Finally got somewhere in my game. Befriended an NPC with a great gun and excellent stats, had some decent weapons myself, and then I stumbled across a survivor’s bunker out in the middle of some woods. Had entire tanks full of water, supplies – everything.
I’m looking forward to trying out farming for the first time, am looking forward to building up some skills and constructing furniture. I build a bulletin board for the first time, set up a zone.
Then I tell my NPC to remain at my base.
Boom, he starts running across the map and is almost immediately out of earshot because of the trees. I have almost no health and will die without his protection, so I start running after him, hoping to corner him by the time we emerge into a field. However, he’s somehow a champion sprinter and outpaces me the entire time. I spend three days and three nights chasing him, sleeping only when necessary.
By this point, he’s on the very edge of my visibility – about 50 or 60 yards out. And then a tank drone appears on my map, next to my NPC.
This guy who has accompanied for the past week, who’s seen incredibly harrowing turns while next to me, dies almost immediately. Three turns, BAM BAM BAM, and he’s dead.
Then, the tank drone turns its laser targeting to me. BAM BAM BAM.
[quote=“leland, post:1, topic:13019”]Finally got somewhere in my game. Befriended an NPC with a great gun and excellent stats, had some decent weapons myself, and then I stumbled across a survivor’s bunker out in the middle of some woods. Had entire tanks full of water, supplies – everything.
I’m looking forward to trying out farming for the first time, am looking forward to building up some skills and constructing furniture. I build a bulletin board for the first time, set up a zone.
Then I tell my NPC to remain at my base.
Boom, he starts running across the map and is almost immediately out of earshot because of the trees. I have almost no health and will die without his protection, so I start running after him, hoping to corner him by the time we emerge into a field. However, he’s somehow a champion sprinter and outpaces me the entire time. I spend three days and three nights chasing him, sleeping only when necessary.
By this point, he’s on the very edge of my visibility – about 50 or 60 yards out. And then a tank drone appears on my map, next to my NPC.
This guy who has accompanied for the past week, who’s seen incredibly harrowing turns while next to me, dies almost immediately. Three turns, BAM BAM BAM, and he’s dead.
Then, the tank drone turns its laser targeting to me. BAM BAM BAM.
This is what got you killed, not a tank drone. If you can live for three days chasing a dude through the woods, taking time to sleep, you probably don’t need some idiot NPC.
And I’d agree with Declan. NPCs are bullshit, though they’ve gotten better.
Next time something like that happens, do NOT try to catch the NPC. IME, they are almost ALWAYS faster than you, save perhaps over VERY short distances where you can run the whole way. Not sure why (my guess is that encumbrance doesn’t affect their speed like the player).
But on the flip side, they can’t really leave you - they can only get to the edge of the reality bubble.
Instead of chasing him, next time, let him go, then circle around to be in front of this path, and he will run TO you.
Tank drones are actually not TOO bad, as they are generally fairly easy to avoid - either stay far enough away, or, if it’s dark, they can’t see you. Don’t try fight one until end game.
This is what got you killed, not a tank drone. If you can live for three days chasing a dude through the woods, taking time to sleep, you probably don’t need some idiot NPC.
And I’d agree with Declan. NPCs are bullshit, though they’ve gotten better.[/quote]
So you’re bullshit then? xD
Srsly tho, apathetic’s right. You could probaby have done without him. And considering the amount of resources you said you had, you shoulda let him go off on his adventures. Tank drones are rare and easily avoidable - that is, if you’re not out of breath from trying to catch an NPC off its leash.
There is a lot of stuff in this game that is honestly, well, I won’t say BS, but just too silly and annoying to bother to deal with.
For example, NPC’s have this uncontrollable urge to run in one direction endlessly for no reason whatsoever. It’s stupid, pointless and breaks immersion. So F that, just debug teleport to him, talk to him about the mission you just completed, claim your meager prize and carry on with your game.
This game is not even close to what anyone could call a finished product. Don’t feel bad about cheating your way around anything, ever.
I use the debug menu and even save-scumming without hesitation whenever I feel the game has done something I just don’t agree with. I never feel bad, it’s just a game and I’m here to have fun, not get frustrated.
[quote=“hobophobic, post:7, topic:13019”]There is a lot of stuff in this game that is honestly, well, I won’t say BS, but just too silly and annoying to bother to deal with.
