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Guide Game : Freespace 2
Guide Name : DracoFS2v1.4.txt
Guide Version : 1.4
Guide Size : 115 Kb's
Guide Author : DracoLord
Author Contact : The_RSM@Hotmail.com
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*In English*
Have the decency to ask me that you want to use this guide for something
other than personal use, it's just for curtsey as I will mainly grant
permission so long as you aren't trying to make a profit from it, so just
ASK FOR PERMISSION, to avoid any complications.
(When you ask for permission, please make the subject "FS2PER")
Thank you.
T - Target next ship
Shift-T - Target previous ship
Alt-T - Turn off auto-target
H - Target nearest hostile ship
Shift-H - Target previous hostile ship
Alt-H - Toggle auto-targeting
F - Target nearest friendly ship
Shift-F - Target previous friendly ship
Y - Target ship in reticule
G - Target nearest attacker
Alt-Y - Target last ship to send a transmission
U - Target next un-inspected cargo
Shift-U - Target previous un-inspected cargo
N - Target newest ship in area
B - Target nearest hostile bomb/bomber
Shift-B - Target previous hostile bomb/bomber
K - Target next live turret
V - Target subsystem in reticule
S - Target next subsystem
Shift-S - Target previous subsystem
Alt-S - Turn off auto-targeting of subsystems
R - Target closest attacking ship
J - Target target's target
E - Target next ship in the escort list
Alt-R - Target nearest support ship
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¦Ship:¦
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A - Increase forward thrust
Z - Decrease forward thrust (reverse thrust)
Pad 7 - Bank left (rotate left)
Pad 9 - Bank right (rotate right)
Pad 8 - Pitch forward
Pad 2 - Pitch backward
Pad 4 - Turn left
Pad 6 - Turn right
Backspace - Set throttle to zero
\ - Set throttle to max
[ - Set throttle to one third
] - Set throttle to two thirds
= - Increase throttle by 5%
- - Decrease throttle by 5%
Tab - Engage afterburner
Weapons:
Left CTRL - Fire primary weapons (cannons)
Space Bar - Fire secondary weapons (missiles)
. - Cycle forward through primary weapons, and single and dual
fire modes
, - Cycle backwards through primary weapons, and single and dual
fire modes
/ - Cycle through secondary weapon banks
Shift-/ - Cycle secondary weapon fire rate (single and double fire
modes)
X - Launch countermeasure
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¦Misc:¦
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M - Match target's speed
Alt-M - Toggle auto-speed matching
Shift-A - Order: Attack my target
Shift-Z - Order: Disarm my target
Shift-D - Order: Disable my target
Shift-V - Order: Attack my targeted subsystem
Shift-X - Order: Capture my target
Shift-E - Order: Engage enemy
Shift-W - Order: Form on my wing
Shift-I - Order: Ignore my target
Shift-P - Order: Protect my target
Shift-C - Order: Cover me
Shift-J - Order: Return to base
Shift-R - Order: Rearm me
Pad * - Chase view
Pad . - External view
Pad Enter - Toggle external camera lock
Pad 0 - Free look view
Pad / - Current target view
Pad + - Increase view distance
Pad - - Decrease view distance
Pad 5 - Centre view
' - Cycle radar ranges
C - Open communications window
Alt-J - Engage jump drive
Insert - Increase weapon energy
Delete - Decrease weapon energy
Home - Increase shield energy
End - Decrease shield energy
Page Up - Increase engine energy
Page Down - Decrease engine energy
Alt-D - Equalise energy settings
Q - Equalise shield settings (all quadrants)
Up Arrow - Augment forward shield
Down Arrow - Augment rearward shield
Left Arrow - Augment left shield
Right Arrow - Augment right shield
Scroll Lock - Transfer energy (Laser -> Shield)
Shift-Scroll Lock - Transfer energy (Shield -> Laser)
Alt-E - Add/Remove ship from escort list
Alt-Shift-E - Clear escort list
Shift-. - Increase time compression
Shift-, - Decrease time compression
L - Toggle high HUD contrast
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¦Multiplayer¦
-------------
1 - Send a message to all ships
2 - Send a message to all friendly ships
3 - Send a message to all hostile ships
4 - Send a message to your current target
Alt-X - Observer zoom-to-target
Shift-N - Toggle network information
Shift-End - Self Destruct
Learn to use all these controls, and you will soon become an ace pilot.
Fighters and bombers are small, 1-person, space fairing vessels which can
mount a multitude of offensive weaponry in the form of both direct-energy
and projectile. Basically, fighters and bombers blow things up. They are
the single most important type of ship in the entire game as they can
fly faster, and manoeuvre quicker than any capital ship, and when in large
numbers, can present a major threat against any capital ship.
3.1 Fighters
Fighters are fast moving, highly manoeuvrable (most of them), ships with
relatively thin armour and shielding. Although they cannot carry as large
a payload as Bombers, and also cannot carry Torpedoes, they can carry
weapons designed to Disable sub-systems (Stiletto II), long-range anti-
bomber missiles (Trebuchet), and the Advanced-Swarm missile (Tornado.)
Terran Fighters
Terran Fighters are probably the most balanced variety of fighter in the
game. They have reasonable speed, armour (and shielding), as well as
decent manoeuvrability, but they do not posses great strengths in a
particular area (which is probably their biggest strength.)
The Hercules compared to the 2 other old war fighters (Loki and Ulysses),
is far superior in abilities and firepower, and can even compete with
some of the newer fighters.
The Herc II is the updated version of the original Hercules fighter, the
ship said to have won the war. While the newer Herc II is superior in
armour, shielding, speed, manoeuvrability and missile capacity, but it
has 2 less primary cannons, reducing the overall firepower of this
otherwise great fighter.
The Ares is the second most armoured ship in the Terran arsenal, and is
more available than the strongest (SF Mara (Terran)). The Ares Strategic
Assault Fighter can deal out tremendous amounts of punishment to any
enemy fighter, bomber, or capital ship, and can take it too. The Ares is
the prime choice for any pilot wishing to engage overwhelming enemy forces
and live.
The Erinyes is the favourite of most pilots, but IMO it is too heavy on
turning, and as a result leaves you open to any enemy attacks. On the good
side though, the Erinyes has heavy armour, is relatively speedy, and can
carry a respectful weapons loadout, a great fighter for the ace's amongst
you.
The Loki is just a scouting fighter, and as a result it is very lightly
armoured, and lightly armed. This fighter is useless due to it's lack of
weaponry, and can only take a couple of direct hits, and then...BANG!
The Ulysses (The 'Bat') is a average fighter, and compared to the newer
fighters is obsolete. It has even weaker armour than the Loki, but has
more firepower, but it still can only take a few hits before it is
destroyed.
The Pegasus Stealth Fighter is the only Terran fighter which can fly
around without being detected by enemy radar, and as a result, they can
evade almost all enemy fire, and is practically immune to aspect-seeking
missiles (as the enemy cannot acquire a lock.)
(Note: I say 'practically' immune to aspect seeking missiles as an AWACs
ships can allow fighters to lock onto the Pegasus. And if an enemy is
very close, they can fire the Hornet, Tornado etc. and still hit your
fighter, not a good idea as the Pegasus has poor armour, and can be
destroyed in 1-shot at this range.)
The Perseus class Interceptor is an excellent choice for either surgical
strikes against enemy capital ship's turrets, and subsystems, and is also
a great bomber/bomb interceptor, ideal for protecting allied ships against
enemy bombers and their torpedoes.
The Myrmidon class Fighter is a pretty good dog-fighter, and can also
deal moderate damage against smaller enemy capital ships. This is also
the only fighter that can carry torpedoes (Helios), allowing this
fighter to become a light attack bomber.
(Thanks to Carlos Miranda for highlighting the fact that the Myrmidon can
carry only the Helios, and not the Cyclops, Thank You.)
The Terran Mara Advanced Fighter is meanest fighter which you will be
able to fly, and ultimately, the best. This fighter has tremendous speed,
manoeuvrabilty, as well as armour, shielding, and weapon loadout. In this
fighter, an ace pilot can destroy 100 enemy fighters and bombers,
without even being hit once! Mad!
(Remember this Fighter is hardly ever seen, except in a SOC mission,
and a very small handful of multi-player missions. - Thanks Carlos.)
The Top Terran Fighters:
Highest 'Scored' Fighter : Ares (15)
Fastest Fighter (Normal) : Perseus (90)
Fastest Fighter (A/Burn) : Joint: Pegasus and Loki (160)
Strongest Weaponry (Pri) : Erinyes (8 Cannons)
Strongest Weaponry (Sec) : SF Mara (2 Banks, 210 Capacity)
Strongest Hull : SF Mara (475)
Strongest Shielding : SF Mara (700)
Overall best Terran Fighter: SF Mara
But as you hardly ever get to fly this, or the Ares, the best, widely
available fighter is : Erinyes
Vasudan Fighters
Vasudan Fighters focus more on manoeuvrabilty and speed than armour and
weaponry, and as a result are usually less armoured, and carry less
payload than their Terran equivalent.
Another Point of View:
"Actually, they do focus on weaponry as well as manoeavrability, evident
with the missile capacity of the Tauret. They do sacrifice some armour
and shielding though."
- Carlos Miranda
The Seth is the Vasudan Heavy Fighter class which serves as either a
bomber escort or bomber interceptor. Although this fighter cannot travel
as fast as other bomber interceptors (like the Perseus), once you engage
the afterburners...whoosh! This fighter suddenly becomes as fast as a
medium, or even light fighter.
The Horus is the Vasudan equivalent of the Perseus Interceptor, and
fulfils the same role, surgical strikes against large capital ships, and
bomber/bomb interception. Unlike the Perseus, the Horus relies on primary
cannons to deal the damage to it's targets, and uses it's secondary
weapons for long range encounters, and disabling heavily shielded
subsystems.
The Thoth is one of the most manoeuvrable fighters in the game, and
undoubtedly, one of the weakest. It has decent firepower through it's 4
primary cannons, but it is incredibly limited when it comes to secondary
missiles and their capacity.
The Serapis is the Vasudan Advanced Interceptor, and unlike the Horus and
Perseus, this fighter is best used as a bomber/bomb interceptor, rather
than fulfil the other role played by the other two interceptors (surgical
strikes.) This fighter cannot fulfil the other role due to it's weak
shields and armour which will not offer adequate protection from enemy
turret fire or flak.
The Tauret is the newest Vasudan Heavy Fighter, intent on replacing the
ageing Seth class. This fighter, unlike the Seth, can be used both as a
Dog-Fighting ship, and can take on enemy capital ships and come out of the
ordeal with enough firepower to deal with the next wave.
The Ptah Stealth Recon Fighter is almost identical to the Pegasus (in
terms of stats.), but the Ptah has 1 less primary cannon bank, and 1 more
missile bank giving this fighter less overall firepower (as missiles are
expendable, and primaries are infinite, so long as you keep your power
level up.)
Overall best Vasudan Fighter: Tauret (Not IMO)
Overall best Vasudan Fighter: Thoth (IMO)
Shivans
Shivan Fighters are flying nightmares. They focus on ALL areas with their
fighters, so they are highly manoeuvrable, relatively fast, and have very
heavy shielding. The heavy shielding also gives these fighters their one
weakness, wafer-thin armour. Once your weapons have penetrated their
shields, the fighter is as good as dead.
(Thanks to Carlos - Yes Again :) for pointing out that Shivan fighters DO
NOT have a higher payload than their Terran and Vasudan equivalents, and
highlighting the fact that Shivan lasers are slow firing.)
The Shivan Dragon fighter is probably the most annoying enemy fighter in
the entire game. It is so manoeavrable that it can dodge and evade any
missiles or direct-energy fire directed towards it, so single these
fighters out, and concentrate fire on 1 at a time.
The Basilisk is a Shivan Heavy Attack Fighter, whose role involves
targeting and destroying slow moving targets, such as bombers, heavy
fighters, freighters etc. So if you are assigned to protect these kind
of ships, or you are flying one of these, prioritise these fighters.
