Keep dying in combat! ARGH!

[Shadow Wolf Alpha]

Hey guys, decided to try out combat (i'm playing singleplayer) and took a contract to defeat 2 enemies on a patrol. Can't remember what system i'm in.

I've upgraded my ship with a Class 5 primary weapin and a Class 2 Beam (Hope that makes sense)

Engine: 2
Shield: 3
Frame: Talon

Got a x3 shield boost as well. However when I go into combat, I kill 1 of them and then the second hands my ass to me instantly... argh! What am I doing wrong? What's your combat tactics


[Edited on 1-28-2012 by Shadow Wolf Alpha]

[Viper]

You're going through that 'AAARGH!!!' phase we've all gone through lol. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it seems. You are managing to kill one of them, which indicates you're getting there.
A couple of tips though:

- Never go head on with NPC's. They will eat you up.
- Move around your enemies in a circular pattern, always sliding sideways a bit. This will help throw their MDTS off track.
- Keep boosting power to your forward shields if you're taking hits, this will help keep it up longer.
- Always make sure none of them is behind you, this is where they get you.
- Take their shields down with your beam weapon, then when their shields are red, switch to particle and rip their hull to bits.
- Fire in bursts, not continuously. This is more energy-efficient.
- Keep your nose pointed to the NPC's at all times. This will make sure you can see what they're doing, and will make it much easier to shoot down incoming missiles.
- Use inertia most of the times. Using IDS increases your heat profile and missiles will hit you more easily.

I'm sure there's more but this is what I could think of.

Good luck!

[Shadow Wolf Alpha]

'Take their shields down with your beam weapon, then when their shields are red, switch to particle and rip their hull to bits.'

At the moment, both my weapons fire. How do i swap it so only one of them fires?

Also, how would I move, with ease, in a circular pattern

And finally, why only the forward shield?

Sorry for all the questions, just a bit nooby

[FinFoxx]

'Take their shields down with your beam weapon, then when their shields are red, switch to particle and rip their hull to bits.'

At the moment, both my weapons fire. How do i swap it so only one of them fires?

Also, how would I move, with ease, in a circular pattern

And finally, why only the forward shield?

Sorry for all the questions, just a bit nooby

The Default key is N which changes from beam to part or "all" as both

with a and d keys in inertia mode you can easily follow your target

forward shield because you want to always face your enemy so the forward shield is usually taking all the hits

and for the noob part, all of us have sometime been noob so its all good

[countjimula]

You can select the weapon fired by pressing the N key or assign each to a key. I have beam and particle assined to my left and right mouse buttons (the default keys are F4 and F6).

Turn IDS off and use inertia forward (the < for forward and > for reverse keys without holding shift) I have them reassigned to my S and W keys. As you move forward use the side thrusters A and D.

[Shadow Wolf Alpha]

So many hotkeys! Ok I'll try to remember that for next time thanks a lot guys

Oh, and one last thing, whats the easiest way to make cash

[Maarschalk]

Oh, and one last thing, whats the easiest way to make cash

Bribe any one you think you can defeat.....:P:P:P:P:P:P

Seriously though make some cash mining platinum and then go trade weapons of mass destruction if you can find them!...:P

[Shadow Wolf Alpha]

Oh, and one last thing, whats the easiest way to make cash

Bribe any one you think you can defeat.....:P:P:P:P:P:P

Seriously though make some cash mining platinum and then go trade weapons of mass destruction if you can find them!...:P

WMD's? Where!

[Maarschalk]

In High Tech Systems........

[Munshine]

Keep it up Shadow Wolph Alpha !:P

(Well that's easy to say that now, I'm still a noob though )

[Shadow Wolf Alpha]

Going to have another go at it soon . Fingers crossed I can do it this time after the last 5 failed attempts.

[BillytheCrayon]

Got a x3 shield boost as well. However when I go into combat, I kill 1 of them and then the second hands my ass to me instantly... argh! What am I doing wrong? What's your combat tactics


[Edited on 1-28-2012 by Shadow Wolf Alpha]

I am currently in the same boat you're in. I cannot figure out how to work out this whole combat thing. I feel like this game is almost impossible to play as a combat pilot.

[49rTbird]

Got a x3 shield boost as well. However when I go into combat, I kill 1 of them and then the second hands my ass to me instantly... argh! What am I doing wrong? What's your combat tactics


[Edited on 1-28-2012 by Shadow Wolf Alpha]

I am currently in the same boat you're in. I cannot figure out how to work out this whole combat thing. I feel like this game is almost impossible to play as a combat pilot.

