Tips & Tactics

[Jalinth]

I've been playing the demo on and off for the past week or so, and have come up with a few basic tips and tactics that work fairly well. I don't doubt that all of these have been discovered independently many times before, but I haven't seen a thread about it yet, so here is what I've got. These range from the very simple to slightly less simple.

Tip 1 - Don’t drop your tank right on top of the enemy. It takes time for your dropship to land and it is a easy target. Also note the 3 automatic Ion Towers. They will shoot down your dropship VERY quickly!

Tip 2 - Teamwork is essential. Talk to your teammates and come up with a plan. Doesn’t have to be anything amazing, but you will have better results if you are not working cross purposes

Tip 3 - Communicate. If the enemy has some hidden turrets, mines, or tanks then let your teammates know about them.

Tip 4 - Turrets. Don’t just drop them randomly all over the map. Turrets are VERY easy to kill. You have to use them to help cover your back, not to hold off the enemy by themselves. If you drop a sensor jammer near the turrets in makes them FAR more survivable

Tip 5 - Towers - If you drive a Cutter EV right up to the side of the Ion Towers, you can capture it. You’ll have to make sure someone else is covering you, but turning the enemies towers against them is VERY useful.

Tip 6 - Everything is useful, but you have to know how to get the best effect out of them to be worthwhile. Even a 20mm cannon can kill a heavy tank if you drill enough rounds into the rear armour.

Tip 7 - Location Damage - Tanks have more armour to their front then their sides. The have more armour to their sides then their rear. If you have a small gun, don’t bounce shots of the front plates, work your way around to the sides or rear. Conversely if you are being shot at, pointing ‘front towards enemy’ could save your life.

Tip 8 - Don’t sit still. If you are not moving, you are an EASY target. Even if he misses the first time, it won’t be a problem for him to correct and slam the second or third round into you. Even a small movement can throw off his aim.

Tip 9 - Ion Cannons - Yes, you can kill things with them. The secret is to engage your enemies from a distance, and focus the fire on one spot. The Ion weapons work by burning a hole into the target, reducing their armour at the point of impact. Pick a point on the enemy and constantly adjust aim to that point. I’ve gotten 12-20 kills a game with nothing but an Ion Cannon armed Thor. Versus wheeled vehicles, I tend to blow off the wheels then focus on taking out the vee. Tanks, you just have to pick a spot and work at it.

Right then, there are a few preliminary tips. Anyone care to add anything to them? Poke holes in my reasoning? Clear up any misconceptions I have?

[ClaytoniousRex]

Great post, Jalinth. Yurch also posted some an excellent tactics guide a while back here.

[Jalinth]

Thanks for the complement, and an even bigger thanks for the link. I've been looking for tactics posts since I got the demo. I found a great deal of valuable information in some posts, but it's all been very spread out. I plan to post a part 2 later tonight. I'm no expert, but I have gotten pretty decent at the demo. Still debating on if I'm going to get the full version or not. Great game, but cash for 'fun' stuff is tight enough I have to make careful choices.