The Manticore is and incredibly fast and agile fighter, and unlike most
other fighters of this nature, this one carries a powerful primary weapon,
and has enough missiles to take out several fighters. Although this
fighters offensive is strong for this type of fighter, it does have very
weak armour and shielding, and as such, can not last long against other
fighters.
The Shivan Mara (Advanced Fighter), is the single biggest threat in terms
of enemy fighters. They are fast, agile, and deadly. Do not pass infront
of this ships crosshairs, or you are dead.
The Astaroth is the Shivan light/medium fighter, which posses incredible
speed, manoeuvrability, and reasonable armament, but like most other light
fighters, it has weak armour and shielding, so once it's shields have been
depleted, it's game over for the Shivan pilot.
The Top Shivan Fighters:
Highest 'Scored' Fighter : Dragon (16)
Fastest Fighter (Normal) : Manticore (87)
Fastest Fighter (A/Burn) : Joint: Manticore and Astaroth (155)
Strongest Weaponry (Pri) : All (except Manticore and Astaroth) (2)
Strongest Weaponry (Sec) : Joint: Mara and Basilisk
(2 Banks, 160 Capacity)
Strongest Hull : Mara (200)
Strongest Shielding : Basilisk (950)
Overall best Shivan Fighter: Mara
The Overall Top Fighters:
Highest 'Scored' Fighter : Dragon (S) (16)
Fastest Fighter (Normal) : Joint: Pegasus (T) and Horus (V) (90)
Fastest Fighter (A/Burn) : Horus (V) (170)
Strongest Weaponry (Pri) : Erinyes (T) (8)
Strongest Weaponry (Sec) : SF Mara (T) (2 Banks, 210 Capacity)
Strongest Hull : SF Mara (T) (475)
Strongest Shielding : Basilisk (950)
Overall best Fighter: SF Mara (Terrans)
(Note: As this comparison involves fighters from all three races, I will
indicate which race they belong to by placing the first letter of the
name of the race.)
Key: (T) = Terran
(V) = Vasudan
(S) = Shivan
3.2 Bombers
Terran Bombers
Terran Bombers are sluggish and lumbering ships, with pretty heavy armour,
and shielding, and can carry a reasonable payload. They say nobody is
perfect, and this describes Terran Bombers, not perfect. In fact they are
second rate, as they cannot evade even the slowest of missiles, and
turret fire rips them apart, so if you get the choice, pick a Vasudan
Bomber, they are much better.
The Artemis is a Terran Medium Bomber, and is mainly used for quick
strikes against slow moving targets, and smaller enemy capital ships.
For a bomber, the Artemis is lightly armoured, but makes up for this in
it's shielding and pretty high speed and manoeuvrability (in relation to
other bombers.)
The Artemis DH is very similar to the Artemis Bomber, but has higher
manoeuvrability, and can achieve a higher speed, quicker than the normal
version. In addition the Artemis D.H. has a different 'skin' to the
original, giving it a darker, more menacing look.
The Medusa is the standard Heavy Bomber used by the GTVA to destroy
enemy warships. It has enough shielding to survive enemy fighter and
turret fire, and has enough firepower to challenge even Destroyer class
enemy vessels when deployed in large numbers.
The Ursa is the heaviest armoured and armed bomber in the GTVA, as well as
the slowest. It posses extremely heavy armour and shielding, a huge
payload capacity, and has an AI controlled turret mounted ontop of the
bomber which can take out enemy fighters whilst you deliver your ordnance
to an enemy capital ship.
The Zeus is the GTVA's Strike Bomber, used primarily against smaller
enemy capital ships, and other slow moving ships. Although this bomber
has relatively weak armour (compared to other bombers), it is the fastest
bomber available, ideal for chasing down fleeing enemy capital ships.
The Boanerges is a next generation Heavy Bomber, with incredible armour
and shield ratings, but like everything, it does have a weakness, and that
is manoeuvrability. This bomber cannot challenge enemy fighters due to
this weakness, so it does require a fighter escort inorder to survive,
and destroy it's intended target. On the bright side though, it carries
an incredible amount of secondary weapons, enough to single handily take
out an enemy Cruiser, and enough to take down a Destroyer when deployed
in groups of 2 or 3.
Vasudan Bombers
Vasudan Bombers are pretty nimble when considering other bombers, but pay
the price in the form of weaker armour and shielding, as well as a slight
payload decrease. But even with these seemingly big weaknesses, Vasudan
Bombers are far superior overall than any Terran Bomber (IMO).
The Osiris is an ageing Reserve Bomber which has been refitted with launch
racks compatible with the newer weapons used by the GTVA. In terms of it's
potential as a bomber, it does fail to deliver the amount of payload of
other, newer bombers, but can still take out an enemy cruiser or corvette
when deployed in large numbers.
The Bakha is a stereotypical Vasudan ship, fast, agile, but lacking in
terms of offensive and defensive capabilities. Unlike many other bombers,
the Bakha can manoeuvre almost as well as a fighter, and can take out
enemy fights should the need arise. When it comes to destroying enemy
capital ships, this bomber can deliver enough firepower to take out
smaller ships (cruisers and corvettes.)
The Sekhmet is IMO the best flyable bomber in the game. It wields enough
firepower to take out enemy cruisers and destroyers, and has enough
manoeuvrability to defend itself against enemy heavy fighters and
bombers, a truly well-rounded bomber.
Shivan Bombers
Like the fighters, Shivan Bombers are a pain in the....neck. They are not
very manoeuvrable, but have heavy payloads, have extreme shielding, but
still have thin armour (relative to their Terran and Vasudan bomber
equivalents.)
(In my opinion Shivan Bombers are 'pretty manoeavrable', but it seems
that this view is not widely shared, so I have changed the description
accordingly. Thanks to all of you have pointed this out.)
The Nephilim is the slowest of the Shivan bombers, but can still pose a
threat to any unsuspecting fighters and bombers, do not underestimated
this bomber, as it has enough firepower to take on ships up to, and
including Destroy class, when deployed in large numbers.
The Taurvi is the Shivan 'all-rounder' Bomber, not incredibly fast, not
incredibly powerful, and not incredibly armoured, but it can still
outclass many of the GTVA Bombers. With this said, this bomber does not
posses enough payload to destroy larger capital ships, but can still pose
a threat to smaller ones, so do not take these ships too lightly.
The Nahema is superior to all but the latest GTVA Bombers, and even they
can be considered only equals. This bomber has enough speed to outrun
any fighter used by the GTVA, and has enough firepower to destroy any
capital ship, and enough shielding to survive fighter and turret fire.
Definitely one of the most dangerous Shivan craft about.
The Seraphim is most dangerous Shivan Bomber in the game. Although it
does not posses the speed and manoeuvrability of the Nahema, it carries
enough firepower to make short work of even Destroyer class vessels. Not
only does it have the firepower, it has the highest shielding of any
bomber, making this an incredibly hard ship to destroy, even with allied
capital ship fire-support.
Primary Weapons (Cannons) are mainly used either during a dogfight, or
surgical strikes against a capital ship's turrets (not sub-systems as
missiles are better for this purpose, but more on that later in the
guide.)
GTVA/NTF Weaponry
Standard Weaponry
GTW Subach HL-7
Damage (Overall): 15.00
Damage (Hull) : 13.50
Damage (Shields): 10.50
Energy Used : 0.20
Rate of Fire : 0.20
Velocity (Speed): 450.00
Max. Range : 900.00
Type : Standard
The GTW Subach HL-7 is a great Terran dogfighting weapon, best coupled
with a heavier damage weapon (like the Kayser.) It has a very high
rate of fire, and uses small amounts of weapon energy, allowing you to
allocate this energy to other ships systems. Also, due to the small
energy usage, you can 'spray' the area, giving new pilots, or inaccurate
pilots a chance to fire like mad, hit the enemy, and still have enough
energy left over to finish 50 more fighters off, in a row.
Rating: 9/10
GTW Mekhu HL-7
Damage (Overall): 12.00
Damage (Hull) : 10.80
Damage (Shields): 9.60
Energy Used : 0.20
Rate of Fire : 0.15
Velocity (Speed): 485.00
Max. Range : 970.00
Type : Standard
The GTW Mekhu HL-7 is a great Vasudan dogfighting weapon, best coupled
with a heavier damage weapon (like the Kayser.) It has a very high
rate of fire, and uses small amounts of weapon energy, allowing you to
allocate this energy to other ships systems. Also, due to the small
energy usage, you can 'spray' the area, giving new pilots, or inaccurate
pilots a chance to fire like mad, hit the enemy, and still have enough
energy left over to finish 50 more fighters off, in a row.
Although not as strong as the Terran version (Subach HL-7), the Mekhu
fires faster, travels faster, and has a further effective range, which
fits perfectly with Vasudan fighters and Bombers (they try to attack at
longer ranges, so they take less damage.)
Rating: 10/10
GTW Akheton SDG (Subsystem Disruption Gun)
Damage (Overall): 30.00
Damage (Hull) : 15.00
Damage (Shields): 0.00
Energy Used : 1.60
Rate of Fire : 0.35
Velocity (Speed): 500.00
Max. Range : 750.00
Type : Anti-Subsystem
The Akeheton SDG is a tactical weapon, and as such should only be used
for missions requiring you to disable enemy subsystems. On the plus side
though, this weapon does decent hull damage, so it can act as a light
anti-capital ship weapon, but it is useless against enemy fighters (as it
does no damage to shields.)
Rating: 2/10
GTW ML-70 Morning Star
Damage (Overall): 7.00
Damage (Hull) : 3.50
Damage (Shields): 9.10
Energy Used : 0.80
Rate of Fire : 0.15
Velocity (Speed): 1000.00
Max. Range : 2000.00
Type : Kinetic
The Morning Star is used to 'push' enemy fighters and bombers away, which
serves 2 key roles; firstly, the enemy is pushed further away from you,
and the resulting 'jolt' makes it harder for an enemy to lock thier
weapons on you, or any other allied craft. (A good multiplayer D/Fighting
weapon, when available.)
Rating: 7/10
GTW-5a Prometheus (R) (Retrofit)
Damage (Overall): 18.00
Damage (Hull) : 19.80
Damage (Shields): 14.40
Energy Used : 0.60
Rate of Fire : 0.45
Velocity (Speed): 450.00
Max. Range : 900.00
Type : Retrofit
The Prometheus R is a poor weapon system as it uses a fair amount of
energy to do only a small amount of damage. Ontop of that, it has a very
poor rate of fire which makes targeting accuracy crucial as you cannot
'spray' the area as you can with a weapon such as the Subach or Mekhu
HL-7.
Rating: 1/10
GTW-5 Prometheus (S) (Standard)
Damage (Overall): 30.00
Damage (Hull) : 27.00
Damage (Shields): 30.00
Energy Used : 1.00
Rate of Fire : 0.35
Velocity (Speed): 750.00
Max. Range : 1500.00
Type : Standard
Only slightly better than the Prometheus R, the Prometheus S offers
greater firepower, a greater range, and a slightly better fire rate. IMO
only good for bombers for use against capital ships. (A poor D/fighting
weapon.)
*Another Opinion:*
"You mentioned that the Prometheus S is only "slightlty" better than the
Prometheus R. In fact, it's MUCH better! It does twice the hull damage
and up to three times shield damage than the R. It also fires faster
and has almost twice the range and also travels faster (thus hitting
the target faster.) The Promethus R is good for absolutelt nothing,
even though the game advertises more hull damage for the Prometheus R,
the Subach actually does much more hull damage per minute, for much
less energy and twice the hull damage and fire rate."
- Carlos Miranda
Rating: 3/10
GTW-66 Maxim Cannon
Damage (Overall): 20.00
Damage (Hull) : 26.00
Damage (Shields): 4.00
Energy Used : 1.00
Rate of Fire : 0.15
Velocity (Speed): 1800.00
Max. Range : 3600.00
Type : High Velocity
The Maxim Cannon (AKA Maxim Gun) is an ideal choice for Bombers as it
can shred a capital ship's subsystems and hull to pieces, very quickly.
