Asteroid fields are home to scum and villainy. Bandits in small squads of fighters, gunships and corvettes may spawn and hunt down unwary players. Between 2 and 4 squads of bandits will spawn in an asteroid field. Bandits usually fly weaker ships such as ugly-type fighters. Destroyed bandit ships will be wrecked and converted to NPC-owned, and can be recycled using the appropriate tools.
With the exception of Asteroid Hideouts, bandits will not spawn if there are any stations present within the entire asteroid field deep space square.
The presence of a habitable planet, or the fact that a deep space system shows as being controlled by any faction, does not affect the spawn chance of bandits.
Hostile bandits have an algorithm that determines their movements and actions. When in a quiet environment, bandits may patrol the system or hold in one location. If any threats or targets are detected, bandits will react according to their role. Some roles are more likely to flee a threat, and others are more likely to hunt and engage a target. The exact details of the rules are considered secret and are not published. Developers and administrators will not reveal the details no matter how politely you ask.
Hostile NPCs will not target escape pods.
If presented with multiple targets, bandits will choose the best option based on role matchups. The preferred targets for various role combinations are considered secret and are not published.
Bandits will act more or less aggressively based on their experiences in combat. A bandit that is attacked frequently will become more aggressive over time. A bandit that attacks frequently will become less aggressive over time.
Hostile bandits will persist in the game indefinitely while a character is on the same system. Once all characters have left the system, the bandits will despawn if left alone for 7 days. If nothing spawned initially, or if all bandits have been killed, no further spawns will occur for 7 days after the last character leaves the system.
Bandits can be lured to an asteroid field using a Sub-Space Radio. The radio will emit a signal mimicking that of an alluring target, and attract bandits to the system. Using a radio will bypass the 7 day respawn timer for bandits. The radio will have no effect if bandits are already present.
Space Bandit Capture currently involves the use of an Electronic Lockbreaker to hack a hostile NPC ship.
- Character must be in the cockpit of a disabled hostile entity.
- Character must have an Electronic Lock Breaker nearby.
- Character must not have already attempted to capture current ship.
- There must be no hostile forces in the cockpit.
Your chance of success in hacking a bandit ship is dependent on your Crafting/Slicing skill.
- Control of a hostile ship can only be usurped from the cockpit.
- Warships, such as corvettes, protect their vital spaces with armed troops and blast doors.
- Success or Failure, the Electronic Lockbreaker used will be lost.
- Failure by one character does not currently lock it for others. Have your friends try too!
- Bandit ships can potentially recover or move while disabled, leaving you trapped on board. Be careful.
Defensive troops on bandit warships are significantly stronger than regular bandits, and should not be underestimated. Plan ahead and bring friends before trying to capture a bandit warship.
When a bandit ship is captured, you may need to manually clear the Enemy IFF status from your IFF list. If the combat was conducted using faction-owned ships, you (or a faction member with privileges) may need to manually clear the Enemy IFF status from your faction's IFF list.
Bandit Corvettes:
| Image | Name | Spawn Chance |
|---|---|---|
|
CR-90 Corvette | 18.00% |
|
DP-20a Gunship | 10.00% |
|
DP-20b Gunship | 8.00% |
|
IPV-1 System Patrol Craft | 16.00% |
|
Adz-class Patrol Destroyer | 2.00% |
|
Foray-class Blockade Runner | 14.00% |
|
Crusader-class Corvette | 4.00% |
|
Sphyrna-class Corvette | 20.00% |
|
Raider-class Missile Corvette | 8.00% |
Bandit Gunboats:
| Image | Name | Spawn Chance |
|---|---|---|
|
Pursuer-class Enforcement Ship | 6.47% |
Bandit Fighters:
| Image | Name | Spawn Chance |
|---|---|---|
|
R-41 Starchaser | 10.79% |
|
Z-95 Headhunter | 10.79% |
|
Y-TIE Ugly | 21.58% |
|
X-ceptor Ugly | 17.99% |
|
TIE-wing Ugly | 32.37% |
