Getting sniped from off-screen

[Elegant Caveman]

Tried to go after Orel in the Train Station, cleaned out the whole place, like 20 guys... finally I find him (not sure where he was hiding?) and he starts shooting at me with what looked like and FRD (I could be wrong? The new ATV-40 looks similar).

I run off to heal, hoping to out-snipe him with my Nozin, but he keeps wrecking me, even though I have a SEVA Suit.

I couldn't even -see- him with my scope, and he was shooting at me. Is it because my scope is too ♥♥♥♥♥♥? I have a CU Scope (basically the first/cheapest scope you can get for the Nozin), which has a magnification of 3.50. Do better scopes zoom out further?

Ended up leaving the map, as I'd done/found other stuff I didn't want to lose, I'm hoping when I go back he'll spawn with a different weapon. Otherwise, I'll have to try to outmaneuver him.

Still... seems weird I couldn't even see him. And I'm a little insulted he was getting through my SEVA so easily... guess he had AP rounds.

EDIT: Finally got him. He had an FRD with an NTS Red Dot sight (1.6 view distance) and AP ammo.

I don't know if he always has the same thing, or if it's randomized, but if that's what he had the first time I went after him, how the hell was he shooting me from off-screen?

EDIT2: Just faced off against him again. This time I had a Lion Scope, which has the best magnification in the game, far as I know (4.50 view distance, 1.40 mult. range).

He was still sniping me from off-screen.

Killed him, took his gun, checked what it was: FRD with a Milosun Red Dot (1.60 view distance, 1.15 mult. range).

There's definitely something ♥♥♥♥♥ going on here.

Guess Orel's hardcoded as being able to do that, which I can understand from a "interesting gameplay challenge from a mini-boss" perspective, but it feels really wrong from a "trust us, all the NPCs play by the same rules you do" perspective.

[(>")>somethinghumble<("<)]

oof. I'll tell you how. Simple. The devs don't play their own game. Just a job. Clock in, clock out.

[Elegant Caveman]

Sounds like it, unfortunately...

I thought I saw something about how NPCs in the new update have to play by the same rules we do, but considering this sniping incident, and how they all have perfect aim with no recoil, that really doesn't seem to be the case.

[TriggerCorno_02]

well i have a similar problem, enemies with higher ai or are in general higher level then a bandot seem to be a bit over the top atm. I dont know how much the scopes actually widen your possible fiew, but you can test this yourself. I wouldnt give the devs this much ♥♥♥♥ about these problems, the game is early access and they do work on this. It is a gameplay wise major update.

[Elegant Caveman]

Originally posted by TriggerCorno_02:

I dont know how much the scopes actually widen your possible fiew, but you can test this yourself.

I did.

The scope I was using has a 3.5 view distance magnification, and the scope the NPC was using only had a 1.6 view distance magnification.

At least that's what he had when I killed him... as I said, I don't know if that's randomized.

It's theoretically possible he had a better scope the first time I encountered him. There are a few scopes that are better than the one I was using.

I know that some other bosses (like Lazar or Arman) always have the same weapon, but their attachments are randomized.

Originally posted by TriggerCorno_02:

I wouldnt give the devs this much ♥♥♥♥ about these problems, the game is early access and they do work on this. It is a gameplay wise major update.

There's an argument to be made that we were spoiled previously, I guess, since it was a damn good game with very little issues, and decent enough balance.

I like what the new update is trying to do, in theory, but it's unfortunately broken on so many levels. This is just one of them, potentially.

[Pistachio]

Yea, bandits armed with pistols and mp/smgs are too easy, while guys armed with larger rifles are very deadly. Pistol and mps have difficult time putting dent on class 5s like Seva and the AI is borked enough that you can shoot at them with a sniper rifle and they'd stand still. Yet, any decently armed NPC would run up and hit you rapidly with pinpoint precision. Sometimes they remind me of Halloween demons minus the range and quick feet.

