Trade lane disruption

[SquigglyKey]

I've found trade lane disruptions by NPCs to be rather useful when you're chasing a trader. I'm happy for them to stay in.

That works both ways, I had trade lane patrols disrupting me when I chased someone too.

Well that's fine, benefits both parties.

[Czechmate]

I don't get why NPCs that do disrupt tradelanes are so weak? Especially their damage is nothing vs any transports, the whole disruption is pointless

- make them stronger so they at least do some damage, and bounty for shooting them is higher so people bother to load guns instead of couple units of cargo
Like in Vanilla

Or stop them from disrupting the lanes

[LuckyOne]

NPC disruption should stay, at least it makes it a little more inconvenient to AFK F2 trade.

In fact, I am a strong proponent of there always being one route through a system (where two parallel trade lane networks exist) with a big chance of being NPC trade lane disrupted.

I believe it's actually good for RP, instead of detrimental, even with the laughably weak NPCs... I have hired a few new players as escorts several times, knowing fully there are actually no pirates ahead because nobody was in the systems I was going to, but we could still RP around my transport being stopped by NPC pirates and them "defending" me.

They got some credits for popping a few NPCs, didn't have a boring trip and hopefully learnt a thing or two about RP.

This is how PvE can still be good for roleplay, instead of everyone always complaining about NPCs "ruining" their RP. I really think there should be more "predefined" PvE RP zones outside missions. There's plenty of empty, unused space, do we really need to have all of it for PvP RP interaction?

[Czechmate]

Yeah just buff the NPCs on lanes so they drop more money and it's worth actually shooting them
and loading guns instead of cargo space will be a thing - that's how it was in vanilla anyways, and now you can bring it back with the PvE money change

transports with guns should get some edge