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Author Topic: Community list of random tips and tricks!  (Read 58605 times)

Alrenous

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #15 on: March 28, 2012, 12:17:00 PM »

Shift clicking and holding on inventory screens will open up a slider that lets you pick up any fraction of the pile.

Don't forget my favourite UI feature: shift on the system map will speed time.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2012, 12:19:46 PM by Alrenous »
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Nanostrike

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #16 on: March 28, 2012, 12:24:57 PM »

In High Tech Ships, energy weapons tend to use a whole lot of flux to kill an enemy ship's shield. However one torpedo can shred an enemies shield right off, allowing a barrage of energy weapons to be fired at the enemy. This can really help against ships with very good shields and high flux reserves but low health, like an Aurora, a flux advantage is arguably more important than a damage advantage.

What?  NO.  Torpedos are all High Explosive.  Which means that they're essentially trash against shields but wreck armor.

Maybe you're thinking of Sabot Missiles, but Torpedos against shields is a waste of a torpedo.
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Alrenous

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #17 on: March 28, 2012, 12:34:50 PM »

It isn't ***, precisely, it's half damage. Half of 4000 is 2000, which is often still worth doing. Apparently it works for C-Station. Though possibly it would work better to hit the shields with energy and the ship with the torpedo...I'd have to try it. I often use assault guns on shields just to make them overload faster than my kinetics alone can do.


The armour calculation is here. It's D * [D/(D+A)] An assault chaingun, 266 dps but only 40 per shot, does about 2 damage a shot (15 dps) on a Paragon's 1500 armour, even after the explosive damage boost.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2012, 03:49:15 PM by Alrenous »
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Wyvern

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #18 on: March 28, 2012, 12:35:21 PM »

Torpedos are high explosive, yes.  But they also do a lot of damage; using one against shields to trigger an overload is a perfectly valid tactic - especially if you can follow it up with more torpedos.  I tend to use them as trap weapons: When the AI gets high on flux, it tends to drop shields; fire a torp then, and it's faced with the choice of eating the torp with shields and overloading, or letting the torp through and taking massive damage to armor.  Either way, I win.

That said, the original quote applies mostly to low-tech ships.  Trying to overload a Paragon with a torpedo or two is pretty much a waste of ammunition.  Trapping one with a combined torp + sabot salvo once it's high on flux, though...
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Wyvern is 100% correct about the math.

Alex

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #19 on: March 28, 2012, 03:03:06 PM »

The armour calculation is here. It's D * [D/(D+A)] An assault chaingun, 266 dps but only 40 per shot, does about 2 damage a shot (15 dps) on a Paragon's 1500 armour, even after the explosive damage boost.

Quick note: the armor never reduces damage to below 25% of the base vs-armor damage. So for the ACG, it's 40 per shot, meaning 80 per shot to armor, so 20 minimum per shot.
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Vandala

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #20 on: March 28, 2012, 04:37:27 PM »

Replace whatever key for taking screenshots with the ` key. Makes for easier screenshot taking.

Don't care about whatever the ` key was used for, you don't need that anyway.  ;D

( ` is that ~ key)

Uomoz

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #21 on: March 28, 2012, 04:46:33 PM »

Replace whatever key for taking screenshots with the ` key. Makes for easier screenshot taking.

Don't care about whatever the ` key was used for, you don't need that anyway.  ;D

( ` is that ~ key)

Here in Italy we don't even have that key. I got big problems with the Source console (that's binded to that key).
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Nanostrike

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #22 on: March 28, 2012, 10:01:08 PM »

It isn't ***, precisely, it's half damage. Half of 4000 is 2000, which is often still worth doing. Apparently it works for C-Station. Though possibly it would work better to hit the shields with energy and the ship with the torpedo...I'd have to try it. I often use assault guns on shields just to make them overload faster than my kinetics alone can do.

If you're using a Capital Ship or Cruiser that gets multiple torpedos, then yeah, I suppose.  I should've been more clear.

I'm talking Destroyer and Frigate-level stuff.  Where you only get one Reaper or 2 Atropos per missile slot for the ENTIRE BATTLE.  Sure, you can do 2000 damage against shields and maybe overload a Frigate or shield-taxed Destroyer.

