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Thread: Tier 4 Blues
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Rorenikibi
Tue Nov 16, 2004 7:25 am
#1
Is it just me, or does anyone else see the AI's on the quest missions jazzed above and beyond the norms for each Tier.
Last night, I was helpinga friend with his second Tier 4 quest and it involved fighting a Tier 5 TIE Aggressor. Now, I personally consider TIE Aggressors, particularly at the Master level, to be the most awesome challenge in the game for a solo Rebelpilot, since Decimators and Gunboats are definitely not something you tangle with alone, given a choice. This one simply chewed me up, passed me through, spit me out and flushed me down the drain with barely an effort.Ghost and I finally took the SOB together, but that was with every trick in the book activated. Level 3 Engine Overload, Level 3 Reactor Overload and Extreme Forward Shields. Even so, completing that phase of the mission left both of us so battered we could not proceed to the next phase before it was failed.
Now, here's the deal. I don't mind the difficulty. I do not want these missions to be easy, but I would like a little honesty in advertising. If these guys are going to fight like Tier 5+ NPCs, then just say so. If in order to maintain a high challenge level, the Devs feel the need to create Tier 6 enemies, fine, do it, just tell us. When I see an enemy fighter with "Tier 5" in the description, I have certain expectations as to its average performance based on a lot of time spent in the Kessel system up to my ears in them. When I get my ass handed to me by a single NPCAI that's clearly beyond the standard I've been conditioned to deal with, then I feel like I'm being jacked with.
If its going to be more difficult than the standard for the Tier, then make a new damned Tier for them. Otherwise, the Tier descriptions are next to worthless.
Coran_Sienar
Tue Nov 16, 2004 7:30 am
#2
It's just the aimbot turret bug. Once their accuracy is brought down to normal levels, we should be fine against turreted ships.
Rorenikibi
Tue Nov 16, 2004 7:47 am
#3
There's more to it than that, even his "Tier 4" TIE Interceptor escorts were a lot nastier than your average Tier 4s. I ran duty missions that threw me in the mix solo against up to nine Tier 4TIE's of various sorts andI learned to work them well enough to come out of the fight without a scratch on my ship (shields battered, but they regen, no biggie). These six beat the living hell out of us. Even after we nailed the Aggressor, they just pummelled my shields down and kicked the crap out of my crippled X-Wing to the tune of 4000+ credits worth of repairs. That's a bit extreme for Tier 4, even.
Like I said, I don't mind tough fights, but I'd like to have some indication of when I'm walking into one.
Aden_Nak
Tue Nov 16, 2004 7:58 am
#4
Aggressors are ridiculous to fight, honestly. At 3/3/3/3 I am able to wipe out multiple Tier 4 Oppressors & Advanceds with no problem. Not even any serious shield damage. But one single Aggressor can completely eat through my shields. Their turret is accurate to the point of absurdity. You can't trail them, because they turret will eat you. You can't play chicken with them, because as soon as you go past them the turret slams you. And you can't deflection-shot them, because the radius on turret rotation is great enough to nail you anyhow. Here's what I've come up with for dealing with Aggressors.
1) Stay under them. The turret is top-mounted. If you can get under them, you are safe. But the AI seems to compensate for this by rolling, so watch out.
2) Missiles are your friend. Normally I don't use ordinance in dogfights, but when it's pure pain to even GLANCE at an Aggressor, fire-and-forget can be a lifesaver.
3) Shield adjustment can be useful. Specificly, the command that doubles your front shield and halves your rear shield. It's risky, but it will allow you to make multiple runs on a Aggressor. It helps greatly if you have a friend there to watch your butt as you hammer the Aggressor. It might also be a good idea to put your better armor in your front slot (as opposed to your rear) before you launch.
4) Corkscrew (XvT style) still works. Specificly, the highly disorienting act of punching the throttle, and them jamming your stick into one of the four corners (to max your pitch and yaw turning rate) while simultaneously rolling in the opposite direction. It takes some getting used to, but what will happen is that you end up going more or less straight, but in a corkscrew pattern. I find that the AI has the most difficulty with this evasive maneuver (it's also good for attack runs on larger ships).
5) Bring a friend, burn your specials. The only other solution is to bring a friend with good, strong shields, have him drop in directly behind the TIE Aggressor (I would suggest that he use #3 if he plans on doing this, to beef up his forward shields), and then hit the Emergency Shield skill that Rebel pilots get. That will disable his guns, but turn him into a tank. As long as he stays close on the TIE's butt, he ought to retain agro for a while. This will allow you to play chicken with the Agg over and over.
