Spoiler Alert

[Vincire]

I am not sure how a new Combat Pilot is supposed to learn or make money, but I find the combat to be impossibly frustratingly hard. In my new starter ship, I take a simple combat mission and proceed to the waypoint where I am blown apart in seconds. No amount of counter measures or trying to fly without generating a lot of heat keeps me alivelong enough to even take down a single enemy. The NPCs at the combat location are equally useless.

PLEASE tone it down at least in the beginning. I want to like this game but it's so frustrating that I may just uninstall it.

[49rTbird]

This is a Great Sim and takes getting used to. The combat can be intense if you let it be but you can control it. If it was to easy as in the past most pilots would complain about that (which they did) and it would have to be changed again. Some systems are safer than others and I suggest you practice in those and/or jump into MP and ask for training with some experienced pilots. Most are ready to help out others. Best of luck on your progression and please give it some time. I will bet you will find that you can over come anything the game can throw at you in the future.

[MiaZ]

I agree the combat pilot start is maybe a little too hard.
It is the hardest start out of all the them.
Probably best to sell the military ship and do some trading first to get enough credits for better equipment before trying combat.

I think combat pilot start is really for experienced players,
not really a good start for new players.

[Vincire]

This is a Great Sim and takes getting used to. The combat can be intense if you let it be but you can control it. If it was to easy as in the past most pilots would complain about that (which they did) and it would have to be changed again. Some systems are safer than others and I suggest you practice in those and/or jump into MP and ask for training with some experienced pilots. Most are ready to help out others. Best of luck on your progression and please give it some time. I will bet you will find that you can over come anything the game can throw at you in the future.

It's impossible to get "used to" a game that constantly assigns you missions that are no win situations from the start. As a combat pilot, you don't start with enough money to rearm your missiles let alone hire another ship. Upon warping into a combat mission, the enemy ships instantly target and spam missiles at you. I don't get enough countermeasures to fend off an assault and the ship doesn't last long enough in combat to take out even a single enemy.

How is this fun? How is a new player expected to tolerate a game that doesn't bother to try and ease you into the more difficult missions while you try to get used to how combat is supposed to play? This is NOT fun at all and needs to be fixed.

[Marvin]

Nobody assigns you any missions unless you're doing the IMG Quest. You accept contracts ... and, if you accept contracts which are above your skill level, that's not the game's fault. There are plenty of contracts for the beginner and, if they aren't exciting enough for you, jump on to a server and take a job as turret gunner. At least there you'll discover how easy it is to do the things you seem to find so difficult. And, eventually, you'll gain the skill to do them yourself.

[Capt_Caveman]

the learning curve is a bit high but if you jump into multiplayer you will learn ALOT faster. the multiplayer community is very helpfull and can help get you up to speed in no time. there are hints and tips you just cant find anywhere else.

[Vincire]

Nobody assigns you any missions unless you're doing the IMG Quest. You accept contracts ... and, if you accept contracts which are above your skill level, that's not the game's fault. There are plenty of contracts for the beginner and, if they aren't exciting enough for you, jump on to a server and take a job as turret gunner. At least there you'll discover how easy it is to do the things you seem to find so difficult. And, eventually, you'll gain the skill to do them yourself.

I am not sure what contracts you are talking about but the ones I have available from the ship I start from are all way too difficult for the resources I start with as I am nearly instantly destroyed by missile spamming enemies who seem to have infinite countermeasures which render my 4 missiles useless.

Again, the combat portion of the game is simply too hard for beginners.

[Vincire]

the learning curve is a bit high but if you jump into multiplayer you will learn ALOT faster. the multiplayer community is very helpfull and can help get you up to speed in no time. there are hints and tips you just cant find anywhere else.

I am not really interested in multiplayer.

[Marvin]

Combat is not meant for beginners. Fly to Sapphire or Atals (I prefer Atals) and trade "up" to a civilain ship. Then do some mining. Build up your cash flow. After that, try some trading ... you can buy stuff really cheap in Cerulean and sell it at much higher prices in Atlas. When you're ready and have a ship heavy enough for combat, find single Rebel or Guild pilots (back in Cerulean) and fight them one-on-one.

