Some combat questions from an FL vet (PvP-ers please reply)

[Bænlynn]

So I discovered Evochron via Steam and even if I've been sold on the game, I've got a clan full of old FL vets I'd love to sell on the game, but that will involve my getting to grips with the combat system enough to properly explain it to them (as well as some PvP demos no doubt).

For those of you who haven't played it, Freelancer combat is generally done a lot closer and uses missiles in an entirely different way. The game did have newtonian elements (in the same way that the ancient greeks had a periodic table) but momentum and accelerlation were generally a lot faster than EM and AA, and without MDTS you had to get in really close to reliably score hits.

So altering your vector was a lot easier and aiming was harder requiring passes by the enemy of a matter of meters in game terms (head-on and wing-to-wing collisions were quite common). When it came to the newtonian thing you only went into freefall for about a second after each pass allowing you to whip into a quick 180 before slamming on the afterburner again. Because vectoring was a dead-easy affair, you simply pointed your nose wherever you wanted to go and used the straffe keys to add a random element. Obviously this will not fly in Evo.

Missiles were another story entirely, your cruise-disruptor missiles (used to stop ships fleeing) would also detonate anything explosive in their range, so they were used as anti-missile missiles in a furball. Often more effective than firing actual missiles if you had your opponent's timing down. As a result of this, missiles were generally launched at the last second in a pass and there was an ideal pass angle of below and to the side on which the launcher was mounted to increase the hit probability.

So I have five years of duelling experience (2005 - 2010) having drilled into me the necessity of trading paint in close passes and last-second head-on missile launches (although this part seems to work fairly well). But having spent a little time testing combat in Arvoch Alliance I can see I've got to learn how to fight the Evo way. So I've got what will amount to some fairly deep questions that may require some practical lessons from a willing trainer.

Range: In game terms what's a good passing range? I've read around and its been said that you don't want to get in the middle of a furball, and I can definitely attest to this. So should I be aiming to 'pass' at close to max range or something closer?

IDS vs Inertial: Can I simply leave IDS off and afterburn my way through combat or is their more finesse involved in switching between the two? What's the best way of reliably changing my vector quickly, and what's the best strategy of using that for dodging fire?

Speed: Obviously there's an ideal speed for combat which will depend on the target, but my primary concern is fighter-scale ships. So do I need to pay close attention to prevent combat from becoming a dervish, or will it simply level off at some natural level over a succession of passes?

Missiles: How are they usually used, and what actually works? I've had a reasonable amount of success with close, head-on launches but I'd like to hear the prevailing philosophy for EM.

[EDIT]

Controls:
Having tried a joystick and the mouse, I've found that the mouse seems to be both more responsive and precise with my play-style than the joystick (which tends to result in hand-cramps after a while). For those who prefer PvP is there a specific preference for one or the other, or is it more down to play style?

Anything else you can think of to add by way of advice would be appreciated.

~ Bænlynn

[Edited on 29-1-2012 by Bænlynn]

[Maarschalk]

Passing Range: Depends on your Weapons Range and should be the max of your weapons range. I do not want to go into to much details because that might be a spoiler.

In Evochron Mercenary in combat you have to pay close attention to Weapons Range, Speeds and Distances and know how to have full flight control of your ship at all times using Inertial, IDS, Thrusters and Afterburners. Also other Factors which makes it more complicated is Equipment, Shields and Energy/Power management!

I used to play Freelancer as well and Combat in Evochron Mercenary is much more complicated. There are no ideal speeds since it completely depends on your opponents speed. One thing what is obvious is that if you know that the fastest missiles speed is 1800 your chances of being hit by a missile while flying at greater speeds then 1800 are minimal or none!......Missiles have different speeds, ranges, yield/damage output and functions. So to use missiles effectively you have to know each missiles specs and pay attention to your opponents speed and maneuvers! So there is not any real one way of combat that is most effective. It completely depends on your knowledge, skills experience and that same of your opponent!....

Oh yes, about controllers Joystick or mouse I think is a preference thing. I use a Joystick Keyboard and Mouse. Joystick for Flight and Combat functions and Keyboard and Mouse for Chat and Menu choice actions!

[Edited on 1-29-2012 by Maarschalk]

[Baner86]

Good to see interest from devotees of other sim games.

Your passing range is determined by your primary weapon system, the particle cannons, as they determine the range of your anti-shield lasers also. The ranges range from 750 (the starter part. cannon) to around 500 as far as I know for the heavy hitting particle cannons which also shoot slower and use more mains energy per shot.

