Quick tips and tactics

[Neillm]

I thought it would be useful to have a thread for very quick tips and tactics that you might have come across while playing the game/reading up/watching streams, etc. You may think they're obvious, but I'll bet fake money that someone won't know it.

Here goes:

The bulletin board missions change every five minutes, on the five minute mark of the hour. For example, 13:00, 13:05, 13:10, etc. So if you're close to a five minute mark, grab the ones you can and wait a bit for a new batch.

[Neillm]

You can scroll the System Map by holding both mouse buttons down.

[Wolf]

You can scroll the System Map by holding both mouse buttons down.

Nice! Good find!

[ZATZAi]

We all should know about keeping our throttle in the blue during a dog-fight to turn faster, and about putting more pips into engines to get better overall maneuverability. But aside from those who fly with FA off all the time (Which I suspect is a small number of people), how many utilize thrusters in dog-fighting?

You can thrust left right to avoid incoming fire when facing off against an opponent with fixed weapons. But you can also thrust down (If pulling up) while chasing after someone to help turn inside them. I find doing this can give a little extra edge when matched off against a mirror opponent.

[DevNull]

Dogfight with FA ON-OFF, i use this manoeuvre when i've a scum on my six (or i overshoot him):

It's inspired by the "Pugacev's Cobra" aerobatic/combat move, at least for the first part (the FA ON one)

FA ON
- Two (or Three, depends to the situation) pips on the engine (better turn rate)
- Throttle at optimal blue line (more speed + more turn rate)
- All stick up (because is more simple to look up due to the cockpit upper)
- Thrust bit up
Your ship starts to rotating up and changing the speed vector: this is the "Cobra" quoted above

When my cobra is 90 degree to the enemy behind, it's very vulnerable because the enemy, if he's facing me, has a greater area to shoot at, then:

FA OFF
- Throttle at lower side of the blue band
- All stick up quickly
- Thrust all down until you face the enemy (or gimbal weapon can target it)

You need to be very precise doing this manouvre: with FA OFF, thrusting down when rotating ship up, you can "slide" your aim quickly to the enemy. However you need to be careful on this because you can enter in a "ship spin" nullifying "de facto" the advantage gained with this type of rotation.

FA ON
- Throttle at blue line
- Shoot with everything you have (1 pip engine, 2 or 3 pips to weapon)

Some side note:
- Do not use rotation to chase enemy with crossfire, rather use up-down with thrust left-right and avoid "jousting" with him (shooting directly face-to-face) because NPCs have the nasty abit of "ramming" you.
- When i read "surge detected" i prepare myself with booster, "pipping" accordingly my engines, or, if the enemy is facing me, i thrust left or right to exit from his line of fire and vector, then i start again the "Cobra Maneuvre" when enemy had overshoot me.

PS:
Here you can find the "real" Pugacev's Cobra:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pugachev%27s_Cobra

[Flip]

You can thrust left right to avoid incoming fire when facing off against an opponent with fixed weapons. But you can also thrust down (If pulling up) while chasing after someone to help turn inside them. I find doing this can give a little extra edge when matched off against a mirror opponent.

You can even add reverse throttle to that technique. Makes it pretty easy to get into the six o'clock of nimble opponents.

[Flip]

The bulletin board missions change every five minutes, on the five minute mark of the hour. For example, 13:00, 13:05, 13:10, etc. So if you're close to a five minute mark, grab the ones you can and wait a bit for a new batch.

Apparently this is also true for the outfitting stuff. Not sure if it's in sync with the BB, but I've seen completely different choices in a few minutes interval.

[ZATZAi]

You can thrust left right to avoid incoming fire when facing off against an opponent with fixed weapons. But you can also thrust down (If pulling up) while chasing after someone to help turn inside them. I find doing this can give a little extra edge when matched off against a mirror opponent.

You can even add reverse throttle to that technique. Makes it pretty easy to get into the six o'clock of nimble opponents.

I have tried that but it seems to be less effective as you go out of the "blue zone" even for a little while and you just have less thrust. That and sometime you don't want to let your opponent get away from you if they're turning and running.

But that could all change with Beta 3!

[Philip Coutts]

Beware the Kill warrant Scanner! If you scan a "clean" pilot and it shows they are wanted in another system you need to be careful. If you shoot them, you will get a bounty and if you kill them you will be a murderer in that system. Yes you can claim the bounty in the system he is wanted in but you will also rack up fines in the system he is clean in. If the fines out way the bounty you would be best to put your trigger finger away!

[Neillm]

The bulletin board missions change every five minutes, on the five minute mark of the hour. For example, 13:00, 13:05, 13:10, etc. So if you're close to a five minute mark, grab the ones you can and wait a bit for a new batch.

Apparently this is also true for the outfitting stuff. Not sure if it's in sync with the BB, but I've seen completely different choices in a few minutes interval.

Also apparently, the outfitting refreshes every hour, rather than five minutes.