Or you could time it for when the shields are down and do the full 4,000 damage.  I prefer to use them to their maximum potential.  Saving them for an Overload or when the enemy turns it's shields away from you tends to work better for me.  Half a dozen of those things getting past the shields will cripple even a Paragon or Onslaught and a pair of them launched together can 1-shot most things smaller than a Cruiser

Anyways...this was for tips...so lets see...


If you ever see the AI launch Harpoons (Missiles with a Blue exhaust.  You'll learn to recognize them FAST), immediately stop firing and prepare to shield.  They usually launch them when they think you'll be stupid and keep firing, which would keep your flux high enough for them to overload you can kill you with the Harpoons.  This is probably THE #1 way newbies die in the game.

Pressing X will Hold Fire on all of your weapons, stopping all flux buildup except from damage to your shields.  Take the Harpoon hits to the shield, THEN resume firing.  You CANNOT tank Harpoon hits to the hull.
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VikingHaag

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #23 on: March 29, 2012, 03:28:58 AM »

Use mods. They enhance the game's fun by 300%.

Avoid using the hound unless you don't mind exploding easily.

Sabots are cheap and effective, just use them at point blank range.

Flaks alone won't kill fighters effectively. Pair them with energy pd weapons, possibly burst damage.

Bomber wings aren't of much use until you get faced with capital ships and cruisers.

Wasp wings destroy most other fighter wings.

Also, always set PD to autofire, they're much better than you could ever possibly get.
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sdmike1

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #24 on: March 30, 2012, 09:22:06 AM »

Avoid using the hound unless you don't mind exploding easily.
Hounds, useless I resent that! With 4 hounds using hyper v drivers and light needles with point def AI along with 4 talon wings= bye bye pirate attack fleet!

lordgiza

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #25 on: March 30, 2012, 10:06:04 AM »

Hounds, useless I resent that! With 4 hounds using hyper v drivers and light needles with point def AI along with 4 talon wings= bye bye pirate attack fleet!
Using this tactic with several Condors or other carriers for more fighters works very well, though it does slow you down. Usually what you want to do to win is fighter spam, this is ridiculous in the vanilla game but with the right mods it can still be tough, especially since you will usually finally lose a very good fighter wing and almost never be able to replace it. Also you will usually lose more Elites than you gain but you can buy more Elites with the money and loot you gain.
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Nanostrike

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #26 on: March 30, 2012, 11:13:28 AM »

Use mods. They enhance the game's fun by 300%.

Avoid using the hound unless you don't mind exploding easily.

Sabots are cheap and effective, just use them at point blank range.

Flaks alone won't kill fighters effectively. Pair them with energy pd weapons, possibly burst damage.

Bomber wings aren't of much use until you get faced with capital ships and cruisers.

Wasp wings destroy most other fighter wings.

Also, always set PD to autofire, they're much better than you could ever possibly get.

Hounds are good harassers.

Wasps tend to get swatted down by superior fighters (Thunders, Gladius', Xyphos').

Flak does pretty well alone and doesn't typically need much help.

Bomber wings' missile spam can overwhelm Frigates and Destroyers.
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CaptanSpudsy

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #27 on: March 30, 2012, 01:34:36 PM »

All heavy fighter wings will massacre almost any other kind of fighter (bombers included) and will usually be able to take down low to medium tech frigates without much difficulty.
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Doom101

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #28 on: March 30, 2012, 08:38:19 PM »

ASTEROIDS PEOPLE!

use the asteroids on a field to your advantage especially if your outnumbered, out gunned, or out piloted being behind an asteroid or even a ship hull will cause the enemy to either circle around which you can easily dodge by doing the same.
or 2 cause ships to WASTE AMMO. if you can make a ship running solely on ballistics run out of ammo its essentially dead already. the really big weapons often don't carry much ammo so you could easily drain the ammo on an onslaught's bigger guns then take him out with anything with unlimited ammo or enough shots to make it through his thick armor
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Thaago

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Re: Community list of random tips and tricks!
« Reply #29 on: March 30, 2012, 09:26:06 PM »

...

If you ever see the AI launch Harpoons (Missiles with a Blue exhaust.  You'll learn to recognize them FAST), immediately stop firing and prepare to shield.  They usually launch them when they think you'll be stupid and keep firing, which would keep your flux high enough for them to overload you can kill you with the Harpoons.  This is probably THE #1 way newbies die in the game.
...

This is still the number one way I die... :-[
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