As for maneuvering in combat, you will find that it is vital to use both IDS and Inertial modes to succeed. Think of combat as a series of Inertial strafing passes at cannon range past the enemy blob. After each inertial pass you will be floating on the same vector and at the same velocity as when you first initiated inertial mode but you will be out of main gun range. This is where using IDS comes in. While it is quite possible for you to use the inertial thruster controls to turn back around for another pass at combat speed it would be very difficult to remember to fire the thrusters to compensate in every direction to turn around and get up to speed again in inertial mode only. That's where IDS comes in.

You want to turn back around towards the enemy blob for another inertial pass in IDS mode at a speed that will ensure you can still properly evade missiles. Basically, you don't want to end your inertial pass then turn 180 around and fly back along the same vector as you will take a long time to overcome the momentum from the pass then a long time again to get back up to combat speed, at which time the enemy will have caught up and have essentially a motionless target to shoot at. You just want to curve back around towards the edges of the enemy blob without going below 800 so a quick afterburner shot will get you back up to speed for your inertial pass.

I find that combat is best performed at 1200-1500. Going too fast doesn't help you any extra in avoiding missiles and going too fast means that your passes are quite short so you get less shots with your main guns at the enemy.

Missiles are good for ensuring a kill. Combat is mostly main guns. A good way to use your missiles is to thin out a horde of fighters so you stand a better chance of taking out the rest with your guns only. You also want to use your missiles at less than 1000 range preferably as you approach the minimum range to an enemy on your pass as this ensures it will hit and they have very little time to fire a countermeasure.

As for controls. I find that whatever works for you is always the best way to go. Using the mouse already means you have quick access to your HUD menus at the top of the screen by just holding ALT. I'm not used to flight sims so my attempt with a Saitek joystick failed miserably. I'm currently using an XBOX controller through XPadder which lets you program the controller to act as a mouse. Essentially the game is set to mouse control but the mouse signals are coming from a gamepad analog stick. It makes combat easier for me as I don't have to lift off and do another swipe with my mouse if the enemy has flown past and behind me and it also means I have full mouse functionality when I hold down my ALT assigned button.

I'm quite new here but feel that I have a good understanding of combat as the higher fighter number contracts no longer bother me. What you will find is different in PVP MP is that the player-pilots do everything you can do. Combat will end up with both of you making strafing passes at each other and shooting at each other at similair ranges. Therefore managing your attack angles and controlling where your shield energy is directed (front) determines your PVP success as well as your equipment and chosen ship type. Also, almost forgot to mention that you would want to target specific subsystems (probably weapons) in PVP to stop them shooting back ASAP.

Hope these suggestions help.

[Edited on 29-1-2012 by Baner86]

[Munshine]

Thanks you Baner86 and thank you Maarschalk for the advice, not in PVP for now but I had similar questions about combat on another topic.


It's weird though that cannon range decreases as you upgrade cannons

[Dingo]

Thanks you Baner86 and thank you Maarschalk for the advice, not in PVP for now but I had similar questions about combat on another topic.


It's weird though that cannon range decreases as you upgrade cannons

It is a balancing act with the cannons, but the net effect is that most good PvPer use class 1 and 2 cannons, with a very few using a class 8.

This will all chance with the upcoming weapons lab in the expansion. Who knows what the possibilities will be then?

[Bænlynn]

Thanks Baner and Maarschalk for the feedback. Good to know. I'll be able to test out all those theories later tonight when I finally buy the full version (long story involving a bank and an ISP)

Munshine: weapons decreasing in range as damage increases is an old staple of many games, one that doesn't hold up in real life most of the time ( .50 BMG much?). Generally this is done as a simply way of providing players a reason to go with faster, lighter craft as well as giving them survivability against more heavily-armed opponents.

[EDIT]

Forgot to ask: Would I be better off buying through Steam or the Website? I did read that updates will take time to propagate through Steam, but I do have a permanent copy. Also, what's Vice's percentage if I buy through steam as opposed to the site? I know valve won't be taking a huge portion of my purchase price, but they will be taking something.

[Edited on 30-1-2012 by Bænlynn]

[Bænlynn]

Had another question regarding servers. Being located in Oz my ping to the US is ~200 (west) ~350 (east, I think) and 350+ to the EU. In FL, pings this high made PvP a difficult affair, the general rule was: keep your ping sub 200. So, how does EM handle ping in regards to PvP?

[Maarschalk]

If your ping is below 200 it will be playable. For EM the ideal for a Server is a ping between 10 and 100 I think....

[Edited on 1-30-2012 by Maarschalk]