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Thread: Pilot’s Guide to the Stars
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NJS
Sat Mar 19, 2005 8:03 pm
#1
Pilot’s Guide to the Stars:
By Rebel Pilot Ace, Norman Sween
While looking through the Forums I noticed I could not find a guide on how to fly. Most guides pertaining to JTL seems to be just a collective knowledge of stats, waypoints and other information about the mechanics of the game. So here is a guide that focuses on the actual flying of the player and different tactics. This is the first one I have ever written so if you have any suggestions, questions, or feel some information is incorrect or left out just reply here or send me a PM and I will update it as soon as I can. Hope you find this enjoyable and helpful!
Identify your style: First and foremost a pilot needs to find his flying style. This is found naturally through time and practice. Styles can vary and change a lot between pilots. One could go so far as to say it represents our personality and the way we think just by judging the way we fly. In time your personal and unique style will come , but the 3 basic areas of styles are defensive, aggressive, and balanced.
Defensive: Defensive pilots can fall into two subcategories of projection or maneuverability. Protection pilots usually like to have the strongest shields and heaviest armor that allows them to take a beating and shrug off damage. Maneuverability pilots tend to have a “hot hand on the stick” and seem to be all over the place. Their main defense is their ability to quickly dodge enemy fire and avoid being hit.
Aggressive: Aggressive pilots mainly focus on raw firepower. Usually they follow the tactic of “killing your enemy before they kill you“, willing to give up projection for added guns and firepower. Pilots of this nature are usually found in battles killing all in their wake and whatever wonders into their sights.
Balanced: Balanced pilot’s seek a middle ground drawing from the strengths and weaknesses of the other two extreme styles. Although not as tough or powerful it can prove to be effective. Pilots of this nature are neither willing to forsake or excel in armor, firepower or maneuverability.
Find your match: Although different crafts can be used for different situations your standard ship and equipment layout should be reflected by your flying style for maximum effectiveness.
Defensive Ships: Defensive pilots may want to look into having a ship with a high mass limit or high maneuverability. A craft that is able to hold a lot of mass allows you to equip some of the best armor and shields. Although they tend to be sluggish, usually you are able to take anything your enemy has to offer until you destroy them. Ships with high maneuverability lack the freedom of high allowed mass, but since maneuverability is the defense a pilot can mainly focus on weapons and engines.
Aggressive Ships: Aggressive ships is any ship that has a large number of gun emplacements and the mass to support it. You will want to load as much firepower as you are allowed for a high and powerful rate of fire. Weapons are your prime concern with armor and shields coming second.
Balanced ships: A balanced craft is one that you may outfit as you see fit. With decent agility you may focus on either weapons or protection. A prime example is the Icom T-65 A2 X-Wing. With 3 weapon slots, around 100k mass, and decent maneuverability it can support most flying styles or achieve an even mix.
The right ship for the fight: Ships are not limited to styles only. Ships tend to fall under the roles of either Fighter or Bomber. Although some craft can act outside their defended role depending on the mission.
Fighter Craft: Fighters are mainly used for engaging other enemy fighters and providing cover. Their duties can range from recon, escort or interception. They are charged with the protection of bombers and punching through fighter screens that are a threat to their escort or mission objective. They can also draw enemy fire from transports and provide a covering fire to allow bombers to get within or out of target range. However their weaker armor and mild weapon tend to make them ineffective against capital and transport class starships.
Bomber Craft: Bombers are most effective against large targets with fortified defensives. Although they tend to sport heavy guns and thick armor their slow speed and low maneuverability makes them easy targets for fighters. Bombers usually rely on a fighter escort to provide cover while they engage the larger enemy craft.
Equipping your ship: Although one of the great many things about JTL is the freedom to equip your ship however you see fit, there are a few standard layouts for the different styles and situations that a pilot may follow.
Fast Attack Ships: Fast Attack Craft such as the A-Wing or Tie Advanced have speed and maneuverability as their primary traits. Therefore your primary focus should be on the engines. An engine with a high Top Speed, Pitch and Yaw stats can be very effective. However watch the mass since these ships tend to not have a lot.