It has an incredible rate of fire (as fast as the Mekhu HL-7), which
allows large amounts of damage to be dealt, very quickly (watch your
weapon energy gauge closely, as it will go down very fast.) In terms of
D/fighting, this weapon is practically useless (due to the shields on
fighters), unless coupled with an anti-shield weapon (but due to the
massive power consumptions of both these weapons, this is highly
impractical.)
Rating: 8/10
GTW UD-8 Kayser
Damage (Overall): 28.00
Damage (Hull) : 28.80
Damage (Shields): 25.20
Energy Used : 1.20
Rate of Fire : 0.25
Velocity (Speed): 650.00
Max. Range : 975.00
Type : Special
The Kayser it the single most powerful fighter/bomber mounted weapon
system. A dual bank of Kaysers can take out almost any fighter or bomber
in just 1-shot! And the rest in 2 or 3. Not only does it have such
incredible firepower, it can fire at a very quick rate, making this the
first choice of any D/fighting pilot.
(Note: Keep a close eye on the weapon energy gauge, as this weapon will
drain it very quickly, especially if you have 2 banks of them.)
Rating: 15+/10 :) Yes 15+ out of 10!
GTW-19 Circe
Damage (Overall): 45.00
Damage (Hull) : 0.00
Damage (Shields): 45.00
Energy Used : 1.00
Rate of Fire : 0.40
Velocity (Speed): 450.00
Max. Range : 1350.00
Type : Anti-Shield
The Circe's only role is to destroy enemy fighters and bombers shields
so that a powerful 'hull-busting' weapon (like the Maxim) can be used to
finish it off. In terms of a D/fight, this weapon is practically useless as
it does no damage to the enemy hull, and therefore cannot destroy any ship
without another type of weapon.
Rating: 2/10
GTW-83 Lamprey
Damage (Overall): 14.00
Damage (Hull) : 1.40
Damage (Shields): 14.60
Energy Used : 1.20
Rate of Fire : 0.30
Velocity (Speed): 450.00
Max. Range : 900.00
Type : Energy Draining Weapon
The Lamprey drains the power from an enemy fighter or bombers systems
which leaves them without power, and therefore, vulnerable. Due to the
heavy power usage of this weapon, and the slow rate of fire, it is useless
in a D/fight, unless you can evade all enemy fire, and single out 1
fighter at a time, otherwise, it is useless.
Rating: 3/10
Dog Fighting Weaponry
Subach HL-7 (D) (Dogfighting version)
Damage (Overall): 15.00
Damage (Hull) : 15.00
Damage (Shields): 15.00
Energy Used : 0.20
Rate of Fire : 0.20
Velocity (Speed): 450.00
Max. Range : 900.00
Type : Standard
Same as the Subach HL-7, but tweaked for D/Fighting purposes.
Rating: 9/10
Mekhu HL-7 (D)
Damage (Overall): 12.00
Damage (Hull) : 16.80
Damage (Shields): 18.00
Energy Used : 0.20
Rate of Fire : 0.15
Velocity (Speed): 485.00
Max. Range : 970.00
Type : Standard
Same as the Mekhu HL-7, but tweaked for D/Fighting purposes.
Rating: 20/10 :) Yep, 20 out of 10
Morning Star (D)
Damage (Overall): 7.00
Damage (Hull) : 3.50
Damage (Shields): 7.00
Energy Used : 0.80
Rate of Fire : 0.17
Velocity (Speed): 1000.00
Max. Range : 2000.00
Type : Kinetic
Same as the GTW ML-70 Morning Star, but tweaked for D/Fighting purposes.
Rating: 8/10
Prometheus (D)
Damage (Overall): 20.00
Damage (Hull) : 16.00
Damage (Shields): 20.00
Energy Used : 0.40
Rate of Fire : 0.30
Velocity (Speed): 450.00
Max. Range : 900.00
Type : Standard
Same as the GTW-5 Prometheus S, but tweaked for D/Fighting purposes.
Rating: 3/10
Maxim (D)
Damage (Overall): 20.00
Damage (Hull) : 16.00
Damage (Shields): 4.00
Energy Used : 1.00
Rate of Fire : 0.15
Velocity (Speed): 1800.00
Max. Range : 2700.00
Type : High Velocity
Same as the GTW-66 Maxim Cannon, but tweaked for D/Fighting purposes.
Rating: 5/10
Kayser (D)
Damage (Overall): 28.00
Damage (Hull) : 16.80
Damage (Shields): 16.80
Energy Used : 3.00
Rate of Fire : 0.30
Velocity (Speed): 650.00
Max. Range : 975.00
Type : Special
Same as the GTW UD-8 Kayser, but tweaked for D/Fighting purposes.
(Note: The Mekhu HL-7 D is more powerful than the Kayser D, due to it's
higher rate of fire, and it's higher shield damage rating.)
Rating: 10/10 :( Only 10/10 this time, due to the Mekhu HL-7 D
Shivan Weaponry
Although you never get to pilot a real Shivan ship (that does not include
the SF Mara (Terrans), as this has been outfitted with GTVA Weaponry),
it is always good to know the capabilities of the enemy.
Shivan Light Laser
Damage (Overall): 8.00
Damage (Hull) : 1.00
Damage (Shields): 1.00
Energy Used : 0.30
Rate of Fire : 0.30
Velocity (Speed): 450.00
Max. Range : 900.00
Shivan Heavy Laser
Damage (Overall): 15.00
Damage (Hull) : 1.00
Damage (Shields): 1.00
Energy Used : 0.40
Rate of Fire : 0.50
Velocity (Speed): 475.00
Max. Range : 950.00
Shivan Mega Laser
Damage (Overall): 30.00
Damage (Hull) : 1.00
Damage (Shields): 0.60
Energy Used : 0.90
Rate of Fire : 0.75
Velocity (Speed): 400.00
Max. Range : 600.00
(Note: All the damage ratings are the number of hitpoints worth of damage
dealt from each shot, so a weapon with a 16.00 rating for Hull will do
16 hitpoints worth of damage to an enemies hull.)
(Note: The Overall Damage is the average amount of damage done in total
by that particular weapon.)
Secondary Weapons (Missiles) are mainly used either during a dogfight, or
surgical strikes against a capital ship's turrets and sub-systems.
Missiles, unlike primary cannons, are best used from medium-to-long
ranges, but in some cases require a lock-on (unlike primaries.)
(Note: Cargo Space Needed refers to space required, for 1 missile.)
GTM MX-64 Rockeye
Damage (Overall) : 45.00
Damage (Hull) : 36.00
Damage (Shields) : 36.00
Rate of Fire : 0.50
Velocity (Speed) : 190.00
Max. Range : 1900.00
Cargo Space Needed: 4.00
Type of Lock : Heat-Seeking
Special : Fire & Forget
The Rockeye isn't very accurate, and does require a pretty large amount of
missile bank space, but in an intense D/fight where aspect-lock is
difficult or impossible to acquire, this is an ideal solution
Rating: 7/10
GTM Mx-6 Tempest
Damage (Overall) : 45.00
Damage (Hull) : 40.50
Damage (Shields) : 22.50
Rate of Fire : 0.30
Velocity (Speed) : 360.00
Max. Range : 648.00
Cargo Space Needed: 0.25
Type of Lock : None
Special : Dumbfire
Although the Tempest has no homing ability, they can be carried in huge
amounts, even on fighters with relatively small weapon payloads. For an
ace pilot, these are an excellent weapon to harass, and destroy enemy
fighters, bombers, and capital ship turrets and subsystems. (A good
secondary missile for D/Fights.)
Rating: 8/10
GTM-4 Hornet
Damage (Overall) : 25.00
Damage (Hull) : 50.00
Damage (Shields) : 25.00
Rate of Fire : 2.00
Velocity (Speed) : 190.00
Max. Range : 1330.00
Cargo Space Needed: 1.00
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : Swarm Missile
The Hornet is a great D/Fighting weapon as it can easily destroy any
enemy fighter or bomber very quickly. The one problem with this missile
is the fact that they can be evaded by good pilots, leaving you open
to attack (whilst you wait for the lock, the enemy could be already
launching their missiles, and firing their primaries at you.)
Rating: 6/10
GTM-4a Tornado
Damage (Overall) : 25.00
Damage (Hull) : 50.00
Damage (Shields) : 25.00
Rate of Fire : 2.50
Velocity (Speed) : 230.00
Max. Range : 1610.00
Cargo Space Needed: 1.25
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : Advanced Swarm Missile
The Tornado, unlike the Hornet is much more difficult to evade, but very
good pilots can still pull it off (even without counter-measures.) The
Tornado cannot be carried in such great numbers as the Hornet, but they
have a longer effective range and have a stronger tracking system. (A
great D/Fighting weapon.)
Rating: 9/10
GTM-19 Harpoon
Damage (Overall) : 100.00
Damage (Hull) : 100.00
Damage (Shields) : 80.00
Rate of Fire : 2.00
Velocity (Speed) : 250.00
Max. Range : 1250.00
Cargo Space Needed: 2.50
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : Quick Lock
The Harpoon is ideal for taking out both fast enemy fighters, and slower,
heavier armoured targets. Although these missiles take up considerable
missile bank space, their quick locking ability makes them a very useful
D/Fighting weapon.
Rating: 8/10
GTM-55 Trebuchet
Damage (Overall) : 350.00
Damage (Hull) : 315.00
Damage (Shields) : 175.00
Rate of Fire : 6.00
Velocity (Speed) : 280.00
Max. Range : 5040.00
Cargo Space Needed: 8.00
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : Long Range
The Trebuchet is an extremely long-range anti-bomber missile, and at
these long-ranges scores many successful kills. At medium-to-short ranges
however, this weapon is practically useless as it takes several 1000's of
metres to adjust it's course to intercept it's target, but a short range
launch will not allow for this necessary course correction.
(Note: As D/Fights are usually fought at short-to-medium ranges, the
Trebuchet becomes useless, unless you are taking enemy fighters from long
ranges.)
Rating: 10/10 (3/10 for D/Fights)
TAG-A (Target Acquisition and Guidance missile)
Damage (Overall) : 1.00
Damage (Hull) : 0.10
Damage (Shields) : 0.10
Rate of Fire : 3.00
Velocity (Speed) : 400.00
Max. Range : 2000.00
Cargo Space Needed: 1.00
Type of Lock : None
Special : Electronic (Dumbfire)
The TAG-A missile is only used during the main Freespace 2 Campaign, and
outside this they are useless (unless the mission you are flying requires
them.)
Rating: 0/10
TAG-B
Damage (Overall) : 10.00
Damage (Hull) : 1.00
Damage (Shields) : 1.00
Rate of Fire : 8.00
Velocity (Speed) : 325.00
Max. Range : 1625.00
Cargo Space Needed: 2.00
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : Electronic
Same as the TAG-A.
Rating: 0/10
TAG-C
Damage (Overall) : 10.00
Damage (Hull) : 1.00
Damage (Shields) : 1.00
Rate of Fire : 8.00
Velocity (Speed) : 205.00
Max. Range : 2665.00
Cargo Space Needed: 4.00
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : Electronic
Same as the TAG-A.
Rating: 0/10
GTM-10 Piranha
Damage (Overall) : 100.00
Damage (Hull) : 100.00
Damage (Shields) : 75.00
Rate of Fire : 5.00
Velocity (Speed) : 90.00
Max. Range : 360.00
Cargo Space Needed: 12.00
Type of Lock : None (Remote Detonation)
Special : Area Effect
The Piranha is often found on bombers, and serves as an anti-fighter
weapon. When launched, the missile travels in a straight line until it
is remote detonated, or it reaches it's maximum range, at which point it
explodes, releasing several heat-seeking missiles which target and track
the nearest enemy fighter or bomber (the initial blast also does damage
to any nearby ships.)
