Lethal Security Scans

[Metatron919]

I have been killed by more times due to simple security scans than anything else in ED. Last week I pulled my gun out my mistake and was given a warning. Luckily I holstered my gun just in time just to be killed at the terminal which I scanned by mistake just trying to access it. I had to put the game down for a week. Today I attempted to drop off a package on foot on a cordial base and got scanned while in mid-jump ten minutes into the game. I tried to stop in mid-air and slipped into a ditch. I then was shot at by turrets. Back to the detention center I go. All legal missions. You can barely sneeze without getting shot at by allies. San Andreas seems like safer place to be at this point, with all of these trigger happy security guards. Are they supposed by the witches from Left4Dead?? I'd love to play this game as intended, but they next time I get scanned, I'm just going to start blasting anything that moves like in Scarface.

[Sighman]

Maybe take some missions where you're meant to clear the settlement - nice way to get some revenge.

[Metatron919]

Thats not a bad idea. It was in Sol too, which i just wanted the learn the nearby stars and gain influence with the local factions. Well it seems like ive been called to the joined darkside ahaha

[malorob]

Elite never how you got there but the journey to get there.

[Minonian]

Heh, yas that's a pain in the buttock. The wise approach is to just
stroll at the settlement instead of going all spiderman with the jetpacks
while you have no need to hurry nor doing anything illegal.
If you are just a citizen mindig his business? Than act like one
and comply with the authorities for the same reason you don't go
out guns blazing like a total moron when a police patrol pulls you out
from sueprcruise, you just submit the scan and good to go.

And if you don't? That's a wery poor idea for more reason as one.

And yes i had some wery hot moments cause of sec scans
before i realized i just don't have to go all jumpy jumpy. Or i can,
but at this case? I do better to make sure no 1 is around.

[Kazuma]

The whole Elite is like 'don't get killed by the next guy' game. While in ship you can get fined and be left to figure out where to get money for the fine (at the beginning anyway), on foot the one and only punishment is always death, in addition to the fine or bounty. Feel like the protagonist of Deus Ex or Metal Gear Solid, that's more or less appropriate mindset, imho. Although sometimes I go like Shadow Warrior or even Duke Nukem at them if I get pissed by the ridiculous AI. Since I enjoyed all those games I honestly feel at home in Elite on foot. Sometimes I do need a stress relief, though. For me it is getting into an anarchy settlement and clearing it out without firing a single shot. Observing residents, figuring out where they are least seen (now and later, when lying), then moving to takedown. Or just old fashioned zone defence at conflict zones.

[Alrik]

Originally posted by Metatron919:

Thats not a bad idea. It was in Sol too, which i just wanted the learn the nearby stars and gain influence with the local factions. Well it seems like ive been called to the joined darkside ahaha

Missions for clearing settlements is a bad idea if you struggle even with simple delivery mission.

Do the power restore missions first and learn the layouts of the different settlements. Take out the first wave of enemys from your ship with dumbfire missles, they won't come again after restoring power.
Disable the settlement alarms and loot everything from the lockers and the data ports.

Other Odyssey settlement missions are much easier if you are familiar with the layout, the settlement alarms potential positions and the later the guards movements.
There is very little variation in layout and AI paths.

[Metatron919]

I gave it another go and returned to the same base after paying off my fines... Oddly while trying paying them off, there was huge type-9 glitching out over the landing pad that I needed. But I carefully got around it. There was also one leaving the detention center glitched out near the station.

Anyway, so I get the settlement and land fairly close by. I go in and start delivering bullets to the same guards and handing out some justice. It is VERY tricky switching between guns to take out down their shields and then switching back to bullets for the kill. I managed to kill just one guard while two others chased me back to my ship. I dropped a couple of random grenades and shot back while switching guns, healing, restoring suit power, keeping an eye on my oxygen AND dodging bullets. I didn't get far before they took me out but it was worth it for that one kill. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to shut down and take over a base...

