Favorite Combat Tactics
Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:56 pm
I'm sure that everyone here has a favorite combat tactic, which in their mind at least, while immersed in the game has led them to a victory or survival of sorts in the heat of battle. Question is, how many of these tactics actually make sense in the real world? Of course we all think that we’re brilliant tacticians, and the fact that quite a large number of us are original BBC Elite players who have made ---- E L I T E ---- seem to suggest that we’re as good as our self-proclaimed successes suggest, but are we really?
How many of us could, in reality, hold our own in a good old-fashioned dogfight in space? Of course it all comes down to how you’re attacked at the end of the day; how many pilots are going up against you, their apparent range when the attack occurs and the sorts of weaponry they’re employing – not to mention the direction that they’re coming at you from. In the majority of attacks its easy enough to open up with a cannon and blow away anyone who is stupid or foolhardy enough to come straight down your barrel and then mop up die-hards with missiles if you’re feeling vindictive, but what happens if you are low on power, out of missiles and have only the seat of your pants and maybe a few shots from a laser at your disposal?
You live or you die. Depending on how good a tactician you are.
In most instances it’s a good idea to put as much distance between you and your attacker, assuming that they have superior weaponry, speed, or just dumb luck on their side, but in most other instances its often a good idea to lull them into a false sense of security and that is where the clever stuff comes in. Often playing ‘dead’ is the option, which will serve you best. Shut down the engines, switch off the navigational lights and roll the ship gently about both axis until it looks like you are space junk. Then let them get in nice and close and roll around the target their engines, cargo hold or nose to give them a bloody nose. Often playing dead followed by a vicious sustained attack and then an acceleration up to maximum power is enough to throw off most attackers.
In these instances its impossible to fire up your intersystem jump drive, so ducking, rolling and avoiding incoming fire is your best option to keep those energy banks from being drained completely. The idea is to keep them busy and to give you time to get as full a shield on your bow as possible before reversing course, chasing down your attacker (if possible) and then RAMMING them as its either you for them. Missiles are really not a solution – they just piss people off and are rarely effective against larger ships unless you fire them off as your attacker makes a real close pass at you. It would be nice if Oolite was able to permit more in the way of ‘special tactics’ within its AI. For example, sending a message declaring that you are dead in space to lure in other pilots and then taking them apart either all at once with an energy bomb or one by one with lasers or missiles. Suggestions for these 'special tactics' if anyone has any?
How many of us could, in reality, hold our own in a good old-fashioned dogfight in space? Of course it all comes down to how you’re attacked at the end of the day; how many pilots are going up against you, their apparent range when the attack occurs and the sorts of weaponry they’re employing – not to mention the direction that they’re coming at you from. In the majority of attacks its easy enough to open up with a cannon and blow away anyone who is stupid or foolhardy enough to come straight down your barrel and then mop up die-hards with missiles if you’re feeling vindictive, but what happens if you are low on power, out of missiles and have only the seat of your pants and maybe a few shots from a laser at your disposal?
You live or you die. Depending on how good a tactician you are.
In most instances it’s a good idea to put as much distance between you and your attacker, assuming that they have superior weaponry, speed, or just dumb luck on their side, but in most other instances its often a good idea to lull them into a false sense of security and that is where the clever stuff comes in. Often playing ‘dead’ is the option, which will serve you best. Shut down the engines, switch off the navigational lights and roll the ship gently about both axis until it looks like you are space junk. Then let them get in nice and close and roll around the target their engines, cargo hold or nose to give them a bloody nose. Often playing dead followed by a vicious sustained attack and then an acceleration up to maximum power is enough to throw off most attackers.
In these instances its impossible to fire up your intersystem jump drive, so ducking, rolling and avoiding incoming fire is your best option to keep those energy banks from being drained completely. The idea is to keep them busy and to give you time to get as full a shield on your bow as possible before reversing course, chasing down your attacker (if possible) and then RAMMING them as its either you for them. Missiles are really not a solution – they just piss people off and are rarely effective against larger ships unless you fire them off as your attacker makes a real close pass at you. It would be nice if Oolite was able to permit more in the way of ‘special tactics’ within its AI. For example, sending a message declaring that you are dead in space to lure in other pilots and then taking them apart either all at once with an energy bomb or one by one with lasers or missiles. Suggestions for these 'special tactics' if anyone has any?