Next you will want weapons with a high rate of fire. Since you will be constantly weaving in and out if enemy sights and quickly getting behind your target you will have very little time to carefully line up and aim a powerful shot. Guns with high rates of fire lack damage, but you will need to get as many shots off as you can within a small amount of time. Blasters are the recommended cannons for these ships.
Shields and armor should be considered last line of defense only. Sometimes pilots completely forsake armor for the extra mass. Shields should be strong enough to take a few hits, but not a onslaught. Instead you will want low mass and a high regeneration rate.
Bombers: Bomber pilots should consider weapons, shields and armor their primary and engines second. Since bombers are placed in charge with taking down larger enemy ships you will want to have enough high damaging weapons to knock out your target within a few passes and strong shields and armor to survive hits from enemy turrets. Bombers tend to have enough mass that you can consider Mass a secondary stat. Either a mix or full load of Ion and Disrupter cannons is recommended.
Escort and Interceptors: Escorts and Interceptors mainly attack other fighters while providing cover for bombers. For this role you will want strong enough defensives to survive long enough for the bombers to complete their mission and enough firepower to quickly clear enemy fighters. Engines are also important so that you may get to your enemy fast enough to prevent much damage to your allies. Often an even balance of weapon damage/fire rate, and shield strength/regeneration is preferred. Mass should also be considered a primary stat. Either Blaster or a mix of Iron and Disrupter is recommended.
Weapon Types and Classes: Weapon abilities fall under three main areas: Anti Armor, Anti Shields and Balanced.
Anti Armor: These weapons are the Disrupter Cannons and Seismic Missiles. These have the ability to quickly strip a target of their armor and destroy their systems within a few shots. However they are weak against shields.
Anti Shield: Anti Shield weapons are the opposite of Anti Armor Weapons. They are Ion Cannons and Concussion missiles. They can quickly take out an enemies shields and systems, but are practically ineffective against armor.
Balanced: Blaster Cannons, Proton and ImageRec Missiles have no strengths or weaknesses. They are equally effective against armor, shields and systems however they are not as strong as Anti Armor or Shield weapons. Also ImageRec Missiles are much harder to decoy then Proton and are able to fly around obstacles such as asteroids blocking their target.
Flying Strategies: Although there are many different ways to approach an enemy and situation these are some standard strategies that have proven effective for both solo and group flying. There are two standard forms of combat while engaging a enemy: Head to Head and Dogfight.
Throttle Control: Knowing how to control your throttle can mean the difference between victory and death. All craft achieve their maximum turning rate at ½ of their top speed. Having your craft at ½ throttle is effective for getting behind your enemy or quickly turning to face them. Also once behind your enemy you can match it’s speed by pressing the “M” key or just adjusting your throttle until you feel comfortable.
Head to head: A Head to Head is when the pilot and the enemy is at least 50m apart and flying directly at each other. During this time they may either be waiting to get within firing range or firing at the other. An effective tactic for this is to direct power to front shields. try to dodge the enemy fire while sending “snap shots” in an attempt to hit them. Snap shots are quick bursts of fire that are poorly aimed and shot while dodging. This is to avoid any damage with the possibility of causing damage while the distance is being closed to enter a Dogfight. When the enemy is about 20m or less away power down to ½ speed and turn in the direction your enemy is flying so when he passes you are already following on his tail.
Dogfight: A dogfight is when you and the enemy are 20m or less apart from each other and are flying loops in an attempt to get on the others tail. These are done at a constant ½ throttle for best turning rate. If an enemy has positioned himself behind you and is unable to be shaken you may attempt to break the dogfight by flying straight in a general direction while dodging to open the distance between you two. When you are satisfied with the distance go back to ½ speed to engage in a mini Head to Head to reenter the dogfight.
PvE Strategies: Although fighting NPC enemy craft can be fairly straight forward there are a number of things you can do that will give you an edge when engaging one or more targets.
