Bounty Hunting

[Eric Walch]

On the subject of Q-mines, I got a new player (creatively named "Test Pilot") from about ten kills to over 200 kills just by deploying two mines. That's a bug, surely? It's counting each piece of debris as a separate kill? I have the Griff scripted debris and explosions OXP installed.

Problem is that it is difficult for Oolite to fool-proof determine what object should be counted as kill.

To overcome this dilemma, you can now add the ship key counts_as_kill to the ship definition. By setting it to no, you are sure it is never counted. It was added after Griffs scripted debris was written, but a new release should include this key.

[mandoman]

Well, there have been some great tips here on bounty hunting. Good to know. I had an opinion, but it seems to have been removed from the thread. I don't seem to remember using bad language, or putting anyone down. If that post offended someone, I'm sorry, as it was not intended. I thought we were just shooting the breeze about bounty hunting in Oolite. My mistake.

[Eric Walch]

I had an opinion, but it seems to have been removed from the thread.

Or it was never posted. When you post a new message and someone else has posted a new message while you were writing, the message is not posted when you press the summit button. Instead you get the new message to read. Sometimes you get the 'ninja' feeling but post it anyhow because of the effort you already put in writing.
That way you can adapt your message with the new info. To submit it you must press submit for the second time.

[greenseng]

Q-mines are something I have neve dared to test.I simply don't know anything about them. How to use them practically. How effective they are and their range. And if they can be a dangor to oneself. And if the target may collide with them or if they somehow can sense a target on distance. And how dangerous they are to an innocent surrounding. And - what are they really - and how do they work? It must be something with them as they are rather expensive.So I suspect that one doesn't use them easily. Can they be scooped and used again if they don't explode? Probably not.

All you ever wanted to know about Q-bombs

Hmm... I think I will wait with this device.

[Cody]

I had an opinion, but it seems to have been removed from the thread.

Or it was never posted. When you post a new message and someone else has posted a new message while you were writing, the message is not posted when you press the summit button. Instead you get the new message to read. Sometimes you get the 'ninja' feeling but post it anyhow because of the effort you already put in writing.
That way you can adapt your message with the new info. To submit it you must press submit for the second time.

Eric is correct, mandoman... no post was removed.

[greenseng]

There are 2 very experienced pilots that I have learned this from: Wyvren and Viejo

Thanks for the kudos.

With beam or military lasers, always remember, burst-fire is better than sustained fire, as these lasers have a rapid heatup. Burst-fire techniques keeps them cool longer.

When I have a target in a perfect position, I just give it all. Don't stop until the target is powder. Keep the trigger firmly in.
But...maybe this is not the best way to handle the situation. My lasers gets overheated rather fast.

With burst-fire.. do you mean to shot single shots rapidly - and not keep the trigger locked in shoot-position?
If so... it must of course be tested.

[Smivs]

Both methods have their merits. A good long blast (providing your aim is good) will destroy many an opponent, but single shots do wear the enemy down and will reduce over-heating. Sometimes the target will determine which method I use.

[Disembodied]

One extra piece of advice could be target selection. When confronted by a group of hostiles, don't just dive in and engage the first one you see. Take a few seconds to weigh up the situation and prioritise your targets. A Sidewinder or a Mamba can do just as much damage to you as a Python or an Asp: but they die a lot faster. With sensible target selection (and a steady aim) you can eliminate two or even three light fighters before your laser gets redlined. That's two or three fewer guns aimed in your direction.

Picking off the small fry early on is generally sound advice. Of course, it's always a good idea to know what you're up against: you don't want to swoop off after the runts of the litter, only to wind up with some nasty surprise on your tail – like an Iguana, a Cat or a Wolf II ... or worse. If you've got the time, check out the opposition. Learn to use the multi-targeting system and the memory upgrade. Log them, store them, rank them and tank them.

