NPCs Won't Engage Player or Hostile NPCs!

[Matricaria]

So I have returned after a few years on hiatus, I play entirely with friends in a co-op experience on a private server, and have since 2010. I redownloaded the game a few days ago, and have spent every free moment I could dedicate to it trying to troubleshoot the strangest problem I have ever run into with this game.

Essentially, about 1 in 3 spawns (or 1 in 2 if you take the 20k credit missions in the beginner sectors) the NPCs will come at you as normal until you are at about 1,100 meters in range. They will then perform one of a few odd behaviors, but the most common one is; turn 90 degrees to one direction, begin engaging their cruise drive for a few moments, stop doing so, then turn and fly away from the player for about 400 meters before starting again. The exact same thing will happen if friendly police spawn, they will get close to the hostiles and never fire their guns. Some of the turret-equipped AIs, however, will indeed fire as normal, but only their turrets, never their primary, limited traverse armament. Please note : It is the entire spawn, never just one NPC from a group, and if another spawn occurs they don't necessarily suffer from the bug, but almost all of the low-level spawns do.

This does not happen if I install the game as normal, but then not launch through the launcher, thus averting downloading any of the updates since the full release. All behavior as normal in this circumstance. Please understand, I have reinstalled the game 3 times in an attempt to remedy this error, as I had believed that it was something I was doing wrong. Nothing I did made any difference at all. Each time I deleted the entire directory, reinstalled the base game, and deleted the my documents data.

I can easily take a video of this behavior if anyone thinks it would at all help with the fixing of the bug, just ask and I will take the video and upload it.

Thank you all so much for continuing to support this project! I will never stop playing permanently, and am always drawn back to the incredible quantity of quality content!

Steps to reproduce
1. Install game
2. Install mod, update through launcher
3. Launch a server through FLServer.exe
4. Launch game, connect to server
5. Create new character, take lowest payout mission OR fly to nearest NPC pirate base
6. Pick a fight, stand still and observe AI behavior

TL;DR, Some NPCs won't engage me, friendly NPCs won't engage hostiles, sometimes. (certain loadouts? certain AI groups? not whole factions though)

Edit : I realized I didn't articulate my thoughts on this issue very well, I have had this happen at every corner of the galaxy and on missions paying out over 400k (over level 25) Video showing nomads not engaging me and displaying the same hapless behavior : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PBIdhyG...sp=sharing Note : The shield damage was due to the surrounding minefield, the nomads never fired on me.

[Kauket]

If they are level 16, they will not attack you. Pick a higher level mission or higher paying one.

Level 16's are basically ambient npcs, tha's why they do this, so they don't disturb players.

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[Matricaria]

If they are level 16, they will not attack you. Pick a higher level mission or higher paying one.

Level 16's are basically ambient npcs, tha's why they do this, so they don't disturb players.

This also occurs in the wild, the spawns on wormholes and the like will similarly not engage, but I can destroy them and farm them for pilots. Is there no way for me to fix this? I find it very immersion breaking that some NPCs are just suicidal, and will do nothing, not even attempt to escape, as I tear them to pieces. I have seen NPCs do this in the core systems as well as far out in the Omicron systems.

I have taken missions in the level 22-28 range that have behaved similarly, so I get 500k+ for killing enemies that will not fight back.

I have also seen nomads that wouldn't return fire on me.

Thank you for your swift response.

[Kauket]

Select the npcs themselves, the number in the top right corner is their level.

These are 16-18, right? 19 should start to actually shoot you.

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[Matricaria]

Select the npcs themselves, the number in the top right corner is their level.

These are 16-18, right? 19 should start to actually shoot you.

Looking into the video I edited in, it looks like they are indeed under 19. But those are nomads in the outer rim, when was this change made? I would like to get a version before this if it is at all possible, we used to have endless fun going deep into nomad space and roleplaying Order members, and I can't do this with this current state of the game. No offense to the devs intended at all.

I have an old 4.88.1 installer, but the moddb links don't seem to work. It may be hard to get the version, if it is even possible to get an answer when this change was made, but I don't mind a challenge if I can play with my friends like the good old days.

Thank you for clarifying anyway though!

[Venemon]

Select the npcs themselves, the number in the top right corner is their level.

These are 16-18, right? 19 should start to actually shoot you.

Looking into the video I edited in, it looks like they are indeed under 19. But those are nomads in the outer rim, when was this change made? I would like to get a version before this if it is at all possible, we used to have endless fun going deep into nomad space and roleplaying Order members, and I can't do this with this current state of the game. No offense to the devs intended at all.

I have an old 4.88.1 installer, but the moddb links don't seem to work. It may be hard to get the version, if it is even possible to get an answer when this change was made, but I don't mind a challenge if I can play with my friends like the good old days.

Thank you for clarifying anyway though!

This change made because of strong NPCs ruin PvP/RP by attacking and messing balance for both sides

There are zones/systems that have strong NPCs tho such as Omicron Major and Pennsylvania

[Matricaria]

Select the npcs themselves, the number in the top right corner is their level.

These are 16-18, right? 19 should start to actually shoot you.

Looking into the video I edited in, it looks like they are indeed under 19. But those are nomads in the outer rim, when was this change made? I would like to get a version before this if it is at all possible, we used to have endless fun going deep into nomad space and roleplaying Order members, and I can't do this with this current state of the game. No offense to the devs intended at all.

I have an old 4.88.1 installer, but the moddb links don't seem to work. It may be hard to get the version, if it is even possible to get an answer when this change was made, but I don't mind a challenge if I can play with my friends like the good old days.

Thank you for clarifying anyway though!

This change made because of strong NPCs ruin PvP/RP by attacking and messing balance for both sides

There are zones/systems that have strong NPCs tho such as Omicron Major and Pennsylvania

Thank you so much, I understand now. I just couldn't fathom that pirate groups spawning along gunboats, and nomads in the outer reaches would be deactivated. So now it's the hunt for the patch that made this change, I will try to find the last working version so that I can PvE in a co-op server.

I certainly understand the change from a main server standpoint, but I just figured there would be some way to fix this for all the smaller servers out there, where there is pretty much nothing to do at the moment.

If anyone has any information on when the majority of the AI was deactivated I would be incredibly grateful, I played last a few years ago and never ran into outer reaches (especially nomad) NPCs that were disabled, so this will be a good place to start for my hunt.

Again, thank you both very much!