Fast Attack Craft: When fighting an enemy that is much faster and agile then you an effective tactic are forced Head to head situations. These NPCs generally try to set up strafing runs against a player in which it will fly in large loops attacking you and matching its speed to yours. Once an enemy has passed you slow or completely stop. The enemy will fly out and then loop around to fly directly at you. Once it is within weapons range it will attempt to match your speed. If you are going extremely slow or stopped the NPC will also greatly slow down allowing you about 5-15 seconds of open direct fire. Although it will not try to dodge your attacks it will be firing back so make sure you have enough shield strength to withstand the hits. Once it is about 20m away go to ½ speed and turn in the direction the enemy is flying so that when it passes you, you are already on it’s tail.
Craft with Turrets: So far I have found no foolproof approach to these, but an effective way to deal with them is to target the turret its self and maximize your front shield strength. Since these enemies usually fly straight and slow snap shots are pretty ineffective. Just get on the enemies tail and fire until your front shields are about to go then quickly turn and get away as fast as possible to open the distance. Wait until your front shields are stable again and repeat until turret is destroyed.
PvP Strategies: There are many different good strategies out there for PvP and many depend on a players flying style, craft, equipment and overall skill. However these are some basic easy-to-master skills that are effective. Also head to head and dog fighting strategies can be applied.
Ruddering: Ruddering, or commonly known as a Barrel Roll, is spinning your craft either left or right. This is most effective for pilots with twist-handle joysticks. Since JTL has no “laser conversion” system (meaning that lasers will fly out straight and not angled to come together at a point) players can twist their craft to avoid being hit. This is most effective against craft that have their guns positioned far apart like the X-Wing and Z-95. If you twist your craft so that your wings are between your enemies guns you will see that their fire will pass harmlessly by. Also it is rumored that if you twist the opposite way that you are turning it increases your turning rate by a small amount.
Faking: Faking while in a dogfight can be effective by confusing your enemy or shaking them from your tail. However it can be equally as dangerous by putting yourself in their sights or giving them enough time to get a solid position on your tail. You can fake in a Dogfight by quickly twitching your craft in one direction to fool your enemy into thinking your turning that way. If it is taken you may gain enough time to either shake him off your tail, get on his tail, or get away.
Group Flying Tactics: These also can vary greatly depending on the people you are flying with and the situation. Also never forget the strongest tactic for group flying is the ability to work together and coordinate yourselves as a team.
Group Setup: For either hunting, raiding or striking it is good to have a balanced group with different ships. Fighters are good to draw fire and bombers are good to slowly follow and kill anything that gets by. There is no perfect setup however and it really depends on your wingmen.
Fighter Pulling: A major cause for death in groups is when one person becomes the target for multiple enemies. One way to draw off multiple enemies is to quickly damage them as they are making their run against your wingman. This puts the enemy into evasive maneuvers and/or makes them acquire you as their new target. Although it seems like by transferring all your wingman’s enemies to your self is trading one problem for another, this will give your ally enough time to recharge his shields, get his bearings and then come back to provide assistance. If you are both damaged and can not retreat then you can continue to trade enemies like this instead of one person acting as the “meat shield”.
Covering: One of the most common mistakes made in group fighting is singling out an enemy and forgetting about your surroundings. This is called “Tunnel Vision” which is the focus of only one enemy and what you can directly see in front of you. When pilots do this they either get their wingmen killed or themselves killed. When you are providing cover for a wingman it is best to stay close yet slightly behind him and attack his target. This way if you see any incoming shots hitting him you can decrease your throttle to allow the attacker to fly past you so that you make destroy or at least make it break off the attack. This is very effective for a pair of pilots who are engaging many targets.
If you have any more information to add please reply here:
By Rebel Pilot Ace, Norman Sween
While looking through the Forums I noticed I could not find a guide on how to fly. Most guides pertaining to JTL seems to be just a collective knowledge of stats, waypoints and other information about the mechanics of the game. So here is a guide that focuses on the actual flying of the player and different tactics. This is the first one I have ever written so if you have any suggestions, questions, or feel some information is incorrect or left out just reply here or send me a PM and I will update it as soon as I can. Hope you find this enjoyable and helpful!
