Is it possible to tell an NPC from a PC?

[Warburd]

Probably a noob question but I've checked and can't find an answer.

Yesterday I was executed in Rhea, no cargo, semi tooled up Asp, pulled out of FSD and disposed of. Now, the games not called "Dangerous" for nothing and if it's a PC then no problem, people get there kicks however they see fit and I'll play solo in my more expensive ships I can't afford to lose. But if it an NPC then that seems more than dangerous, it seems suicidal :)

It doesn't matter even matter who the executioner was but I don't know how to tell one from the other (you tend to get in a bit of a flap when things happen a bit to fast to realise what's happening).

Any guidance from you more expreienced players would be appreciated

[SeraphinicIna]

If the name starts with CMDR - then it's a player.

[dirt]

Also the icons will be different on your radar, should be more of an outlined square for a PC iirc as opposed to the full square.

[Sapyx]

There's three ways to tell a CMDR from an NPC.

- The word "CMDR" at the beginning of their name. They're always player ships, not NPCs. Make sure it's actually "CMDR", not "Commander" in full; apparently there are some NPCs named "Commander". If a ship blows you up, the death screen will pop up saying "You have been killed by"... and if it's a "CMDR", then it was a fellow player that killed you.

- Their radar blips are hollow, rather than solid. So hollow rectangles and triangles, not solid ones, are human CMDRs.

- Any conversation or chat they fire at you is not the same old scripted NPC lines that they always say; once you've been playing awhile, you learn all the iterations of NPC chat. Anything that deviates form that - especially in using poor spelling and grammar and txt lingo instead of actual Enlgish - is most likely a CMDR.

[Steve]

Hollow blips are players, fyi the manual does say that. (open launcher click "manual" link top right)

[Warburd]

Well don't I feel like a dumb ass that it should have been so easy to notice :)

Thanks for your help guys, at least I know the same PC has executed me 3 times now. Someone didn't get enough love as a child ;)

See you out there... in a disposable ship, obviously.

[HeapOGibs]

If you see me out there I'll drop you a few tons of pallladium to speed you up to a better ship.

[LedoCool]

Players are called commanders in this game and have CMDR written before their nicknames. So if you ever meet CMDR %whatevernameyoucanthinkof% you know you've met a player. Second thing is they have a hollow icon on the radar.

You can also tell if any of the commanders in your vicinity by looking at the chat window. Second tab will have number corresponding to amount of commnders you can start chatting (it is used for private messages and stuff). This tab shows even those ships which commnders' names aree still unknown to you.

Btw about your situation: try to remember if you got any messages from this guy in chat. Thing is NPCs tend to chat. Even those trigger happy guys that start shooting just as they see you. But players, especially player hunters, tend to forget about this little window.

Originally posted by PaulFoster:

Hollow blips are players, fyi the manual does say that. (open launcher click "manual" link top right)

Cool guys dont look at explo... manuals!

[Askania]

CMDR.

[SeeJay]

In addition to all great advices, when a contact flashes white, it is attacking you.

A square contact indicates that hardpoints are retracted, while a triangular one
indicates that hardpoints are deployed.


SUMMARY:
Hostile - Red
Neutral - Orange
Allied - Green
Structures/Anomalies - White
Flashing white - He/She is attacking you.

[Warburd]

Thanks all. especially HeapOGobs for the kind offer :)