Rating: 8/10
GTM-43a Stiletto II
Damage (Overall) : 775.00
Damage (Hull) : 7.75
Damage (Shields) : 0.00
Rate of Fire : 2.00
Velocity (Speed) : 220.00
Max. Range : 5500.00
Cargo Space Needed: 8.00
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : Anti-Subsystem Missile
The Stiletto II is great at taking out enemy subsystems and turrets, but
not much else. In terms of it's D/Fighting potential, it does not exist
as this could not hope to destroy an enemy fighter or bomber, let alone
lock onto it in the first place.
Rating: 10/10 (1/10 for D/Fighting)
GTM-11 Infyrno
Damage (Overall) : 150.00
Damage (Hull) : 150.00
Damage (Shields) : 112.50
Rate of Fire : 5.00
Velocity (Speed) : 120.00
Max. Range : 840.00
Cargo Space Needed: 1.00
Type of Lock : None (Remote Detonation)
Special : Area Effect
Similar to the Piranha in terms of use and purpose, but releases more
powerful heat seeking missiles, and more of them.
Rating: 9/10
GTM-12 Cyclops
Damage (Overall) : 2000.00
Damage (Hull) : 2000.00
Damage (Shields) : 40.00
Rate of Fire : 20.00
Velocity (Speed) : 95.00
Max. Range : 2375.00
Cargo Space Needed: 15.00
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : Anti-Cruiser
The most common type of torpedo used by the GTVA which is use to take
down enemy cruisers and corvettes. Due to the Cyclops's slow speed, it
is usually necessary to fly to within a few hundred metres of the target
before launching them (as enemy turret, beam and flak can destroy them
easily when the are launched from the weapon's maximum range, and if they
don't get them, the bomber/bomb intercept fighters will.)
Rating: 9/10
GTM-13 Helios
Damage (Overall) : 6800.00
Damage (Hull) : 6800.00
Damage (Shields) : 136.00
Rate of Fire : 30.00
Velocity (Speed) : 65.00
Max. Range : 1950.00
Cargo Space Needed: 25.00
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : Anti-Capital
The Helios is the more powerful version of the Cyclops torpedo, and is
used to take down larger warships, up to, and including Destroyer class.
The same strategy as the Cyclops must be employed to actually hit the
target, and with the Helios's slower speed, this becomes even more
necessary to score a successful hit.
Rating: 10/10
GTM-14 EMP Advanced
Damage (Overall) : 45.00
Damage (Hull) : 45.00
Damage (Shields) : 36.00
Rate of Fire : 2.00
Velocity (Speed) : 275.00
Max. Range : 1375.00
Cargo Space Needed: 4.00
Type of Lock : Aspect-Seeking
Special : EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse)
The EMP Adv. scrambles enemy systems which allows you to quickly destroy
the target, before they even get their systems back on-line. The one
fault with this weapon is the fact that it affects ships within an certain
radius, and as such can effect allied ships, or even your ship, so be
careful when and where you use this weapon.
Rating: 8/10
(Note: There are D/Fighting versions of these weapons, but they are so
similar to the ones listed above that there is no reason to list them
here.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.0 Dog-fighting Strategies
Throughout the course of the main Freespace 2 campaign, and the
multiplayer mode, you will be required to engage in dogfights with enemy
fighters and bombers which have different abilities, strengths and
weaknesses to the fighter/bomber which you are piloting (unless you are
D/Fighting the exact same class of ship.) These are some tips on how to
survive, and become a successful dogfighting pilot.
720 Degree Turret
If you are piloting a slow, poor manoeuvrability fighter or bomber, coming
to a complete stop, and aiming from this position allows you to track,
target and destroy enemy ships much quicker than trying to fly after them.
The one major problem with this strategy is simply that you are now a
sitting duck, allowing enemy fighters, bombers, and capital ships to
take you out very quickly (and as you are not moving, you cannot evade
any enemy missiles.)
High-Speed 'Switch'
Similar to the '720 Degree Turret' method in the sense that you come to
a complete stop, but different in application and execution. If you are
being chased by an enemy fighter or bomber who is using afterburners to
keep up with you, simply come to a complete stop, let them fly past, and
then pursue (the hunter becomes the hunted.) This only works against
rookie and amateur pilots, as an ace will be matching you speed, and will
also come to a complete stop, so do not use this against an experienced
pilot.
Laser Spray
If you are equipped with either a Subach or Mekhu HL-7, you can
effectively 'spray' an area, making it difficult for an enemy ship to
evade your primary weapon fire, and gives you a decent chance of hitting
a target at the weapon's maximum range.
Anti-Fighter Bomb
If you have run out of anti-fighter missiles, but are carrying a Cyclops,
or Helios torpedo, simply launch it at an enemy fighter (which will
dodge it), and then destroy the torpedo, the resultant explosion will
destroy any enemy fighters close to it. (Remember you need a lock to
fire these weapons, so you need alot of time on your hands to pull this
off.)
Double Turns
Most pilots just use the left and right controls on the keyboard or
joystick, but forget about the 'rotation' controls. The 'rotation'
controls make you ship rotate about it's central axis (you don't turn,
you rotate.) Now, combine this with normal turns, and you have a way to
evade almost all enemy primary fire, and a great way to evade enemy
missiles. Not only is it a good defensive measure, it can also help you
line up more agile targets.
**************************************************************************
Can you think of any tips or tricks which I haven't listed above?
If you have, E-Mail me your suggestions to : The_RSM@hotmail.com
And I will review them, and if they are suitable, put them in this guide.
Please note that you will be given FULL CREDIT for your suggestion(s).
(Please mark your E-Mails with the Subject : FS2TIPS)
Thank You.
**************************************************************************
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.0 Multiplayer Mode
In this section I will highlight and answer FAQs (Frequently Asked
Questions) which have been asked about the Multi-playing component of
Freespace 2.
How do I get promoted?
To earn each promotion, you must achieve a certain amount of points, which
can be earned through multi-player dogfights, co-op missions, team
missions and on-line campaigns.
How many points do I get?
The number of points you earn depends on how many, and what targets you
destroy throughout the mission. It also depends on how many mission
objectives you fulfil (if any), and what difficulty level you play the
mission at (Very Easy gives you the least number of points, whilst the
Insane level gives you the most.)
How do I get medals?
Certain multi-player missions award you medals so long as you fulfil
certain criteria (e.g. Complete ALL mission objectives on a certain
difficulty level, or score the greatest number of kills, destroy a
certain target etc.)
How do I host game?
When you log into PXO, you will see the main window, and in the top right
is the 'games' windows (displays how many players are in the 'room' you
are in, and how many games are being setup, playing, and in the final
stages.) Press the 'Games' button in the bottom right of the screen, and
another window will appear. Now press the 'Create Game' button, enter
a name when prompted, and press 'Accept'.
How do I change what wing someone is in?
You can only do this when you are hosting the game, or are the leader of
a team in a team-vs.-team game. Firstly DO NOT press the 'Lock' button
(middle-bottom-right), as this will stop you from changing wings. Now,
click and hold the left mouse button UNDER the name of the pilot you
wish to transfer, and then drag them to the desired position (place the
'dragged' pilot UNDER the desired position's name), and release the
mouse button, and that's it.
How do I change my ship and weapons?
You can only do this when you are hosting the game, or are the leader of
a team in a team-vs.-team game. Then simply press the 'Lock' button
(remember that as soon as you press this button, you CANNOT changed
what wing each player is in.)
What do people mean when they say 'Are you on LOW?'?
This is asking whether your object update rate is on LOW. (This makes the
computer 'predict' where all the ships, and weapons will be at any one
time, rather than wait to receive the actual info.) To check/change this,
simply press F2, and press the 'Multi' button. Then on the left hand side
(near the middle) you will see your current object update setting. To
change it, simply press the small 'notch' next to the name 'Low', and
press 'Accept'.
Why do the ships 'jump' around the screen?
This means either that the 'ping' between you and the server is very high
(over 500ms), so you get 'lag'. Or, you or someone else has set an object
update rate higher than 'Low' (except the server, it needs at least a
'High' update rate.)
**************************************************************************
Are you having problems with any multiplayer issue?
If you have, E-Mail me your questions to : The_RSM@hotmail.com
(Please mark your E-Mails with the Subject : FS2FAQs)
Thank You.
**************************************************************************
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.0 Capital Ships
After several E-Mails about capital ship abilities, strengths and
weaknesses, I have decided to add this section into the guide. This
section will highlight all the sections stated above.
(Note: No capital ships posses shields, so anti-shield weapons are
not required when attacking them.)
(Note: I will only mention anti-fighter beam turrets, flak guns, and
missile launchers, as these are the only weapons that pose a major
threat to allied fighters and bombers IMO. (Turrets are not a major
threat as they can be easily evaded.))
(Note: The following information is based on my, and my friends
observations, so do NOT expect them to work in ALL situations.)
====================
Terran Capital Ships
====================
Terran Capital Ships, like their fighters are all-rounders, and do not
concentrate on any 1-type of weapon system. Terran capital ships have
reasonable speed, armour, and have a multitude of turret types, ranging
from laser-turret to the super-powerful anti-capital ship beam turret.
-------------
Cruiser Class
-------------
Cruisers are the smallest kind of capital ship, and are often used for
escort duty, or fire-support, they are rarely seen leading assaults
against enemy ships or installations.
Fenris Class
Hull : 10000
Speed : 20
Turrets: 9
Score : 100
Fenris class Cruisers are not major threats, and can be destroyed
relatively easily. Their one strength is their anti-fighter beams, which
can shred an unsuspecting fighter or bomber within 1500m. Although these
beams have a good coverage of the ship, they do not cover the front of the
ship, so when attacking these ships, fly head-on and dodge the turret
fire, and then fire away at the ship's fore armour plating. And watch out
for the Mortar weapon mounted on the base of the ship, it is very
inaccurate, but can do damage if you are not careful.
Leviathan Class
Hull : 35000
Speed : 20
Turrets: 9
Score : 200
Like the Fenris class, the Leviathan class do not pose any major threat
to fighters or bombers. Again, the beam turrets do not cover the front of
the vessel, and a head-on attack still works, but the mortar still poses
a threat to unsuspecting fighters and bombers. In addition, the
Leviathan class (unlike the Fenris) has an anti-capital ship beam turret
at the very front, so watch out when it is about to fire (although it
cannot be aimed at you, it can still destroy you if you happen to be in
it's direct path.
Aeolus Class
Hull : 38000
Speed : 30
Turrets: 12
Score : 500
The Aeolus class is a totally different story to the Fenris and Leviathan
classes. It has 2 anti-capital ship beam turrets mounted on the sides, as
well as 2 anti-fighter beam turrets directly behind them. With the
positioning of these anti-fighter turrets, a front-on attack does not
protect you from their fire, but, an attack from directly behind offers
a better chance of evading this type of fire. Also, the Aeolus class has
flak turrets, which are inaccurate, but can pose a big threat when you
are very close to the cruiser, so either take these turrets out, or try
and take the ship out from a long-range.
--------------
Corvette Class
--------------
There is only one corvette in the Terran fleet, and that is the Deimos
class. Unlike cruisers, this class of ship is used to lead attacks on
enemy vessels, and installations, as well as to offer fire-support to
other allied capital ships, fighters and bombers.
Deimos Class
Hull : 80000
Speed : 30
Turrets: 26
Score : 800
A real nightmare to any pilot who does not know how to approach this
vessel. This ship has not real weaknesses in terms of fighter and bomber
attacks, but a massed, coordinated strike can destroy this class of
ship. It has Anti-Fighter beams mounted to the front, and rear, making
evasion of these very hard, so take these turrets out quickly. It also
has flak turrets on the top and bottom (more on the top), so attacks
from the top and bottom are also incredibly dangerous. Finally, this
class of ship uses wide-area fighter suppression missiles (AKA Piranhas),
so be incredibly careful when attacking from the sides, as this is where
these missiles are launched from.