Identify your style: First and foremost a pilot needs to find his flying style. This is found naturally through time and practice. Styles can vary and change a lot between pilots. One could go so far as to say it represents our personality and the way we think just by judging the way we fly. In time your personal and unique style will come , but the 3 basic areas of styles are defensive, aggressive, and balanced.
Defensive: Defensive pilots can fall into two subcategories of projection or maneuverability. Protection pilots usually like to have the strongest shields and heaviest armor that allows them to take a beating and shrug off damage. Maneuverability pilots tend to have a “hot hand on the stick” and seem to be all over the place. Their main defense is their ability to quickly dodge enemy fire and avoid being hit.
Aggressive: Aggressive pilots mainly focus on raw firepower. Usually they follow the tactic of “killing your enemy before they kill you“, willing to give up projection for added guns and firepower. Pilots of this nature are usually found in battles killing all in their wake and whatever wonders into their sights.
Balanced: Balanced pilot’s seek a middle ground drawing from the strengths and weaknesses of the other two extreme styles. Although not as tough or powerful it can prove to be effective. Pilots of this nature are neither willing to forsake or excel in armor, firepower or maneuverability.
Find your match: Although different crafts can be used for different situations your standard ship and equipment layout should be reflected by your flying style for maximum effectiveness.
Defensive Ships: Defensive pilots may want to look into having a ship with a high mass limit or high maneuverability. A craft that is able to hold a lot of mass allows you to equip some of the best armor and shields. Although they tend to be sluggish, usually you are able to take anything your enemy has to offer until you destroy them. Ships with high maneuverability lack the freedom of high allowed mass, but since maneuverability is the defense a pilot can mainly focus on weapons and engines.
Aggressive Ships: Aggressive ships is any ship that has a large number of gun emplacements and the mass to support it. You will want to load as much firepower as you are allowed for a high and powerful rate of fire. Weapons are your prime concern with armor and shields coming second.
Balanced ships: A balanced craft is one that you may outfit as you see fit. With decent agility you may focus on either weapons or protection. A prime example is the Icom T-65 A2 X-Wing. With 3 weapon slots, around 100k mass, and decent maneuverability it can support most flying styles or achieve an even mix.
The right ship for the fight: Ships are not limited to styles only. Ships tend to fall under the roles of either Fighter or Bomber. Although some craft can act outside their defended role depending on the mission.
Fighter Craft: Fighters are mainly used for engaging other enemy fighters and providing cover. Their duties can range from recon, escort or interception. They are charged with the protection of bombers and punching through fighter screens that are a threat to their escort or mission objective. They can also draw enemy fire from transports and provide a covering fire to allow bombers to get within or out of target range. However their weaker armor and mild weapon tend to make them ineffective against capital and transport class starships.
Bomber Craft: Bombers are most effective against large targets with fortified defensives. Although they tend to sport heavy guns and thick armor their slow speed and low maneuverability makes them easy targets for fighters. Bombers usually rely on a fighter escort to provide cover while they engage the larger enemy craft.
Equipping your ship: Although one of the great many things about JTL is the freedom to equip your ship however you see fit, there are a few standard layouts for the different styles and situations that a pilot may follow.
Fast Attack Ships: Fast Attack Craft such as the A-Wing or Tie Advanced have speed and maneuverability as their primary traits. Therefore your primary focus should be on the engines. An engine with a high Top Speed, Pitch and Yaw stats can be very effective. However watch the mass since these ships tend to not have a lot.
Next you will want weapons with a high rate of fire. Since you will be constantly weaving in and out if enemy sights and quickly getting behind your target you will have very little time to carefully line up and aim a powerful shot. Guns with high rates of fire lack damage, but you will need to get as many shots off as you can within a small amount of time. Blasters are the recommended cannons for these ships.
Shields and armor should be considered last line of defense only. Sometimes pilots completely forsake armor for the extra mass. Shields should be strong enough to take a few hits, but not a onslaught. Instead you will want low mass and a high regeneration rate.
