Combat with IDS off

[Rook]

Hello guys, as I said in my other thread I am new to the game and I'm afraid I'm having the same trouble as many people had before me...

I am trying to get a hang at combat in EM, I'm not new to space games as I have spent hundreds of hours in X3 games.

So in EM I am doing okay in 1 vs 1 with IDS on, but it's like a "jousting" style fight and it's not really interesting for me. But if i turn IDS off it just becomes....... how to say....... pathetic :S

I just don't get how to deal with the inertial stuff. I've read that I should train circling around a fixed object to understand how it works, I tried but I'm just unable to do that

I have read parts of the nice "EVOCHRON MERCENARY: A BOOK OF HINTS AND TIPS" guide compiled by DaveK (thanks a lot!) and watched the official videos "Training Video 1: Ship Control and Physics" and "Training Video 8: Spacecraft Combat Systems and Space Combat Maneuvering (SCM)" but the parts about combat didn't really help me, I'm looking for more detailed, step-by-step instructions because I just don't understand how to do what I see in the combat videos.

Can somebody point me to some clear explanations (preferably videos, I think it would be easier)?

[SeeJay]

Hi and welcome.

Fighting with IDS off (Inertia mode) gives you a much smaller heatsignature. You'ld want that!

You can have thrusters in inertia for all 3 axes to give you full control.

Doing Races in Inertia is very hard but excellent training. I use roll to set me up for each turn
so I turn left/right only. Not up/down. Makes it behave like a hovercraft sliding through the turns.

When fighting in inertia, target one ship in the edge of the pack and circle around the pack at guns range.
That way you can easily increase the distance if you are in trouble. Fighting flying backwards is very common.
You can even use the reverse thrust + afterburner if you need to. Always try to keep your target between
you and the pack. That way you'll have less incoming fire to worry about. It's also easier to take down
incoming missiles with your guns if you go backwards or sideways. Keep an eye on your speed to prevent
overshooting the target.

Hope this helps a bit.

[PaulB]

Maybe some do well at the circling tactic - but personally I dont see it unless maybe you are attacking a big, slow battleship type enemy.

Circling around a 'pack' I just don't see it. First off the 'pack' are not going to sit still for you to circle around them and pick them off (with the pissible exception of contracts inthe War Zones).

In the normal systems you are going to see one of two things:
(1) members of the pack are going to come after you anf generally then fly upward or downward and eventully come after you again while others are seeking you out.
(2) as you fight some of the pack, others of the pack may just take off and then you have to try and hunt them down so you can complete the contract.

I will grant you I'm not the best pilot out there by a long shot - but I have not made Commander military rank plus converted about 5 or 6 Fair systems (in SP mode) into Good systems by being a slouch either.

This is basically my method (BTW I'm using a Gamepad controller where the Left stick is Turn & Pitch and the Right Stick is Horiz & Vert Trusters and the 2 Analog triggers I use for Roll - but I main use Roll for Aligning my ship, not su much for combat manuvering cause I just dont' have the coordination and brain power to properly do Pitch, Turn, Roll manuvering):
So what I do is I head more or less toward the pack but target the closet and switch to Inertial and use Horiz Thrust to get me moving off at an angle rather than maintaining a straight ahead course - then when the Target is with gun range I start blasting him and try to Turn/Pitch as best I can to keep my Guns on him and switch to IDS or Afterburn to try and keep the target with gun range until he's dead. Sometimes it becomes necessary to just switch to a closer target that has crept up on you so you don't get axed and then go back to the other target eventually. Try to use Inertial as muc as possible because if make their missiles harder to hit you because Inertial produces less Heat for them to lock onto.
But I switch between IDS and Inertial or Afterburn and use Pitch/Turn and Horz & Vert Thrust (in Inertial mode) to do the best manuvering I can and fire off Contermeasures as needed - although when I'm flying my Mammoth I only have 25 so I can't waste them.
And remember it's pretty easy to just use your cannon (not laser) to shoot down missiles in front of you.
Try not to left the enemy get in behind you cause then you have to turn before you can even fire back and you are more vunerable - but it's not something I can avoid happening.
Also, I ALWAYS try to remember to do a QuickSave BEFORE I accept a combat contract so if I do get killed and can come back and try the contract again without my crew members losing loyalty points.
I don't get killed very often which is rather amazing consider how lousy my flight skills are so I don't have to do a restore.
Considering the- what? - I guess 100s and 100s if not 1000s and 1000s of contracts I've had to do to reach my current rank and over something like 1200 or so kills I don't think Ive been killed more than maybe a dozen or so times or thereabouts and had to restore a quicksave.

