Scout Archive
Thread: Newbie Scout Trapping Tactics -- Need Help
DeltaX, although I've read both your scouting FAQs -- and THANKS and KUDOS for those! -- and several of the messages in this forum on trapping, I'm still somewhat confused, since most of the tactical information seems designed to help more advanced scouts than the real newbie.
Since I wanted to try out your current favorite combo (rifle and two-handed weapon), I decided to use as my starting weapons a CDEFrifleand a Heavy Axe, both crafted by a Master Artisan with 11 experiment points, both powered up --the Axewith a Generic Melee Weapon Upgrade Kit crafted by that same Master Artisan -- and sliced). However, I'm also going to keep a powered-up and sliced D18 pistol in reserve, just in case.
One scouting guide I read recommends going prone at about 55m away from the target and then pressing the Attack key. When the target gets to about 20m, I should kneel and start firing at it with my pistol. Of course, since I will be using a Heavy Axe instead of a pistol, I guess I should switch to the axe when the animal gets to about 10m. Now come my questions:
1. At what point between 55m and 10m should I cast my trap(s)?
2. Since I plan to set up my toolbars (quickbars) and trap macrosthe way you recommended in your "From Novice to Master...," version 3.0, I'll have, as a newbie Scout, two traps -- the Lecepanine Dart and the Wire Mesh Trap -- set up . However, as I understand it, when I press the trap macro key (F1), the two traps will queue up in my attack queue.
Which one of these two traps should be cast first (appear first in the queue)?
How long does it take foreach trap to disappear from the queue (one second?). I mean -- WOW! -- your Trap Macro example makes room for ELEVEN traps to be cast one after another. How on earth do you decide the order in which to place the traps in the eleven (or fewer) slots? After you press the macro to castso many traps, do you kite while waiting for them (or some of them) to take effect?
To continue -- if both traps fail, should I press the trap macro again, or should I just start swinging with my axe (assuming that the animal has started charging me as soon as I fired my rifle).
I alsoplay a character whois a Master Artisan/Master Architect with Pistol 4 (now using a sliced and powered-up FWG5), and I have played characters also who had Rifle 2 (and a Laser Rifle -- KUDOs for Head Shot 1 !), so I am somewhat familiar with how pistols and rifles function at the lower levels as well as with the varying speeds at which different animals --mostly on Corellia, but some on Naboo --run (or fly) toward me during an attack. Love those slow-paced durni! Great for beginners with rifles! heh
I am the most comfortable with a pistol. I've used one so often that it's almost like a part of my body. I know what it will do. I know that I can simply kneel and start shooting from 64m away at a blue or white con and not have to worry at all about being wounded greatly (unless it flies, when sometimes things can get dicey if I repeatedly miss until it flies into melee range). And I am fairly familiar with a rifle, mostly the Laser Rifle. I know how to switch smoothly from a rifle to a pistol and from prone to kneeling. What I don't know at all is melee fighting. And what I don't know at all is how and when to trap.
So the gist of what I'm asking you is how to coordinate using a rifle, traps, and a two-handed weapon.
By the way, my scout/brawler/marksman (aiming for Master Scout and Master Ranger) is a Wookie on Corellia on Flurry. I'm thinking of creating an alt as a Bothan onNaboo (my favorite planet) on some other server so thatI can see which of the two races(species?) I enjoy playing more. I lovebeing stealthy and sneaking around camouflaged (thus the Bothan), but Idon't much like the hassle of armor (thus the Wookie).
Anyway, I would appreciate any help you (or anyone else) could give this newbie scout, and thanks again for the very helpful info given in your Scouting FAQs!
Krrbacca, Novice Scout, Corellia, Flurry
aka Jae Alinn, Master Artisan/Master Architect, Corellia, Flurry
I don't think you can throw traps prone (?). I usually kneel 40m out, throw the Lecepanine and Wire Mesh and start firing! The only time I switch weapons is when the creature comes within melee range. I don't change from rifle to carbine to pistol to axe: that takes way too much time and your likelyto only really hit with your rifle and axe anyhow.
So how I do it is:
Target creature. Get to about 40m out (good range for a CDEF).
Kneel. Equip rifle.
Throw dart and mesh (dart slows and mesh helps melee). If these don't stick, combat will not ensue so throw again.
Fire until about 12m out.
Stand and equip axe (or melee weapon of choice)
Finish creature off and skin away!
I only use twodifferent traps per creature. If you use more the beastie is already smacking you in the face with it's claws most likely. Also, make sure to power-up your CDEF with a good speed/min dmg attachment. That will help immensely as will purchasing a good DLT 20a when you get intermediate rifle.
My 2 cents to try and help you out jester:
I would say the wire mesh trap first to slow your target.