---------------
Destroyer Class
---------------
Destroyers are massive vessels bristling with turrets, and shielded by
huge amounts of heavy armour, and protected by large squadrons of fighters
and bombers. Destroys are used primarily as flagships, bases of operations
and heavy fire support vessels.
Orion Class
Hull : 100000
Speed : 15
Turrets: 16
Score : 1000
The ageing Orion class destroyer has adequate armour, and weaponry to
take down both enemy fighter/bombers as well as other capital ships.
Compared to the newer Hecate class, and the Hades class, the Orion is a
relatively easy target for large numbers of bombers, and surgical strike
interceptors. In terms of firepower, the Orion is equal, and even weaker
than the Deimos class Corvette (in terms of anti-fighter weaponry.) To
attack an Orion, a head-on attack is the best option as the ship's anti-
fighter weaponry is located at the top-middle, bottom-middle and bottom-
rear.
(Note: This is the only capital ship to use tri-turrets; turrets that use
3 'Arms' instead of the conventional 2. This gives the ship a more direct
'punch', so do NOT get hit by this fire as it will certainly mess your
fighter/bomber up.)
(Note: This ship does not have flak guns, so striking this ship
successfully is even easier than attacking a Deimos or Aeolus class
vessel.)
Hecate Class
Hull : 100000
Speed : 15
Turrets: 27
Score : 1300
The newer Hecate class destroyer is designed to replace the ageing Orion
class. Although this ship has no increase in armour, it's firepower, and
success potential has been dramatically increased. Unlike the Orion class,
the Hecate class is no easy target when it comes to destroying it with
a fighter or bomber due to the large increase in the number of defensive
turrets, but every ship has its weaknesses. The Hecate class uses heavy
and long range flak, as opposed to the standard flak use by all the other
previous ships mentioned above, so this type of fire poses an even greater
threat at close range, and can even take out fighter/bombers at long
range, so be very careful. In terms of anti-fighter beam coverage, the
Hecate class has a near 720 degree 'sphere' of coverage, but there are
a few 'blind-spots' which can be used to fly a fighter in and out, without
being hit by these turrets. (These points include the bottom-rear left and
bottom-rear right of the ship, just under the rear (main) engines.)
Hades Class
Hull : 400000
Speed : 15
Turrets: 22
Score : 1600
The Hades class is never seen in the main Freespace 2 Campaign, but for
the sake of multiplayer missions, and future missions, I'll include this
ship's info. The Hades class uses Shivan weaponry, giving it greater
offensive and defensive capabilities as opposed to standard, all Terran,
or all Vasudan ships. The hull of the Hades is 4 times stronger than that
of the Orion and the Hecate class, so a much larger attack force is
required to take down just one of these ships. This ships biggest weakness
is the absence of both anti-fighter beam turrets, and flak guns, allowing
fighters and bombers relatively easy access to major ship sub-systems and
weaponry. To counter this deficiency, the Hades uses 4 missile banks to
destroy any opposing fighter or bomber, so make sure to save several
missile decoys when attacking this class of ship.
(Note: The Hades class uses 2 banks of 'FighterKiller' missiles, and 2
banks of 'Shivan Cluster Bombs'.)
-----------------------------------------
Super-Capital Ship Class (AKA Battleship)
-----------------------------------------
The most powerful class of vessel in either the Terran or Vasudan fleets.
The Battleship class (what I call it) posses enough firepower to take out
entire enemy fleets, and still have enough power to deal with the next
wave of ships. In terms of firepower, the Battleship is second to only the
Shivan Juggernaut class of vessel.
The Colossus class Battleship has the greatest number of turrets in the
entire game, as well as the greatest amount of armour. I am not even going
attempt to tell you how to take out this class of ship, as it is almost
impossible without fire-support from several Destroyer class ships. The
anti-fighter weaponry on this ship is too abundant to use light fighters,
and too fast for heavy fighters, and bombers and their torpedoes can
hardly get close enough to damage this ship, so don't even try. Luckily,
you do not have to take on a Colossus class ship, so this potential
problem needs no explanation.
Just to highlight the firepower of the Colossus class vessel, here are
the numbers, and types of turrets on the ship:
=====================
Vasudan Capital Ships
=====================
Unlike their fighters and bombers, Vasudan capital ships are heavily
armoured, and heavily armed, even more so than Terran vessels. The one
fault with Vasudan capital ships is their reliance on 'set' weaponry,
rather than a wide range of turrets in relatively equal numbers. (Vasudan
ships either have lots of laser turrets, and a couple of beam turrets, or
vice-versa.) In addition, Vasudan flak guns only use Standard Flak, they
never use Heavy or Long-Range Flak.
-------------
Cruiser Class
-------------
Aten Class
Hull : 18000
Speed : 25
Turrets: 6
Score : 90
The Aten class of Cruiser isn't that spectacular as it only has 2 forward
mounted anti-fighter beam turrets, which leaves the rear of this vessel
completely exposed (so attack from the rear of this ship.) The other main
anti-fighter weapon carried on this ship is a Subach HL-7! Yes, the same
one carried by Terran fighters and bombers, no upgraded version, the same.
Although this not give the ship any heavy firepower, it does give the ship
a high rate of fire, so watch out for the middle-top mounted turret.
Mentu Class
Hull : 60000
Speed : 35
Turrets: 16
Score : 100
The Mentu class is significantly more dangerous than the Aten class, not
only because of the greater number of turrets, and the thicker armour,
but the fact that it has a near 720 degree weapons coverage. This ship
also carries flak guns, which are mounted in the rear, and front of the
ship. The anti-fighter beams are located at the rear (so you cannot attack
from there safely anymore), and the front-top of the ship, which gives
way to the ships main weakness, the bottom. The base of the ship is not
covered by the anti-fighter beams, or the flak guns, so it is pretty easy
to attack from this angle. The one problem with this is the fact that a
Subach HL-7 turret covers the base of the ship, take this out quickly, and
the way is open for attack.
--------------
Corvette Class
--------------
Sobek Class
Hull : 80000
Speed : 30
Turrets: 22
Score : 400
Luckily, the Sobek class of Corvette is nowhere near as powerful as the
Terran Deimos class Corvette, but saying that, do not take this ship too
lightly. The main weakness, like most other Vasudan capital ships, the
base of the ship is only covered by a few Terran Turrets, which can easily
be evaded. The flak guns are located at the bottom-rear (so watch out for
this when you attack from the bottom), the top-middle and the top-rear.
The anti-fighter beam turrets are located at the front and rear, both
of which are on the top of the ship.
(Note: When I say attack the bottom of the ship, I mean from the middle-
bottom, because if you stray too near the rear of the ship, the flak
gun can hit you, and any further and the anti-fighter beams can reach
you.)
---------------
Destroyer Class
---------------
Typhon Class
Hull : 120000
Speed : 15
Turrets: 15
Score : 1000
The Typhon class has all three types of annoyance for fighters and
bombers. It has flak guns mounted on both the top and bottom in the
central section of the ship, and has one to the rear. It's missile
launchers are located to the rear and middle, on the bottom of the ship,
as well as one on the top-middle of the ship. The anti-fighter beam
turrets (all 2 of them), are located at the top-rear of the ship, and
the bottom-front, giving almost complete 720 degree fighter/bomber
protection. Although there is an anti-fighter beam turret covering this
attack path, a head-on attack will allow you to evade most other types
of fire (take out the beam turret first, before making an attack run.)
Hatshepsut Class
Hull : 135000
Speed : 15
Turrets: 30
Score : 1400
This class of ship has masses of flak guns (10 to be exact), so close
range attacks are made harder, and long range attacks with torpedoes are
almost useless (as the flak will take out the torpedoes before they hit
the ship. This class also uses several fusion mortars (unguided HE
projectiles), which can destroy slow moving fighters and bombers. (There
are 6 Fusion mortars in all.) The anti-fighter beam turrets are scarce on
this class (there are only 4 of them), which are positioned, 2 at the
bottom-rear, and 2 at the front-top of the vessel (giving an almost 720
degree anti-fighter coverage.) There are no direct attack routes to this
ship, and the only 'safe' route is from the bottom-middle, and even
then you will have to take out the rear beam turrets first, and then
deal with the flak from the guns mounted there (it is much less than
you would experience if you attacked from the top.)
(Note: Do NOT attack from the side of this ship as it can bring almost
it's entire arsenal to bear on your ship if you try an attack run.)
====================
Shivan Capital Ships
====================
Shivan capital ships are incredibly strong with respect to overall
firepower, and have pretty strong armour. Shivan weaponry with much more
advanced than either Terran or Vasudan, so be incredibly careful when
attacking these ships.
-------------
Cruiser Class
-------------
Cain Class
Hull : 20000
Speed : 30
Turrets: 9
Score : 150
The Cain class cruiser isn't anything to write home about, but it can
pose a threat to pilots who insist on just flying in, and blasting away
at the ships hull. This ship has 1 anti-fighter beam turret, mounted on
the base to the rear of the ship, so attacking from the top, towards the
middle of the ship is advised. Another potential hazard, are the 2 missile
launchers which are located either side of the centre of the ship, so
when you attack from the top, watch out for these.
Lilith Class
Hull : 75000
Speed : 20
Turrets: 9
Score : 210
In terms of weaponry, the Lilth class is very similar to the Cain class,
but employs the use the 'Shivan Cluster Bomb' instead of the Cain's
'Fighter Killer' missiles. The Lilith also has upgraded anti-capital ship
weaponry, so if you are tasked with escorting allied ships, watch out
for this class of ship. The strategy of destroying the ship remains the
same as the Cain class, from the top-middle (but this time you have to
deal with a hull over 3 times as strong, and Shivan Cluster Bombs instead
of FighterKillers.)
Rakshasa Class
Hull : 40000
Speed : 20
Turrets: 14
Score : 300
The Rakshasa class has the same weakness as the other 2 Shivan cruiser
class vessels, it does not have any major anti-fighter coverage on the
top. (So again, attack from the top of the ship, and NOT the bottom.)
Surprisingly, the Rakshasa class also has only 1 anti-fighter beam turret
(located in the bottom-rear of the ship), but also has not missile
launchers, making this ship an even easier target. (But the anti-capital
ship potential of this vessel is increased greatly, so if you are
escorting any vital ships, make sure you destroy this ships main beam
turrets (at the very front.)
--------------
Corvette Class
--------------
Moloch Class
Hull : 80000
Speed : 30
Turrets: 16
Score : 440
The Moloch class, unlike the Shivan Cruiser classes has no anti-fighter
beam turrets, but instead, has 4 flak guns, 1 heavy flak gun, and 3
missile launchers. Again, this ships weakness is an attack from the top,
but this is also where the heavy flak turret is located, so take this out
before attempting an attack run. In addition, the missiles which this
class of ship uses (2x MX-52 and 1x Piranha) are pretty accurate, so make
sure you look out for these.
---------------
Destroyer Class
---------------
Demon Class
Hull : 160000
Speed : 20
Turrets: 26
Score : 840
The Demon class has only 2 anti-fighter beam turrets, and 4 flak guns, but
it also has 5 missile launchers (all using FighterKiller missiles.) The
2 anti-fighter beam turrets are located on either side of the ship, in
the central section, giving a near 720 degree coverage, but it does leave
the rear of the ship more vulnerable. Although the rear of the ship sounds
like the weakest region, it isn't. Not only do 3 flak guns cover this
region, but so do 2 missile launchers, so be incredibly careful when you
attack from the rear. The very front of the ship is also not covered by
the anti-fighter beam turrets, but again, it is covered by both flak and
missile launchers, so there is no completely safe way to attack.
Ravana Class
Hull : 100000
Speed : 20
Turrets: 30
Score : 670
Probably the single greatest threat to allied capital ships next to the
Shivan Juggernaut. This ship wields more firepower than any Terran or
Vasudan Destroyer class ship (in terms of anti-capital ship weaponry.)
