Pilot Archive

Thread: What I've learned from flying an A-wing. A few thoughts and experiences..shared.

LeaphChausew
Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:00 am
#1

I've been flying my A-wing for a long time now and so I think I qualify to give some thoughts on the practicalities and use of the ship as well as it's limitations...but first..an intro..


In my personal quest of flying an A-wing as my main ship even in the face of equal pilots/better ones than I in new ROTW ships, I've still been keeping up and on Bria, pretty muchgot to bearound the top of the pile..around it I said..not 'the' . As a result of this, I decided to move to pasteurs new [Starsider] to see how I'd face up to some of the aces there. There is no test for one's own skill like variety after all and I wish to raise my own skill level. So far, I'm doing ok for myself and have so far been proving successful. The real test however will be this Saturday's pvp event and I'm actually pretty nervous about it. This will be the ..in my oppinion 'deciding factor' on how well I can handle myself in a large fight..with the ship I feel I can get the most out of personally [I actually feel I fly an A-wing better than I would a Belb..but it may just be the flight time I spent in an A-wing talking]Since Starsider pilots fly a wide range of ships including some very niftily set up RG TIES and JSF's.So as far as anything 'ingame' goes..it's kind of important to me. If I come out well from it, I'll be happy and strive to improve on my success. If I come out with my ship in kitform along with my avatar...well I'll be waiting for the next one so I can improve and will be evaluating my own flying a whole lot.


Anyway, I've been looking at the way I fly the A-wing and I realise it is much different to how I have flown any other ship. I've always been a pilot who prefers quality over quantity. For example...on days where I get say 21 kills and 4 deaths I wouldn't be too happy where as on a day where I get 5 kills and no deaths, I'm much happier. Surviving as well as success means a lot more to me because 'realistically' speaking it means that that sessions..I havn't died and come back from the proverbial grave in order to make extra kills. Relevant to the topic is shielding. On any ship you want to be aiming to stick as good a engine, gun and shield [in that order I work it] on as possible.

When setting up my A-wing, I knew a lvl 10 engine would be out of the question because the lowest I've seen which was available to me at the time was just over 40k mass and even 30k mass would be too high, so I looked into lvl 8 territory. I got to applaud SOE for adding the Nym Clone Relics quest to the game because it brought into existence..the Quantum Ion drive. Now I know this engine 'drops' with random speeds but I was lucky and with a bit of bartering etc, I've managd to aquire a few of them off people who didn't really need/want them. So to cut this part short, I got the engine I was after..a high speed engine with superior r,p,y rates to a lvl 6 engine which at the same time didn't eat into my mass Capacity too horribly.

In respect to this, it meant I could fit in a decent mk IV shield (later to become a lvl 7 shield with 'fair' hitpoints) and a lvl 7 gun with fairly decent damage.


I'll spare you all the stats on my ship..I've posted them twice before, but as it stands, what I'm finding is against people with two weapon slot ships one shot will usually cripple me or damage me enough so that I'm a sitting duck hobbling along or will one shot me. Conversely, single weapon slot ships like the RG TIE seem to hurt my shields but I can shunt. As a result of dying a few imes due to silly errors on my half and then possibly the best bit of advice I recieved since being encouraged to actually try the A-wing all those months ago, I got front adjust moderate up and running the other day for one on one encounters where I'm fairly sure people aren't using missiles/can't get a lock. A lot of Rebel pilots I know of, consider our factions droid commands to be somewhat...useless. I was one of these people for a long time, but in a pvp battle when you are packing a decent engine so most of the time facing your enemy, this command is brilliant. The only draw backs are it weakens your rear shield somewhat so a single IR II missile would hurt a lot.


For reference, the droid commands I use currently: RO4, WO3,EO4,CO4,Shield shunt 4, Sheild front adjust moderate, Shield normalisation.


Note: Shield normalisation is a must as I see it when using any command which alters the balance of hitpoints on your shields.

Being that enemy NPCs will hit you from behind and occasionally like to fire missiles, I consider being killed by one when I have a weaker rear shield rather silly...also, in multiple contact engagements, I think I'd leave front adjust well alone because there is more possibility of being hit from more angles.