I also am giving Rifle/Swords a try and I recommend as soon as you can use these traps to put them in your macro since they attack the mind pool:
Sharp Bone Spur (Trapping I)
Noise Maker (Trapping II)
Online,
Wow. Long post. Lemme work through it step by step.
DeltaX, although I've read both your scouting FAQs -- and THANKS and KUDOS for those! -- and several of the messages in this forum on trapping, I'm still somewhat confused, since most of the tactical information seems designed to help more advanced scouts than the real newbie.
You're welcome. I'm glad they helped.
Since I wanted to try out your current favorite combo (rifle and two-handed weapon), I decided to use as my starting weapons a CDEFrifleand a Heavy Axe, both crafted by a Master Artisan with 11 experiment points, both powered up --the Axewith a Generic Melee Weapon Upgrade Kit crafted by that same Master Artisan -- and sliced). However, I'm also going to keep a powered-up and sliced D18 pistol in reserve, just in case.
Probably a good idea, but hopefully you won't need it.
One scouting guide I read recommends going prone at about 55m away from the target and then pressing the Attack key. When the target gets to about 20m, I should kneel and start firing at it with my pistol. Of course, since I will be using a Heavy Axe instead of a pistol, I guess I should switch to the axe when the animal gets to about 10m. Now come my questions:
1. At what point between 55m and 10m should I cast my trap(s)?
Use the traps FIRST. Now that creatures don't pause for a second or two when you start firing on them, you're going to get them coming at you immediately. So stay at 50m (your max trap distance) and go prone. Throw your wire mesh and then your lep dart. Wire mesh will slow him down, lep makes him vulnerable. The NEXT thing you do is hit him with rifle fire - use whatever you can as a newbie, but eventually you'll want to use warning shot to get him to back off a bit and let you hit him with some other rifle specials. Because you're new, you may not get more than one shot off with the rifle before he gets within melee range. So when he hits 20m, get up and get out your axe. Then start wacking.
2. Since I plan to set up my toolbars (quickbars) and trap macrosthe way you recommended in your "From Novice to Master...," version 3.0, I'll have, as a newbie Scout, two traps -- the Lecepanine Dart and the Wire Mesh Trap -- set up . However, as I understand it, when I press the trap macro key (F1), the two traps will queue up in my attack queue.
Which one of these two traps should be cast first (appear first in the queue)?
Mesh to slow him, then lep for the attack bonus.
How long does it take foreach trap to disappear from the queue (one second?). I mean -- WOW! -- your Trap Macro example makes room for ELEVEN traps to be cast one after another. How on earth do you decide the order in which to place the traps in the eleven (or fewer) slots? After you press the macro to castso many traps, do you kite while waiting for them (or some of them) to take effect?
The Trap macro was designed for those who are trying to get XP of the creature - meaning that they want to throw every trap they've got without worrying about the actual effects. Traps usually take 2 seconds or so to clear the queue. You probably won't get much more than 2 off before the critter is gnawing at you, unless you've got a bot or a pet to help distract him.
Generally, when you are thinking about the order you want root traps (the meshes) first, then go for the ones that give vulnerabilities (lep and phen darts), then hit with the ones that do damage (bone spur, noise maker). Also generally, you won't get all of those off unless you're in a group or have a pet/bot taking the aggro.
To continue -- if both traps fail, should I press the trap macro again, or should I just start swinging with my axe (assuming that the animal has started charging me as soon as I fired my rifle).
If both traps fail, you better start swinging, cause they're gonna be in your face. 
I alsoplay a character whois a Master Artisan/Master Architect with Pistol 4 (now using a sliced and powered-up FWG5), and I have played characters also who had Rifle 2 (and a Laser Rifle -- KUDOs for Head Shot 1 !), so I am somewhat familiar with how pistols and rifles function at the lower levels as well as with the varying speeds at which different animals --mostly on Corellia, but some on Naboo --run (or fly) toward me during an attack. Love those slow-paced durni! Great for beginners with rifles! heh
Rifle is tough at low levels - you don't get the damage nor the speed you really need. It's best when used as part of a group. Otherwise, you'll be eating dirt alot. It's part of the reason why I'm so well known in my PA as the "Death King". Everyone keeps telling me I need to write a From Master to Corpse guide, because I'm so good at it.
I am the most comfortable with a pistol. I've used one so often that it's almost like a part of my body. I know what it will do. I know that I can simply kneel and start shooting from 64m away at a blue or white con and not have to worry at all about being wounded greatly (unless it flies, when sometimes things can get dicey if I repeatedly miss until it flies into melee range). And I am fairly familiar with a rifle, mostly the Laser Rifle. I know how to switch smoothly from a rifle to a pistol and from prone to kneeling. What I don't know at all is melee fighting. And what I don't know at all is how and when to trap.
