Pilot Archive
Thread: Ancient PvP secret- something to think about
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psikobunny
Thu Jun 16, 2005 8:02 pm
#1
This is something that has become less of a factor since the Boxes of Death got added, but there is one final distinction in what makes a good PvP ship, that rarely gets talked about. This is just something to consider, for the day we get the magic box toggle.
Albedo is defined as how reflective an object is. In our case, spaceships. How much a ship stands out against the background can help or hamper its usefulness in PvP a lot. There are a lot of visual cues that you dont even register about ship shape and edge definition that help you "guess" which what he's turning or which way he's going to turn. Ships like the Awing, or certain TIEs, have a very low albedo, and it can make them very tricky to read (the balanced shape of a TIE helps it in this regard too, less clear up/down). Not surprisingly the JSF is a PvP powerhouse, and apart from it's speed, maneuverability, and size, you have to acknowledge that it is a very very low contrast object. This is also a subconscious reason why Black sun ships are not so popular. They are larger by not so much, but they are very very bright versus most backgrounds, and there is no good way to paint them down (think about it and realize that it makes them seem much bigger than they are).
Personally, one of the reasons I hate the new boxes the most is, that while they cue you on where an object is, they do a fine job of obscuring it's edges, making the split second visual judgements im talking about that much harder.
So think about albedo when picking your ships, think about it when the bigfix comes through, and even think about it while you're flying. In evasion you can learn to take advantage of space by learning how well/poorly your ship stands out versus certain backgrounds, and colors. If you dont fly 3rd person, try it a little, and practice making your ship harder to follow, by lining yourself up between your foe and an obscure section of the background, or the objects and debris nearby.
ShrekECPI
Thu Jun 16, 2005 9:55 pm
#3
This is the same reason a suprise air attack is best doneheading awayofthe sun and down towards your target.
psikobunny wrote:
This is something that has become less of a factor since the Boxes of Death got added, but there is one final distinction in what makes a good PvP ship, that rarely gets talked about. This is just something to consider, for the day we get the magic box toggle.
Albedo is defined as how reflective an object is. In our case, spaceships. How much a ship stands out against the background can help or hamper its usefulness in PvP a lot. There are a lot of visual cues that you dont even register about ship shape and edge definition that help you "guess" which what he's turning or which way he's going to turn. Ships like the Awing, or certain TIEs, have a very low albedo, and it can make them very tricky to read (the balanced shape of a TIE helps it in this regard too, less clear up/down). Not surprisingly the JSF is a PvP powerhouse, and apart from it's speed, maneuverability, and size, you have to acknowledge that it is a very very low contrast object. This is also a subconscious reason why Black sun ships are not so popular. They are larger by not so much, but they are very very bright versus most backgrounds, and there is no good way to paint them down (think about it and realize that it makes them seem much bigger than they are).
Personally, one of the reasons I hate the new boxes the most is, that while they cue you on where an object is, they do a fine job of obscuring it's edges, making the split second visual judgements im talking about that much harder.
So think about albedo when picking your ships, think about it when the bigfix comes through, and even think about it while you're flying. In evasion you can learn to take advantage of space by learning how well/poorly your ship stands out versus certain backgrounds, and colors. If you dont fly 3rd person, try it a little, and practice making your ship harder to follow, by lining yourself up between your foe and an obscure section of the background, or the objects and debris nearby.
Kssob
Thu Jun 16, 2005 10:15 pm
#4
psikobunny wrote:
This is something that has become less of a factor since the Boxes of Death got added, but there is one final distinction in what makes a good PvP ship, that rarely gets talked about. This is just something to consider, for the day we get the magic box toggle.
Albedo is defined as how reflective an object is. In our case, spaceships. How much a ship stands out against the background can help or hamper its usefulness in PvP a lot. There are a lot of visual cues that you dont even register about ship shape and edge definition that help you "guess" which what he's turning or which way he's going to turn. Ships like the Awing, or certain TIEs, have a very low albedo, and it can make them very tricky to read (the balanced shape of a TIE helps it in this regard too, less clear up/down). Not surprisingly the JSF is a PvP powerhouse, and apart from it's speed, maneuverability, and size, you have to acknowledge that it is a very very low contrast object. This is also a subconscious reason why Black sun ships are not so popular. They are larger by not so much, but they are very very bright versus most backgrounds, and there is no good way to paint them down (think about it and realize that it makes them seem much bigger than they are).
