From: rhodesia@wixer.cactus.org (Felix S. Gallo)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: sunscreamer's scout lessons: #1 in a series
Date: 19 Oct 92 04:03:16 GMT

Well, I'm bored, so here is part of my Collected Knowledge of
Scoutbombing.  In no particular order.

1.  Scouts can perform a very important function in base oggs
    by flying around cloaked and detting single torps.  Since
    their maneuverability is high, scouts are less at risk of
    actually getting hit with torps; detting single torps forces
    the base to either 'play honest' and not fire at explosions
    or to wtemp firing on a gamble that the ship's really there.

2.  Know your turning radius.  At warp 12, you have a great
    potential of walking too far into a developing firefight
    if you're not careful.  Make sure you *always* have enough
    turning radius to escape the clutches of any larger ship.

3.  Never cloak while tractored, phasered, or within tractor
    or phaser range.

4.  Always go as far as strategically possible to get armies.
    Don't pick from planets that your regular carriers might
    use unless you think they won't get there until the planet
    is bombed.

5.  Assuming that the enemy is relatively flat, four of your
    ships are worth one of their armies.

6.  Don't lock on to a planet until the moment that you have
    to.  Locking on lowers speed unnecessarily when closing in.
    Ships locked onto planets from afar can be targetted as
    having a destination, and that destination can be protected.

7.  Feigning fuellessness or damage can be an easy way to get a
    kill, but timing is essential.  Always be prepared to book
    if the enemy decides to whittle you down with phasers before
    coming in hard.

8.  Scout torps look just as dangerous as other torps.

9.  Scout phasers are utterly useless except at extremely short
    ranges (on top of) or against other scouts.  Since your fuel
    tank is small, save up for a string of fast torps instead.

10. Consider the enemy's perception when creating a new fake move.
    If the enemy is clueless or combat-hungry, fake for the planet
    and pause momentarily, trying to arrive cloaked in orbit just
    after the torps pass through.  If the enemy is patient, try to
    exert enough pressure to stick her to the planet or force her
    to call for help.  If the enemy is fixated on defense, consider
    faking for the planet and uncloaking to kill her when she's
    left her torps out.

11. Feel the enemy pressure like a wind through a field.  If the
    stalks of grass feel like they're bending your way, flow with
    the wind and shift away, maintaining a cushion of safety while
    staying threatening.  If the flow is too strong, divide it
    like a knife and try to break through before it can slow and
    reverse its course.

12. Use your torpedoes not only to damage the enemy, but to coax
    her into mistakes.  A line of torpedoes laid out a little ahead
    of a ship can cause it to slow or veer, increasing the chance
    that you'll get to your objective.

13. If trapped by a base, relax.  You will die soon, and your
    objective is to die in the manner of your choosing.  Build up
    fuel as fast as you can, and then either jet towards the base,
    forcing it to destroy you, or feint towards the base and then
    attempt to break free before it can tractor you again.

14. Always send a message to your teammates whenever any enemy
    picks up, along with her location.  Also send messages if you
    detect a long term threat building.

15. Watch the exact trajectories of enemies.  If an enemy picks up
    at Earth and points towards Eri, she has asked to be killed by
    your oggers.

16. Assist your oggers in deep backcourt oggs by getting between the
    ogged enemy and her friends before she knows that you're there.

17. Map the nearest neutral planets for fueling purposes.

18. Resist the temptation to refit and ogg or take full-time.  Every
    team needs a scoutbomber.

19. A scout has two modes; hover and break.  There is no reason for
    a scout to be going any warps other than 0 (refuelling and
    being nearly unnoticeable on the galactic), 4 (combat speed)
    and 12 (general movement speed).  Don't waste your one
    advantage by being timid or overly cautious.

20. Rank is meaningless.  For the scoutbomber, there can be only
    success or failure.

That's all for today.

rear ensign sunscreamer
minister of education, HELL'S BAGELS