Melee is generally the same as your pistol when close in. If you are using rifle first, you'd switch to your axe at about the same time as you'd switch to your pistol. Just watch using specials with your melee weapons - they eat up your HAM. I tend to feel that (in my experience at least) pistol and melee are generally interchangable. Just don't kneel though.
As for trapping, your traps are good for helping you out - giving you bonuses or slowing the creature down to get a bit of extra time. However, keep in mind that there are definitely two strategies for trapping - one is for getting XP and one is for acutally using them the way they are intended to be used. If you're using them the way they're supposed to be, you'll generally only be throwing 1-2 (at most 3) traps at a time against an average creature. Double or triple that if you're in a group taking down the biggies.
By the way, my scout/brawler/marksman (aiming for Master Scout and Master Ranger) is a Wookie on Corellia on Flurry. I'm thinking of creating an alt as a Bothan onNaboo (my favorite planet) on some other server so thatI can see which of the two races(species?) I enjoy playing more. I lovebeing stealthy and sneaking around camouflaged (thus the Bothan), but Idon't much like the hassle of armor (thus the Wookie).
Come on over to Bloodfin and look me up. You can be my Padawan.
B
Thank you for your very helpful advice!
A few things I still need to know:
1. Is it possible to make a macro that will do the following? /stand; /shift from rifle toolbar to heavy axe toolbar; /equip heavy axe. That way, I won't have to press CTRL-2 in order to get from the CTRL-1 toolbar (where all my rifle commands are) to the CTRL-2 toolbar (where all my melee commands are).
2. Can I cast a trap with my rifle equipped? Or do I have to equip it after I cast a trap?
2. For later on when I no longer need the trapping xp gained from crafting traps -- CanI just put a crate of traps into a toolbar slot and have the AI cast one trap at a time, or do I have to keep replenishing the toolbar slot with individual traps? When crafting, I can double-click on a crate and the AI will automatically select how many items are needed, take them out of the crate,and place them into the correct schematic window. So I thought that maybe this process would workfor the toolbar, too.
3. Are macro commands like /ui action toolbarSlot## listed somewhere? In other words, how can I view a complete list of the macro commands that are available or that can be created?
4. What do I have to do in order to be able to copy and paste email text, chat text, etc., within the game?
5. Is it possible to print out email text, chat text, etc.?
Brisc, your invitiation to become your "padawan" appealed to me, so I'm going to createa Bothan scout in Theed on Bloodfin. He'll be paying you a visit fairly soon. Will email you his name as soon as he's created.
Thanks again to everyone who replied!
Online,
1. Is it possible to make a macro that will do the following? /stand; /shift from rifle toolbar to heavy axe toolbar; /equip heavy axe. That way, I won't have to press CTRL-2 in order to get from the CTRL-1 toolbar (where all my rifle commands are) to the CTRL-2 toolbar (where all my melee commands are).
Yes. Use the command: /ui action toolbarPane02 (that's your #2 toolbar). You can change the number to change panes.
2. Can I cast a trap with my rifle equipped? Or do I have to equip it after I cast a trap?
Yes. You don't need to unequip your weapon.
2. For later on when I no longer need the trapping xp gained from crafting traps -- CanI just put a crate of traps into a toolbar slot and have the AI cast one trap at a time, or do I have to keep replenishing the toolbar slot with individual traps? When crafting, I can double-click on a crate and the AI will automatically select how many items are needed, take them out of the crate,and place them into the correct schematic window. So I thought that maybe this process would workfor the toolbar, too.
You'll need to take them out of the crate. If not, when you hit the toolbar, it will just show you the examine screen for the crate.
3. Are macro commands like /ui action toolbarSlot## listed somewhere? In other words, how can I view a complete list of the macro commands that are available or that can be created?
I don't know if there is a command to do that in the game, but there are excellent macro guides located on swg.allakhazam.com and www.swgcraft.com. Check them out.
4. What do I have to do in order to be able to copy and paste email text, chat text, etc.,within the game?
As far as I know, this isn't possible.
5. Is it possible to print out email text, chat text, etc.?]
As far as I know, it's not possible to print out email text. You can log chats, and print them out, I believe, but I have never done it.
Hope this helps!
B
Rsync,
Stick with Kreetles and Gnorts, while you're at Trapping 1.
When you hit trapping 2, move up to Nightspiders - they'll be your bread and butter until you get better traps at Trapping 3.
When you hit trapping 3, start going after Kaadu, Shapaunts and other midlevel (between 8 and 14) creatures.
When you hit 4, get a group, and start going after Belle Bols, Falmupsets, Gualamas and Fambaas.
Hope that helps!
B
DeltaXi65 wrote:
4. What do I have to do in order to be able to copy and paste email text, chat text, etc.,within the game?
As far as I know, this isn't possible.
Actually it is, the only thing is that the command is not bound to any keyboard keys. I don't remember in which window of the options I found it, but I was able to bind copy to clt+z, and past to clt+x.