Until you get used to how the AI work and become more experienced with your ship "DO NOT" take on a enemy ship or ships head to head. Try a slide by tactic. By this I mean head towards them at an angle until your guns or theirs come within range, then with your IDS off, use your side thrusters a little to throw off their aim. This like most things takes practice but as soon as their shots start to hit you apply the side thrusters again. Your MDTS will compensate so your shots will still hit them. Remember, practice, practice, practice. I think I am safe in saying that most of us felt like you do when we began.

[BillytheCrayon]

Got a x3 shield boost as well. However when I go into combat, I kill 1 of them and then the second hands my ass to me instantly... argh! What am I doing wrong? What's your combat tactics


[Edited on 1-28-2012 by Shadow Wolf Alpha]

I am currently in the same boat you're in. I cannot figure out how to work out this whole combat thing. I feel like this game is almost impossible to play as a combat pilot.

Until you get used to how the AI work and become more experienced with your ship "DO NOT" take on a enemy ship or ships head to head. Try a slide by tactic. By this I mean head towards them at an angle until your guns or theirs come within range, then with your IDS off, use your side thrusters a little to throw off their aim. This like most things takes practice but as soon as their shots start to hit you apply the side thrusters again. Your MDTS will compensate so your shots will still hit them. Remember, practice, practice, practice. I think I am safe in saying that most of us felt like you do when we began.

hehe, I am definitely getting a lot of practice. pick up a contract, jump to waypoint. screen shakes uncontrollably, reload last save

A few times i'd stay alive for a long time, but I would be targetting more missiles then I would be enemy ships.

[49rTbird]

BillytheCrayon, if you can you can also jump onto MP and join missions with others. As an example the USS server has lots of pilots that will help when asked.

[Mecingo]

I made combat tutorials bro.


Space Combat
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Atmosphere Combat
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I've been told by players that these have helped them and I hope they will help you to.

[Edited on 1-30-2012 by Mecingo]

[BraveHart]

Got a x3 shield boost as well. However when I go into combat, I kill 1 of them and then the second hands my ass to me instantly... argh! What am I doing wrong? What's your combat tactics

I am currently in the same boat you're in. I cannot figure out how to work out this whole combat thing. I feel like this game is almost impossible to play as a combat pilot.

"I believe that both of you will become fighter pilots...Just hang in there and try different techniques to fight off hostiles"....There is one technique that you can try using the IDS on, Now I know there are going to be a lot of pilots out there that are Gasping now and shaking their heads and saying no way, but it does work. Try the following technique listed below:

1. choose a contract with only 4 or less hostile fighters....when the nav point shows up on the text screen change it by going into your nav map (key f1) move it to say 100m away or closer if you like....this way you can have some more room to manuver.

2. when you arrive at your nav point face the hostiles and keep your speed up and IDS on. if you have any missiles lock on to the 1st ship and fire away at 800m or closer...this might take some practice to time it right but if you have a minimum of 4 missiles you should beable to down the 1st two hostiles...next target the 3rd ship and use your laser to take down their shields and use your cannon fire to punch through the hull. You can use both at the same time but use both with short bursts of fire 3-4 rounds.

3. as you fight the 3rd ship it will pass you and as it does so turn your ship to follow him...you will beable to stay on his tail so long as you are not going faster then your set speed for your ship....(if you are going faster then your set speed you can expect to slide to far and thus allowing the hostile ship time to turn around and fire upon you.) You can use your after burners to help you to catch up as you turn, a short burst will help you to be 300m away and on the hostiles tail...continue firing in controlled burst of weapon fire till the hostile blows up, then turn and fire up the other hostile. If you want you could fly pass the 3rd hostile and take on the 4th one...your chose, try it and find out what works best for you.

4. hostiles that fire missiles at you can be a pain but master your(cm's) chaff fire will help....let go a burst of (5 cm's) chaff when the missiles are almost on you and if your head on with the missile then you can try your hand at shooting down the missiles. Either way you will have to practice this technique to master it.


"There are a lot of different techniques to take out hostile ships and this is but one...try it and you may like it. Hope this helps both of you and the other new pilots"


"Good Flying and Fighting to both of you"

[BillytheCrayon]

the beginning combat ship doesn't have beam weapons for one things.

