anyway, though.)
Silvia Sharpe
11 Jun 2023, 11:56pm
Yes they can but the standard afmu ammo only repairs the damage as fast as it happens. It is possible I believe to repair them fully with better AFMU ammo. I could be wrong haven't been back to a maelstrom since I went at the beginning of the war.
Meowers
11 Jun 2023, 11:57pm
Yeah, thing about Guardian module shutdown... It's a cheap game design trick. FDev perfectly knows that there are players who can not just gut a Hydra solo, but several of them in one fight, and, because of some crappy programming, they even had to nerf the swarms etc. So the Guardian module shutdown was invented to keep that 'veil of danger and mystery' around Maelstroms and Titans, making players unable to fight Interceptors effectively in their presence, because AXMCs are genuinely a total rubbish and it's a challenge to kill even a Basilisk using them. As far as I think.

So when it comes down to depicting Thargoid fights in writing, I tend to refrain from mentioning those 'inventions' or at least their magnitude: a story should be a interesting read, not juggling descriptions of those game design moves and ways to circumvent them.
Kasumi Goto
12 Jun 2023, 12:02am
Well, whatever floats your boat. Goes a bit far against ‘lore’ for me but I suppose it shouldn’t always get in the way of a good story.

(And yes, I pretty much hear the AX MCs are not very great against anything non-Cyclops - certainly for exerts. Supposedly the missiles help and gimballed multis can shred hearts, but I’ve never used any of the enhanced AX weapons against interceptors in any fashion so I wouldn’t know.)
Meowers
12 Jun 2023, 12:34am
Yeah, lore and gameplay moments are... restricting. But, essentially, I stick to the same 'alternative sub-universe' that was written by my friend a long before me, and she did it brilliantly, keeping the balance between what we can see in game and describing a fight against the alien force as it should've been looking. Many elements simply can't be reproduced in game due to the engine limitations, such as those strategic moves, and the Thargoids are present only as 'signals' for the players willing to hunt them, or they spawn in specific zones, they don't have a strategy of their own, etc. So I'm trying to stay 'somewhere close' to the lore, whilst also adding something that seems plausible, but cannot be seen in game.

This is also a reason why I will think twice before writing anything again: those new gameplay things, made without even a bit of imagination and passion for what they're doing, honestly, sucks. Upscaled models, cheap shader effects, and those Revenants are almost a copy-paste of Guardian Sentinels, just a different model of an 'aggressive drone'.

Kira GotoSupposedly the missiles help and gimballed multis can shred hearts
Can't say anything about the missiles since I'm pretty much stopped playing now, and, from what I saw on videos, EAXMCs still lack sheer DPS to overpower Medusas' and Hydras' regen. Maybe, doing that, FDev wants to force people into mounting multiplayer expeditions into the Maelstroms, whilst keeping that 'solo fighting' feature for those who use Guardian weapons and hunt signals in an old-fashioned way. And I can't help but say this looks silly and illogical.

And, yeah, 'instagibbing' a Cyclops with Modshards is a thing, lol.

Last edit: 12 Jun 2023, 12:55am
Kasumi Goto
12 Jun 2023, 1:05am
Oh, I’ve seen Cyclops instagibs happen from modshards. First time I witnessed was rather amusing because I was in an instance with a few players around an outpost, we’d just knocked one of its hearts off, and it began to lightning someone. Few seconds later, it was dead despite(in that situation) the second heart triggering.

I don’t think I’ve really done it on purpose much myself, though. Seemed a bit cheap-ish on the gameplay side and not too interesting. And got boring quickly. Now Basilisks and Medusas… that got spicy pretty quick, especially when I ended up in one of those instances where I was the most competent.

(And no one’s ever accused me of being the greatest at AX - could kind of hold my own against a Medusa eventually without immediately getting shredded, never really got to test against Hydra properly because I decided to sign on for a purely pro-peace cause… silly me, I know. Well, I did get exerts off on first heart with basic modshard ammo and no support, but not a heart destruction. And burned through heatsink reserve plus half of the ammo in the shards.)


