Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 09:53:04 +0200 (MET DST) From: "C.J. ter Horst" To: teamdead@cs.vu.nl Subject: Re: [TEAMDEAD] BBloodly auckward.... On Sun, 7 Sep 1997, TK Whipp wrote: > > Hi all, > > well I have decided that my df is definatly not up to scratch, and > so I'm trying to spend some time in a BB to improve my survival times > (without having to resort to butt torps). > > I know I need to improve my phasering accuracy and dodge a little more - > but beyond the obvious T/P dodge, split damage, det at max range stuff are > there any cool tricks I should know. > > More to the point - is the BB an aggresive craft - how do I push for > space? I guess move up slowly and kill anything that comes near. I also > guess that a BB wants range as its the slower phaser drop off that makes > it dangerous (ie BB 30 pts is CA 20 pts or something). > > what (in general) is max df speed of a BB? I think its about 3 with cruise > at 2 and dodging up to about 4. > > I get the feeling that what I really lack is patence - rushing in to close > and mutualling rather than just sitting back and refusing to move. But > when I try to hold my ground I just get plinked to death. > > sigh - maybe I am sounding twinky here but I think currently my BB ratio > is worse than my CA ratio... > > any advice? > > Tom I'm not a very good BB player, you should probably ask Barry, or Henryk. But this is what I know. (I've played some time as a BB). 1) You phaser like mad. If you just have a phaser battle with your opponent -> you win. 2) You dodge by T/P. You know that. But USE it. I mean, it's not that you use once in a while. Or 'when the situation is right'. You ALWAYS T/P. Learn to 'read' your opponent's moves and anticipate by already T/P, the right guy. And, btw., never forget that you can T/P as easily, some enemy scout which is just flying next to your opponent. T/P is good on *any* ship, friend or foe, big or small. 3) Don't spray to many torps. BB's just use their phasers to slaughter people. 4) Fly at base speed of warp 2. 5) Have maximum acceleration at an easy to reach key: the trick is simple. As soon as you see a torp stream coming your way: T/P nearest ship, and press maxwarp. That will give you the edge. 6) Learn to det. Let me repeat this one. * L E A R N T O D E T *. Detting is hard to do, and if you are not any good at it, you'll blow up most of the time. BUT, if you KNOW how to det, you can save your ass numerous times. Learn how to det single torps out of torpstreams, through which you can dodge. * DETTING IS THE KEY TO WINNING * for a BB. If you want to see some good detting, observe the dtek twinks and Henryk. They're the masters of det, imho. 7) Learn to det. 8) When you get plinked: just det the torps which are probably going to hit. If you just det 2 of the torps coming your way, you receive 2 * 10 pt = 20 pt damage. It costs your opponent the fuel for a full stream. So in essence, he can't keep that up. Let him just plink. When he's out of fuel, just grab him in your tractor and finish him. 9) Don't let yourself get buttorped. Chasing a buttorper in your BB is lethal. You will never make it. BB's just suck at dodging, and especially at high warps. 10)Repair as soon as there is no real danger. You'll say. "Jesus, I know that". Fact is: MANY people just keep flying around at warp2 after a df, gloating that they killed that sucker, and forget to repair. To put it bluntly: if your not dogfighting, you're repairing :). 11)Phaser's are psychological weapons. You wanted to know how you claim space in a BB. It's simple. You move at warp 2 towards your opponent, and let yourself not get buttorped. Meanwhile you tractor-phaser your opponent repeatedly, always on the watch for the buttorps he throws at you. As soon as he buttorps, pressor, and maxwarp to the side. Maybe detting the first two torps coming your way, which might just hit you. The rest of the stream will miss. Anyways, the repeated pounding with your phaser will get you your space. The enemy ship will be scared. Honest. Just try it during pickup. Just pound your phasers repeatedly at someone, and move his way. He'll definitely run. 12)Plan WHERE you will dogfight. Try to battle in close range of fuel or fuel+repair planets. Fuel is the issue for BB's. You might consider peacescumming if their front is better than yours. But just try to avoid the big heavy battle in the middle of some rocks, because you might win. And that would end up with you, in the middle of your space, with no fuel. And that is annoying. Because you can only fly at warp 5 as a maximum, to the closest fuel planet. 13)Get your priorities straight. 1) DODGING 2) KILLING This means in essence, that you have to let go of your tractor, as soon as your opponent starts buttorping. At that point you immediately pressor him, and turn, and maxwarp, and det. If you do NOT do that, you'll just be sucking torps. I know that you can get carried away by killing some one, but *always* dodge. Even if he's at warp 2, and needs a final phaser. Just dodge first, and *then* give him the final phaser. 14)Be prepared to let your victim loose, if he turns out to be just to much of a buttorper. You won your space. Let him run. Just don't waste your hull and fuel on someone who's just running to his core. 15)Point 13 and 14 are very important. It shows, that one of the big assets of a BB is: 'the THREAT'. In most cases it is not necessary to use all your ammo to get someone out of your space. You can achieve the same by flying towards your opponent and phasering a little. You'll be surprised to see, how many people just run when they see a BB who's phasering agressively at them. 16)BB's don't have to kill things. They just need to be there, and look dangerous. 17)With regard to point 16: ALWAYS fly warp 2. There is a good reason for that. If you always fly warp 2, nobody is ever going to know, whether you are hurt, or need fuel. Because they only know, that you're a BB who is always at warp 2. So this is a big point here: you can even be of use at front, with 60% damage, and no fuel. Just be there, and how do they put it... 'fly casual'. Kind regards, Charlie aka 'BB's suck ;)'