For example, NPC’s have this uncontrollable urge to run in one direction endlessly for no reason whatsoever. It’s stupid, pointless and breaks immersion. So F that, just debug teleport to him, talk to him about the mission you just completed, claim your meager prize and carry on with your game.
This game is not even close to what anyone could call a finished product. Don’t feel bad about cheating your way around anything, ever.
I use the debug menu and even save-scumming without hesitation whenever I feel the game has done something I just don’t agree with. I never feel bad, it’s just a game and I’m here to have fun, not get frustrated.[/quote]
That’s all I’ve been doing since I came back and all I will do til the next stable.
I’ve avoided tank drones in the past, but when you’re in a situation where it’s too late for that – e.g. like what I’ve described – you’re probably going to die. The tank drone was in a position where I couldn’t have seen it until I was within it’s targeting range.
[quote=“leland, post:9, topic:13019”]I’ve avoided tank drones in the past, but when you’re in a situation where it’s too late for that – e.g. like what I’ve described – you’re probably going to die. The tank drone was in a position where I couldn’t have seen it until I was within it’s targeting range.
The RNG giveth and the RNG taketh away.[/quote]
Oh RNGesus, who art in the cloud.
Hallowed by thy dice.
Thy cryptarch come,
Thy rolls be done,
On earth as it is in the forums.
Give us this day our weekly drops
And forgive us our greed
as we forgive those gettings exotics they already have
And lead us not into cheesing,
but deliver us from glitches.
For thine is the cryptarch,
and the power,
and the glory,
for ever and ever, (or alternatively, “Until the patch comes out”)
amen.
Same. If I took every time I got killed in this game, I would probably not enjoy it as much as I do. I want to feel like I’m making progress, but also be able to say “No” to those times when I catch my side on one of the jagged edges.
The game’ll be perfect enough to play non-cheatsy someday. Just not soon.
Even before the current 30m range limit they were a menace, specially if you were driving at high speeds on forest roads… If you think it’s ugly to be “ambushed” by one on foot… Wait until you are catched on a vehicle you have spend LITERALLY months into assembling…
…That’s the joy of a roguelike with “extremely hard to beat” enemies.
It’s refreshing, for a change, to have enemies YOU HAVE TO AVOID instead of beating… The longer it takes for you on a game to beat anything it can throw at you, the longer it will last installed into your system.
Some tips:
They DO NOT appear randomly, check the layout of the map surrounding the encounter and you will recognize POTENTIAL areas were they do. You will develop the healthy habit of doing “exploration runs” scouting for them when expanding your operative radius using new roads and recognize the same patterns.
The missile lock can be aborted by blocking LoS… On forests this can be a lifesaver (And trigger one of the most exciting “Escape Runs” Cata can throw at you).
They are EXCELLENT horde cleaners/lures… Mark the map spots were you avoid a TD… It may be usefull later.
Even if you are locked, activate sprint, by the time the explosion happens you will be on the outer ring of it, diminishing the damage your receive, which, in turn, can allow you to reach cover to block LoS.
Get familiar with “peek over corners” command (It’s a bit cumbersome to use ATM… But CAN’T STRESS enough how a much a lifesaver it’s, specially at checking what may be behind a door you just opened) … With the current 30m cap on firearm ranges, most “non cheasy” ways to destroy a TD involve duck’n cover attacks with weapons with high AP values (As with the anoying “Armored Zombie” I always have around a modded Electromagnetic Rail Gun with Steel Rails loaded “just in case” )… Remember! ALWAYS reload under cover and use peek to check how close the TD is without allowing it to lock on you… If you enter in Machine Gun range, unless you have some heavy armor, you will loose the bullet exchange duel.
Yeah, it’s the NPCs that are grave bullshit.
Tank drones are kind of bullshit too.
Chicken walkers? Similar levels of bullshit. (mechanical enemy like the tank drone)
Just recently I took out a tank drone at 6 tiles away. With an EMP projector (rifle). And the optical cloak (invisibility cloak). But that was after I had tried to deal with it with a control laptop. And the cloak. Which didn’t go so well because apparently I lacked the skill to hack the tank drone. And then the cloak (UPS) ran out of juice.
Flicker…
Flicker…
Oh, look. I’m visible.
Got roasted by its flamethrower. Had some good laughs. Then reload.
)… Remember! ALWAYS reload under cover and use peek to check how close the TD is without allowing it to lock on you… If you enter in Machine Gun range, unless you have some heavy armor, you will loose the bullet exchange duel.