X-Wing versus Tie Fighter
The Force may be with you always, but that doesn't mean you can
beat LucasArts' space fight and flight epic without some help. So pay attention Gold
Leader - you may just learn something
Proper preparation
IT may sound like common sense but pay very close attention to the briefing before setting
out on a mission. The briefing will explain exactly what you have to do, what opposition
you'll encounter and anything else you need to know. At this point you'll be able to
choose which flight group you want to be assigned to. In most cases the default offering
will be the easiest role.
Before flying a mission you should choose your craft (and any extra
weapons you want) very carefully indeed. Each craft ship its good points and bad points.
If you choose a powerful starfighter over a weaker model then your flight group will get
less crafts. Weigh up whether a few good ships will benefit your mission most, or if a lot
adequate ones will suit you better.
General Tips
IF you're on the side of the rebels crashing your well shielded craft into an unshielded
Tie Fighter might seem like a quick way to take out the enemy, but you really want to
avoid collisions whenever possible. You can collide with another starfighter and get away
with it, but you'll achieve nothing trying to ram a capital ship into submission.
Talking of capital ships, when attacking try not to get too close as
they'll shoot you down without fail. Weaken their shields from a distance first using
warheads, then disable them with ion cannons (provided you have some of course) and then
finish them off with lasers or more warheads. Some capital ships have warhead launchers
themselves, but there's a simple way to stop them firing missiles at you - turn off your
targeting computer! They use that to lock a missile on to you. If you're not targeting
them they can't target you...
No matter how good a pilot you are you can't avoid getting damaged
occasionally, and sometimes when you get hit you'll find you lose some features. Don't
panic, you can still win - you just need to play differently. If the CMD blows use the
threat display (activated by the Z key) instead.
If your shields/hull status go press F and check the status of your
craft from that. And if your energy settings explode you will have to rely on checking
what it says every time you alter the energy settings.
Energy distribution can be arranged to suit your craft's needs and your
own personal preferences of course, but you should find the following combinations useful:
For dog fighting, try putting your lasers at maximum recharge and your shields at
maintenance level. For bombing runs, or taking out ships with warheads (and when you don't
need your lasers) put your shields at maintenance, and redirect all laser power to the
engines. If you want to make a fast bombing run (or a quick getaway) redirect all the
power towards the engines. If you get a break in a mission then always take the
opportunity to switch your shields and lasers to maximum recharge so you're ready for the
next onslaught.
If you lose your shields, or are
flying a craft without them, obviously you'll have to be a lot more careful. Make sure
that you don't let any fighters sneak up behind you, don't go within cannon range of a
capital ship, smash into another starfighter (doh!) or ignore any missiles. When attacking
enemy foes in an unshielded craft be sure to keep pressing your attack - they will be able
to regenerate their shields fairly quickly if you don't keep whittling them down.
Since all craft are at their most agile at one third throttle, use this
when up against other starfighters. Do not fire missiles at enemy fighters when flying
directly towards them as they'll be able to just shoot it down with their guns if they're
lucky. Of course you can always do the same thing (press the I key to target the missile)
but you're better off just using chaff or a flare if you have them.
All Rebel craft and the Imperial TIE Advanced and Assault Gunboat have
hyperdrive engines, which can prove very useful if you use them properly. However, when
preparing for hyperspace, make sure you do the actual jump well away from the combat area
or have a decoy beam operating while making the jump. Hyperdriving out for a fresh craft
is a good idea when your missiles run out , also of course the enemy won't be able to get
any points if your last ship hyperspaced.
Furball type melee missions and the custom dogfight training exercise
are the best way to hone your flying and fighting skills and get some good tactics. It
doesn't really matter what craft you chose as everything balances out. The pilot in the
weaker starfighter will lose less points when killed than a pilot in a superior craft.
There are several quite clever ways to make sure you get a good score
in a melee. For the imperials pick an Assault Gunboat, load it with advanced concussion
missiles and a decoy beam. Put your shields at maintenance level, the beam at maximum and
redirect all your cannon energy towards the engines. Then simply fly around with the beam
activated and pick off your opponents with advanced missiles, hyperspacing out for a fresh
craft whenever you run out. You'll be surprised just how successful this technique can be.
For rebels the best tactic involves selecting a Y-wing craft with
advanced proton torpedoes and redirecting all the cannon energy to the engines. Set your
shields at the increased rate and use your torpedoes to take out the enemy. Easy.
Armed with this knowledge you should now be able to advance up the
ranks like no-one's business. Good luck, you'll still probably need it.
Evaluation
It is possible, in single player, to get to Top Ace 4th Order. You can rise up the ranks
quicker by playing melee missions on single or multiplayer at the hard difficulty setting.
Higher ranks can be achieved by playing multiplayer, but you will only be credited for
kills of four levels below you or higher in rank and who are flying craft equal to or
better than your own. On the missions top performance is achieved by playing it on hard,
winning (naturally) and getting a score over 50,000 points.
The highest melee plaque - Gold - is awarded (along with loads of
promotion points) by scoring a large winning margin on the hard skill level. A good way of
doing this is to enter a melee and using the techniques as described before. This same
style of play can also be used in a tournament to earn yourself the golden trophy. To get
the gold battle medallion, you will need to win four multiplayer battles with (at least)
one fewer person on your side.