The Knife-Fight (hot and heavy turning-war:)
- Having reached this stage of the fight, there are many maneuvers, tactics, and tricks which work well for each individual pilot, yet none exactly the same. Here is what you should remember, and I will name a few maneuvers that work well for the majority of pilots.
• ALWAYS AIM TO STAY ALERT! Don't get bored. Be relentless, be alert, be a cold and methodical killer. You and your enemy are locked in an eternal (10 min) struggle to tire the other out and claim victory. You will be that pilot!
• There are no magic moves. EVER.
• Basically, the quickest way to nip a potential knife-fight in the bud is through using turning techniques. By finding that "sweet spot" to cut throttle and drain lasers, and timing it right, you'll end up right on your enemy's six, giving you a clean shot. If you managed to mess it up, you're probably dead already.
• When engaged in a turn war, your first instinct will be to drop to 1/3 throttle and try to immediately get the upper hand. I don't recommend this. What I do recommend is keeping your opponent on his toes - In a turn war, that's your aim. To bore and frustrate your enemy so he slips up and diverts from his training. Eventually, though, you will have to cut to 1/3 throttle and try and take a few shots. Otherwise it'll look like you're running to keep a lead if you have one.
• Should neither ship be destroyed, a common occurrence result is the two fighters flying circles, both unwilling to give up any ground.
• However, if you've been going at it with no dice and are turning less than .10km of each other, one of you may get smart and try to make a run for it. “Running for it” in this case means that one of you will look for an escape window and try to get some distance between him and the pursuing bandit. When a distance of .20-.30 km is reached, the craft that ran for it will most likely cut to 1/3 throttle, turn, and try to vape you before you can say “Oh, Delta Sierra.”
• Also, though somewhat common, you may get lucky and be in a lag pursuit position. This is where your craft's nose is behind the bandit. It is primarily used to approach the bandit.
One thing important part of the knife-fight is lead pursuit, or lead. Lead involves your gun accuracy and depth perception. When using lead, you will have to:
• Think if you're even in a position to employ lead. Consider that your enemy is trying to avoid your fire. If you are behind him and trying to fire, he will want to minimize your chances as much as possible by breaking just outside of your visual contact as much as he can.
• If you can use lead, you're going to have to gauge where and when to shoot. Accurate placement of fire is crucial, as well as precision timing. Your shot should ideally fall right in front of your opponent and hit him as he continues to move in that direction.
• When trying to gauge the when and where part, you will have to fire your lasers, wasting your precious laser power. It's a necessary evil, but it must be done.
-= Continue to Tools and Maneuvers =- |