I've had a lot of fun with this game, made a couple million and bought an anaconda, a keelback and few small fighters. It's the overly tricky game design on foot, that seems so odd. Why is there a need to juggle two guns to kill one person? Conflict zones are good fun and actually very easy WITH a team of ai taking the enemies shields down for you. This may be the only time I'll ever get out of my ship from this point on. One giant leap in Elite is no problem at all, but one small step will get you killed.

[Sam Willet]

Plasma Shotgun to the chest when they're scanning you. Nice and quick, but you'll need to upgrade it.

[Sam Willet]

And yes, the Odyssey ground stuff is meant to be difficult, at least to start with. As you play more you survive longer, until it becomes easier.

It's given me hundreds of hours of fun though, and I got a reality check yesterday when I took my new-ish alt account to a high security military settlement and confidently took on the NPCs. I got my arse handed to me twice over.

(Settlements have different security levels with very different NPC danger levels. If you see NPCs with shield icons full of chevrons, you're way out of your depth.)

[Minonian]

You must go full commando on them aka stealth kill style such as games as
deus ex thief dishonored and the likes, anything like in the doom series?
Is a death sentence, especially at harder difficulty.

So no, run in guns blazing not working you got to be tactical.

[Metatron919]

I thought about that, maybe my guns are still low level. I think I'll start with the plasma shot gun. I guess I gotta read up on the enemy types and levels. So much much to learn and at times hard to tell if you've over looked something. Good ♥♥♥♥, I'll give it a shot!

[Minonian]

Yeah stick with plas so you don't have to swap between weapons.

[Faustrecht ت]

I use the Executioner Level 2 on close range. they are 2 shot mostly.
Even high skilled NPC dont stand a chance. Once their shields go down they are stun locked for 1-2 seconds.

Yes try to get Better guns. You dont need to grind them. Sometimes you will find them on station. If you already have a conda then you should be able to afford them.

Watch for the AI how they act infight. They try to push you. But you can use it for your advantage.
Once you figured out they become easy. But they are Dumb AF and barely seek cover.
But well im an experienced FPS-Player.i play FPS games mainly since over 20 years. I know alot of positioning plus my aim is high.

Biggest problem is when they want to scan you while you are in air. They often become hostile because because you have not enough time to land. An option to surrender were a good workaround.

[ZombieHunter]

The problem with security scans is the guards are too glitchy. Half of the time you don't even know they want one. The system needs some TLC and the guards need more tolerance. However this is all easily avoided if you just stay on top of structures and use your jetpack to leap from structure to structure. Guards will not open fire on you nor ask for a scan if you are above them. This includes simply standing on a box near them.

[Kazuma]

Originally posted by Metatron919:

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to shut down and take over a base...

A trick to take down a settlement without alarming residents is really dumb and simple. After playing a little you realise it's a technicality, really, this alarm thing. All you have to do is disable settlement alarms for this condition to be fulfilled. You have to know all residents have remote alarm raising device on their persons, but those stop working when alarms are shut down settlement-wide. This may sound simple, but depending on where the alarms console is located, this can be a challenge.

Some people use brute force with upgraded plasma pistol, they just march in and before guards finish saying their warnings, they deliver one bullet to their still unshielded chest at point blank range. Then they disable the console and going forward they just need to kill remaining residends not in an open field where they can shout for help to nearby guards. Killing someone using that gun requires either point blank range or some actual skill aiming. Sometimes I see some streamers just marching like a terminator and take down anyone in two shots from that peashooter.

One more word about the alarms console - when you do something illegal like downloading data marked with bell icon, those that raise alarms when downloaded, you are safe as long as no one sees you, when alarms are disabled. What's stupid though is that you can power down the whole settlement, open containments and all that and with no alarms no one will know until it's too late. One of my favorite tricks when covertly stealing samples from containments is to see who is walking close to the thing, follow that person to the farthest point on their path and blocking them there for 3 minutes until the containment opens. Then I just run there and take the sample minding not to be seen, closing the containment afterwards. No one ever reacts.

With settlements there seems to be a trick to everything. You just need to learn them from someone or discover on your own. I won't say you'll be always safe, but it's easier than you think.