I've taken on one or two ships that randomly came up and attacked, but they don't give you any rewards what so ever. they just eat up your fuel, missiles, and damage your ship. so you can't really use them to practice on, or farm.

I don't have any lasers, or beam weapons when you first start the game.

When it says 'expected enemy force = 4', it's a complete lie. I counted at least 7.

Chaff, or your countermeasures doesn't really seem to do anything, from what i can tell, if I even have em when i start the game hehe.

I want to see someone link some youtube videos of them doing those missions in a brand new game, with the starter ship, and only 5000 dollars. Once i see someone do that for a few missions, I will call that person a god, and feature his video on my youtube channel.

But for now, I gotta take a break from this game, maybe try it tomorrow after some more research.

[BraveHart]

"Beginning ships for new pilots are not the best for fighting hostiles...it's best to make a lot of credits first and then upgrade your ship and weapons....using your cm's takes practice before you finally get them to work and if I remember right you don't have that many to begin with using the civilian ships. Myself and a few other veterans decided how cool it would be if we loaded up with the smallest civilian ship and minimum weapons and we met in Thuban...What a Hoot that was! very difficult to do, but having our experience behind us helped. I have faith that you will get the hang of it soon and you will laugh about your past explosions....Hang in there"

[BillytheCrayon]

"Beginning ships for new pilots are not the best for fighting hostiles...it's best to make a lot of credits first and then upgrade your ship and weapons

hmmm. can you buy a mining laser with only 5000 bucks???

this makes it sound like starting as a combat pilot is absolutely useless, and the worst idea you could do hehe.

And I won't give up. this game sounds amazing, and I am determined to master this, and become the most feared pirate in the galaxy!

but on a serious note, this game does sound like a load of fun, if I can figure this out.

[BraveHart]

"I think so....been awhile since I bought one, but they are cheaper in sapphire"

[Angitherias]

I've recently gone from a Starmaster (like a tank) to an Aries fighter pilot (like a paper airplane ), even though I've been playing for a couple of months, it was like I was a noob again and dying all the time. Once you figure out your control set it will become easier.

[BraveHart]

"That's cool Angitherias....I don't think I had the chance to welcome you aboard?...So "Welcome Aboard Angitherias". Yup I agree with you flying different ships is a learning process, but once learned the better pilot you'll be.

[Angitherias]

I'll have to try your combat tactics, I'm stuck in the flyby rut and can't seem to get out. It IS safer, but can take a long time when facing multiple multiple contacts (like 20+ ).

[mygo]

I was in the same boat as you guys until I watched Mecingo's videos. Even so I was stuck at the sliding past really fast stage and not killing quickly.

Here are some tips I found useful (just bear in mind I am not a pro like some of these guys who are probably more PvP oriented than I am, I am just a PvE player at 60 hours in the game).

First up make credits doing deliveries, taxi runs, mining or whatnot. Once you get enough credits, get yourself a Maxim-R (700 range) particle cannon. It does 120 damage I think but the range is really nice (at 700). I still use it over the more expensive cannons like the Banshee (maybe I don't really understand combat but this seems to work best for me). Get yourself the strongest Beam Weapon you can afford. If you don't see these weapons for sale just get the best you can.

You might want to change your key setup as suggested by countjimula on this thread. I do it exactly the same with left mouse for particle and right mouse for beam. CTRL for missiles, A, D for left or right thrusting. Space for CM since it's easier to hit than C. I also use Z and X to transfer energy to shields or weapons. Much easier to manage shields and weapon energy than by having to bring your fingers over to [ ]. I often sit on -5S/+5W when I'm fighting multiple hostiles at max shields. When my shields dip to red I'll switch to +5S instead and recover.

Using CMs is a lot easier done when you have IDS off. You want to use CMs so you can save your energy for shots rather than shooting down missiles when you're on a killing spree/run.

Using a high agility fighter makes it easier to get past the sliding fast without killing fast problem. You can turn quicker to the enemy and thrust back onto their tail much more easily with IDS on and afterburners churning. I was using the more expensive civilian frames like the Mammoth or Starmaster for a while until I tried out some military fighters and am now addicted to the speed of the Evoch-E. This frame is so good seriously :>.

PS. are all the military frames supposed to unlock at 250 ranks in military? I thought I would have had to have grinded to Fleet Admiral before seeing all the military frames for sale.