Cadet I/Scouting
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| ← Scout guide | Probing → |
Scouting the map - The basics
Scouting is done using a scout (not a fig or Int), and is mostly useful at the beginning of the game, but remains essential throughout the game to spot your opponents movements. Without scouting, a team is clueless about the enemy's moves and positions, and will most likely lose because of countless decision errors.
We will go more indepth into each area in upcoming lessons. For now here is a brief overview.
Scouting at the beginning
Scouting at the beginning is crucial, and failure to do so would result in a boring game. Scouting provides locations of asteroids, alephs, and enemy positions, which is crucial information to the team, allowing the commander to work properly, spotting He-3 asteroids for miners and technology asteroids for your team to use.
You might see money or technology flying in space. It is important that you pick it up, unless you know it is useless or way too far from your flight path. When you pick up technology, be sure to indicate it to your commander, making sure he doesn't invest money into purchasing that same technology before you dock and make it useable for your whole team. If you don't know if a tech is worth picking up or not, you may simply ask your commander, or any of your teammates, since most are probably veterans.
Alephs are quite easy to find, when you know how. First, you have to know what map you are playing on. This comes with experience. NOTE: The R4 release will have a map preview pane. When you know where you are playing, you will be able to know what is the relative disposition of the alephs within a sector. ALWAYS work with the F3 overview to find alephs! For example, if you know that the sector you are in contains 3 alephs, you know they are placed to form an approximate triangle, 4 alephs means a square, 2 alephs means a line, etc. Generally, alephs are placed in those predictable patterns, unless a map maker would decide otherwise in a custom map. Alephs are randomly placed in each sector with no regard to distance or spacing between them.
Tip: Use the F3 map view to give yourself waypoints to scout faster.
While searching for alephs, you might encounter enemy scouts. If you do, you can assume that the position where they appeared is the position of the aleph, and therefore explore in this direction. As a scout, do not engage in a dogfight with enemy scouts, for it is useless and nothing more than a waste of time (which can turn into an enormous waste of time if you get podded). This strategy may also be used by the other team.
Note Work as a team with the other scouts in the sector! Coordinate with their flight patterns. You see one teammate going "left", you go "right". Talk to each other!
This is why certain maps such as InsideOut may require you to avoid exploring certain sectors, to avoid the risk of giving out the position of your alephs. (Giving out the position of your aleph against a team that is likely to rush and succeed, like the Rixians, may be highly costly. The only way you can be sure to not give away your aleph's position is by not entering the sector at the beginning of the game. Only veteran pilots that disengage their shields and missiles should scout those risky sectors. (Usually only if the commander requests them to do so.)
During your scouting, probes should be dropped, for they are extremely important. They are named EWS probes (Early Warning System) and they deserve that name. Drop probes beside the linear paths inside the sector between important elements. For example, do not drop a probe in the imaginary line connecting 2 alephs inside a sector, drop the probe on the side, so that it doesn't get spotted, and destroyed, as easily. Certain pilots drop probes right on alephs, thinking they will spot everything that comes close to the aleph. Those pilots overlook the obvious fact that the enemy will have no trouble finding the probe, and will destroy it quickly. Probes must be deployed in hard to find places, unless you plan on dropping a lot. A few probes should be enough, they are useful in detecting the enemy's movements, allowing your team to quickly react. For further research of scan ranges, download TEK in the download section.
We cover probing indepth in an upcoming lesson
If you scout into enemy territory at the beginning, you are likely to encounter not only enemy attack ships, but also miners and constructors. This is why it is good to have Dumbfire missiles equipped. They are trickier to fire, since they don't turn much, but making sure everyone of them hits will result in great damage to enemy utility ships. If you see miners, give out their position and attack them. If you are trained enough, you can take it out quite quickly, unless the enemy defends it, in which case it is imperative that you run. Also make sure you attack in groups. A scout must work quite hard to take out even a single utility ship. A good strategy is to scare the miners, making them go home and thus preventing the enemy from valuable income early in the game.
For constructors, chances are they are escorted. Give the constructor's identity and position, then stay afar, just to keep it detected. Avoid getting podded uselessly by the constructor's defense. If the constructor is unescorted, attack it like you would attack the miner. Be aware that it may ripcord, or that it may build on its asteroid. If it starts ripcording, there is nothing you can do except destroy it as quickly as possible. If it gets ready to build, be sure to ram it so that it cannot get positioned properly to build. You can do this to buy time for you to destroy it and for reinforcements to arrive. Note that this is true for all constructors in all game situations: ram a constructor to prevent it from building.
For all utility ships, don't try to destroy them if escorts get nearby. You can't afford to get your ship podded this early in the game, because the pod ride will be very long (unless you're Bios, in which case your pod can rip home as soon as a home teleport receiver is built). Above all, make sure you survive, and attack in groups.
Tip: You should almost always have a nanite gun in your cargo! Many an opening tactical move has been saved by being able to repair your constructor or fellow team mate. Remember that 'GT scouts mount both as default equipment. Toggle your nanite gun off so you are not repairing an opponent as you try to destroy them.
Preventing a disaster
Probes are not only good at spotting enemy threats. They are also very useful at detecting enemy utility ships. If you detect a refinery, it is a good idea to lay a few probes around. When the miners become detected, your commander can order an attack on them. The same goes for constructors. Technology rocks should be probed, and a constructor should never be able to go from its launch point to its build point completely undetected. This way, your team can react and try to destroy it. If not, you can at least be aware that the enemy has built in the area. To spot miners, place the probe about 1K from a He rock.
Tip: Most rescue probes have a better scan range than a standard EWS probe. A well placed rescue probe can be very effective in early warning. Some commanders demand their use early in game.
Powerups, floating Cashboxes and Tech
powerup icon A "power up" with a symbol that is commonly recognized by gamers. But it doesn't do what you think. It only repairs and replenishes ammo, fuel, hull, energy and shields if they are damaged or depleted. It does not give you extra powers or strength. It floats randomly in space.
floating cashbox icon These "Cashboxes" are worth 500 credits. They are found randomly floating in space. By flying into it you automatically give your commander the money. You do not have to dock or anything else with it. Just fly into it. Always try to grab one if you are close to one. These little contributions can make or break a game at a critical moment.
floating tech icon "Tech" Also found randomly floating in space. These denote various pieces of tech (guns, missiles, shields, cloaks, etc.) that your team does not possess yet. You pick it up by flying into it. Autopilot works the best.
Note You must have an empty cargo slot to pick it up. Either deploy a mine or probe, fire off your missiles or use ctrl-s to eject what is in your cargo slot. You should be flying with the F4 screen open at all times anyway. So you can tell at a glance what is in your cargo. Once you have it in cargo, you must dock with it in order for your team to be able to use it. Your team must possess the necessary tech base in order to be able to use it. If it is a gun and your ship can mount it, you can use it until your ship is destroyed. But remember to dock with it first so your team will have it in it's inventory if that tech base is built. Belters faction can usually use all tech it finds immediately.
Since most tech costs thousands of credits to research, it is a huge tactical advantage to find it. Always pick up as much tech as possible and dock with it. By doing so you can save your team money and time, which will lead to an advantage over your opponent.
| ← Scout guide | Probing → |