It's 2 anti-fighter beam turrets are both located at the rear of the ship,
one on the top, and one on the base, so attacked from the rear, and sides
would result in fatal consequences. The flak guns are located all over the
ships, but are concentrated to the rear of ship. In addition, it's two
missile launchers are located to the front and rear. Knowing this, the
only flank left vulnerable is the ship's front, so to attack a Ravana class
Destroyer, simply fly head-on, but watch out for it's missile launchers
(which use FighterKiller missiles.)
Lucifer Class
Hull : 800000
Speed : 15
Turrets: 17
Score : 1000
The Lucifer class is not seen in the main Freespace 2 campaign, but for
the purpose of multiplayer and future missions, I'll include it anyway.
Compared to the other Shivan Destroyer class ships, the Lucifer is a
relatively easy target. It has no beam turrets, or flak guns, but does
have 4 missile launchers (which use FighterKiller missiles and Shivan
Cluster Bombs.) These launchers are located on the front-top, rear-top,
front-bottom, and middle-bottom, which leaves the rear of the ship the
easiest place to strike. So, simply take out the 1 missile launcher at the
rear, and then make your attack run.
----------------
Juggernaut Class
----------------
Like the Terran/Vasudan Battleship class vessel, this is the largest, most
powerful Shivan warship, and ultimately, the most powerful ship in the
entire game. Although it has fewer turrets than the Colossus class, it
more than makes up for that with advanced Shivan weaponry.
Unlike the Colossus class, you do have to fight this ship in the main
Freespace 2 campaign. I am not going to try and tell you how to destroy
this class of ship, as it requires heavy fire support from several
Destroyer class vessels (and in the main campaign it is accomplished
stage-by-stage.)
Just to highlight the firepower of the Sathanas class vessel, here are
the numbers, and types of turrets on the ship:
You whould be surprised at the amount of FRED2 missions which are
submitted, and what percentage of these are actually useable, about 10%!
The other 90% are rejected, or not given the Volition 'Official' status
(which allows it to make a player score points in a multiplayer game.)
So, in this section of the guide I will highlight, and try and shead some
light on how to make and successful, and stable mission.
What is FRED2?
FRED2 (or FReespace EDitor 2) is a program which is used to create or edit
missions for use with Freespace 2. These can be either single player,
multiplayer, and can also form a part of a larger campaign.
Things to do:
- Make the mission orginal (do NOT copy any Freespace 2 mission, or a
remake of a mission from another game.)
- Make the mission challenging (there is no point in having 8 allied
fighters against 1 enemy one, pointless.)
- Limit what weapons and fighter/bombers the player can select (some
ships and weapons may make your mission too easy, while having the
wrong weapons can make it too hard, balance is the key.)
- Have a clearly defined mission structure and/or storyline (do not let
it get overwhelming, boring, or side-tracked.)
- Balance the allied/enemy numbers
- Have a reward at the end of the mission (like a medal etc.)
- Use the 'K' key to cycle through turrets (this will make it look more
authentic when you use the 'Fire-beam' command, as a beam fired through
the ship which is firing looks pretty stupid.)
- Use 'Shift-O' to place a ship/wing at an exact location, it looks neater
and makes it easier to figure out firing distances, waypoint distances,
and other such 'eye candy'.
- Look through the ships view, this way you can make sure that the
battlefield looks like what you want it to look like.
- Fly the mission at every major 'event' in the mission to make sure you
have used the write 'event' strings (if you leave it until you have
finished the mission, it is very hard to pin-point what part/parts are
wrong with the mission.)
- Keep it simple, yet interesting (probably the hardest thing to do.)
- Change capital ship weaponry to suite your mission (as their standard
selection is very poor, and not challenging IMO.)
- Have fun while making it (when you are enjoying what you are doing, it
shows in the final thing.)
Things not to do:
- Do NOT make the mission impossible (1 allied fighter against 100 enemy
fighters and 20 enemy capital ships is just stupid.)
- Do NOT go overboard with ship numbers as this will slow down gameplay
in the multiplayer arena (hundreds of cruisers, corvettes and destroyers
battleing it out may look cool, but what is the point if you can't even
play the game properley due to the massive lag?)
- Do NOT have 'lulls' in the action for more than a minute, or they will
soon get bored of the mission.
- Do NOT send a hundread-odd messages during an intense moment in the
game, as the player will have more pressing matters to deal with (namely
not getting killed.) Leave the 'story' messages for the 'lulls' in the
action.
- Do NOT issue a hundred medals, and fifty promotions for completing a
mission (as this is stupid, impractical, and will never be accepted.)
- Do NOT make a capital ship's weapons ridiculous (giving the Fenris class
cruiser a 'BFRed' beam cannon is not only unrealistic, but it stupid. A
tiny Terran cruiser with a weapon only carried by a Shivan Juggernaut??
I think there would be many people saying something about that.)
- Make more than one mission at a time, concentrate on finishing one, and
then move onto another if you want. (Otherwise you will forget where the
mission is going, and will lose track as to what events work, don't work
and which ones need changing/tweaking.)
- DO NOT Leave the ending of your mission/campaign open-ended, wrap it up.
If you have a new group collapse under the pressure from the GTVA, make
sure you give valid reasons, (or make a mission to sort out all the loose
ends.) (Cliffhangers are OK for the developers, because they can make an
entire sequel to round all this up, you can't. - In the same way,
anyway.)
Top 10 Tips:
(Not in any particular order)
- Keep the mission balanced
- Make the mission challenging, but not impossible
- Give the player a choice of ships and weapons, but none that will make
the mission too easy
- Fly th mission yourself, and see how it works out, then try it again,
and then get someone else to try it, then someone else, and then submit
it (if you want to.)
- Keep ship numbers reasonable (5 capital ships at one time is more than
enough.)
- Have a storyline or clear objective running throughout the mission, do
not stray (unless this forms part of the story.)
- Be original, there is nothing worse than flying a mission which is
exactly the same as another one, but has a different name.
- Changed the weapons on the capital ships to suite your mission
requirements (you may need to have a cruiser take out a destroyer, so
giver them more powerful beam turrets etc.) (But do not go overboard
here, you still need a feel of realism.)
- Make the storyline/objective believable (saying you have to capture a
medical ship to help revive Aeris, to revive Sephiroth, to bring back
the Colossus to bring back the victims from the Supernova is just plain
stupid.)
- Finally, give the mission a briefing, objectives and a proper debrief!
It is so annoying when you fly a mission, destroy a ship, and come to
the debrief which says 'You did not destroy the....', that is so
frustrating, so make sure you are accurate.
**************************************************************************
Have you got any advice/suggestions concerning FRED2?
If you have, E-Mail me your suggestions to : The_RSM@hotmail.com
When I recieve your suggestions, I will review them, and will then add
them to this, or a future Freespace 2 FAQ/Guide.
Remember, you will get FULL credit for any advice/suggestions you make.
(Please mark your E-Mails with the Subject : FRED2FAQs)
Thank You.
**************************************************************************
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*B* Squadwar
The basis for Squad War is that organised squadrons should be able to
conquer and defend regions of space. Squad War allows multiplayer
squadrons to challenge other squadrons for control of territory in the
universe. Squad War is an organised form of team vs. team multiplayer
gameplay. PXO servers will maintain a list of registered squadrons (each
has a name, a password, and a list of members) which will be managed by
users through a web page. Squadrons will fight it out (via team vs. team
missions) for control of sectors. The PXO database will keep track of
which squadron controls each sector.
- From www.Squadwar.com FAQ section
So basically, Squadwar is ladder system for TvT matchs, simple. And before
I forget....
**************************************************************************
*Shameless Plug*
**************************************************************************
So, you've played a few TvT games, and liked it? Fancy proving your skills
were it really matters, on the Squadwar ladder? Well you can!
Join the BEWD (Blue Eyes White Dragons) and you will be able to fly
alongside ace pilots, and eventually become an ace yourself!
So, if you:
- Are friendly
- Have an account of PXO (or are thinking of getting one)
- Are willing to be part of a team
and
- Are willing to give up some time to fly
Then YOU are perfect for the BEWD Squadron.
(Note: You DO NOT have to have any previous TvT experience, or any other
form of experience. We will personally train you in how to become an ace
pilot, and how to win in the TvT world.)
Interested?
Have further questions?
Then E-Mail the Squad Leader : The_RSM@hotmail.com
(Or chat to me online, just look for: BEWD-DracoLord)
* BEWD Squadron Notice *
We are currently looking for a co-leader, who will lead the BEWD squadron
when the creator, and current squad leader (BEWD-DracoLord) is unable to
make a team game. This person, unlike a normal pilot, and member of the
BEWD Squadron MUST have TvT experience, and must have the skill,
dedication, and understanding to make BEWD the top of the league.
If you fit this criteria, then please, e-mail me your pilot filename
(and just the name) to : The_RSM@hotmail.com (please make the subject:
BEWDSLA), at which point I will review your pilot record on the FS2
ladder, and then e-mail you back with a date, (this will be made so it
is convient for both you and me), and you will then prove your skills to
me, personally (so there is no point in trying to fake who you are,
because if you can't fly well enough, I'm afraid you will NOT make it as
the Co-Squad Leader.)
So, what do you get as being the Co-Squad Leader?
- The FULL support of the current Squad Leader (BEWD-DracoLord)
- The respect, and trust of the Squad (which must be earnt)
- Full access to the Squad Admin, so you can challenge other squads, and
communicate with the members of the squad)
- Full access to the website (TBA), and full rights and privalages on the
message board, and the other areas of the site
- The pride and enjoyment which comes as being the leader of something
greater than you alone
- You can train, recruit and any other thing which YOU deem necessary, so
you get almost complete freedom, and can feel in charge of something
(if you aren't already)
- You will be filled with pride and joy when OUR team defeats any
challengers, and/or any challenges which WE make
Firstly, you have to get permission from the Squad Leader, or any other
member of the squad who is allowed to let you join (some squads only let
aces join, or people in a certain time zone etc.) Then, you create a new
Multiplayer pilot (it will be the squadname-your nickname, e.g. BEWD-Rage)
Finally, to actually compete as a member of the squad, you will need the
password to actually join the squad (you join at www.squadwar.com.) This
password will be given to you either by the squad leader, or a trusted
member of the group.
TvT Missions:
Unlike Coop. missions, you do not all get together and battle the AI, and
unlike a dogfight, you don't fly around trying to kill any fighter or
bomber which you aren't in, this is the ultimate experience, flying as
part of a team in which you have to worry about you, your squadmates, your
enemy squad and any other obstacles in the way.
These missions are won by accomplishing a set task (killing all members of
opposing squad a certain number of times, destroying the enemy cruiser, or
another enemy cap. ship etc.
To best sum up what you do:
Together we fight, united by a bond-
A bond of courage,
A bond of daring,
A bond of friendship
Without my wingman I am nothing.
Without me my wingman is nothing.
Only together can we achieve
What our cause has called us to complete.
For our beliefs we fight
Against the menace that has risen.
My wingman is my guardian,
And I am my wingman's guardian.
With my wingman by my side,
I will not fear death or destruction,
I will not feel the eyes of hate resting upon us.
I will fly my ship strong and straight,
Never doubting that my wingman is there to protect me.
- From Wing Commander III - The Heart of The Tiger (manual pg. 41)
Controls:
If you wish to fly as part of a team, it is advisable that you use, or
purchase a joystick (which are pretty cheap anyway), so that your gaming
experience will be improved, and made a lot easier.
'Bind' the joystick buttions to perform certain, critical actions which
you use most of the time.
For Example:
Button 1 : Fire Primary Weapons
Button 2 : Afterburner
Button 3 : Equalise Shields
Button 4 : Launch Counter-measures
HAT up : Look up
HAT down : Look back
HAT left : Look left
HAT right : Look right
Z-Axis : Increase/Decrease Thrust (Throttle)
Weaponry:
The ships which you fly are exactly the same as the ones used in any other
section of the game, and the primary and secondary weapons are standard
(not dogfighting as some people have thought.)