[Edited on 2-2-2013 by Marvin]

[Vincire]

Combat is not meant for beginners. Fly to Sapphire or Atals (I prefer Atals) and trade "up" to a civilain ship. Then do some mining. Build up your cash flow. After that, try some trading ... you can buy stuff really cheap in Cerulean and sell it at much higher prices in Atlas. When you're ready and have a ship heavy enough for combat, find single Rebel or Guild pilots (back in Cerulean) and fight them one-on-one.

So you can start as a "Combat Pilot" but shouldn't expect to survive and make any progress unless you trade into a civ ship and mine? Mining is very boring and I would rather concentrate on the portion of the game I find fun. If I cannot do that and have fun then I think I wasted my money.....

[Munshine]

I agree that the combat pilot role isn't convenient for beginners. Maybe you should start as a mercenary or a merchant. Combat is easier once you get a better frame and a better equipment as it's easy to get rich very fast by mining even if it's not the most fun part. But dogfighting in Evochron required skills and is something that you need to learn either by reading Davek Guidelines either by flying with other pilots in Multiplayer.

Multiplayer isn't mandatory. I've learned combat by myself with the IMG quest in single player mode and asking specific questions about the best combat method on this forum.

[Edited on 1-23-2013 by Munshine]

[Vice]

Hopefully, you completed the training and know how to use the IDS multiplier. But if you're getting destroyed by 'missile spamming', that suggests you are flying too slow and letting them bunch up too much. You should also avoid using too many CM's in the first place, drift at high speed and turn around to shoot down the missiles coming at you instead. Focus on some flybys and practice defensive moves and evasion for a while, before you start engaging in attacks. Don't charge in thinking you can just 'arcade' it and destroy everything. Combat in this game takes more planning, time, and strategy/tactics.

Until you've learned the basics of 'newtonian' drifting, missile evasion/destruction, and high speed flight at 2X or 3X IDS (or at least with proper afterburner use), you'll be an easy target for enemy ships. It may be challenging/difficult at first, but once you get evasion down and learn how to avoid putting yourself in situations that make you easy to destroy, you'll quickly adapt and learn to survive, even in the weakest ship with weak weapons. Use beams first to drain a target's shields, the follow up with particle cannons once an array is down to finish them off. Also, stay in Talison and try to take missions with no more than 4 hostiles at a time.

[Edited on 1-23-2013 by Vice]

[Marvin]

I prefer Cerulean. And never, ever Olympus ... where Intel is really, really bad.

[zex]

Hi there! I also started as a combat pilot!

Combat is tough - especially where you start out at. I don't think you need to get another ship or start mining or anything like that - you're a combat pilot, not a merchant!

My first suggestion is to take that purple jump gate to Talison and take some easier contracts against non-alien AI. The most important thing you can do is get your equipment bays stocked with some useful devices - a cannon heatsink and a bigger shield battery will make combat a little easier for you.

You should make sure that you are not using the key that fires both of your primaries at once - you'll find yourself out of energy way before you have a chance to kill an enemy. Assign beam to one key, particle cannon to another - use beams to take out shields, and cannon for hull and for shooting down those pesky incoming missiles.

By your description of missile spam, I'd advise that you don't run head first into combat and suggest that you take a more tactical approach until you aren't so squishy. AI is more passive at distances greater than 5 klicks (or is it 4, I can't remember? ), use that to your advantage by peeling off one or two fighters at a time.

You're going to die, but employing a little caution will go a long way. There are pilots who have everything handed to them by other players - access to the best equipment in-game - who still fail miserably at combat. If you will stick with it, you will be a formidable force, able to put up a good showing against all of the best pilots in the evoverse. There are very few good combat pilots, and most of them are invited to a clan as quickly as they are identified... even if they merely show that they have the potential to be combat pilots - but it really isn't for everyone. Good luck with your missions, and I hope to read stories about your successes in the future!

(edit: it seems that vice and marvin are faster typists than myself.. still, good advice all around)


[Edited on 1-23-2013 by zex]

[Professor Paul1290]

So you can start as a "Combat Pilot" but shouldn't expect to survive and make any progress unless you trade into a civ ship and mine? Mining is very boring and I would rather concentrate on the portion of the game I find fun. If I cannot do that and have fun then I think I wasted my money.....

You can do combat in the ship you start with if you do a "combat pilot" start.

If I remember correctly and unless something has changed, you start in in a "Ferret" fighter already equipped with a class 10 shield and and class 10 engine (the best available), a beam in addition to your particle cannon, a repair system, and a cannon heatsink.

