Oolite Bulletins

Hi All,

I'm new to Oolite, been playing a couple of days now. Love the game, but currently frustrated because almost all fights degenerate into perpetual stalemate: AI ships can't hit me, but I can't kill them, or escape.

My ship is equipped with a forward beam laser, shield boosters, fuel injectors.
I have Neolite and Neolite Companion installed. Controller is a MS Sidewinder 2 joystick.

Enemy ships that cause this trouble are Asp Mk II special and Fer de Lance. They invariably have ECM. I can't outrun them with injectors on. I can hit them, but not often enough (either following their evasive weaving, or in head-on runs) to do any damage. After 30 minutes or so, my wrist aches and I have to reload.

Any suggestions? This experience is ruining Oolite for me.

Thanks,

Yseult

Welcome to the board!

Yseult wrote:

My ship is equipped with a forward beam laser, shield boosters, fuel injectors.

The beam laser only has a range of 15km, half that of the military laser. As a result, you may see ships on scanner and visually but not be able to hit them because they are too far away.

Especially the fer-de-lance has a tendency to run once it has been hit a few times...it's not always possible to shoot it because it attempts to flee so early and is fast

Another method to make enemy ships run is the use of ECM hardened missiles, but those are expensive.

Screet

Yseult wrote:

I'm new to Oolite, been playing a couple of days now. Love the game, but currently frustrated because almost all fights degenerate into perpetual stalemate: AI ships can't hit me, but I can't kill them, or escape.

This is a bit unspecific, but one situation where this can happen is when you’re close to an enemy of comparable speed and both are circling around each other at high speed. The best way to break out of this is to slow down; the enemy will end up further away from you, and becomes easier to aim at (because his movements have a smaller arc distance from your perspective).

Ahruman wrote:

This is a bit unspecific, but one situation where this can happen is when you’re close to an enemy of comparable speed and both are circling around each other at high speed. The best way to break out of this is to slow down; the enemy will end up further away from you, and becomes easier to aim at (because his movements have a smaller arc distance from your perspective).

Another solution is to fly very close to the enemy, as they then stop evasives and fly in a straight line, allowing to shoot them down easily

Screet

It hard to kill certain opponents with a beam laser, while several hits with a military one often finish the job

Screet wrote:

Another solution is to fly very close to the enemy, as they then stop evasives and fly in a straight line, allowing to shoot them down easily

Aye, thanks Screet. This tactic plus a military laser got me unstuck. Feels a little like an exploit, but needs must, eh?

28 kills, going for Average now.

Thanks to everyone for your rapid and insightful replies. Very friendly forum, this.

Yseult

Yseult wrote:

Very friendly forum, this.

Friendliest this side of Riedquat, or so I've been told.
And yes, welcome!

Does a military laser make that much of a difference? Been saving up for a bigger ship, so I've generally stuck to the Beam. An aft laser helps. I personally engage Asp's and Fer's in this fashion;

First, the Scanner targeting enhancement is awesome. A. because it lets you know in advance the legal status etc. B. It puts an arrow that moves around your reticule pointing to your current target. Great for dogfighting.

My strategy involves whitchinjecting up to said Asp/Fer and then shooting a bit. Then, it will invariably turn in run, or charge you. Regardless, keep on its tail. Once you get reasonably close, slow down just a bit on your speed. The enemy tends to fly straight if they get a bit of distance. Then just keep shooting. Use the aft laser to keep his buddy's off of you. Oh. and ECM, they tend to launch missiles in groups of two, so wait for the second, and activate that ECM.

Ive made it to competant without military lasers. I think strategy is more important than equipment. Oh, and if you are using an OXP, then all of the above could be obsolete...

OneoftheLost wrote:

Does a military laser make that much of a difference?

Oh yes, much more powerfull & much longer range.

Once you've tried one you won't go back....

ps Apparently most pirates have Beam lasers.... so I'm told

OneoftheLost wrote:

Does a military laser make that much of a difference? Been saving up for a bigger ship, so I've generally stuck to the Beam. An aft laser helps.

Aft laser is a must-have and for some missions side lasers really are necessary. It may be tricky on how to learn to use them, but it's the only way to keep constantly firing, which sometimes is necessary. I myself won't fly any ship without aft laser and if I've two similar ships of which one can mount side lasers and the other cannot, it's pretty clear which one I prefer

The military lasers biggest advantage is the distance it can shoot at. Sometimes it's very helpful to be able to engage ships on such a long distance. For close combat, especially in an agile ship, it's not so important, although it helps to deal damage quickly enough.

Oh, and then there's this build in mission where it does read that only a military laser can harm the target...

Screet