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Part of it I think is we lack a conventional aggro system like other MMOs.

TAUNT: We don't have the ability to 'taunt' NPC pilots to pull aggro off a pilot (we could with a 'Target Redirector" EWAR module that for say 1 second per skill rank redirects and locks anyone targeting the target to yourself, friend or foe).

DETAUNT: We don't have a way to really lose aggro with an NPC unless we warp out. We can jam them so they lose their targeting but they just tend to re-target the same person. We could try a new EWAR jammer mechanic that says if you are jammed by someone there is a cooldown to re-target that particular player. (Say x4 their initial locking time due to "residual effects of the jamming are slowing your targeting speed against this target..."_

e.g. Player 1 and Player 2 engage NPC A. NPC A targets and locks Player 1. Player 1 jams NPC A. Once the jamming clears NPC A is still on cooldown to target Player 1, so instead targets Player 2. Player 2 is getting is ass kicked so Player 1 targets Player 2 and hits is 'Target Redirector' and NPC A's current locks on Player 2 are switched to player 1 for X seconds (I assume he's got Rank 4 so for the next 4 seconds NPC A is stuck targeting Player 1 for example.)

This gives us, regardless of how the AI is going to work, some tools to deal with aggro management. Hell the Target Redirector could be a "Hella Fun" in pvp fleets as a new EWAR tool. Rather then Jam targets, steal the target and lock for a few seconds. Imagine targeting an enemy BS and stealing the locks from the remote reppers?! Or grabbing the locks off your logis to buy them time to MWD out of range. Or just keep it as an "Usuable only on NPCs" type EWAR module. It's a thought.

Ok, so not 100% bad. I like the idea of target swapping and making the missions that use gangs a bit more tough; but this is the biggest and stupidest thing in the world for drone boats and for some really good reasons. Also, this is not just a rage post; I will show some simple ideas on how to fix it.

So first: Why is this bad for drone boats?
This should be obvious, before you could control agro if you handled it properly and your drones may never have been shot at. Now they will swap targets to your drones and you will need to constantly pull them back. Some testers have said "Well, I just pulled them back from time to time when they get shot, it's not a big deal." The problem is that the VAST majority of people have found it quite aggravating. I'm not saying that we should all have an easy AFK mission run game, but this is a disadvantage that is so disproportionate that it blows my mind.

~If you are SOLOing a mission and running a Raven, is agro EVER an issue? NO! Because you are the only target.
~If you are running a mission solo and in a Raven, can agro swapping kill your missile launchers? NO
~If you are running a mission solo and in a Raven, can even your missiles be stopped by agro? NO

There is no disadvantage to ANY ship in the game with this change. (other than their ability to use drones as supplemental damage).

CCP has worked hard to create drones as a PRIMARY form of damage for some ships in this game and now they are effectively BREAKING THEM! Every call back is time my ship is doing under 200 dps for that whole travel time. Every time they are going back to the target is the same thing. Trying to recall heavy drones? GOOD LUCK! In the dev forum they posted that they ran 9 missions and lost only 2 drones so it's no big deal; however at 600,000 + per drone PLUS ammo cost for the hybrid guns, that is a heavy hit to the runner on top of the fact that it will make them take twice as long to finish missions.

I know I'm going to get the "But...but...they are doing it to stop AFK farming in drone boats! I don't want my game to be an AFK farm fest!!"

Neither do I, but you know what it is that allows them to afk farm? IT IS NOT DRONE AGRO IT IS AUTO ACQUISITION OF TARGETS! You want an easy way to stop afk drone farming without KILLING drone boats? Remove the god damn 'aggressive' stance on drone and make them be ordered to attack just like EVERY SINGLE OTHER PRIMARY WEAPON SYSTEM IN EVE ONLINE! Use your brains devs please.

So fixes to this are:
1: Remove drone aggressive stance
2: Don't let enemies randomly swap to your drones as a target because it's just stupid. No other weapon type in eve has this issue. (and drones don't yet either, but they want to give it to you)

That is all. Get your heads out of your asses.

P.S. I would challenge any that read this to give me a good list as to why it is beneficial to have drones targeted by NPC ships at random in solo mission runs. Please....

EDIT: Here is the dev blog on the new AI btw http://community.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&nbid=73413

#1. Specifically between the waves in plexes, so that 23/7 AFK plexers are dead in the water until they tell the drones to go for the new spawn. Which looks like what the devs are trying to address, but screwing regular missioners in the process.

#2. Thing is, all of the things that you mentioned are manageable (strategically picking off groups/sacrificing dps for tank while taking out triggers e.t.c), whereas the only way to manage the new change is to strap your eyelids onto the tiny drone health bars and hover above the recall shortcut. Sounds like fun, eh?

No offence everyone, but one of my main annoyances is the fact that Smartbombs would be much more useful with these new changes (for me anyway) but theres still the very silly fact that CONCORD will magically appear on grid because you accidently clipped a gate/can/wreck/whatever and blew you up only because you were trying to defend yourself.

Why cant we just get a Smartbomb system that WONT fire when a dangerous object is SCANNED within range? That sounds like a real "Smartbomb" to me.

i got a better idea, learn how to do missions in lowsec? hows that for one

1. make more isk
2. dont risk a ship
3. can stay even safer while running smartbombs

if you learn how to dscan everything is possible even better, if you learn how to watch local you can even do them with a war in a highsec system, is that not fun? knowing stuff is fun right!

What a sh1t PVE update...

Caldari are more cr@p than they ever have been.

Concept of NPC AI was OK but the whole killing ma drones shiz, is getting old real quick.

Game was just changed massively overnight and the loot from drops in 8/10 9/10 & 10/10's are still worthless even thou they are much harder now and more time consuming.

Exploration sites seem to have had a nerf

CCP you have lost your way..

I am seeing reports of whole room aggro in some missions now as opposed to staged aggro - so this no longer appears true

fix is incoming, Good the question is when ?

also would it be possible to turn off the warp scram capability on the bugged rats until said fix is in place ???
I mean getting hammered is one thing ,being glued to the floor While its happening is quite another

especially since the scramblers are frig sized and to kill them usually requires the use of drones which we all know will get instapopped the moment they launch with whole room aggro

Will NPC's in missions and complexes be switching targets based on a new A.I. system or will it all go back to normal then?

Just to be cynical for a moment, after having the code in various stages of testing for something akin to two and a half months... was the code tweaked after the last round of player testing, thus... giving us this wonderful new bug? It does sound like the sort of thing we would have noticed during the tests. So I'm curious.