Elite: Dangerous PvE - Mobius

This is probably a debate topic and I don't want to start a flame war. But I wanted to ask your opinion about the subject of killing NPCs.

We all agree that killing other player (ie PvP) can be viewed as annoying if for no other reason that just to kill a player to annoy him or her. However everyone keeps going easily about killing NPCs, and I was just wandering what the difference is.

Of course an NPC is "just" an AI, but...

Is it ok to distinguish between them and us?
(just to be clear I'm not talking about not attacking and killing and NPC which attacks you. But for example going about and just killing a random NPC...)

Again, I'm not trying to start a laughing contest or having something to flame at. I just was wandering if anyone shares my views.

I know of commanders who go out of there way to not kill NPCs. Playing as explorers or truckers. It's just a question of how you want to play.

Yes.
One should not kill npc's in this game.
Think of the poor npc children.

One should also take Into consideration the emotional toll it would take on the poor npc's in racing games when you beat them.

Polygons don't make flesh.
Particles are not blood.
Basic path finding algorithms, and pre scripted movement patterns do not make AI let alone sentient.
Potted plants have more intelligence.

Every time you leave an instance you effectively DESTROY all npc's in that instance.
No shots needed.

Omg Tor... I will never engage supercruise again

As for me i never even deploy hardpoints if not necesary. can spend months without firing a single time if i'm not actively bounty hunting.

Players who enjoy chaos and disorder and a good laugh will fire at NPC to their heart's content if they want to.

As they would say : blaze your own trail, and bring your own personal narrative :p

NPC's are part of the environment, the whole ethos of Mobius is Player versus Environment.

I don't even carry any weapons in my hardpoints, the only reason for me to deploy hardpoints is for wake scans, or data scans, since I evade interdiction 99% of the time, and when I don't succeed in evading, I just boost out of harms way until I can hit SC again.

Apart from the first week or so in game I haven't been killed by an NPC since I began playing.

I'm an explorer and CG freight hauler mostly, so combat isn't something I even bother with generally, it's not my play style, if you choose, like I do, to evade and not engage NPC's then that's your choice, if you choose to hunt them down and murder them relentlessly, that too is your choice, play the game the way you feel suits your personal goals and style.

I don't see much of a difference between killing players and NPCs. I don't kill players at all because I don't want to be killed by them. But if they had good PVP modes of play, like big naval battles (like playing x-wing or tie fighter), where you lost a navy ship instead of your own, then I'd probably like that. And I have 15 min in CQC and had no problem killing players there.

But what I won't do is kill innocent NPCs. They need to be wanted. And they have to have a big bounty. If it's only 200cr, then I let them go. Not because I'm credit hungry, but because I figure they just trespassed or something equally stupid to raise a bounty. In a res, I wait for them to attack innocent ships. If they interdict me, then that is there problem. But I wont take missions to kill traders or security vessels and etc. And I don't want to play as a criminal, pirating or killing cops to escape. It just doesn't fit my idea of a galaxy I want to live in. I want there to be law and order and I wish the game was more of a simulation of living in space and not an excuse to shoot things up.

I understand that power play, if I did it, could maybe allow me to kill "enemy" traders and cops if our systems were at war. But that's different than just indiscriminately shooting anything that moves.

Hell, I even wavered about killing clean skimmers, but I needed the credits after starting over.

As a general rule I don't kill "innocent" NPCs, even when I occasionally pirate (which is more of a hobby than a profession) I try to avoid destroying them and will only "pop" an NPC when they fight back to the point of endangering my ship.

My Commander, whilst not entirely law abiding, has a basic ethos that prevents him from indiscriminate killing for no good reason.

Wanted NPCs however are a different matter, as my over 16,000 bounty claims can attest to.

I'm only 'law abiding' for a few reasons.
First. Crime is so unprofitable it wouldn't cover ship integrity.
Two it's a pain in the butt having to murder police all the time.

I have however murdered the occasional t9 or orca in anarchy systems.
Sometimes for no better reason than I hadn't shot one before.
Yeah I'm a real nice fella.

Currently my goal is to reach 30 000 kills.
I'm not stressing about it so it is slow going.
But last time I looked I was at approx 21100 bounties and 7000 combat bonds.

Need to build that soul choir to sing me into valhalla.

I never kill an NPC unless they are wanted.

Kill just the correct amount and stimulate the economy.

Those left (if any) now work harder (less food about), prices increase, folk left (if any) work harder to feed the remaining offspring (if any) the economy steps up, spending increases as do taxes, folk work harder....

We need to face a harsh truth, now that MMs are effectively nerfed there is more need to kill.

When a Commander has made a few billion it is their duty to help those remaining (if any) to rebuild (please see standard superpower post conflict policy) this way more NPCs will be 'stimulated' and the cycle of increase can be maintained.

Outcome: more cash for me all! (so in summery. A good thing).

Same process applies to beer.....