Sometimes I've also hired Wingmen to help me out with contracts - but that's very expensive and you certainly can't break even on the cost versus contract price - but it can help you speed you ranking a little. I just hate when my wingmen get killed even if they are AI. I used some Civilian wingmen in some of the contracts I did in Talison Conflict but they aren't much match against the Vonari unless maybe you can find a couple of AI flying Mammoths or Starmasters.

And here is something I have to admit but I must be honest - I have never been able to complete an Escort Mission in Talison Conflict where there is a Vonari Capital ship in the other packand I always lose the contract because the Capital ship on my side gets destroyed. Well I think I may have completed one such contract but it wasn't due to my skills. And on one such contract the friendly Capital ship was destroyed almost be I even managed to get into the battle. I've tried everything I've seen recommended in the forums for Escort contracts but no luck so I finally just quit trying those and stuck to the regular combat contracts in Talison Conflict. TC Escorting it just plain hard.
I don't have any problems with Escort contracts in regular systems.

It took me a long time to get used to EM combat but you have to just keep at it and develope your own style that works for YOU. One thing that can help but I think it works better ine some systems than others - and that is the method mentioned in the Forum (and Guides I think) where you arrive near the Pack and head away in Inertial Reverse and just enough speed that they will chase you and gradually close in on you and you blast them as they get with Gun range and take out and missiles they shoot at you. But you have to be careful ot two things:
(1) that you don't end up leaving the sector which will cause you to fail the contract
and
(2) don't continue if the pack ships strt just leaving because then you will have to start jumping around in that sector to find some enemy ships so you can complete the contract (if doesn't have to be part of the original pack but you do have to kills the number specified in the contract in order to complete it).
Also, Make in Weapon Lab or buy a good pair of Guns - I suggest a max setting Fusion Cannon and a max setting lowend laser will give you the max firing time. And a good Crew will help extend firing time and range some on civvi frames.

Hope this help you a little.

[Sinbad]

Hi Rook.

I'm not too good at the "circling in inertia" technique either. I know it works for some, but personally I prefer to use a combination of inertia and IDS.

I approach a target on inertia with the enemy ship off-centre at about my 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock. On inertia you're a more difficult target for their guns and missiles. When they come into firing range I hit them with lasers first, rotating to keep them in gunsight. Once they close in to about 500 range I switch to IDS, slow down, and as they pass me I slam on the afterburner which brings me close up behind them (if I time it right). Then I continue to pound them with my cannons. If needed I'll pop off a missile in their face before they pass me.

When there are multiple enemies it is essential that you go for stragglers who wander out from the group. You don't want to find yourself in the middle of the pack.

Hope that helps.

[Marvin]

Speed is life.

[Rook]

Thanks a lot for the answers, I will read them again several times to print them in my mind, lol.

I understand it will take a lot of time and patience to get better at combat, hopefully I'll get there some day

Oh and about saving before accepting a contract: it's easy to do a quick save but I didn't see any option for quick reloading? The "fastest" way I've found is to suicide (by keeping F7 pressed for a few seconds) and then hit "reload last save". Isn't there a better way?

[Capt_Caveman]

jump into a planet, respawn, no self destruct timer to wait for

[PaulB]

Thanks a lot for the answers, I will read them again several times to print them in my mind, lol.

I understand it will take a lot of time and patience to get better at combat, hopefully I'll get there some day

Oh and about saving before accepting a contract: it's easy to do a quick save but I didn't see any option for quick reloading? The "fastest" way I've found is to suicide (by keeping F7 pressed for a few seconds) and then hit "reload last save". Isn't there a better way?

Whenever you get killed it asked if you want to accept the kill or restart from last save - that's it. Also if you exit the game and relaunch you are also loding the last save or quick save.
Saving or Quick Save both write out the current status to the current Pilot Profile so all Quick Save is is a way to update the profile from within the game - for safety.
If you want to save the Current Pilot profile at a specific status in case you want to come back to it again regardless of current contracts and things then you need to Save (or manually the current pilot[x].sw to a new Pilot profile slot.
Just be sure to note that the actual filename is 1 (one) minus the slot listed in the Profile list inside the game - aka Pilot Profile 4 is file name pilot3.sw, Profile 1 = pilot0.sw, etc etc.

[Rook]

I see, thanks It would be nice to have a "quick reload" option though but it's okay.

[Edited on 7-4-2015 by Rook]

[Iron man]

I see, thanks It would be nice to have a "quick reload" option though but it's okay.

[Edited on 7-4-2015 by Rook]

Le problème c'est que si tu avais une option comme Cel la ça pourrait être un problème en Pvp car les personnes qui désire fuir ou éviter des tirs par exemple, pourrait utilisé ça a leur avantage.

Cpt Caveman idea is probably the most efficient