Standard Rules:
In the Squadwar world, most of the members are experienced players, and
they already know the standard rules which are used. For those of you
who don't know, or are not quite sure, these are the 'Standard Rules':
- No EMPs allowed
- No AI fighters/bombers allowed
- No Anti-Fighter Suppresion Weaponry (Piranhas and Infyrnos)
- No cheating (tables, trainers, LAG bombing, hacks etc.)
Best TvT Ship and Loadout:
As I have said at various occasions throughout this guide, everyone has
their own opinion, and taste, so this selection may, or may not appeal to
you, and your flying style(s).
Best Fighters:
Erinyes *
Herc II
Best Bomber:
Sekhmet
Best Primary Configurations:
Morning Star and Kayser *
Morning Star and Subach/Mekul
Kayser and Kayser
Kayser and Subach/Mekul
Best Secondary Configurations:
Tornado and Rockeye *
Tornado and Tempest *
Rockeye and Rockeye
Harpoon and Harpoon
(* My personal favourates.)
Explanation:
I say, if you say 'my favourate is...', you should always have a list of
reasons as too why your choice is a good choice, so, here is my list:
Erinyes:
+ Quite manoeavrable
+ Well armoured
+ Multiple gun mounts (great primary firepower)
- Pretty small payload (compared to Herc II)
Morning Star:
+ 'Throws' enemies off course, and into a spin
+ Makes it hard for your enemy to get a lock
+ Hard to escape from (unless you run out of weapon energy)
+ Great TvT weapon (a MUST have)
- Pretty high energy usage
- Makes your enemy stop, which makes it easier for them to target you with
primary weapons, heatseekers and dumbfires
Kayser:
+ High damage potential
+ High rate of fire
+ Good range
- Pretty high power usage (and with the Morning Star, the energy is
drained away very quickly, so be careful)
Tornado:
+ Good rate of fire
+ Can be carried in reasonable numbers
+ Pretty accurate
+ Deadly if they strike there target
- Aces can evade them easily
- Run out too quickly
- Takes time to lock onto the target, time which you might not have
Rockeye:
+ Great rate of fire
+ Good to distract enemy
+ No lock time
- Very easily evaded
- Cannot be carried in large numbers
- Only reasonable damage
Tempest:
+ Excellent rate of fire (instant)
+ Good to distract enemy
+ Can be carried in large numbers
+ No lock time
- No homing system, so you must aim precisely
TvT Strategies (AKA Do's and Don't of TvT's):
- Stick together. Don't try and take on an entire squad by yourself, you
can't. You may be the best pilot in FS2, but, even you cannot match up
against 3, 4, 5 or 6 enemy fighters, all aiming at your ship.
- Communicate. There is no point in flying around, trying to take out any
fighter, or any ship when all your squad mates are doing the same thing
and are expecting you to cover them.
- Assign roles/jobs to each of your pilots. You have to assign roles to
each of your pilots, a role which they can fulfil, and excel at. (E.g.
Give an experienced dog fighter the role of engaging the enemy aces, or
another pilot the job of attacking the enemy cap. ship whilst you engage
the enemy fighters etc.)
- Have a game plan before you start. The worse thing to have is a
dis-organised squad who fly by their own rules, and do what they want
to do, it will just not work against organised teams. Decide what you
do, before you begin the mission, for example. Does X attack the enemy
leader, whilst A and B attack the enemy fighters, whilst Y and Z attack
the enemy cap. ship?
- Stick with your favourate ship and weapon loadout. As I have said
before, everyone has their own style, and preference when it comes to
ships and their loadout, so pick the one which is right for you, not
the one which your squad leader uses, or another member of the squad
does, use what you are good with, and nothing else.
- Be dedicated. There is NO POINT in joining a squad if you do not intend
to attend team matches, or training, you will just be extra bagage, and
an upset to the team, and morale. If you have asked to join, then think
to yourself, 'Do I have the time for this?', or 'Am I really intent on
being a productive member of the squad?' If the answer is Yes, then good
luck to you, and I hope you help your team win many matches, but if the
answer is No, then don't even bother applying in the first place,
because if you do apply, and then decide not to attend matches, then the
squad leader will have to fighter with less people, or even forfiet the
match just because of YOU, so don't do it.
- Wear the right 'uniform'. When you join a team, you will have to change
your squadron logo to what the squad leader has decided to make the
symbol for your team, and your name (e.g. BEWD-Rage), means you are part
of a team, a group, and ultimately a community, so ALWAYS play as your
new team multiplayer pilot. (You may have hundreds of medals, and have
achieved the rank of admiral on another pilot file, but that is just a
small line of code which says 'BEWD-Rage has the....and....and.... etc.
It means NOTHING in the TvT world, an Ensign can beat an Admiral.)
- Set your object update rate to LOW (unless you are the host server in
which case you set it to HIGH or LAN.) If you put your O.U.R. to any
other setting, you will increase the LAG on the game (this can be
considered as LAG Bombing, and your team can be disqualified from that
match, and even SquadWar itself, so DO NOT do it.)
- Never slag off other teams, team members, or any member of your squad.
Be polite to everyone, even the people who have just beaten you, or you
are facing in about 5 minutes, they are just normal people, who have
decided that they enjoy to unwind by playing FS2, and SquadWar, so
treat them as you wish to be treated (nicely.)
- Humour the moment. Nobody sits at home all day playing this game (at
least I hope not), so they probably have to go to work, or school, so
they will probably be tired, fed up, bored, and a whole host of other
emotionals states, so try and be funny (with a limit.) Lighten the mood,
if one of your squad mates is doubting themselves, be a friend, and
reassure them, make them feel happy, because on day you will be in that
situation, and would like someone to lend a helping hand, and make you
feel better.
- Cut the language. There are people of all ages on the forums, and in the
games, so don't swear every other word, because an eleven year old,
sitting in front of a computer screen shouldn't be subjected to this
kind of foul language, and I don't think his/her parents would be happy
if they knew that their child was trying to play an innocent game, and
was being influenced by people from all over the world.
- Language. When you join a team, or the forums, there will always be
people from other countries, who speak other languages, and/or have
'loose' english, so don't insult these people, and don't be rude to
them. We live in a multicultural, multilingual society, so you should
learn to respect, and accept them.
- The three NO NO's. Politics, religion and sex, NEVER talk about these
three things in the forums, games, or a TvT, these are very sensitive
subjects, and can result in a whole host of problems, so please, DO NOT
talk about these subjects openly.
- Have fun. The whole point of this game (apart from making the company
and the developers money), is for you, and me to have a good time and
enjoy our online experience, and even vent stress, anger and other
negative emotions by taking it out on computer generated ships, doing
away with the need for actual violence (believe me, it does reduce
stress, at least in my case.)
Common terms and abbrieviations:
We've all seen them, these three, four letters which make no sense to
us. LOL, LMAO, GL, GG, HF etc. What do they all mean? Well, these are
acronyms (a series of letters, each of which stand for an actual word),
and are used to lessen the need to type more than you actually need to.
Just so you don't misunderstand, here are some of the most commonly used
terms and phrases you will undoubtly find whilst playing a game, or in
the forums:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abbreviation| Meaning(s)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
? |What?
@COLL |At College
@HM |At Home
@SCHL |At School
@WRK |At Work
^)^ ^(^ |People Talking
~~~c___ |Beach
:-|:-| |Deja' vu
1DAFUL |Wonderful
2 |To, Too, Two
24/7 |Twenty Four Hours a Day, Seven Days a Week
2B |To Be
2BCTND |To Be Continued
2D4 |To Die For
2DAY |Today
2L8 |Too Late
2MORO |Tomorrow
2NITE |Tonight
4 |For, Four
4E |Forever
7K |Sick
8 |Ate, Eight
A/S/L? |Age/Sex/Location
ACTIV8 |Activate
ADD |Address
ADN |Any Day Now
AFAIAA |As Far As I Am Aware
AFAIAC |As Far As I Am Concerned
AFAICT |As Far As I Can Tell
AFAIK |As Far As I Know
AFAIR |As Far As I Remember
AFAIUI |As Far As I Understand It
AFK |Away From Keyboard
AI |Artifical Intelligence
AISB |As I Said Before or As It Should Be
AISI |As I See It
AIUI |As I Understand It
AIW |As It Were
AKA |Also Known As
ALIWANISU |All I Want Is You
AMAP |As Much As Possible
AML |All My Love
ANYTNG |Anything
AOB |Any Other Business
ASAP |As Soon As Possible
ATB |All The Best
ATK |At The Keyboard
ATM |At The Moment
A3 |Anytime, Anywhere, Anyplace
ATTN |Attention
ATW |At The Weekend
AU |Australia
AVDB |Alles Van Die Beste
AVG |Average
AX |Across
AYOR |At Your Own Risk
AYT |Are You There?
B |Be, Bee
B/C |Because
B2 |Back To
B2B |Back To Business
B4 |Before
B4N |Bye For Now
BBB |Busy Beyond Belief
BBIAB |Be Back In A Bit
BBIAF |Be Back In A Flash
BBIAM |Be Back In A Minute
BBIAS |Be Back In A Second
BBL |Be Back Later
BBS |Be Back Soon
BCNU |Be Seeing You
BCUM |Become
BD |Big Deal
BF |Boyfriend
BG |Big Grin
BION |Believe It Or Not
BN |Been or Being
BFN/B4N |Bye For Now
BOL |Best Of Luck
BRB |Be Right Back
BRT |Be Right There
BTA |But Then Again
BTDT |Been There Done That
BTM |Beats Mee
BTR |Better
BTW |By The Way
BWD |Backward
BYKT |But You Knew That
C |See
CZIN |Season
C%D |Could
C%L |Cool
C&G; |Chuckle & Grin
CUL8ER/CUL8R|See You Later
C/O |Care Of
CID |Crying In Disgrace or Consider It Done
CIO |Cut It Out
CN |Can
COS/COZ |Because
CR8 |Create
CSG |Chuckle, Snicker, Grin
CART |CAn't Remember a Thing
CU |See You
CU @ 7 |See You At 7
CU2MORO |See You Tomorrow
CU2NITE |See You Tonight
CUS |See You Soon
CUZ |Because
CYA |See You
D |The
DD |Dead
DINR |Dinner
DK |Don't Know
DL |Download
DM& |Demand
DOIN |Doing
D/L |Download
DAMHIK |Don't Ask Me How I Know
DIKU? |Do I Know You?
DIM |I'll Do It Myself
DIY |Do It Yourself
DK |Don't Know
DNA |Did Not Answer
DON |Doing
DQMOT |Don't Quote Me On This
DUCWIC |Do You See What I See?
DUR |Do You Remember?
DV8 |Deviate
DWB |Don't Write Back
DXNRE |Dictionary
EG |Evil Grin
EMFBI |Excuse Me For Buttin In
EMSG |E-mail MeSsaGe
ESP |Especially
EZI/EZY |Easy
F? |Friends?