With that you're already better equipped than what a people using a "civilian" start often build up to before they decide to start taking combat missions in the easier systems.

Some people find it "easier" to trade for a civilian ship and start mining first, but I don't think it's because they got better gear as much as it is them getting better used to how the game works by the time they did any combat.

From what I've seen, a lot of civilian starts build up to maybe a Panther or a Raven before they start taking combat missions, those are worse than the Ferret for pure combat in most ways except armor, but even there there's only a small difference and the Ferret starts you with a class 10 shield and a class 1 repair system right off the bat.

[49rTbird]

I use a Civie ship for combat as I can have a full crew to help me survive.

[Vincire]

I give up.

I have tried everything suggested above with 0 success. Even the "easy" combat missions are still WAY too hard for a beginner to have much success at. I haven't completed one yet without being complately destroyed. I don't find games this excrucating very entertaining so I will free my hard drive space for something actually fun.

[zex]

sorry to hear. good luck finding a game that you like.

[-splosives-]

OK, I tried starting as a combat pilot.
First of all, make a trip to sapphire, and change your weapon with a flarebeam. Also, upgrade your beam if you can.
Then go back to the war zone. Your first contracts will be the toughest, but once you can afford it, get a cannon relay system.
When you get this piece of equipment, you should be able to make a nice profit fairly quickly.

That is, of course, if you know how to fight.

[Vincire]

sorry to hear. good luck finding a game that you like.

I really wanted to like this game but it's much to difficult for me to enjoy the learning process. I am not sure why Developers these days still don't seem understand that the "newbie" experience has to be fun from the start. If they toned down the contracts a lot and used them a progressive excercises in learning the game, it would be a much better experience. As it stands how though I'd rather play something that doesn't my my bloodpressure rise.

[zex]

sorry to hear. good luck finding a game that you like.

I really wanted to like this game but it's much to difficult for me to enjoy the learning process. I am not sure why Developers these days still don't seem understand that the "newbie" experience has to be fun from the start. If they toned down the contracts a lot and used them a progressive excercises in learning the game, it would be a much better experience. As it stands how though I'd rather play something that doesn't my my bloodpressure rise.

It sounds like you already ruled out multiplayer, but if you change your mind, I'd be glad to fly with ya and help make the learning process more fun

[Marvin]

I am not sure why Developers these days still don't seem understand that the "newbie" experience has to be fun from the start.

We all started out as n00bs. If we aced the game in a day, most of us would be looking for something new by tomorrow.

[Vincire]

I am not sure why Developers these days still don't seem understand that the "newbie" experience has to be fun from the start.

We all started out as n00bs. If we aced the game in a day, most of us would be looking for something new by tomorrow.

Well, I'm looking for something new now because of how needlessly difficult the starting combat missions already are. Like I have said, I really wanted to like this game but it's so damn frustrating I am moving on unless the Devs come to their senses and make the starting missions less of a chore and more of a fun learning experience.

[zex]

You seem to still be under the mistaken assumption that you are trying to do starter missions, or that there is really a such thing as starter combat missions. Decreasing the difficulty of combat would make the game less fun for me, although fun is subjective. You are trying to start the game in the most difficult role, so you shouldn't be surprised that you aren't roflstomping it.
As much as I'd like to see you get the hang of it, I understand if the game is just not for you. There are many games that I can't stand that people think I'm crazy for disliking. I do hope you've tried to do combat missions in other sectors before you threw in the towel - I'd hate to see you uninstall just because you thought "is this all there is?" or whatever. Combat varies from system to system by number of ships and the technology level of those ships - maybe some unknown factors too. I feel bad because I know that feeling of thinking the game is impossible - and I know how rewarding the game is when you finally start to overcome that.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you end up having some fun

[Maarschalk]

No combat pilot in real life goes into combat without the proper equipment and extensive training!. So of course you going to be frustrated going into combat without the proper equipment and training!. If you want to enjoy the game sart doing some mining, trading and simple contracts to build up your credits and reputation. Then when you get the hang of upgrrading and ontroling your ship and equipment and you have a well equiped and upgraded ship with all the hightech stuff than try to do some of the simple combat missions!

No where does it say you have to do combat missions to get to know how to play the game!...

[Edited on 1-24-2013 by Maarschalk]