In a battle between fighters, it is possible to micromanage your scouts and interceptors effectively. Target enemies that are currently moving away from you or are at the extent of your firing range. Just as enemies swoop past you, swing your camera around 180 degrees and click on them. Having superior numbers plays a huge part in the early dogfights you'll face in multiplayer games (and even single-player games). Position your strike craft in a tight 3D formation like X or claw and set them to aggressive tactics. As you approach the enemy fighters, target a few of them so your entire strike-force squad concentrates fire on just a few enemies. Attempt to eliminate enemy fighters on the very first pass to give yourself a numbers advantage (or a greater numbers advantage). As the battle continues and your advantage grows, switch to evasive tactics so your strike craft concentrate more on staying alive and evading fire. Importance of Concentrating Fire Rather than attack an entire fleet at once, focus your fleet on destroying targets one at a time. A wounded enemy still fires at the same strength as a fresh one, so reduce their numbers systematically. This is especially true in a capital-ship battle. Instruct all your capital ships to fire on one enemy capital ship at a time. Presets play a huge role in concentrating firepower effectively. Always assign your entire fleet to a single preset. If your enemy presents a powerful and important target, you can select your entire fleet and press on that ship to attack. Choose your targets wisely in a large battle, and don't accidentally send ion cannon frigates against strike craft. It can be easy to misuse the rubber band and Ctrl-attack keys. Concentrate fire on important targets first; once your enemy's strength is depleted, move on to other targets. You'll also need to concentrate fire on specialty targets that enter the battle, such as a cloak generator, grav well generator, and especially salvage corvettes. Again, use a preset for your entire fleet, and use them to destroy these specialty ships that can quickly turn the tide of battles if permitted to remain in existence. The Art of Theft In a multiplayer game, trail your salvage corvettes behind the rest of your fleet. Send your fighters into battle without assigning them a formation, to create maximal chaos. When the battle is at its most chaotic, send in the salvage corvettes to capture the enemy's capital ships. In the single-player game, lead with other ships before sending in your salvage corvettes. In many missions, the enemy is designed to target salvage corvettes if they enter the scene. If you occupy their weapons with other targets, you'll likely have enough time to grab the vessel with your salvage corvettes. |
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