Ok, next point...


Damage. The damage I put out with my A-wing is 3.1k max with a lvl 7 Ionic pulse weapon re'd which is respectable considering the level. As it stands, I cannot fit a lvl 8 Tri cannon inside. I believe I could squeeze one in if I get the current QID I'm working on [100.5 speed un re'd ] to a lower mass and if I can re one of my un re'd tri cannons to a nicer mass. That along with stripping my A-wing of it's IR II launcher and I'm fairly sure all would fit inside making that version the 12th adaptation of the same ship. I slipped out of context a bit there, but what I'm getting at is, the damage I put out is good'ish..but when flying in pvp most of the time I have to score three good hits to disable someone. Yep..disable, not kill.

That changed my flying style somewhat. I used to be rather aggressive and go in guns blazing. With an x-wing carrying a reward shield as well as packing front adjust [I never tried an x-wing with front adjust but...I'm thinking on giving it a whirl] as well as three decent cannons...I'm sure even if you took a hit, as long as you hit your opponent on the initial pass, you'd disable them. Now thats just an example for comparison, but with an A-wing...it's attributes are speed, manouverability and..a small hitbox. Those three factors send a clear message to me that the objective to keep in mind when setting up the ship and flying it is...design it so rather than taking hits...you -don't- get hit.


So I'm flying in pvp...and I'll take shots at people and still fly with the same level as tenacity, but I have a much more protective air for my craft and am a whole lot more paranoid ..which forces my situational awareness to be as well..'aware' as I personally can be. This I think is one of the main reasons I fly this craft. Hell...it is one of the main reasons if not -the- main reason I'm making this post at all. I'm flying a 'weaker' ship in order to improve my flying. It keeps me on my toes and thus improves my day-to-day performance. Yeh...I'm not 'the best pilot around' and as I said before, I wouldn't want to be, but...I really 100% promote the act of 'limited Starship specialisation'. I feel it can do wonders for your flying. It is this reason why I'm not too wary of pilots who have come into this game and never given an old ship a trial. I know they're spoiled for choice with their ships and I'll use it to my advantage. After killing a new pilot I'll suggest they try an old school ship for the valuable lessons they teach. It also has the converse effect on me though...As in, any veteran I see in a new ship like the JSF who I know used to cause mayhem in the older ships...even to me..well it makes me scared and is the only time I'll actually gulp and think my ship may be a little inadequate. However...as much as that might be the case, it just makes me try harder. Rather than giving up on my er..'pledge' and going and unpacking my Belb deed, I'll just try harder and harder with my A-wing.


Benefits of this attitude: Well for starters...I think I fly a lot more 'refined' than I used to. I've found that baring in mind how vulnerable the A-wing is along with the limited damage it puts out..but combined with it's still pretty awesome manouverability/small hitbox, I'm flying a combination of defensive and aggressive manouversand it can throw off an opponent on occasion. In fact..I've sometimes found that while pulling a defensive manouver e.g: You know those long winding, twisting circles you get into in pvp? So tempting to just keep spinning in one direction aren't they? Well, I found against people who 'feel' like they have a little more r,p,y to spare than I, I'll break off and fly in the opposite direction. In doing this, you actually expose yourself to fire and I wouldn't be surprised if one day I'm caught out with this trick because when you're spinning...and then break off for the opposing vector, you technically 'remain still' while executing the move. I owe a lot to spontenaity though and most of the time...my enemy won't be expecting it and even if they know me and know I'm going to probably try doing that..they can never know the exact second I do it. I've managed to make a few kills by catching people off guard like that and is one of the few..probably more simple tricks up my sleeve.On other occasions though..it just bought me a few seconds whilst my hyper macro processes.