Bombers: Bomber pilots should consider weapons, shields and armor their primary and engines second. Since bombers are placed in charge with taking down larger enemy ships you will want to have enough high damaging weapons to knock out your target within a few passes and strong shields and armor to survive hits from enemy turrets. Bombers tend to have enough mass that you can consider Mass a secondary stat. Either a mix or full load of Ion and Disrupter cannons is recommended.
Escort and Interceptors: Escorts and Interceptors mainly attack other fighters while providing cover for bombers. For this role you will want strong enough defensives to survive long enough for the bombers to complete their mission and enough firepower to quickly clear enemy fighters. Engines are also important so that you may get to your enemy fast enough to prevent much damage to your allies. Often an even balance of weapon damage/fire rate, and shield strength/regeneration is preferred. Mass should also be considered a primary stat. Either Blaster or a mix of Iron and Disrupter is recommended.
Weapon Types and Classes: Weapon abilities fall under three main areas: Anti Armor, Anti Shields and Balanced.
Anti Armor: These weapons are the Disrupter Cannons and Seismic Missiles. These have the ability to quickly strip a target of their armor and destroy their systems within a few shots. However they are weak against shields.
Anti Shield: Anti Shield weapons are the opposite of Anti Armor Weapons. They are Ion Cannons and Concussion missiles. They can quickly take out an enemies shields and systems, but are practically ineffective against armor.
Balanced: Blaster Cannons, Proton and ImageRec Missiles have no strengths or weaknesses. They are equally effective against armor, shields and systems however they are not as strong as Anti Armor or Shield weapons. Also ImageRec Missiles are much harder to decoy then Proton and are able to fly around obstacles such as asteroids blocking their target.
Flying Strategies: Although there are many different ways to approach an enemy and situation these are some standard strategies that have proven effective for both solo and group flying. There are two standard forms of combat while engaging a enemy: Head to Head and Dogfight.
Throttle Control: Knowing how to control your throttle can mean the difference between victory and death. All craft achieve their maximum turning rate at ½ of their top speed. Having your craft at ½ throttle is effective for getting behind your enemy or quickly turning to face them. Also once behind your enemy you can match it’s speed by pressing the “M” key or just adjusting your throttle until you feel comfortable.
Head to head: A Head to Head is when the pilot and the enemy is at least 50m apart and flying directly at each other. During this time they may either be waiting to get within firing range or firing at the other. An effective tactic for this is to direct power to front shields. try to dodge the enemy fire while sending “snap shots” in an attempt to hit them. Snap shots are quick bursts of fire that are poorly aimed and shot while dodging. This is to avoid any damage with the possibility of causing damage while the distance is being closed to enter a Dogfight. When the enemy is about 20m or less away power down to ½ speed and turn in the direction your enemy is flying so when he passes you are already following on his tail.
Dogfight: A dogfight is when you and the enemy are 20m or less apart from each other and are flying loops in an attempt to get on the others tail. These are done at a constant ½ throttle for best turning rate. If an enemy has positioned himself behind you and is unable to be shaken you may attempt to break the dogfight by flying straight in a general direction while dodging to open the distance between you two. When you are satisfied with the distance go back to ½ speed to engage in a mini Head to Head to reenter the dogfight.
PvE Strategies: Although fighting NPC enemy craft can be fairly straight forward there are a number of things you can do that will give you an edge when engaging one or more targets.
Fast Attack Craft: When fighting an enemy that is much faster and agile then you an effective tactic are forced Head to head situations. These NPCs generally try to set up strafing runs against a player in which it will fly in large loops attacking you and matching its speed to yours. Once an enemy has passed you slow or completely stop. The enemy will fly out and then loop around to fly directly at you. Once it is within weapons range it will attempt to match your speed. If you are going extremely slow or stopped the NPC will also greatly slow down allowing you about 5-15 seconds of open direct fire. Although it will not try to dodge your attacks it will be firing back so make sure you have enough shield strength to withstand the hits. Once it is about 20m away go to ½ speed and turn in the direction the enemy is flying so that when it passes you, you are already on it’s tail.
