Combat Tactics for Capital Ship with 4-9 Hostile Ships

BraveHart · Post by **BraveHart** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:46 pm

This is my favorite combat tactic that I love to use when I get this mission at anyone of the many space stations...I hope this will help all the new pilots:

Prior to accepting a contract to take out a Capital ship/Hostile ships 4-9 make sure you have a ship frame that has at least 8 slots for missiles and is geared for combat( I have done it with 4 missiles, but it takes longer) and the best laser you can afford/find....class 4 or class 5 laser is best, also get the best partical cannon you can find, a repair system C3, Shields, cannon relay system, engineer and weapons ops crew. I have done it with alot of the begining weapons,laser and no crew...but it takes a very long time. Having a good engine will really help.

After accepting the contract I jump straight to the Nav point, of course this puts you directly onto the capital ship ( this gets real exciting quick....and has been the demise of alot of new pilots). Once you have jumped crank your joystick hard right or left 90 degrees away from the captal ship and use your afterburners to gain maximum speed....then turn off the IDS with the space bar( you will keep going in the same direction)...turn around and target the Capital ship and press the " U " button to cycle throught the targets on the capital ship...I prefer to take out the engines. I use my lasers and particle cannon to soften up the shields and then fire off a missile once I am out of laser range...no more then 1200 away from the target. Lasers and particle cannons are good out to 500. Firing the missiles farther away will allow the Capital ship to use its defences to take out your missiles before they can impact. I continue further away from the Capital ship luring the hostile fighters away from the capital ship....while I am still flying backwards. The missles that the hostile ships fire at me never catch up with me. Once I am out 4500 away from the Capital ship I turn my IDS back on (using the space bar) I engage my afterburners and head back towards the capital ship, but on a parallel course to one side of the capital ship and the hostiles that are following me ...once I have attained my fastest speed I turn off my IDS and start turning around again, only this time I am going sideways and shooting lasers and particle cannons as I pass the hostile ships, and as they are firing their missiles at me I will have turned around the rest of the way so that I am flying backwards...watching their missiles screaming to catch up with me...you can pick them off with your weapons. I then make another run at the capital ship and continue a box formation around the capital ship with the hostile ships following my tail. it is possible to keep the capital ship between you and the hostiles using this manuver(Takes practice). Keep in mind that the Capital Ship will fire lasers and missiles at you so timinig and speed are important. Slow speed and too near the Capital Ship spells Doom.

If you are having a problem with keeping the hostile fighters off your back lure them out away from the Capital ship(out of the missile range of the capital ship) and use the same hit and run tactics on them...the hostile ships will stay on your tail...until you start taking them on one on one, then you will be surrounded and it will be the end of your mission. Don't forget to use your counter measures.

When I finally obtained the Banshee Particle Cannon, Fusion Laser and Excalibur Missles....this tactic became alot more fun to use, but I perfected this tactic prior to getting the best weapons I could find.

Hope this helps some of you....The Veterans of this game have probably mastered this a long time ago....in a Galaxy far, far away. Cheers and Good Flying to you all.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:00 pm

That's a good strategy... but personally, a single fulcrum torpedo and five seconds is all I need to complete one of those contracts.

BraveHart · Post by **BraveHart** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:11 pm

Oh so true....but I really love the challenge of a good battle with impossible odds. The Hunt is on and a lot of fun,..... LoL.

Colt .45 Killer · Post by **Colt .45 Killer** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:57 pm

wayyyy back in the wing commander days i would take on all the escorts first so i could play with the main target at my leasure, pretty much the same idea though, weaken it, then feed all 5 missles (the heaviest ship in that game had 5 missles) into it and watch it go boooooooom.

have to say i wasent thinking of this strategy myself, i was going to try orbiting the ship using ids off with up and down thrusters and some afterburner

. course i havent been able to try that stunt out yet because my darn bank is being ...

... and hasent transfered the money to paypal so paypal can send it on to get me a key...

tha_rami · Post by **tha_rami** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:09 am

I take out the hostiles, then hang at 250 units behind the carrier, target the engines and take it out. There's a dead spot there in which the carrier can never hit you, and you're free to pound the thing with all you've got. Works, even with a Talon with class 2 weapons.

Archangel · Post by **Archangel** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:43 am

I like to leave the fighters for last. I target the engen of the cap ship then staying behind it the whole time I strafe from side to side with IDS off. They only have the one missile turret back there and at 1500k or more theres plenty of time to shoot down the missiles. Dosent take long to take it out and the fighters rarely get a hit while chaceing me back and forth.

That way I can pick off the fighters later without haveing to watch my distence to the cap ship or wory about its missiles if I get to close.

Takes some practice though, you want to be sure to get far enough away from the fighters to get back up to speed before passing them again. I find it works best for me though, as any random fighters that join in end up in the pack chaseing me back and forth and wasteing their fire.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:51 am

Have you ever seen a pack of reds flying after you with cannons blazing - kill one of their own in the crossfire?

That is awesome.

I wish I'd taken a screenshot at the time.

"Hey, I'm on your side!"
"BOOM"

MMaggio · Post by **MMaggio** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:09 pm

Really? A Red shot down one of its own?. I sure woulda' liked to see that!:P

Exeneva · Post by **Exeneva** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:36 pm

I personally do nothing. My fleet of 8 decimates the enemy squadron before I can really do much.

Duckmurderer · Post by **Duckmurderer** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:27 am

I'm on Jeremy's ticket.

Though, I should probably upgrade my shields back to 5 anyway...

BraveHart · Post by **BraveHart** » Mon May 26, 2008 11:21 pm

Hi Graven,

Here is a thread I started that has some tactics to take down a capital ship....Everything from doing it by yourself, using Fulcrum torpedos ( which is quickest way), hiring a fleet of ships to help you and having a couple of guys to help in multiplayer online works as well. Hope this helps....

Good Flying

Graven · Post by **Graven** » Tue May 27, 2008 4:32 pm

Thanks, I am digesting the information now.

ASBOMAN · Post by **ASBOMAN** » Tue May 27, 2008 9:08 pm

I like to jump in around 5000 out from the target, then sit and wait for the escort to come for me. At that distance I have enough time to get off two bursts of excal before whats left of the escort is in gun range. I then deal with whats left of the escort before tucking in close behind the Capital ship and proceed to feed it excal straight into the engines:P

mcmad · Post by **mcmad** » Wed May 28, 2008 8:58 pm

good advice from captain sensible! play to your advantages: hang back , pick them off with excaliburs until you can safely take on the rest. htne move in on the engines of the capital ship