Which brings me to this. Hyper macros. You have no idea how much I hate to retreat...but in forcing myself to make use of them, I think I taught myself the valuable lesson of biding my time. If I see an enemy..I'll want to attack it, kill it and then see it come back for more...however, with the new ships, I'm finding my duels are lasting longer and longer...pilots are getting better..and some veterans out there are just plain scary when strapped into their JSFs and RG TIES. So I got to draw a line somewhere. I'll go into an encounter and fly for ten minutes at least before I hyper out...I'll at least give it a good go. If I can see that I 'might' be able to take the enemy down. [Good example of this is say an RG TIE with a pilot I'm almost certain won't get off a shot on me but my shots have just done nothing to their hitbox...I'll continue until I 'finally' get a hit] Well, I'll be there for the long haul. Other cases where I'll go into a drawn out battle is with particularly skilled T/A pilots oreven JSF's. I'm no quitter. In fact..the only three reasons for me using a hyper macro would be 1.I've been dueling for ages, I'm tired..I need a rethink. 2. Oh god no...there's six thousand of them and as confident as I am...I think I need to swallow my pride on this one and 3.Crap..my Capacitor/shield has gone...time for a repair. In any case, even if I survive that long to execute the macro, the victory goes to the one I retreat from....I just deny them a straight out kill. The fact they've forced me to withdraw is their gain though. In most cases, I'll come back after I've repaired/regrouped and thought out new tactics etc and I find, as I found the other day when flying with Halyn, that when I return I come out on top and make the kill.


A few times though...I have either just been killed before I could hyper out, been killed even before I start the macro or...I come back and get killed anyway so it isn't perfect, but life isn't anyway.


I mention all this about hyper macros because the consideration of themwhen needed makes you think a lot more about the logistics of flying. It makesme at least size up my enemy a lot more before a battle. I think to myself on seeing them after pressing Z,"Righty, a contact..." *thought process: enemy, what ship? possible weapons? how big are they? could they be faster/more manouverable than I?...will I need that forsaken Hyper macro at any point?* and all that happens within...a split second maybe as I'll go into Recon mode.


I learned a long time ago with this ship that going in guns blazing willy nilly style gets me killed. I don't know about other A-wing pilots..but thats me all over. Without the relevant thought process and lack of control overmy own situational awareness...it gets me killed. Also, the very fact it's an A-wing I fly. From fiction and the films, these ships are recognised as fast,light hit and fade Interceptors which are also used for recon. So I try to bare all that in mind in pvp. As I said...in the actual furball I'll be flying both defensively and aggressively, but leading up to that and bare in mind I say I don't just leap into it, I'll try and 'stalk' my enemy for a while to see if...


1.They have any friends with them

2.What their objective seems to be in that part of space [on the whole..New pilot faction farmers seem to show up like a a Redneck in a haystack waving a big red flag saying "I'm a redneck" because you can follow them for up to a few minutes and they won't even know you're within range because they havn't been pressing Z in which case if I'm feeling kind, I'll send them a warning tell...btu if I suspect it'll be followed up with a hail of abuse...which as of late has been my general mind set, they simply get blown up and I move on]. But yeh..moving on.

3.I'll try and make them notice me without getting too close so that the fight is more 'fair'. However this depends on my main objectives for the flight. If I'm FP Frming myself and I see an enemy...I'll attack regardless of what they're doing. If I'm FP Farming and they're FP farming, it is very much equal ground. The fact I have noticed them first is their hardluck and they get blasted with extreme prejudice because no matter what people say..nothing would stop them from stabbing me in the back. There were multiple times on Bria where I let so called 'FP Farmers' off ith their business only to find a few moments later they try and attack me or if I fight another contact in the area..they'll butt in and try and help them too.

However...if my aim is simply pvp, which it often is and someone asks me for a 'truce' I'll let them off and tell them if they do attack me though..or drift into range while I'm engaged with someone else, then the truce is void. I'm not going to sit there discussing truce policy when someone else who is out for pvp is trying to kill me and one of their 'innocent' allies is within blaster range. It is just common sense.


Anyway..Again moving on,


The flight path leading into an engagement.

