NMS combat actually IS challenging [Tactics Spoiler Alert]

[Felis_Exploria]

There are many threads that either diss someone challenged by sentinels / pirates or complain that combat is not challenging enough. Yet, in those discussions, I almost always read about the built in opt-out mechanisms devs put in. It is true that devs are constantly trying to please all, and for the most part, it feels as though they have succeded.

I will start with the opt-out mechanisms used to keep this game as sandboxy as possible. (Spoiler alert if you want to experience and learn these tricks yourself. I learned them on my own over the years and found self revelation immensely fun.) In space, unless you are in the slowest ship (hauler c class with no upgrades), you can outrun any enemy. Interceptors require slightly more speed, but you can simply outrun any fight using a bee line.

If you engage, then the target lock and some sodium makes it a walk in the park. Even with starter ship, I can defeat 6 pirates with just a handful of shield recharges when at half level (damage only occurs once shield weaken, so keep above half level). If all else fails, the freighter, anomaly, or space station ends the fight. On the ground, I can run away from any fight. A single punch-jump puts me far enough away that sentinels are searching. I can also hide in a tunnel, or (my favorite) a building (including archways), so I can fire and get pugneum while sentinels can't see me. These mechanisms allow the opt-out. For those wanting the challenge, try it without these outs.

Sentinels and pirates are quite challenging now. They move, they bob, they change direction on a dime. Some sentinels can halve your shield in a single hit. They come in waves, each getting stronger. (Interceptors battles are of course endless now.) Pirates attack strength scale with system combat. More phase beams in tier 3. Without weapons and shields upgrades, these attacks can kill just about everyone. Then, when overwhelmed, many will revert to the opt-out and claim, "See. No chance of dying." In reality, without any buffs or mods or op-outs, these battles may even be too much now, leading to more op-outs or buffs making the game, "a piece of cake".

Before dissing on the newbies about challenging battles, please remember your own initial experiences and how you learned over time how to buff or opt-out of battles.

[Consoomer]

Don't be ridiculous ) In a properly balanced game the player shouldn't have to restrict himself to not-using certain mechanics in order to feel a "response". That's just jumping through hoops. Everything should work across difficulty levels - easy difficulty should be easy, hard should be actually hard.

With sentinels, as you go up difficulty levels, only their health and damage changes, but how they move in combat remains just as dumb. Check out Exosolar's Savage Sentinels[www.nexusmods.com] to see how amazing the fights become when the robots are less handicapped. The repair drones are in extreme self-preservation - they don't just stand there when you shoot them, but fly away high up into the sky. Combat drones flank you, gang up on you. Larger sentinel damage is accurate to their size.

The pirates are even worse. They just perform the same maneuver over and over, while giving you ample time to conveniently hammer them.

I think on the highest Combat/Enemy Strength setting the PvE enemies should be balanced so that you can only take them out in co-op. That's what those settings should be reserved for.

[indigo]

I never had any problems with combat, either back on release day or yesterday.
All that fancy maneuvering is easily countered by holding "S" while locked on.

[SkiRich]

Originally posted by Felis_Exploria:

Before dissing on the newbies about challenging battles, please remember your own initial experiences and how you learned over time how to buff or opt-out of battles.

What about the rage quitters? The people that post in all caps raging against the game or the devs and claiming how unfair and stupid the mechanic is.
Can we diss them?

[PeaceMaker]

Previous versions of combat were babified to me, but yes, combat is actually somewhat challenging now and prepping up is useful.

Remember unhappy people post more than happy people even if there are more happy than unhappy, therefore giving the wrong impression. Always amazes me how so many don't understand this fact.

What we need is an UNBIASED poll so we can judge better how many people are happy to unhappy.

[Galactic Starman]

Play with changing difficulty settings in Options. For any mode you play.

Choose your preferred immersion. The settings there are to be played with, Have fun. visiting hostile systems. :D

[Felis_Exploria]

Originally posted by indigo:

I never had any problems with combat, either back on release day or yesterday.
All that fancy maneuvering is easily countered by holding "S" while locked on.

By far, using autolock is THE way to make combat less challenging. So, I will correct this one point from my original post: I did learn about autolock from Steam discussions and not on my own. After the Outlaws update, I started using autolock and combat became easy peasy, as I mentioned in my original post.

[Krash Megiddo]

Originally posted by junkie:

Don't be ridiculous ) In a properly balanced game the player shouldn't have to restrict himself to not-using certain mechanics in order to feel a "response". That's just jumping through hoops. Everything should work across difficulty levels - easy difficulty should be easy, hard should be actually hard.

NMS is not a combat game, so yeah the OP is correct to restrict himself to increase the fun factor. I like that about this game, its as hard or easy as I want it to be.

[Consoomer]

Originally posted by Krash Megiddo:

NMS is not a combat game, so yeah the OP is correct to restrict himself to increase the fun factor. I like that about this game, its as hard or easy as I want it to be.

I'm sure you remember the official HG press lingo: "The game is built around five pillars: exploration, survival, combat, trading and base building". Combat has always been a part of the equation, so let's not justify dev laziness. They've turned this game into something completely toothless.

I'm glad it fits your requirements for fun, but I'm here stacking difficulty mods and self-limiting rules, and still cannot for the life of it get it "as hard as I want it to be". Which sucks, because this is the biggest, most vibrant universe of all currently available. I can't play other games - they all feel claustrophobic after NMS )

[Krash Megiddo]

Originally posted by junkie:

I'm glad it fits your requirements for fun, but I'm here stacking difficulty mods and self-limiting rules, and still cannot for the life of it get it "as hard as I want it to be". Which sucks, because this is the biggest, most vibrant universe of all currently available. I can't play other games - they all feel claustrophobic after NMS )

I play other games when I want challenging combat. Have you tried Elite Dangerous? Horizon Zero Dawn? For most of us, NMS is just a chillax game to escape the stress of real life.

[Darth Cervantes]

I'm not saying the combat is too hard or too easy (its definitely on the easier side), but its strange to me that NPCs can make hair pin 360 degree directional swaps in combat and I can't. They can even do this in giant bulky haulers and I can't do it with my mini fighter. and I know that if the NPC ships didn't do that then you could take them down very easily, i get it, but it still seems tacked on. I know it isn't a combat sim so don't get defensive. I dont' expect the fighting to feel amazing, and it doesn't

[PeaceMaker]

Originally posted by Krash Megiddo:

[
I play other games when I want challenging combat. Have you tried Elite Dangerous? Horizon Zero Dawn? For most of us, NMS is just a chillax game to escape the stress of real life.

I never ever looked at NMS like that. I looked at it as an exploration game which means potential DANGER, whether it's aggressive predators or combat of some kind. In fact I found NMS not dangerous enough.

I will never understand why some people seem to think that exploration means no challenging combat. Exploration in life through out history has had challenging combat at one point or another- It can't be escaped.

Exploration has NEVER been safe. Not that you're ever in danger cos it's a game.

I guess I'm just too logical. Maybe I'm autistic.

But oh well- whatever.

[Krash Megiddo]

Originally posted by PeaceMaker:

I will never understand why some people seem to think that exploration means no challenging combat. Exploration in life through out history has had challenging combat at one point or another- It can't be escaped.

Exploration has NEVER been safe. Not that you're ever in danger cos it's a game.

I guess I'm just too logical. Maybe I'm autistic.

But oh well- whatever.

Agreed, exploration should be dangerous and stressful. But NMS is far from realistic in every way. I get a real sense of dangerous exploration while exploring the map in Horizon Zero Dawn and its nothing like NMS.