Bounty Hunter Archive
Thread: Tactics
JBMat
Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:18 am
#53
Somewhere buried about 100 pages down is my post on tactics.
Now is the time to practice and get good, because what Calc said about CB is gonna shock about 80% of y'all.
If you stand in one spot, buffed, armored and spamming specials at a mob of yellows/red - that ain't tactics. Fact is, in my book, it's about useless - just pushing buttons and watching stuff die.
Tactics are -
1. Use terrain. We run as fast, if not faster, than most creatures - excepting cats. Even the plains have hills and gulches that if used correctly will keep you out of range of most creatures. Hills are your friends, use them. Mountains are great, except my harvest slides to the bottom.
2. Use traps. We can't outrun cats, but if we p-dart one we can get out of range real easy. Glow wire drops resists, just how much I have no clue, but it says it works. I think it may. Other traps work ok, adhesive mesh gets an honorable mention, tho the 2 per craft makes me insane and shooting makes it break.
3. Use what skill points you have wisely. If the choice is to be a half master in two professions or a full master in one - make sure you pick trees in those two that give you decent benefits. For example - mastering one tree in pistoleer can get you up to level two ranged damage mitigation - helpful ... but another tree gets you a big bonus in dodge. Creatures melee, I think I would go for dodge first. Also, once you master a profession, check out what points you are using in the support trees. example - Ranged support is damn near useless if you are a ranged master. You can drop the line and use the skill points elsewhere. You only have 250, be frugal.
4. Use your weapon to it's fullest extent. Have you read the forums for your combat profession and seen what works and what is not worth a bucket of warm spit? Pistolmeleedefense 2 in Pistoleer is a joke... use 1 instead. Why use specials that eat HAM when a lower special does almost as well? Power-ups are great, tho they do shorten the life of a weapon - weapon or me, weapon or me -- I win. Use examine every time unless you are sure. The Peko Alb is what % kinetic resistant?? What ranged weapon will affect Rancors with no resistance to worry about? How many people have seen a TK wondering why the Albatross is laughing at him? Or why the Huurton Howler is taking no damage from that pistol? Sucks to be out for XP, in a group, and doing no damage. Sucks worse to be solo and doing no damage.
5. Practice, practice and then practice some more. Most of us should know how to drop a lair in 3 steps. Did you do it correctly the first couple of times? Practice on some creatures that BAF, see if you can pull them solo. Practice on spawn lairs, they are different from mission lairs. The saying is the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat. I hate bleeding, so I practice about every time out.
6. Finally - KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS. I quit solo grouping with 15 other triple masters, because unbuffed I can't beat on level 150 creatures and expect to do well. I will group up to about level 100 tho. Just gotta know when to say No.
hope this helps some. Gonna be some unhappy campers shortly.
JB
Message Edited by JBMat on 08-30-2004 08:20 AM
AgonThalia
Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:39 am
#54
Hunting groups are a good thing:
When i go hunting for fun or profit, i usually take some ranged support with me. A carbineer matched with pikeman, pistols with tka and fencer, rifle with swords. Of course, this is only if you want max benefit in targeting a single pool.
The trick to fighting unbuffed is move around and choose your battles wisely.
Yesterday, I wandered into a field of fambaas, i was unarmored and unbuffed. From about 20 meters away, i lunged, then backed up, only agroing 1 of the leezards.
as he moved for me, i hit him with a wire mesh trap and a phen dart. I made him come to me... With nothing but an ubese chestplate, helmet and pants, i intimidated him, delayed him and let auto attack rip him apart. (as a master pike, he conned yellow) I know the times by heart of when the traps die, so i was ready with another phen/ wire combo to stick him with.
As he was low in health, I used KD on him and pounded on him so that he died on his side.
Tactics in melee are vastly different than those used in ranged, yet the furious pace of combat and the constant fear of death makes me love it.
Later on, i accidently aggroed 5 of the yellow conning fambaas. I ate some brandy, some accagarm, vegesparine (+24 melee defense) and synthsteak quicly and made short work of the roaming lizards.
Tactics are fun and essential, and you feel like you actually accomplished something. Have fun.
Seiryuu
Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:55 am
#55
Tactics? BAH!
I will use my FotM template and nothing will stop me!!!!
/saracasmoff
I so can't wait for the Combat Balance. Where's that sandbox?
I will use my FotM template and nothing will stop me!!!!
/saracasmoff
I so can't wait for the Combat Balance. Where's that sandbox?
OOM
Mon Aug 30, 2004 9:24 am
#56
Ah tactics. Unfortunately this is something I have grown complacent on over the last month or so. Some good pointers though.
I will be interested to see how the price of harvestable organics is affected by the combat balance. All of a sudden people who perform the "Buff-Stand-Spam-Kill-Harvest-Repeat" dance will need to adjust thier tactics.
Cheers,
Aitwexoeth
Owen-Lars
Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:12 am
#57
Tactics are great if your not in your end game, just a shame the game doesnt support tactics aswel as it should 
I purposely hunt in my krayt bone armour now, i would also go unbuffed however ham costs ruin those chances
frightwig
Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:11 am
#58
JBMat wrote:2. Use traps. We can't outrun cats, but if we p-dart one we can get out of range real easy. Glow wire drops resists, just how much I have no clue, but it says it works. I think it may. Other traps work ok, adhesive mesh gets an honorable mention, tho the 2 per craft makes me insane and shooting makes it break.Message Edited by JBMat on 08-30-2004 08:20 AM
Good post and tips. Adhesive mesh traps are definitely handy to keep around in a bind. If you're being chased down, just throw an adhesive mesh and freeze them. (just make sure you don't shoot after it). It's a life saver and gives you plenty of time to get away.