[mandoman]

Or it was never posted. When you post a new message and someone else has posted a new message while you were writing, the message is not posted when you press the summit button. Instead you get the new message to read. Sometimes you get the 'ninja' feeling but post it anyhow because of the effort you already put in writing.
That way you can adapt your message with the new info. To submit it you must press submit for the second time.

OK, my mistake. I didn't know about that little twist in the posting. I'll have to keep my eyes open when ever I post from now on. All I said was that I like to use a fully equipped Merlin for bounty hunting. They are so fast, that if you arm them with military grade lasers, shields, energy units, energy bomb, and I also use a railgun while my lasers cool, that it's very hard to destroy. I've taken out numerous pirates, and Thargoids, including the huge carriers, just with a well equipped Merlin. No big.

[greenseng]

Log them, store them, rank them and tank them.

Sounds like a good song.

[Disembodied]

Log them, store them, rank them and tank them.

Sounds like a good song.

Not when I sing it, it doesn't.

[Cmdr Wyvern]

When I have a target in a perfect position, I just give it all. Don't stop until the target is powder. Keep the trigger firmly in.
But...maybe this is not the best way to handle the situation. My lasers gets overheated rather fast.

With burst-fire.. do you mean to shot single shots rapidly - and not keep the trigger locked in shoot-position?
If so... it must of course be tested.

That's pretty close. It's nearly impossible to get off single shots with beam/military lasers, as they have a very high rate of fire. Burst-fire entails firing off quick bursts, say 3 - 5 rounds, waiting a second, firing another 3 - 5 rounds, ect, till the target ejects, breaks and runs, or turns into spacedust and loose cargo.
It's ok to let off a full barrage on weak ships that don't have much staying power, like Sidewinders. A well aimed mil laser can saw a Sidewinder in half very easily.

[Alex]

I'm writing a guide to combat and bounty hunting for the Oolite wiki, and I wanted to get some feedback from other commanders who have spent time in combat. What tactics would you want to share with a new bounty hunter or other combat-ready commander?

After you've cleaned up, be sure to jettison all narcotics and firearms. While it isn't technically illegal to sell these, the less on the market the better, you know? However, be sure to take slaves back and sell those. Slavery is still better than being hurtled into space.
Bounty hunting is a rewarding occupation; not usually in the form of money, but in that you have saved innocent lives and made the galaxy a safer place.

I have been a bounty hunter most of flying career. Huge fan of random hits.

It is NOT so much illegal to buy or sell these items. You just can't take off from an original game station (not oxp added) with them without incurring an offender status.
Though if you got the illegals anywhere else you can land and sell them with impunity. And very profitable they can be.

Bounty hunting can be very profitable, just not from the actual bounties themselves. The are usually quite low, a few tens of credits are about average. Not enough to make any profit really.

Don't remember the last time I used a E bomb. Was a harmless at the time. Only ever used a Q once. Wanted to see what it did. Very impressive. I keep one now.. Just in case.

I only ever use a missile if the fighting is going very bad for me, It makes the targeted one run away.
I use military missiles. They are rarley effected by ECM.
Wouldn't do without my mil lasers.
My usual tactic is to get in close fast using injectors targeting one of the smaller ships, can usually get a couple of them on the first pass, slow right down to turn back and get what's left. I find getting rid of the smaller more manouverable ships first the best. Then picking any bigger cargo ships at ease. With these I find being gentle with the lasers gives less chance of destroying any spilt cargo they may have. As that is where most of the profit comes from.

Of course if you are going to be a serious bounty hunter Randomhits oxp is a must.

[Dragonfire]

Mm, I added randomhits.oxp, personally. I also added the feature to turn illegal cargo over to GalCop. But this manual is intended to be purely non-OXP. I may end up amending it for OXPs, later, as additional tactics come into play then.

[Dragonfire]

Okay, I need one more read-though please. I made some more revisions.

If it clears, I'm still waiting for winston to get my PM about needing a wiki account. Thus, could someone post it for me?