Fwiffo's probing guide

gonna fix this up, just saving forum post to be formatted at a later date

it's been kinda quiet around here as of late and im super bored at work so let's talk about probing.

[u]when should you do it?[/u] generally, vets will say "always". but as usual, there are exceptions. for instance... - if your base is getting bombed and you are in a position to help defend, then this is not the time to go probing. - if your team just got stealth bombers (sbs), the best time to use them is when your enemy doesn't know you have them (ie. immediately)

let's give you a more concrete example:

typically a game starts, commander spams "find alephs!", "pick up tech!" VCs. you've dutifully launched your little scout full of probes and a nan in cargo (you didn't forget, right?)... now what?

[i]well... not so fast there, cowboy. did you look at the map that you're playing? do you remember the layout? [/i]

[color="#FFFF00"][size=4]step 1 - pre-launch checklist [/size][/color]

[list=1] [*][size=2][u]memorize the map[/u][/size] you could save yourself lots of wasted time flying around looking for an aleph that isnt there by having a mental picture of what the map should look like and figuring out how many alephs exist in a particular sector before you go find them. also, knowing the shape of the map helps you scout in the direction of the enemy (instead of your backsectors). [*][size=2][u]check out the game settings before the game launches[/u][/size] if connectivity is low or medium, expect that certain sectors will have "missing" alephs. high connectivity (the usual setting) just means every sector is connected as you would expect as shown on the picture of the map before the game launches. is treasures setting on high? if so, bring lots of probes... you'll need room in your cargo to hold all that juicy tech you'll be sure to run into. [*][size=2][u]look at the team size and map size[/u].[/size] if you are in a team of 30, there will be other scouts probing besides you. if you're playing a small map (less than 10 sectors?) maybe you dont need to bring all those probes along... consider replacing a couple probes with proximity mines instead. [*][size=2][u]know your faction[/u].[/size] some factions get special probes that can shorten your podride home. Iron Coalition (IC) gets rescue probes, Techno Flux (TF) gets beacons, and Belters get sanctuaries. if you belong any of these three factions, be sure to replace at least one of your regular probes with one of these specialized probes to guarantee yourself a quick trip home. these special probes aren't free, so after making the adjustments in your loadout, you'll need to hit buy and wait for your commander to accept. hit buy a few times ~3x to get your commander's attention if you dont get any response... please read up on the differences and costs of each of these special probes on the wiki [url="http://www.freeallegiance.org/FAW/index.php/Dispenser_items#Probes"]here[/url]. [/list]

ok now that you've properly analyzed the situation, you launch your scout equipped appropriately. what next?

[color="#FFFF00"][size=4]step 2 - have all available information at your fingertips[/size][/color]

- prepare your hud press f6, make sure you are in command wing. press f3, to open up command view, f7 to bring up the minimap, f4 to open your ship's loadout. (gotta double check these keys when i get back home)

while you're in command view, you may want to press "i" a few times to toggle the amount of information that is displayed. this is also a good time to ask yourself: are all my home alephs visible? if not, go find them. your garrison is typically at the center, alephs will be spread out around your garrison in a more or less predictable fashion.

- make haste so you can pick up tech before the enemy does also useful in command view is navigating your scout to the closest forward aleph since it's a lot easier to tell where each aleph is relative to your ship than trying to read the distances of each aleph from your cockpit.

[color="#FFFF00"][size=4]step 3 - determining where to probe[/size][/color] do we probe yet? no not yet.

[color="#FF0000"][size=5]list of DON'T's[/size][/color] [list] [*][u]don't probe your red door[/u]. dropping a probe right after exiting a base will cause each subsequent pilot to bump into your probe... which is annoying. [*][u]don't probe your home sector[/u]. your garrison will typically eye any enemies that wander into your home. [*][u]don't probe sectors right next to your home either[/u]. it's better to save your probes for the sectors right "next" to the enemy's home where they will likely be mining or even save a couple to probe the enemy's home instead. if, however, you see some tech you need to pick up and you need to make room in your cargo, then by all means, deploy a probe and free up a slot. [*][u]don't deploy probes right before ENTERING or EXITING an aleph[/u]. they will be easily found and your efforts will be wasted. even worse, it may impede your team's constructors from entering the sector because it'll try to go in, ram the probe after crossing the aleph and bounce back to the sector it came from. [*][u]don't probe the enemy sector that your team's htt is in[/u]. capturing bases via htt depends on stealth and luck. don't stirr up the hornet's nest as your htt pilot's success hinges on the fact that enemy pilots are busy in OTHER sectors. if you insist in probing this sector, you may instigate the wrath of the enemy commander who may send his team after you and accidentally discover the htt in the process. [/list]

ok, you've exhausted your probes, you've scouted all the way to the enemy garr, pretty uneventful, now what? [size=5]GET HOME[/size], dont get podded unecessarily [size=2][color="#FF0000"](dont DM with other scouts, certainly not with other figs/ints)[/color][/size] get a fresh new batch of probes and spend a few minutes thinking about where to probe next.

