The new version 1.0.2 (fc3) will scare away newcomers to the game right away!
The reason? I will tell you what I just experienced:

I start the the game with a new pilot file for the first time.
Land on earth.
Go to the bar and get the UE Shipping Recruitment mission. "Take x tons of x to Huron" Strictly rutine they say...
The instant I enter the Huron system, I am attacked and killed within 4 (!) seconds by 3 crazy kraits!!!
I'm in a shuttle and can't do a thing. Even if I try to fight them, I get killed.

I reload the pilot. Try again. this time there's only 1 krait and I make it to land. (perhaps I could kill that krait, but NO WAY a first-time player in a shuttle could do that)
when I departure there's a helian and a krait after me, and with less than 50% armor left I get out of the system.

So I go to the talii system to rest (I have to go thru the DSN-7294 system as fast as possible - it's filled with renegades), and there's a helian waiting for me with needle missiles - he finish me off......

Being a regular player (although it doesn't sound like I am - I know!), of course I can live with this. I just have to stay out of the dangerous systems in the beginning and upgrade my ship as fast as possible and perhaps set the game speed a little slower than I normally play (150% for combat on a G3). And perhaps I was just unlucky, but!! Think about how a newcomer will feel!!! It's NO fun for a new player to get killed within the first 2 minutes of play. I garantee you, they will put the game away and never play it again.

My solution is two have differenct levels of difficulty, normal (AI like EVO 1.0.1 or perhaps slightly harder) and experienced (the new AI).

Please! don't release 1.0.2 as it is today, it will scare away new players.

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Crescent Warship habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum Forklift immane mittam.

(This message has been edited by Captain Apple (edited 05-30-2000).)

I agree with Captain Apple, there should be two AI settings. And also when you start a pilot you should be able to chose to have the player speed boost on or off, cuz I hate that thing now, but I didn't when I was new to EV.

------------------
Sir! Our shields are dropping!
_What?!?
They're firing! _ says the lieutenant as a torpedo appears on the view screen.
Well, it seams you won't have the last laugh today Therg. Says Captain Fullers voice over the speakers.
Dang.
The torpedo strikes the ship removing it from the sky in a violent explosion.

If you don't like the new AI, just keep EV 1.0.1!

------------------
Zacha K
(url="http://"http://users.aol.com/zachakplug/sigdir/index.html")The Zacha K Space(/url)
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Heh.

Trust me. As you play the game more, you'll appreciate that tougher AI. It sounds like it really tests one's pilot skills. Most EVO veterens consider the AI too stupid or easy to take advantage of, I consider this a welcome and much-needed change.

------------------

Quote

Originally posted by UE Crusader:

**Heh.

Trust me. As you play the game more, you'll appreciate that tougher AI. It sounds like it really tests one's pilot skills. Most EVO veterens consider the AI too stupid or easy to take advantage of, I consider this a welcome and much-needed change.

**

Agreed. The AI was the only part of the game that didn't impress me. Not that I didn't notice a difference, just that there was so much hype I expected something better. I heard that the shields for some fighters was lowered. I noticed a slight difference with my Azdara. Anyone have the stats for the 1.0.1 Azdara?

------------------
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Quote

If you don't like the new AI, just keep EV 1.0.1!

-----

Most EVO veterens consider the AI too stupid

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad:

If you had read my post, you would see that I was talking about NEWCOMERS to the game. To them 1.0.2 will be the first experience with the game!
I was NOT talking about veterans! Actually I think it's a GOOD thing with the improved AI, but only for the experienced players. There should be a choice.

I am aware that it sounded like I was having trouble with the AI and just whining about it. Really I'm not (except for getting killed sometimes by those nasty fighters :)) - I was just concerned about the newbies. get it?
I was caring about other people. I'm a nice guy! (don't you just get sick when someone babbles about how nice they are... :))

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Crescent Warship habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum Forklift immane mittam.