What I'm saying here, I guess applies to every ship in the game, but I think it does so even more to a ship which is a little more limited in it's role and has blatant 'pros and cons'. Flying into an engagement, any pilot worth their salt will be taking evasive action, possibly whilst firing. Now, when flying into an engagemnt when both pilots are aware of each other can be the most deadly part of the battle because you both potentially have clear lines of sight for each other. The draw back is..if one pilot lines up the shot..then they open themselves up for attack as opposing vectors converge. I know...for a fact that my ship cannot afford to do that. Front adjust or no...my mantra is..'try not to get hit at all by anything'. Enforcing the upmost expectations on yourself in a fight is mandatory in my view and so I might go in spraying...but I'll never expect to hit anyone on that initial pass as well, I said my shields wouldn't hold and secondly, my gun wouldn't probably do that much anyway to the enemy. So my stance will be, fly in making myself as impossible to hit as I can...but as the enemy flashes past me, I'll pull back to face them asap. I mean, with the r,p,y acceleration ofthe A-wing being les than a JSF for example, I'll pull back more or less in te last plit second I see them on screen and try and glue myself to their tail and make the kill in that turn. It works..mainly on new pilots but I've noticed some people are wise to it.


I'm going to stop rambling here. I know I probably sound like a complete charloten. I know this post maybe irrelevant to many and I am sure you'd like me to shut up about A-wings now, but I know one thing is for sure...I've just made myself easier to kill in saying what I said . It isn't at all everything I know and consider..but just a few of the basics. I just wanted to hit home to people who may want it...Know your ship, know when to attack and to when to hold off and most of all, learn somthing from each engagement.


-Leaph


P.S

I might actually add more to this or edit it somewhat. Good hunting.

Ducimus
Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:29 pm
#2
Leaph, that has to be the longest post you have ever made



Major Rapax Victis - Commando
Time wasted playing MMO's:
Meridian59, Ultima Online, Everquest, Asheron's Call 1 & 2, Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online, Earth & Beyond, Eve Online, Planetside, Star Wars Galaxies
"I'm really bored."
...has mastered the Pilot profession
DeepFatFryer
Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:36 pm
#3
Too.... many.... words....



Crixx, Xicrx and Crixxorian Darkmoon - Rebellion, Corsec and Imperial Ace Pilots respectively.
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
"If your pvp battles in space only last a few seconds YOU need practice. The game isn't broken, you just suck!" - Thik
"There's no sensation quite like learning to fly. Tounge-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I." -Pink Floyd
"One/two shot PvP is good because this is a game of EVASION. NOT ABSORBTION" - Big mean heartbreaker.
"Sod implementing anything half-decent, we have SWG to make! OLOL!"
"We already have expertise in space. It's called a brain." - Leaph.
werehere
Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:49 pm
#4

You know groken is very handy witha a wing



Ducimus
Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:13 pm
#5

werehere wrote:

You know groken is very handy witha a wing





Yes he is, I have much respect for his piloting and his persona. All around good guy.



Major Rapax Victis - Commando
Time wasted playing MMO's:
Meridian59, Ultima Online, Everquest, Asheron's Call 1 & 2, Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online, Earth & Beyond, Eve Online, Planetside, Star Wars Galaxies
"I'm really bored."
...has mastered the Pilot profession
Narcoleptic_LTD
Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:18 pm
#6




DeepFatFryer wrote:
Too.... many.... words....




QFE.... Leaph we know you love your Awing



I'll actually read your post in a bit... the dog is pacing and will NOT let me read this just yet...





------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jewlee Andrews
Master Bounty Hunter
Freelance Ace
- Ahazi

Attacca
Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:45 pm
#7

Very good post, I've been thinking along the same lines flying my TIE Interceptor. Your analysis of the ship's capabilities is interesting - always amusing to see where people put priority in thier components.


A serious master of the older, lighter ships has to have a very intimate understanding of the mass of components and what you can get out of them at each level - something I'm still very much expiramenting with. I've seen your loadout before, you do a very nice job with it.


For example, I noticed on my TIE that I can only really get up to a level 7 shield (Nym's reward, I think?). So far in every PvP engagement I've been in since I started flying it, if I get hit once I'm out, that's it. So I'm working on a level 6 RE now - enough to survive NPCs, but allowing me to place more critical mass into other areas. I figure in the TIE Interceptor, as with your A-Wing, I'm going to have to live under the assumption that I just can't afford to get hit.