F2F |Face To Face
F2T |Free To Talk
FAQ |Frequently Asked Question(s)
FC |Fingers Crossed
FIFO |First In First Out
FIOFY |Figure It Out For Yourself
FISH |First In Still Here
FOCL |Fell Off Chair Laughing
FONE |Phone
FST |Fast
FTAC |Fantasy
BTBOMH |From The Bottom Of My Heart
FTBL |Football
FTL |Faster Than Light
FUNE |Funny
FWIW |For What It's Worth
FYA |For Your Amusement
FYI |For Your Information
G2CU/G2SY |Glad/Good To See You
G2G/GTG |Got To Go
GA |Go Ahead
GAFIA |Get Away From It All
GAL |Get A Life
GBH&K; |Great Big Hugs & Kisses
GBH&KB; |Great Big Hugs & Kisses Back
GD&R; |Grinning, Ducking, and Running
GF |Girlfriend
GFN |Gone For Now
GG |Go to Go or Good Game
GJ |Good Job
GL |Good Luck
GMAB |Give Me A Break
GMT |Greenwich Mean Time
GNR8 |Generate
GNRLE |Generally
GONNA |Going To
GOWI |Get On With It
GR8 |Great
G9 |Genius
GT |Good Try
GTG |Got To Go
GUDLUK |Good Luck
H2 |How To
H2CUS |Hope To See You Soon
H8 |Hate
HAGN |Have A Good Night
HAGO |Have A Good One
HAK |Hugs And Kisses
HAMRD |Hammered
HAND |Have A Nice Day
HB |Hug Back
HH |Holding Hands
HICA |Here It Comes Again
HIG |How's It Going
HOAS |Hold On A Second
HOPR |Hang On, Phone's Rining
HOUER |Hanging On Your Every Word
HOWRU? |How Are You?
HP |Home Page
HTH |Hope This Helps
HV |Have
IB |I'm Back
IC |I See
ICAM |I Couldn't Agree More
IDGI |I Don't Get It
IDTS |I Don't Think So
IDTT |I'll Drink To That
IIRC |If I Remember Correctly
IJLS |I Just Like Saying
IKWUM |I Know What You Mean
AM |I Am
IMBO |In My Biased Opinion
IME |In My Experience
IMHO |In My Honest Opinion
IMI |I Mean It
IMMOR |I Make My Own Rules
IMNSHO |In My Not So Honest Opinion
IMO |In My Opinion
IMPOV |In My Point Of View
IMPRS |Impress
IMS |I Must Say
INT |I'll Never Tell
IOU |I Owe You
IOW |In Other Words
ISC |I Stand Corrected
ISO |In Search Of
ISTR |I Seem To Remember
ITUFIR |I Think You yoU'll Find I'm Right
ITYM |I Think You Mean
IUSS |If You Say So
IUTKATS |I Used To Know All That Stuff
IWIK |I Wish I Knew
IYDKIDKWD |If You Don't Know, I Don't Know Who Does
IYD |In Your Dreams
IYKWIM |If You Know What I Mean
IYQ |I Like You
IYSS |If You Say So
IYSWIM |If You See What I Mean
J/K |Just Kidding
JAM |Just A Minute/Moment
JAS |Just A Second
J4F |Just For Fun
JIC |Just In Case
JIT |Just In Time
KC |Keep Cool
KHUF |Know How You Feel
KIA |Know It All
KISS |Keep It Simple Stupid
KIT |Keep In Touch
KOC |Kiss On Cheek
KOL |Kiss On Lips
KWIM |Know What I Mean
KYHU |Keep Your Head Up
L |Laugh
L8 |Late
L8R |Later
LALL |Live And Let Live
LAN |Local Area Network
LCH |Lunch
LDN |London
LKIT |Like It
LLTA |Lots and Lots of Thunderous Applause
LMA |Leave Me Alone
LMC |Lost My Connection
LMK |Let Me Know
LO |Hello
LOL |Laugh Out Loud
LTM |Laughing To Myself
LYN |Lying
M8 |Mate
MBRSD |Embarrassed
MFG |More Friendly Garbage
MFI |Mad For It
MHM |Members Helping Members
ML |More Later
MNC |Mother Nature Calls
MOB |Mobile
MorF |Male or Female
MT |My Time
MTE |My Thoughts Exactly
MTF |More To Follow
MYOB |Mind You Own Business
N |And or No
N1 |Nice One
NA |No Access
N/M or NM |Never Mind or No Matter
NADM |Never A Dull Moment
NAGI |Not A Good Idea
N/A |Not Applicible
NBD |No Big Deal
NBTD |Nothing Better To Do
NC |No Comment
NCASE |In Case
NDM |No Disrespect Meant
NE |Any
NE1 |Anyone
NED |Need
NITING |Anything
NLT |No Later Than
NMP |Not My Problem
NMS |Not My Style
NN |Night, Night
NO1 |No-One
NOOTO |Nothing Out Of The Ordinary
NOYB |None Of Your Business
NP |No Problem
NRN |No Reply Necessary
NTG |Not To Good
NUFN |Nothing
NYI |Not Yet Implemented
NVM |Never Mind
NWO |No Way Out
O |Over
O4U |Only For You
OATUS |On A Totally Unrealated Subject
OBTW |Oh, By The Way
OIC |Oh I See
OMG |Oh My God
ON4IT |On For It
ONNA |Oh No, Not Again
OO |Over & Out
OT |Off Topic
OTT |Over The Top
OTTOMH |Off The Top Of My Head
OTW |On The WHole
OVA |Over
OW |Oh Well
PEST |Please Excuse Slow Typing
PLMK |Please Let Me Know
PL& |Planned
PLONK |Person with Little Or No Knowledge
PLS/PLZ |Please
PM |Pardon Me or Private Message
PO$BL |Possible
POAHF |Put On A Happy Face
POV |Point Of View
PPL |People
PRT |Party
PTMM |Please Tell Me More
PTMY |Pleased To Meet You
Q |Queue
QED |Quite Easily Done
QPSA? |Que Pasa?
R |Are
RE |REgarding or Nice Seeing You Again
RUOK? |Are You OK?
RSN |Real Soon Now
RTM |Read The Manual
RUMF? |Are You Male or Female?
RU OK? |Are You OK?
RUUP2IT? |Are You Up For It?
SAL |Such A Laugh
SAT |Sorry About That
SC |Stay Cool or Shivan Cruiser
SEC |Second
SETE/SE2E |Smiling Ear To Ear
SHTSI |Somebody Had To Say It
SIT |Stay In Touch
SITD |Still In The Dark
sme1 |Someone
SOT |Short Of Time
SOVS |Someone Very Special
SNERT |Snot-Nosed Egotistical Rude Teenager
SO |Significant Other
SOHF |Sense Of Humour Failure
SOL |Sooner Or Later
SOTMG |Short Of Time Must Go
SPK |Speak
SRY |Sorry
STATS |Your Sex and Age
STS |So To Speak
ST2MORO |Same Time Tomorrow
SUM1 |Someone
SUP |What's Up
SWDYT? |So What Do You Think?
SWL |Screaming With Laughter
SWYP |So Whats Your Problem?
T+ |Think Positive
TAFN |That's All For Now
TANJ |There Ain't No Justice
TBC |To Be Continues
TBE |To Be Expected
TC |Take Care
TFTT |Thanks For The Thought
THX |Thank You
THN |Then
TIME |Tears In My Eyes
TMI |Too Much Information
TMIKTLIU |The More I Know, The Less I Understand
TMOT |Trust Me On This
TNX |Thanks
TNT |Till Next Time
TTBE |That's To Be Expected
TTBOMK |To The Best Of My Knowledge
TTTT |These Things Take Time or To Tell The Truth
TTUL |Type To You Later
TYT |Take Your Time
TYVM |Thank You Very Much
U |You
U2 |You Too
U/L |Upload
UGTBK |You've Got To Be Kidding
UOK |You OK?
UP4IT |Up For It
UR |You Are
URLCM |You Are Welcome
USU |Usually
UWOT |You What!?
VBG |Very Big Grin
VRI |Very
W/ |With
W4U |Waiting For You
W8 |Wait
W84ME |Wait For Me
WAN2 |Want To
WAYD |What Are You Doing?
WB |Welcome Back
WCKD |Wicked
WEN |When
WENJA? |When Do You?
WERJA? |Where Do You?
WERUBN? |Where Have You Been?
WK |Week
WL |Will
WN |When
WOT |What
WTG |Way To Go
WTM? |What Time?
WU? |What's Up?
WUF? |Where You From?
W/O |Without
Xlnt |Excellent
Y |Why? or Yes
YA |You
YBS |You'll Be Sorry
YIU |Yes I Understand
YKWYCD |You Know What You Can Do?
YL |Young Lady
YM |Young Man
YR |Your
Z |Said
ZZZZZ |Sleeping
BEWD? : What do your squad initials stand for? (Replace BEWD with
whatever squad you are talking about)
(Note: This list is comprised of both my knowledge, and a whole group of
my mates, so if some of them don't make sense, are incorrect, or just
plain stupid, it wasn't me! :) No, seriously, let me know so I can change
it before someone uses it in the wrong context/out of place, Thanks.
**************************************************************************
Remember, these are just some of the expressions you may encounter in the
forums, so if you have any more questions about this topic, please, feel
free to E-Mail me at: The_RSM@hotmail.com, and I will help you if I can.
(Please mark these e-mails subject as: ACFS2. Thank You.)
**************************************************************************
I hope you've enjoyed reading this guide, and I also hope that you've
found the answers you were looking for, even learnt something you didn't
know before. If you have then this guide was worth writing, and the hours
of effort was worth it.
If you have any suggestions on how I could improve this guide, or general
improvements for any future guide, please E-Mail me them and I will
get round to doing them (Please do not send any negative comments, if
you didn't like the guide then fine, you are entitled to your own opinion
and I can't change your mind, so just don't send any comments.)
*Contributions*
I am very interested in receiving any advice or additions which you can
offer to this guide. If you submit something you will be given FULL credit
for your contribution, and if you want, you may also request for a link
to your guide(s) so long as your advice is relevant to this guide.
(Please mark your E-Mails with the subject : "FS2CON")
Thank You.
Look out for future guides from me and my staff!
These include, but are not limited to::
- (PSX) Breath of Fire 4
- (PSX) Final Fantasy 6
- (PSX) Final Fantasy 7
- (PSX) Final Fantasy 8
- (PSX) Final Fantasy 9
- (PS2) Final Fantasy 10
- (PS2) Final Fantasy 11
- (PS2) Summoner
- (PS2) Summoner 2
- (PS2) GTA 3
- (PS2) GTA 3 : Vice City
- (PS2) GT 3 A-Spec
- (PS2) GT 4
- (PS2) WWE : Shut Your Mouth
- (PC) Freespace 2
- (PC) Red Alert 2
- (PC) Imperium Galactica 2 : Alliances
- (PC) Homeworld
- (PC) Homeworld : Cataclysm
- (GBA) Golden Sun
- (GBA) Golden Sun 2
- (GBA) Pokemon Ruby
- (GBA) Pokemon Sapphire
- (GBA) Yugioh Duel Monsters 5 Expert 1
- (GBA) Yugioh Duel Monsters 6 Expert 2
- (GBA) Yugioh Duel Monsters 7
This part of the guide is dedicated to crediting and acknowledging the
people (which is giving away by the title) who have contributed their
advice, knowledge and/or services to producing and supporting this
guide. To these people all I can say is, thank you, and hopefully I
will be able to help you in your guides, or something like that :)
And now, without further ado (drum role please) I present to you the
people who made this guide happen:
- www.interplay.com for making the game in the first place
- www.volition-inc.com for their part in making the game
- www.pxo.net for running the Multiplayer element of the game
- www.GameFaqs.com for hosting this guide
- www.NeoSeeker.com for also hosting this guide
- Carlos Miranda
- *Reserved for any contributors*
- And YOU for actually taking the time to read this guide
I have decided to create this section to properley acknowledge, and pay
tribute to the people who have expressed their own personal opinions on
my opinions :). I feel that a quick mention in section 10 (above) is not
enough, so you can find ALL the people who have contributed to this guide
in this section as well :).
THANKS TO:
- Carlos Miranda for sending his opinions on some of the descriptions I
have given, and for highlighting some mistakes which I have made. (I am
only human you know :) )
www.GameFaqs.com
Huge collection of FAQs and guides for nearly every game you can think of,
and even more than that!
www.Gamewinners.com
A site similar to Gamefaqs.com, but concentrates more on codes than FAQs
(Whether Gameshark, Gamegenie, or internal passwords), this site has
them all.
www.neoseeker.com
A wide selection of guides for a whole host of games, from the well known
block-busters, to the small, and relatively obscure developments, you
can find them all here.