Anyway, since we’re on the subject, Kira is very much capable of fighting against Thargoids… it’s more a matter of willingness than anything at this point.
Meowers
12 Jun 2023, 1:23am
Yeah, for OOC me, a real person, E:D player, fighting Thargoids was a relaxation of sorts, it was quite a pleasant experience, to log in after a working day and punch some Medusas in the face. Even if repetitive. Just put some music on and relax to the beat, torturing a pair of flightsticks. Thing is, I can't withstand that stupid material grind, and fighting Hydras without synthing something, at least heatsinks, is nearly impossible, if not impossible at all, even if I have a heckload of utility slots. So, eventually, Medusas became easy-peasy punching bags, but, to fight Hydras, I should waste an evening or two on grinding, and I don't have enough of 'disposable free time' to do so.

And now my PC is a bit malfunctioning, so I can't play at all. I'm planning to replace it with a new one, but a bit later, since it's still okay for my work needs. Have more serious stuff going on.

In-character, I gave Meowers a little longer 'learning curve' since I scored my first Cyclops on a first day, and that's... not exactly interesting in terms of 'writing a story', they should be formidable enemies you learn how to fight.
Kasumi Goto
12 Jun 2023, 1:38am
Frankly, I haven't put much thought in the non-peaceful interactions my character's had with Thargoids. At least, in regards to gun exchanges - OOC, I kinda took a Cyclops out on day two I think, but with flak launcher and a lot of NPC support. Basilisk? Pf. I killed one on the sixth day and the first two hearts basically had it permanently distracted(then it decided to get cranky and not let off at all).

Will have to admit I sorta got into the whole AX more when station CZs became available and you could just go dock up instead of having to synth ammo, do painfully long AFMU and limpet repairs, etc. Maybe also more forgiving, but not to the point where Joe Random can pick it up and start smashing Medusas. Though I also only started with it a few weeks before November, so take that as you will. Also kinda miss it from pure gameplay perspective since it is fun, but I associate RP a bit too closely with my in-game actions so I haven't done any since end of January, give or take a few days. I'd also have to leave my current squad or make an alt(that is so not happening) to do it again, so kinda whatever.

CZs are also like 90% Cyclops, and Glaives annoy people by frying their Guardian weapons there currently.

Definitely was not at a stage where I could have considered Medusas punching bags, though. I had to largely handle one solo once(until the last heart, of course - it either killed or drove off anyone besides me and some NPCs) and my blood pressure was not happy. But regular PvE is rather boring bullet sponge farming after fighting Thargoids. Tried getting back into it but after a few kills it starts to become the same with no real challenge or significant risks involved. Or you get a spec ops wing dropped on your head and they all start shooting only you, when you didn't want to god-mode it in a Corvette.
Meowers
12 Jun 2023, 1:53am
Yeah, as someone said, "AX is hard until it's easy". And, personally, I think that going from Cyclopes to Basilisks is a kind of a breaking point. From there, things are increasing more or less gradually. But the gap between the first two is the most tangible. And, yeah, I never tried those station CZs... Since I stopped playing before they were introduced. And, I totally agree, those regular PvE CZs are a dull time waste compared to Thargoids. They were interesting for me during my first year of playing, but then, things are getting too lookalike, and my logbook writing was the primary driving force; so, once I realised that I can't write about the same events in different words anymore, I quit.

And, about station CZs... A part of me rejects them, because, I think that being assisted by NPCs will make those kills 'not totally mine', unlike the old-school signal hunting and facing them in their original form, without NPC support and with swarms ready to bite me in the arse if I slip.

Btw. Silvia. Your AI-generated image has some... weird eyes, lol. Tried to quick-fix that with some of my photoshopping:



Last edit: 12 Jun 2023, 2:00am

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