[Elegant Caveman]

Originally posted by Pistachio:

Yea, bandits armed with pistols and mp/smgs are too easy, while guys armed with larger rifles are very deadly. Pistol and mps have difficult time putting dent on class 5s like Seva and the AI is borked enough that you can shoot at them with a sniper rifle and they'd stand still. Yet, any decently armed NPC would run up and hit you rapidly with pinpoint precision. Sometimes they remind me of Halloween demons minus the range and quick feet.

Well said.

I love the idea behind the update's changes, but the reality of it is that it just doesn't work as it presently is.

What was supposed to bring more balance and variety only served to change one meta for another, while making things more unbalanced overall.

I hope it gets tweaked for the better, but it's going to take a lot.

[Lack of Stuff]

I noticed that Orel specifically did that, I haven't seen it with other NPCs, he also seems to have an inordinate amount of HP. Wonder if his view range is higher than others.

Edit: Also yeah the 7.62x54 AP rounds will pretty much total a SEVA after the first or second hit.

[Elegant Caveman]

Originally posted by Lack of Stuff:

I noticed that Orel specifically did that, I haven't seen it with other NPCs, he also seems to have an inordinate amount of HP. Wonder if his view range is higher than others.

Edit: Also yeah the 7.62x54 AP rounds will pretty much total a SEVA after the first or second hit.

That's good to hear, at least. Maybe it's just an issue with him specifically.

And yeah, I'm not surprised that AP got through, I was just a little annoyed that he had them. "What are the chances?!" I thought, in the moment. Pretty high, as it turns out... upon reflection, it makes sense a "boss"/named NPC would have some.

[Lack of Stuff]

Even regular PS rounds will punch through a SEVA, you're guaranteed to stop the first hit assuming you are at 100% integrity but then the fragility will really start to show and it becomes a matter of luck.

Edit: lol wait until you run into an Ash-12 guy with AP rounds... 70 penetration.

[Elegant Caveman]

Originally posted by Lack of Stuff:

Even regular PS rounds will punch through a SEVA, you're guaranteed to stop the first hit assuming you are at 100% integrity but then the fragility will really start to show and it becomes a matter of luck.

Edit: lol wait until you run into an Ash-12 guy with AP rounds... 70 penetration.

Yeah, I was just impressed/surprised by how quick and violent encountering him was.

Some damage? Fine. Melting me from off-screen? ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, I'm almost surprised I got away.

[Great Leader]

His FRD build is randomized. It's totally possible he just had a better scope. Happens in other games too. I like the new update. It makes the game harder.

[Elegant Caveman]

Originally posted by Great Leader:

His FRD build is randomized. It's totally possible he just had a better scope. Happens in other games too. I like the new update. It makes the game harder.

I'll just go ahead and assume that's what happened, then. It'll make me feel better.

[LagunaFox]

Yea he always has an FRD, though the attachments are randomized, and much like every other boss in the game he is all but guaranteed to have AP rounds loaded. I kind of doubt that the scope/view distance matters that much for bosses honestly. Given that most of the changes made in the update seem to have been made in order to make the game harder, I would imagine that the rules that apply to players and normal npcs just don't apply to bosses. Honestly I think the meta is going to be getting a good full auto weapon and just tossing flashbangs at bosses like this (assuming you can close distance behind cover) to rush and melt them before they can do much to you.

It would be truly evil if the bosses were immune to flashbangs or recovered from them after your first shot lands.

[He Who Games]

Yes enemies have way too much range given their equipment. Doesn't make much sense that I can be shot by a bandit offscreen using a weapon that doesn't even have optics yet it happens frequently usually with pinpoint accuracy and precision too. Devs also need to fix zooming for the bottom and top of the screen because view distance is drastically smaller due to the dimensions of monitor screens.

[Elegant Caveman]

Originally posted by MightyRavenDark:

Devs also need to fix zooming for the bottom and top of the screen because view distance is drastically smaller due to the dimensions of monitor screens.

Which is why this change has (allegedly) been made: "Reduced enemy vertical view distance."

Now, whether it actually works or not is another question, but officially, it's a thing.