Craft with Turrets: So far I have found no foolproof approach to these, but an effective way to deal with them is to target the turret its self and maximize your front shield strength. Since these enemies usually fly straight and slow snap shots are pretty ineffective. Just get on the enemies tail and fire until your front shields are about to go then quickly turn and get away as fast as possible to open the distance. Wait until your front shields are stable again and repeat until turret is destroyed.
PvP Strategies: There are many different good strategies out there for PvP and many depend on a players flying style, craft, equipment and overall skill. However these are some basic easy-to-master skills that are effective. Also head to head and dog fighting strategies can be applied.
Ruddering: Ruddering, or commonly known as a Barrel Roll, is spinning your craft either left or right. This is most effective for pilots with twist-handle joysticks. Since JTL has no “laser conversion” system (meaning that lasers will fly out straight and not angled to come together at a point) players can twist their craft to avoid being hit. This is most effective against craft that have their guns positioned far apart like the X-Wing and Z-95. If you twist your craft so that your wings are between your enemies guns you will see that their fire will pass harmlessly by. Also it is rumored that if you twist the opposite way that you are turning it increases your turning rate by a small amount.
Faking: Faking while in a dogfight can be effective by confusing your enemy or shaking them from your tail. However it can be equally as dangerous by putting yourself in their sights or giving them enough time to get a solid position on your tail. You can fake in a Dogfight by quickly twitching your craft in one direction to fool your enemy into thinking your turning that way. If it is taken you may gain enough time to either shake him off your tail, get on his tail, or get away.
Group Flying Tactics: These also can vary greatly depending on the people you are flying with and the situation. Also never forget the strongest tactic for group flying is the ability to work together and coordinate yourselves as a team.
Group Setup: For either hunting, raiding or striking it is good to have a balanced group with different ships. Fighters are good to draw fire and bombers are good to slowly follow and kill anything that gets by. There is no perfect setup however and it really depends on your wingmen.
Fighter Pulling: A major cause for death in groups is when one person becomes the target for multiple enemies. One way to draw off multiple enemies is to quickly damage them as they are making their run against your wingman. This puts the enemy into evasive maneuvers and/or makes them acquire you as their new target. Although it seems like by transferring all your wingman’s enemies to your self is trading one problem for another, this will give your ally enough time to recharge his shields, get his bearings and then come back to provide assistance. If you are both damaged and can not retreat then you can continue to trade enemies like this instead of one person acting as the “meat shield”.
Covering: One of the most common mistakes made in group fighting is singling out an enemy and forgetting about your surroundings. This is called “Tunnel Vision” which is the focus of only one enemy and what you can directly see in front of you. When pilots do this they either get their wingmen killed or themselves killed. When you are providing cover for a wingman it is best to stay close yet slightly behind him and attack his target. This way if you see any incoming shots hitting him you can decrease your throttle to allow the attacker to fly past you so that you make destroy or at least make it break off the attack. This is very effective for a pair of pilots who are engaging many targets.
If you have any more information to add please reply here:
padren
Sun Mar 20, 2005 1:49 pm
#2
I only recently mastered privateer but one thing I noticed is when you are fighting a rear gun enemy, if you find you can't get steady hits on them while in pursuit but they do on you, you can force them into charging you by slowing right down and it puts you on even footing - front gun vs front gun. As they pass you may need to use your boosters and evade somewhat, to get out of range faster. This really doesn't work well though if you are fighting a group of ships, since you are too easy of a target. In that case I try to focus on one and evade the others, tail it then turn and run as the front shields get eaten.
Here are some flying posts I saw on how to fly, mostly under the pilot profession forum, not under the JLS one:
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=pilot&message.id=13083
This faq has some good links to flying tips (including the above one), as well as mechanics and components etc.
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=pilot&message.id=45278
Hope they help too
Here are some flying posts I saw on how to fly, mostly under the pilot profession forum, not under the JLS one:
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=pilot&message.id=13083
This faq has some good links to flying tips (including the above one), as well as mechanics and components etc.
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=pilot&message.id=45278
Hope they help too
Message Edited by padren on 03-20-2005 12:51 AM
Washell
Sun Mar 20, 2005 6:43 pm
#3
4, and a 5th written by me to be added links to excellent flying guides on the pilot forums
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