Combat tactics

krayzkrok · Post by **krayzkrok** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 2:26 am

First of all, I'd like to say how much I'm enjoying Evochron Legends. I'm not much for gushing, and I must admit I was a bit negative about EL when I first started with the demo, but I've grown to love it. It strikes me as the best space sim in years, and is really lacking only in accessibility for new players (plus a few interface tweaks!).

So I finally bought the full game a couple of days ago and I'm having a blast, slowly learning how to play the game. I had great fun in multi last night with Muni, with my first combat experience and several other cool discoveries.

As to combat, I'm really very bad at this! Of course I will get better at it, but I wonder if the vets out there have any combat tips for the new guys. My encounters at present (in the Olympos system) consist of me dying repeatedly at the hands of missiles, although I'm learning the countermeasures technique slowly, or running and then "jousting" with the enemy using inertial flybys. While I survive unscathed, so do my opponents and I have great trouble hitting them with particle or beam weapons. But I dare not slow down else I get a barrage of missiles up my tail pipe.

So, before I develop any bad habits, any tips? Thanks for warsign for some initial basics last night!

[Edited on 2-12-2009 by krayzkrok]

Blackthorne · Post by **Blackthorne** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 2:50 am

Well, I usually shoot down the missiles aimed at me; the AI tends to spam them at long range, giving one ample time to react.

The AI ships also don't take lateral movement into account - they aim by only taking your forward speed into account. So, turn off that IDS and hit the sideways thrusters to throw off their aim. Once they run out of missiles, close and finish the job with your guns. Given enough lateral speed, they won't be able to hit you.

Excalibur missiles are also handy against packs of AI, since you carry an unlimited supply (they take 30 seconds to reload, though), fire 8 of them at once, and they're fast. A weapon officer aboard will boost your damage output, allowing you to kill faster with less hits needed.

Keep in mind, though, that against humans opponents all the odds are off.

-Blackthorne, also not good at this. But still good enough to kick the AI's aft thrusters.

krayzkrok · Post by **krayzkrok** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:18 am

Instant improvement, thanks Blackthorne! I had completely forgotten about the sideways thrusters ("Hmmm, what does this button do?"). My first beam-weapon kill just now. Then another missile up my tail because I was playing with sound off and didn't see the alert.

You know, I used to play Descent a lot - you'd have thought I'd be good at this.

verbosity · Post by **verbosity** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:04 am

Well, I usually shoot down the missiles aimed at me;

Missiles are more of a threat than ever before. shooting them down is great, but don't even consider turning to shoot them down - esp if you are in combat with a few opponents, turn afterburn and use your CM's.

Missiles are your main threat, keep your attention on not being killed by them.

As to actually taking out opponents, remember you best combat speed is around 700-950, try to keep to that speed while in range, turn your ids to inertial, and come in at an angle, one you've flown past, turn and hit afterburner. if your trying to seperate one ship from the rest of the Ai this is the time, pick a ship on the edge of their wing.

Ai's are better pilots in some respects, and use the corkscrew manouver to avoid gunfire much more often than players. use your afterburner to close in on a pilto corkscrewing to ensure your shots actually hit.

Always remember you should always have an escape point plotted, and as long as your engine is in a good state you can escape easily. And Ai seem to be better at avoiding missiles at close range, if you have an excal pack start firing it early.

Once you are able to take out a wing of about 4 ships you've got the skills, the rest is just practice to hone them. and as blackthorn says, its a different game when fighting huiman opponents

krayzkrok · Post by **krayzkrok** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:02 am

I've improved dramatically since my last post, able to hold my own with groups of 3 and 4 fighters easily enough. I love the way you can fight at a distance early on, and then close with the enemy for a more traditional dogfight. I have no problem shooting down missiles on my tail as long as I'm going fast enough, but I'm sure my tactics won't translate to fighting human opponents. Of course, this is still very early in the game but at least I don't need to fear those red dots quite as much as I did only yesterday.

Thanks for the extra tips verb, it's all been very helpful.

Daedalao · Post by **Daedalao** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:55 am

Remember, those nav points can be an amazing tactic. But I'd recommend leading the enemy fighters to your nav location, and jumping as you think they're crossing that location. This can give you a decent surprise attack. Keep in mind that I fly with an energy mitigation of -5s/5e and usually only use my particle weapons.

[Edited on 2-13-2009 by Daedalao]

krayzkrok · Post by **krayzkrok** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:07 am

I doubt I'd have ever thought of doing that, it's a great tactic. I'm going to try it out, see if I can't avoid getting myself killed.

wolis · Post by **wolis** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:16 am

After my first MP battle helping out (?) krayzkrok and getting blown up about a gazillion times - well I exagerate.. more like 50 times - I decided it would be rather nice to have a 'no missles' version of the game.

I must say the game handled my deaths beautifully as I had saved at the starport so each time I died, I relsaved my last save game, the battle raged on not too far a way and I easily joined in.

I was so poeased I did not have to exit and reload and reconnect etc.. the battle would have been over by the time I was back in.

Good work.

MMaggio · Post by **MMaggio** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:41 pm

Well, while there is no version of "guns only", there's no reason that all the players can't agree to such an event.
Back in the "old days" we used to do that all the time. Makes for great fun and really shows of piloting skills. You should try it!

krayzkrok · Post by **krayzkrok** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:45 am

I don't mind the missile attacks, as long as they're finite and short-lived. That group that wolis and I fought (9 ships, though I'm not experienced enough yet to rate them) seemed to have a limitless supply of missiles, although we were both dying regularly and I'm not sure if that somehow replenished their missile supply. Eclipse mentioned that cap ships have a lot of missiles, but these were all fighters of various kinds (and only in the Olympus system). I had no trouble evading the missiles, but closing to dogfight range I usually got creamed by the crossfire. Still, we both took them out one by one and eventually beat them which was very satisfying (despite me disconnecting by mistake near the end and missing out on the moment of victory!).

eb2386 · Post by **eb2386** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 3:47 am

i found that hit-and-run tactics work the best cause i have a wrath and an excal pack and you can out run there missels and turn around and kill 2or 3( if there close(and not vonari) ) with the exclaber missels works good on capital ships to

Wasp89 · Post by **Wasp89** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:31 am

My favorite, patented combat tactic is, well, patented and secret!

Aw, okay, I'll disclose a little bit...

My favorite combat tactic is to fly in a backwards circle around the enemy. I'll let you figure out what the advantage to this is, and how to accomplish it. I'll let you know that it is done entirely in inertial mode...

Another good tactic to use is similar to the jousting technique, but wait to fire your missiles until you have passed the reds and they are turning around to come back at you. The missiles will find your targets moving slowly, and their CM's will not have as much time to take effect.

Keep in mind, though, that the best combat technique will force your enemy to fight on your terms. Let them come to you, and put yourself in a tactical advantage such that they cannot hit you easily, but you can hit them. It's a challenge to come up with such a technique, but the best thing to keep in mind is that a slow red is a dead red. Force them to turn a lot so that their absolute speed stays low as they chase you, and their countermeasures won't have nearly enough time to affect your missiles before the sudden impact causes them to take an involuntary space walk.

Also, there is safety in numbers, and your enemy knows this. When jousting, target the ships in the back of the pack and close to the edges so that you can separate them from the rest and can finish them before their allies can come to lend aid.

More than that, I'm afraid, is "classified." Hit me up for some PvP action in MP sometime, and I will show you first hand how I perform my patented "death spiral!"

[Edited on 2-16-2009 by Wasp89]