I do have to say that it's more fun than throwing RE'd reward gear into my Belbullab and taking off.






~ Captain Nesanya / Murphey ~
Rebel Alliance A-Wing Pilot
...has mastered the Pilot profession
Are you a pilot and not using Droid Commands?

LeaphChausew
Fri Aug 12, 2005 5:50 pm
#8




Attacca wrote:

Very good post, I've been thinking along the same lines flying my TIE Interceptor. Your analysis of the ship's capabilities is interesting - always amusing to see where people put priority in thier components.


A serious master of the older, lighter ships has to have a very intimate understanding of the mass of components and what you can get out of them at each level - something I'm still very much expiramenting with. I've seen your loadout before, you do a very nice job with it.


For example, I noticed on my TIE that I can only really get up to a level 7 shield (Nym's reward, I think?). So far in every PvP engagement I've been in since I started flying it, if I get hit once I'm out, that's it. So I'm working on a level 6 RE now - enough to survive NPCs, but allowing me to place more critical mass into other areas. I figure in the TIE Interceptor, as with your A-Wing, I'm going to have to live under the assumption that I just can't afford to get hit.


I do have to say that it's more fun than throwing RE'd reward gear into my Belbullab and taking off.






Well I have Rapax and Ostat to thank for getting me into the ship and helping me out along the way. I don't know where I got the idea of sticking a lvl 8 engine in it...I think that may have been me o.o. Anyway,they help a lot. I'll add more in responce to you post tommorow but It's late here atm and I need sleep.


Anyway...yeh I know it's too many words but it's only going to get longer after tommorow's event. The real test for the ship . I got to say I respect your choice of using an Interceptor Attacca. They're even more demanding mass wise than an A-wing.


Oh also..yeh, Growken is a legend. I wish he'd contribute to the forums because he is real level headed and has the perfect attitude flight wise. Unfortunately I hadn't seen him in the last few weeks on Bria....I'll send him an Email tommorow.


-Leaph


And thanks..you know this has been posted for like two days now before anyone even replied? Although yeh Duc..it is my longest ever post.



Ducimus
Fri Aug 12, 2005 5:57 pm
#9
Leaph, if you hadn't schooled me on L8 engines, id have never given up on my standard T/I

I brought it out of mothballs the other day. Equiped it for *cough* modern day PvP. and found myself in an unshielded Tie. Named it suicidal maniac, ran the overloads, went into DS expecting at least one person there to blow me out of the sky but was disappointed, no one was there to kill me.



Major Rapax Victis - Commando
Time wasted playing MMO's:
Meridian59, Ultima Online, Everquest, Asheron's Call 1 & 2, Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online, Earth & Beyond, Eve Online, Planetside, Star Wars Galaxies
"I'm really bored."
...has mastered the Pilot profession
Attacca
Fri Aug 12, 2005 6:10 pm
#10

I swapped my Interceptor out for my Advanced tonight. Couldn't find any players, but I think I'll go back to the Interceptor. It's not really that impressive, since I'm still running the core level 6 engine that puts me at least on the lower par with other pilots.


This is an odd post. I remember when rebels were flamed for using their cheater ship, the A-Wing, due to it's small size. Odd how the world changes. Now you're respected for staying in one!


I swapped my advanced hoping the increased firepower would make NPC killing more fun while I waited for players. But - the turning on it just isn't sharp enough to compensate for only running a level 6 engine. Might try tinkering it down to 1 gun and an RE'd level 8 engine, but it's going to be a snug fit.


The Interceptor is just for fun. After the last week, I've realized I'll never be competitive in it, not against the true Aces on the server. Fortunately there are lots of mediocre pilots in DS that I can still mow down, and there's always the Heavy TIE for serious fights.







~ Captain Nesanya / Murphey ~
Rebel Alliance A-Wing Pilot
...has mastered the Pilot profession
Are you a pilot and not using Droid Commands?

LeaphChausew
Sat Aug 13, 2005 5:20 am
#11




Attacca wrote:

I swapped my Interceptor out for my Advanced tonight. Couldn't find any players, but I think I'll go back to the Interceptor. It's not really that impressive, since I'm still running the core level 6 engine that puts me at least on the lower par with other pilots.


