AI-driven NPCs will allow you to win more than lose, adjusting their tactics as you improve so you don't win too easily
if they were too difficult, we would just give up and quit the game - it's an axiom of game design
so the only true way to measure your abilities
will be by going up against other players, who have no vested interest in whether you quit or stick around
I agree with this, but I think I failed to communicate what I was thinking here. I'm not talking about PvE as opposed to PvP. I'm talking about NPC escorts that allow the player to extend his presence against both AI and other players. The entire notion of an NPC escort pilot and prefigured formations, flight instructions (defensive, offensive, etc.) is all aiding the player regardless of whether he's opposing AI or another player.
So for example, in the vid above he's talking about assigning escorts in excess of what will fit in a predetermined squadron formation, and explaining that any excess ships will follow at a specific distance, etc. That suggests they intend to allow a large number of escorts to any individual player, so the Vanguard pilot who owns a lot of Vanguard could conceivably lead an entire wing of Vanguard against both AI and player targets. I've been hoping for this, not just for myself but for a small group of Vanguard players who want to build serious strike forces. I don't have an interest in owning 6 kinds of ships in game, but I'd be thrilled to command 6 Sentinels with Harbinger modules as my own wing as time goes on, if I knew I could hire NPC pilots to launch missiles and torps on command. Merely launching missiles and torps is a low bar of expectation on NPC escorts. I'm not thinking NPC pilots are good replacements for dogfighter players.
For a small group, this is a growth vector that can lead to the Polaris eventually, without breaking the bank of the players. Let your strike capabilities grow as your finances in game grow. That seems to me a much more compelling vision than just plunking down $1k at a shot to buy what you want outright, meaning the Polaris.
I'm also encouraged that CIG is working on various formations these multiple player controlled ships will fly in. I'd love to be able to mod these myself to some degree.
Suppose you have a Hoplite strike force landing about 20 PCs and NPCs against a Vanduul mining op on Orion--you wanna go teach those bastards what they get for murdering peaceful humans. Wouldn't it be cool to be able to design a landing formation, where three Hoplites land at 120* angles, their noses forming a triangle with their doors facing inward and their guns facing out? With the shields running, the top turrets active and the chin mounts on swivel, that's a pretty defensive position. The question is, how much flexibility and control is given to the player over formation flying, landing, etc?
I'm encouraged CIG seems to be taking this seriously. If they took the low road we'd always be forced into the same formation, and it would have very low limits to number ships, uses, etc. instead they're planning what to do with too many ships assigned to a formation. That's a good sign.
The example though (what he's reading from CIG from 2:09 to 3:39), is only on "defend target" formation instructions, so we've no idea if this can be used for strike formations. Certainly though, if you're flying a Starfarer, you can assign Tanas as escorts in a preformed pattern, and since the Tana can refuel with its probe, you have long distance esacorts albeit, escorts that will make you crawl through quantum jumps. How cool would it be to be able to build small squadrons of NPC flown Vultures, that come in after you kill everything and clean up? I guess we'll see what CIG has in mind, but I think there will be much more strict limits than we might hope. They want the game to require players, more than NPCs, but they make huge money by creating and extending NPC capabilities--so we'll see.