[color="#FFFF00"][size=4]step 4 - defensive probing[/size][/color]

your second batch of probes are often even [size=3]more[/size] crucial than your first. this is because you will be probing where they have planted their initial cons (outposts/teleports). this is especially true if they have planted them right next to your home aleph (<3k away). probes in these sectors will allow your team to eye any early bomber rush tactics which are easy to stop if spotted early enough. these probes will also help your team spot any large group of enemies trying to rush into your home to blitz your miners or constructor. typically, you'd want to drop a full load of probes in these sectors just to be sure. key areas to probe in these sectors that are a potential threat to your home are:

[list=1] [*]area around their op/tp: to detect their bomb run as soon as it launches [*]1k around your home aleph in their op/tp sector: to see exactly when they will enter the aleph so your commander can tell your team when to most efficiently deploy their proximity mines. [/list]

[color="#FFFF00"][size=4]step 5 - probing persistence/maintenance[/size][/color]

ok, so you've made it this far into the game and if you've done any sort of useful probing, you've probably been podded at least 2-3 times. don't worry, that is normal. over time you will be able to time your ripcord just in time to frustrate your interceptor flying opponents because they'll boost towards you and waste their time/effort as you teleport back home safely only to go back into their sectors again and again to drop even more probes! challenge yourself to get that crucial timing down: for every time they manage to pod you, go back into their sector and drop another full load of probes.

eventually, you'll be able to trick them into abandoning their persuit by starting your ripcord sequence and cancelling at the last minute when you see them turn around. combine this with lowering your shields/missiles to lose eye (so they dont see you) and you can have complete probing dominance of their sectors and severely cripple their attempts to surprise your team.

probes have an expiration time. they dont live forever and if the game drags on long enough, you'll need to replace the probes you placed at the beginning of the game. in addition, your enemies have been actively de-probing just as you have been, so every time you get back in base, click on a few sectors and see if any need re-probing. as the game progresses and sectors get claimed by both teams, you'll start to get a better idea of which sectors you must make sure are probed.

here are some general guidelines for probing upkeep:

[list=1] [*]sectors next to your techbase (and home too), particularly if they are owned by the enemy. probe these so your team isn't surprised by an uneyed bomb run. [*]sectors adjacent to your mining sectors. this will change as your miners empty out sectors so if there is little helium left in the current sector, work on the sectors adjacent to the next mining sector instead. [*]enemy sectors, particularly the ones where they are mining or will be mining next. this is to help your team see where the enemy miners are to kill them. [*]enemy home (garr). this is where new constructors and new miners will typically come out from. knowing of their existence as well as seeing where they are heading is crucial to the offensive component of your team, giving them additional time to assemble and intercept your enemies attempt to expand/mine. [/list]

[color="#FFFF00"][size=4]step 6 - team probing[/size][/color]

you may notice that in certain games, some sectors turn out to be really hard to probe. sometimes it's bad luck that you run into enemies before you can get away in time, sometimes the enemy is actively camping alephs to prevent YOU from doing any probing. do not be discouraged. in scenarios like these, you must enlist the help of your teammates. you can either get a teammate (in a fig/int) to go through the aleph and keep them busy as you follow behind and slip by unnoticed or better yet, organize a small contingent of probers to come from different alephs to probe the sector at the same time.

[size=3]acknowledge probing requests[/size] as expected in team games, communication is key. if your commander requests particular sectors to be probed, do those first and by all means, [u]tell your team that you are taking on that job[/u]. this will help avoid redundant probing and allows your team to cover more sectors in less time.

there are a number of dedicated probers who make their living in alleg solely by probing. remember these selfless individuals and team up with them to determine which sectors you will each cover!

[color="#FFFF00"][size=4]step 7 - lazy probing[/size][/color]

when you probe, it is often a good idea to spend a little extra time to place them off the plane (above/below), so they are harder to find by the enemy. however, you may often find yourself being the *only* prober in your entire team so you absolutely must be smart about where to probe. 2-3 well placed probes can more or less cover an entire sector, sometimes even just 1 probe (near the aleph that the enemy is likely to come in from) is better than having no eyes at all. be warned though, having just one probe right in the middle of a sector can also give you/your commander a false sense of security. the enemy may very well have found your only probe (and let it live) and intentionally have flown around it to escape detection.

however, if you choose to fly a scout for most of the game, you can afford to be a lazy prober. that is, rather than quality, you go for quantity. sure, the enemy may find your probes with little effort but you are laying them down faster than they are killing them. this is especially true if your team has hvy scouts and probe3. as long as you are not just laying them down all in a straight line, you should be able to probe your enemy into submission.

even without hvy scouts, if you get into the habit of bringing at least 2 probes along and frequent the sectors where the enemy is likely to expand into or be mining in, you *can* get away with just dumping probes along the path between two alephs (lazy probing). sure, your probe's survivability in these high traffic corridors between sectors is not very high, but you've got a good chance of your probes eyeing something and alerting your team before it's killed. what's more, it gives you another excuse to fly back to the same sector and drop 2 more probes!

credits phoenix1 - rps,beacons,sanctuaries lexaal - acknowledging probing requests

changelog 5/17 - start 5/18 - some initial formatting 5/20 - added more list of don't, step 5 - probing upkeep guidelines 5/21 - added p1's info on rps,beacons,sancs. step 6 - team probing. added more list of dont's, credits 5/24 - lazy probing - final section

upcoming need to attach some screenshots of well probed sectors