Personally, one of the reasons I hate the new boxes the most is, that while they cue you on where an object is, they do a fine job of obscuring it's edges, making the split second visual judgements im talking about that much harder.
So think about albedo when picking your ships, think about it when the bigfix comes through, and even think about it while you're flying. In evasion you can learn to take advantage of space by learning how well/poorly your ship stands out versus certain backgrounds, and colors. If you dont fly 3rd person, try it a little, and practice making your ship harder to follow, by lining yourself up between your foe and an obscure section of the background, or the objects and debris nearby.
With all the dumb, griefer posts on these boards, I'm surprised to see some light! An excellent topic to bring to the light. I would have posted something similar except that nobody likes me, not even baby Elmo.
Also consider carrying around a good case of textures and paint kits for that special PVP occasion. Xwings are easy targets, Ywings are super easy targets. Bwings... stink. Firesprays are big targets. However, Ywings can be painted entirely (mostly) black with one of the textures (make sure to put on a level 8 engine or less so the original Ywing look is preserved because the 'cooler' engines won't let you paint their entirety). Xwings are probably the most vulnerable for paint jobs. The JSF can almost conceal most of it with paint except none of it touches the cockpit area (not that you need it, the thing is so freakin small)!
Neutral ships don't have any paint jobs that will cover themselves completely, and are usually much larger to hit.
And finally, although Imperial ships can cause players to whine about their lack of paint design, are the best for PVP with their inherent black colors and small sizes.
Zanholo
Thu Jun 16, 2005 10:26 pm
#5
Love flying both my red tie and oppressor. Nothing better than watching blaster fire go past my window asI shuck and jive my way right out of danger and onto their 6!
The scyks, lizzy, kimo and krayt can all be made pretty much entirely black or dark purple for great space sector blending.
KaylBreinhar
Thu Jun 16, 2005 10:49 pm
#6
I have my JSF colored like a TIE - black with dark grey trim for low-viz. Even had a DE replace my R2 astromech with a jet-black R3 ADV so there wouldn't be a silver dome in the middle of my black panel.
Message Edited by KaylBreinhar on 06-17-2005 01:50 AM
JoKen_Jash
Thu Jun 16, 2005 11:03 pm
#7
I actually considered this before the expansion came out. My JSF has the largest coverage paintjob with black for both primary and secondary colors. If the boxes weren't there, I'm sure the shape of the remaining grey areas of the ship would confuse the hell out of an opponent if they haven't targetted me.
This concept was actually used in WWII, before large scale widespread radar was in use, some naval ships were painted with bizarre white and black patterns that would make it nearly impossible to identify the ship's class, shape, and orientation.
RpTheHotrod
Fri Jun 17, 2005 2:02 am
#8
Aye. Some aircraft carriers were painted the same color as the sea to help confuse enemies trying to attack it. When they were attacking Japanese aircraft carriers, they said it was like a large target in the middle of the ocean with it's huge "orange sun" dot painted on the deck.
lowlylowlycook
Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:03 am
#9
Later in the war the allies actually stripped the paint off of their fighters. It made them faster and I guess cammo was no longer needed.
Coran_Sienar
Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:27 am
#10
Good point...
But lemme ask ya...
Who was the highest scoring Ace in WWI and how camouflaged was his plane?
But lemme ask ya...
Who was the highest scoring Ace in WWI and how camouflaged was his plane?
Tarnak_Archvold
Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:44 am
#11
Coran_Sienar wrote:
Good point...
But lemme ask ya...
Who was the highest scoring Ace in WWI and how camouflaged was his plane?
That would be the red baron right. However, he did not try to camouflage his tri-plane did he? He used his reputation to strike fear in the heart of the enemy instead. Something that do not work well in PvP as we do not really loose much of anything beyond our pride by loosing.
psikobunny
Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:46 am
#12
Richtofen was still notorious for flying high and diving out of the sun if I recall correctly (using the background to make yourself invisible)
nerfelpa
Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:21 am
#13
grevious ship, all black, looks nice 
dunno how effective in pvp tho since you can see 4 lights on it
2 in the front 2 in the back
dunno how effective in pvp tho since you can see 4 lights on it2 in the front 2 in the back
Message Edited by nerfelpa on 06-17-2005 09:21 AM
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