(url="http://"http://www.magle.dk/Audio/rising_of_a_new_day.mp3") (/url)

(This message has been edited by Captain Apple (edited 05-30-2000).)

It's rather hard to get killed by the AI unless you just fly in a straight line or dont move..

-Skunks

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Enginners can actually hear machines talk to them. The rattle in the car's engine teases softly, "I'll bet you can't find me." The computer hums an approving tune when the enginner writes an expecially briliant peice of computer code. The toaster says "Not yet, not yet, not yet." untill the toast pops out. An enginner who is surrounded by machines is never lonly and never judged by apperance. These are friends.

I wasn't exactly sitting still or flying in a straight line when those 3 kraits got my shuttle...
Oh, well maybe it's just me and Bob whining, I haven't really had much time playing 1.0.2, so this is just my first impression. but, so will it be the newbies first impr....damn I'm repeating my self now. time to go to bed (I'm in Denmark and it's rather late here)

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Crescent Warship habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum Forklift immane mittam.

(url="http://"http://www.magle.dk/Audio/rising_of_a_new_day.mp3") (/url)

New AI. Must be nice. (Heavy sigh...)

------------------
PlanetPhil
hopelessly devoted to EV Classic

The new AI seems to be geared towards the fighters. The fighters are definitely somewhat challenging, and I would agree that most newcomers would have trouble killing just one Krait with a shuttle (I can do it, but anything more than one Krait becomes a problem to my shuttle). But if you think about it, the old AI wasn't any better with this. The point is that shuttles are supposed to run away from Kraits - and anything else that's hostile.

The only difference is that the Kraits fire more accurately now - they hit you more, so you die faster. Three Kraits would pretty much have turned me to space dust in 1.0.1 too.

The reason I think that it's not challenging enough is a different issue - it's about the slow ships. The Monty Python Maneuver still works. That's disappointing. And I had a deadly combat rating too.

Mike Lee (Firebird)

Hmm, I don't think my post accurately presented my point, so I'll take another stab at it (I didn't feel like modifying the post, so I'll just write another one).

Basically, three Kraits + one Shuttle = three Kraits + space dust. Think about it. No matter what the AI is, you can't expect a Shuttle to survive an encounter with three Kraits. The correct choice would've been to hyperjump - not try to land, because Kraits just happen to be faster than you and will make short work of you.

So my conclusion is newcomers won't be scared away by the AI, because it's not the AI that's the problem.

Mike Lee (Firebird)

I've decided not to try EVO 1.0.2 since lately I've been totally out of the plug-in scene altogethor.

I am wondering a few things though. I don't seem to remember reading about a speed boost anywhere so I'd like to know what that is. Any idiot that's played EVO can see that the computer just points at you, thrusts and shoots. I'm rather curious about how the AI has been improved for 1.0.2 Some unpredictability would be a welcome change.

------------------
"Landing request denied."

Company Tritanium Enterprises: (url="http://"http://www.megalink.net/~joe1/w/")http://www.megalink.net/~joe1/w/(/url)

I've never been much of a pilot, so I hope this new AI will help me improve. I still have a Rebel Cruiser (EV) and UE Cruiser (EVO) though.

------------------
Formerly COpperman - #29 on the Periodic Table

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dont know about you guys but i find that once all the missions are done and i am flying around in my clunker no matter what i do i win everything. i had a lot of time one day so i dominated igadzra in a helian

------------------
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soon you will all feel my wrath
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powers of the darkside

Quote

Originally posted by LoneIgadzra:
**I've decided not to try EVO 1.0.2 since lately I've been totally out of the plug-in scene altogethor.

I am wondering a few things though. I don't seem to remember reading about a speed boost anywhere so I'd like to know what that is. Any idiot that's played EVO can see that the computer just points at you, thrusts and shoots. I'm rather curious about how the AI has been improved for 1.0.2 Some unpredictability would be a welcome change.
**

When EV was made, the player had a speed and shield level slightly higher than the specifications for the default ship. If you haven't noticed, you're slightly faster than what your info box says.