1) Stay under them. The turret is top-mounted. If you can get under them, you are safe. But the AI seems to compensate for this by rolling, so watch out.
2) Missiles are your friend. Normally I don't use ordinance in dogfights, but when it's pure pain to even GLANCE at an Aggressor, fire-and-forget can be a lifesaver.
3) Shield adjustment can be useful. Specificly, the command that doubles your front shield and halves your rear shield. It's risky, but it will allow you to make multiple runs on a Aggressor. It helps greatly if you have a friend there to watch your butt as you hammer the Aggressor. It might also be a good idea to put your better armor in your front slot (as opposed to your rear) before you launch.
4) Corkscrew (XvT style) still works. Specificly, the highly disorienting act of punching the throttle, and them jamming your stick into one of the four corners (to max your pitch and yaw turning rate) while simultaneously rolling in the opposite direction. It takes some getting used to, but what will happen is that you end up going more or less straight, but in a corkscrew pattern. I find that the AI has the most difficulty with this evasive maneuver (it's also good for attack runs on larger ships).
5) Bring a friend, burn your specials. The only other solution is to bring a friend with good, strong shields, have him drop in directly behind the TIE Aggressor (I would suggest that he use #3 if he plans on doing this, to beef up his forward shields), and then hit the Emergency Shield skill that Rebel pilots get. That will disable his guns, but turn him into a tank. As long as he stays close on the TIE's butt, he ought to retain agro for a while. This will allow you to play chicken with the Agg over and over.
Rorenikibi
Tue Nov 16, 2004 8:50 am
#5
You have just run through my exact repetoire of tricks for fighting Aggressors in the Kessel system. I have a small adjust though. I leave my shields balanced and have no problem jousting with them. I can trick out the Pilot gun and get myself pretty clear and free shots at the nose with no issue, and let the turret smack my rear shield on the flyby only turning once the shots stop coming over my shoulder when it turns to make another pass. Once we're in a circle and joust mode, I can usually put enough shots on the Aggressor to kill it before my aft takes more than three passes, which is the average time it takes to break through 1850 shields.
Aden_Nak wrote:
Aggressors are ridiculous to fight, honestly. At 3/3/3/3 I am able to wipe out multiple Tier 4 Oppressors & Advanceds with no problem. Not even any serious shield damage. But one single Aggressor can completely eat through my shields. Their turret is accurate to the point of absurdity. You can't trail them, because they turret will eat you. You can't play chicken with them, because as soon as you go past them the turret slams you. And you can't deflection-shot them, because the radius on turret rotation is great enough to nail you anyhow. Here's what I've come up with for dealing with Aggressors.
1) Stay under them. The turret is top-mounted. If you can get under them, you are safe. But the AI seems to compensate for this by rolling, so watch out.
2) Missiles are your friend. Normally I don't use ordinance in dogfights, but when it's pure pain to even GLANCE at an Aggressor, fire-and-forget can be a lifesaver.
3) Shield adjustment can be useful. Specificly, the command that doubles your front shield and halves your rear shield. It's risky, but it will allow you to make multiple runs on a Aggressor. It helps greatly if you have a friend there to watch your butt as you hammer the Aggressor. It might also be a good idea to put your better armor in your front slot (as opposed to your rear) before you launch.
4) Corkscrew (XvT style) still works. Specificly, the highly disorienting act of punching the throttle, and them jamming your stick into one of the four corners (to max your pitch and yaw turning rate) while simultaneously rolling in the opposite direction. It takes some getting used to, but what will happen is that you end up going more or less straight, but in a corkscrew pattern. I find that the AI has the most difficulty with this evasive maneuver (it's also good for attack runs on larger ships).
5) Bring a friend, burn your specials. The only other solution is to bring a friend with good, strong shields, have him drop in directly behind the TIE Aggressor (I would suggest that he use #3 if he plans on doing this, to beef up his forward shields), and then hit the Emergency Shield skill that Rebel pilots get. That will disable his guns, but turn him into a tank. As long as he stays close on the TIE's butt, he ought to retain agro for a while. This will allow you to play chicken with the Agg over and over.
If I need more passes, I'll risk tailing the Aggressor to balance out the wear and tear on my shields to optimize their survival for a longer fight. Typically, this is not the case.
I agree, the turret is insane, but its not usually insurmountable. The one on this quest is just more insane than normal.
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