Newcomer / Intro Scanners and Fire Groups

[Elorius]

Another bunch noob questions:

I just bought a Kill Warrant Scanner for my newly purchased Adder. The game then told me that I had to put it in a fire group. I have already put my lasers and my missiles in two different fire groups. I think. The manual and the interface are extremely cryptic when it comes to fire groups. Is the fire group decided by the differently coloured numbers you put them in or the column you put them in?

Anyway the point of the Kill Warrant Scanner is somewhat defeated if I only can scan potential enemies after I start firing on them. Is there any way to scan potential baddies without firing on them at the same time?

And finally, what is the benefit of buying a more expensive, higher quality Kill Warrant Scanner?

 

[Zieman]

Is the fire group decided by the differently coloured numbers you put them in or the column you put them in?

Yes. Numbers denote which fire button/trigger you use for a particular weapon/scanner. The columns are the actual fire groups, you can switch between them. You could for example have gun 1 on primary trigger and gun 2 on secondary trigger in fire group 1, and both guns on primary trigger and KWS on secondary trigger in fire group 2.

Anyway the point of the Kill Warrant Scanner is somewhat defeated if I only can scan potential enemies after I start firing on them. Is there any way to scan potential baddies without firing on them at the same time?

Make another firegroup for scanners so you won't fire your weapons when you scan. Or if you have your weapons all firing when you press the primary fire button, assign secondary fire (2) to the scanner.

And finally, what is the benefit of buying a more expensive, higher quality Kill Warrant Scanner?

Longer range. With a nasty increase in power demand.

 

[Elorius]

Ah, I thought that fire group referred to which trigger button a particular weapon was bound to. Thank you. Now I only have to figure out how to cycle between the firegroups, but that should be doable.

 

[Universal Evil]

Ah, I thought that fire group referred to which trigger button a particular weapon was bound to. Thank you. Now I only have to figure out how to cycle between the firegroups, but that should be doable.

It depends on whitch key(joystick button you bind to the funktion "cycle through firegroups" in the Options menu.... In other words you deside how you want to cycle though the firegroups...

 

[crashland]

I believe the 'cycle through fire groups' is default N key.

 

[Dark Skies]

More expensive scanners have a longer range. This is an advantage but not much you can work effectively with 2k but I like 3k as that's your weapon range.

Like power management, effective, fast and frequent change of weapon groups is an essential skill (depending on loadout)

When I'm bounty hunting I use combo "shift" keys to activate my hat switch on the joystick. (Hotas)
hat can then cycle or select targets in front as auto scan for wanted then change to kws if wanted, during this scan I can then cycle the target to hit the power plant, scan completes and without taking my finger off the trigger I switch to weapons, fires automatically.

you may have a loadout which has thermal and kinetic weapons. You may want to go kws then lasers to strip shields then kenetic only for the hull. And then kws ready for the next target.

 

[cmdr lowest]

I do it this way:

Firegrp 1

Primary trigger - lasers
Secondary trigger - KWS

This allows you to strip shields while simultaneously KWS scanning.

Once scan is complete I swap to firegroup 2:

Firegrp 2

Primary trigger - lasers
Secondary trigger - multicannons.

 

[Toffa]

I do it this way:

Firegrp 1

Primary trigger - lasers
Secondary trigger - KWS

This allows you to strip shields while simultaneously KWS scanning.

Once scan is complete I swap to firegroup 2:

Firegrp 2

Primary trigger - lasers
Secondary trigger - multicannons.

This^^

Further, I have groups 3 and 4.

Group three:
Primary - lasers
Secondary - FSD interdictor

Group 4
Same as group 2.

This way, with only one 'click' i can get back to my lasers AND cannons.

( '-')7

Toffs

 

[djbordie]

2 scanners (kws/disc) on 1 fire group
2 weapons on other fire group

voice attack "switch fire group"

so fun to change fire groups with voice.

 

[Elorius]

I do it this way:

Firegrp 1

Primary trigger - lasers
Secondary trigger - KWS

This allows you to strip shields while simultaneously KWS scanning.

Once scan is complete I swap to firegroup 2:

Firegrp 2

Primary trigger - lasers
Secondary trigger - multicannons.

I ended up with a setting like this, though I use missiles rather than a cannon for the medium hardpoint on my Adder.

Probably not as effective as a cannon and those missiles are just to expensive to use on small targets... but there is something inherently cool at launching missiles at the bad guy that you just don't get by firing a cannon at them.