This is an odd post. I remember when rebels were flamed for using their cheater ship, the A-Wing, due to it's small size. Odd how the world changes. Now you're respected for staying in one!


I swapped my advanced hoping the increased firepower would make NPC killing more fun while I waited for players. But - the turning on it just isn't sharp enough to compensate for only running a level 6 engine. Might try tinkering it down to 1 gun and an RE'd level 8 engine, but it's going to be a snug fit.


The Interceptor is just for fun. After the last week, I've realized I'll never be competitive in it, not against the true Aces on the server. Fortunately there are lots of mediocre pilots in DS that I can still mow down, and there's always the Heavy TIE for serious fights.







Lol. Must have been before I got into forum posting then. I find it a bit pointless how anyone could accuse an A-wing of being a cheater ship when the Imps had/still have the missile boat Oppressor and the TIE Advanced which I have tried and even though it's a bigger target, I put it on apar with an A-wing. Strange...anyway Yeh. On the flipside though..even though I stick with an A-wing, I don't think people who use JSF/RG TIES etc are cheaters. I don't think people who rely on them as a crutch are too impressive but heh, thats what missiles are for >=D.


I actually swapped my IRs for Mk III protons yesterday. They take an eternity [well feels like it] to lock on, but for more annoying harder to hit opponents, so far they've been one hit kills/disables. I can get twice as many on a proton rack than I can an IR rack too so it's a good trade off in my oppinion. The fact they're harder to achieve a lock with just adds slightly more 'skill' into the equation so it's not totally an 'I win' tactic.


Since I moved to SS ayway..the amount of missiles people have thown at me must be in the 30's now and I only been there a few days. You guys are costing me a fortune in CM's


-Leaph



S-1-l2-H-C
Sat Aug 13, 2005 5:52 am
#12

i never should have told you about mkIII protons, now your gonna shove one up my exhaust.


since your going one hit missile now, you can shave some mass off with a l6 gun. a good re'd l6 will come close to 3k dmg and can get higher on EvS than an l7. the tradeoff is in refire rate

Message Edited by S-1-l2-H-C on 08-13-2005 05:56 AM



____________________________
Starsider:
Harotak, Imperial Ace, pilot of the RGI "No Quarter" and the "ISS Enforcer"
Katorah, Corsec Security forces, Captian of "The Unrelenting
Harotak', Rebel Terrorist
Attacca
Sat Aug 13, 2005 7:45 am
#13

Further reflections (or am I beating someone elses thread to death?):


- Level 8 RE Reward shields have made me slow and lazy in space. Why fly when I can tank turrets? I can even afford to get hit once or twice in PvP without breaking a sweat. I worked a level 8 RE engine into my TIE Advanced and used the same level 7 sheild. I don't know the exact stats, just a normal level 7 RE. The lack of HP is immediately noticable, and I had to fly much more carefully. I dropped it to an RE'd level 6 shield, and realized how sloppy I've becoming, no long dodging enemy fire and just soaking up their hits instead. In Deep Space against NPCs I had to fly fast, avoid fire, and counter enemy formations - like the old days, stuff I'd gotten away from. RotW ships have messed me up bad, man!


Tinkering with ships like the TIE Interceptor really sheds a new light on ship balance as well. Other than one gun mount, the flying style is nearly identical to how I play in a JSF. The JSF could be dropped to 50k mass, and I don't think I'd see that as a nerf anymore. The core components still fit, and with a chassis YPR like the JSF has, a level 6 engine works fine. Leave the heavier level 8 equipment for bigger ships.



I think that other than large scale PvP where I need every edge, I'm going to forswear my RotW ships from now on. It means I'll die more in PvP, but I'll come out as a better pilot for it.


I think maybe this is what you were getting at, Leaph. I never would have understood it if I hadn't decided to be silly one night and take my Interceptor out for a spin. And I know the new generation of pilots won't get it, unfortunately.





~ Captain Nesanya / Murphey ~
Rebel Alliance A-Wing Pilot
...has mastered the Pilot profession
Are you a pilot and not using Droid Commands?

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