I think there is some improvement, but you should try it yourself and see.

Mike Lee (Firebird)

Quote

Originally posted by Captain Apple:
**The new version 1.0.2 (fc3) will scare away newcomers to the game right away!
The reason? I will tell you what I just experienced:

I start the the game with a new pilot file for the first time.
Land on earth.
Go to the bar and get the UE Shipping Recruitment mission. "Take x tons of x to Huron" Strictly rutine they say...
The instant I enter the Huron system, I am attacked and killed within 4 (!) seconds by 3 crazy kraits!!!
I'm in a shuttle and can't do a thing. Even if I try to fight them, I get killed.

I reload the pilot. Try again. this time there's only 1 krait and I make it to land. (perhaps I could kill that krait, but NO WAY a first-time player in a shuttle could do that)
when I departure there's a helian and a krait after me, and with less than 50% armor left I get out of the system.

So I go to the talii system to rest (I have to go thru the DSN-7294 system as fast as possible - it's filled with renegades), and there's a helian waiting for me with needle missiles - he finish me off......

Being a regular player (although it doesn't sound like I am - I know!), of course I can live with this. I just have to stay out of the dangerous systems in the beginning and upgrade my ship as fast as possible and perhaps set the game speed a little slower than I normally play (150% for combat on a G3). And perhaps I was just unlucky, but!! Think about how a newcomer will feel!!! It's NO fun for a new player to get killed within the first 2 minutes of play. I garantee you, they will put the game away and never play it again.

My solution is two have differenct levels of difficulty, normal (AI like EVO 1.0.1 or perhaps slightly harder) and experienced (the new AI).

Please! don't release 1.0.2 as it is today, it will scare away new players.
**

I seem to have missed a little bit. You have a point, but in real life, someone with common sense would learn from these experiences and stay in the Sol, Centauri, Saalia, Liat, and Valos systems, not to mention a few other safe havens. I don't wander off from the core worlds until I get my cargo transporter.

I didn't get scared away in EV after getting my shuttle shot down in some of those uninhabited systems - actually, a great deal of people are "scared" away when they see how little action there is, so it could even be a good thing.

I still say that it's okay as is. EVO is fine. People will always get scared away by one thing another, but that's unavoidable.

Mike Lee (Firebird)

I'd be thinking that if somebody is scared off by the AI ships in 1.0.2 they could always just either find 1.0.1 and use that, or go to EV and practice with that. EV still has a dull AI and practice could be done there.

Or if both those fail, go play that online game Burch wrote, with the Manta fighters. It's a cool game, and would sharpen reflexes for EV and EVO.

------------------
One cannot walk down an avenue, converse with a friend, enter a building, browse beneath the sandstone arches of old towns without meeting with an instrument of time.

Time is visible in all places.

Clock towers, wristwatches, church bells divide years into months, months into days, days into hours, hours into seconds, each increment of time marching after the other in perfect succession. And beyond any particular clock, a vast scaffold of time, stretching across the universe, lays down the law of time equally for all.

In this world, a second is a second is a second.

Time moves forward with unwavering regularity.

Time is an infinite ruler.

Time is absolute.

In my opinion, the AI should be made to vary directly according to the players skill level. Thus, if the player was harmless, the AI would really suck. Whereas, if the player was at Ultimate, the AI would be excedingly difficult. This would make the game easy enough for beginners and, at the same time, hard enough for professionals.

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Quote

Originally posted by Jol'Jvik:
In my opinion, the AI should be made to vary directly according to the players skill level. Thus, if the player was harmless, the AI would really suck. Whereas, if the player was at Ultimate, the AI would be excedingly difficult. This would make the game easy enough for beginners and, at the same time, hard enough for professionals.

Actually the new AI gets better as your combat rating goes up. So you should be happy, because they knew what you wanted and gave it to you before you asked

Chamrin