KDendo
Mon Aug 30, 2004 4:17 pm
#60
Excellent post. This is another one that I'd like to see towards the top. I hate using buffs and frankly, never do. I admit to armor, but just two to three pieces. I also tend to shy away from food buffs.
Traps are hands down the most helpful combat thing we've got. Work out a pattern of traps, whether it's phec. + glow-wire + stink or whatever. Be prepared. Also, don't macro your trap throws. I've seen someone recommend trap macroing (don't remember where). And I can't say enough that this is a bad idea. If you do not affect the creature with your trap and it's something necessary to your fight (i.e. phec.), then you don't want to suddenly have to clear your queue. Instead, use a full toolbar with traps, and use them that way. Much easier, much more helpful, and much safer.
-Kapp
Traps are hands down the most helpful combat thing we've got. Work out a pattern of traps, whether it's phec. + glow-wire + stink or whatever. Be prepared. Also, don't macro your trap throws. I've seen someone recommend trap macroing (don't remember where). And I can't say enough that this is a bad idea. If you do not affect the creature with your trap and it's something necessary to your fight (i.e. phec.), then you don't want to suddenly have to clear your queue. Instead, use a full toolbar with traps, and use them that way. Much easier, much more helpful, and much safer.
-Kapp
Keatsnam
Mon Aug 30, 2004 4:17 pm
#61
Great tips. I had gotten lazy lately, mostly because I was spending most of my time grouping with people hellbent on the Corvette. I threw my first trap in about two months this weekend...
AND IT WAS GOOD!
Same goes for my camps and cammo kits...
One combat move that I find useful is Threaten Shot. Timing it right often buys enough time to get some distance and apply a stim when I am in trouble.
AND IT WAS GOOD!
Same goes for my camps and cammo kits...
One combat move that I find useful is Threaten Shot. Timing it right often buys enough time to get some distance and apply a stim when I am in trouble.
DaveG
Mon Aug 30, 2004 5:58 pm
#62
For the record, I already do all that was put in the first post. I'm a professional hunter, and I NEVER go buffed, all I take is my brandy and my collection of rifles, and YES I still do find it exciting, espeically against DB creatures, wondering if I've set everything up right, and running through my head how I'll deal with it if it aggro's me. And yes, I alternate between armour and no armour, balancing out the use of auto fire and specials. What's more, is that I take on Ranger Students and teach them all I know so they can hunt just as competently.
In spite of all that, I'm still p!$$ed off that the CB is going to re-write the book on everything.
icarus-uk
Mon Aug 30, 2004 6:09 pm
#63
While Im in favor of a combat rebalance, in theory. I get the idea that this might possibly not allow us to buff and and just belt a lair into oblivion killing all that comes out in record time. Which while it sounds like a jolly thing to do, is going to increase the time it takes to kill creatures, thus the time it takes to hunt X numbers of resources, in turn increasing the recourse price. Is this a good thing?
DaveG
Mon Aug 30, 2004 6:21 pm
#64
icarus-uk wrote:
While Im in favor of a combat rebalance, in theory. I get the idea that this might possibly not allow us to buff and and just belt a lair into oblivion killing all that comes out in record time. Which while it sounds like a jolly thing to do, is going to increase the time it takes to kill creatures, thus the time it takes to hunt X numbers of resources, in turn increasing the recourse price. Is this a good thing?
If you're asking is the CB going to increase the time it takes to make a kill, then that is the impression we have been given yes, nothing has been said to rule it out, and no it's not a good thing. It's a terrible thing.
If it is going to take us longer than it already does to bring down a big creature, then hardly anybody is going to moderate to large scale harvesting, it's just going to be too much of laborious thing to do. The result being, more players drop ranger in favour of something else more immediately gratifying.
Almagill
Mon Aug 30, 2004 6:44 pm
#65
On TC I have some tatty ubese armour and rely on brandy/accagaram, stims and my 'get out of jail' pixie. I know I can get buffs in town and all, but I justdon't like going in and having to ask somebody to load their doc just for my convenience.
On Bria I usually hunt unbuffed on the beginner planets unless am going all out to get weapon XP to fill a box and get an extra skill or am out working big critters fast to fill an order.
Tactics, or at least using the skills / abilities you have and the properties of your equipment to the best effect not only makes the game feel more 'real' it makes for a far better playing experience. Pull on your robocop outfit, bung yourself full of buffs for mind and body and you'd be as well finding a 'god mode'. Still, I guess it's fun in a way, fsvo fun.
Looking forward to the CB and having to do what we Rangers do best. Adapt.
Oh aye, and STICKY! this one. It's a really good article on tactical thinking.
On Bria I usually hunt unbuffed on the beginner planets unless am going all out to get weapon XP to fill a box and get an extra skill or am out working big critters fast to fill an order.
Tactics, or at least using the skills / abilities you have and the properties of your equipment to the best effect not only makes the game feel more 'real' it makes for a far better playing experience. Pull on your robocop outfit, bung yourself full of buffs for mind and body and you'd be as well finding a 'god mode'. Still, I guess it's fun in a way, fsvo fun.
Looking forward to the CB and having to do what we Rangers do best. Adapt.
Oh aye, and STICKY! this one. It's a really good article on tactical thinking.