Crew training tips and tricks.

[Shintai]

My own experience so far goes as this:
To get experience the target seems to need to be at least on level with the crewmember. The higher level difference the better.
Bounty size seems to have little to no effect.

What works best for me is a compromised nav beacon in a low security system. And then shoot small targets since they are all dangerous or higher level while having the crew member on engage hostiles. Be careful or avoid wings tho. Because your crew member must still be flying when you kill a target or there is no experience.

How is everyone training their crew, and what works and what doesn't for you?

 

[CMDR Dukie]

Hi Shintai
I've taken a Harmless pilot up to Expert and was interested to see how the experience affects performance as they rank up. If I lose my Pilot I will probably start at Novice level though as the first two levels are really not great!

To answer your question, it's been trips to the local Nav Beacon, initially ones with High Security so the Police can help too! Pick your targets carefully, I'm in a Keelback so have given the Pilot the fighter and I join in if needed to help her out. As she has ranked up we can take on more ships together. Also USS where there are Weapon Threat 1's are usually fine too. I'm now attempting Threat level 2 as well. Once you rank up try a Medium then Lower Security.

Have fun

CMDR Dukie

 

[JerryLove]

I've taken a Harmless pilot up to Expert and was interested to see how the experience affects performance as they rank up. If I lose my Pilot I will probably start at Novice level though as the first two levels are really not great!

I've just started with crews.

Does that mean that the percentage they take increases when they level? Or are you just not concerned about the higher take of a Novice?

Because if it's the former: That might sour me to crews in general.

 

[Shintai]

Each time a pilot ranks up, they increase their wage with 1%.

So a Harmless leveled to Elite cost 10%. An Export to Elite cost 16%.

The Harmless pilot is really awful tho. Make sure you avoid Plasma/Multicannons.

 

[JerryLove]

The Harmless pilot is really awful tho. Make sure you avoid Plasma/Multicannons.

Right now I am just using them to station-keep my anaconda while I harass things (read: skimmers) in the fighter; and then to re-dock the fighter for me.

I guess I might be more accepting of losing 16% when the value of the fighter is higher to me (difference between win and loss) and when the rewards are a bit less concentrated.

 

[goemon]

does the NPC crewmember needs to deliver the killing blow?

 

[Shintai]

does the NPC crewmember needs to deliver the killing blow?

No. As far as I can tell they just need to have shot at it.

On a sidenote I actually do wish you could insure your crew members. The wage they take alone should keep it balanced elsewhere.

 

[goemon]

No. As far as I can tell they just need to have shot at it.

hull damage?

 

[Heavenly-Hammer]

I've done all my leveling in CZs. Currently at Expert, I believe. It's going fine, but you really want a favorable CZ if you're going to level there. Specifically, CZs with a capital ship on your side. You're far less likely to have to deal with a lot of focus fire and your fighters will usually last a long time. I run out of ammo before I lose more than 5 ships in CZs where a cap ship is present.

 

[Shintai]

hull damage?

I think shield is enough. If they shoot a few times on the shield of an eagle and I waste it quickly they still get XP.

So far I have only taken 3 pilots from harmless to competent.

- - - Updated - - -

I've done all my leveling in CZs. Currently at Expert, I believe. It's going fine, but you really want a favorable CZ if you're going to level there. Specifically, CZs with a capital ship on your side. You're far less likely to have to deal with a lot of focus fire and your fighters will usually last a long time. I run out of ammo before I lose more than 5 ships in CZs where a cap ship is present.

My experience with a regular CZ without a capital is they get killed fast. But I haven't tried long enough to see how it works in you are on the "snowball" side. A capital ship could do really wonders I bet. Just sitting hiding in your ship and have the fighter go nuts. Almost automated leveling?

 

[Poy]

Actually, I've kept the fighter deployed in a quiet corner of a CZ and started racking up kills. Even though she did not participate with the fighter, my crew gained some experience.

Now that might sound like unintended behavior, but those railguns NPCs are not fair against the fighters and CZs are crawling with them so I feel no shame...

 

[dutchy2000]

I did a harmless one as well, up to dangerous now. Basically all of it in comp nav beacons. I started in High Res, but the levels were too variable so I switched to comp nav beacons. What I did was take a FGS and put a full efficient turreted pulse laser loadout on there on the C1 and C2 hard points, and a gimballed C3 pulse. Then *I* would pilot the fighter and let the NPC control the FGS. I tooled up the shields to be 1100MJs so I could stay in the fighter quite some time before having to return to my ship to stop the shields from failing.

I basically had the turrets do all the work for the useless NPC while I took a beam GU97 to the shields of whatever we are attacking. That setup has no issues destroying an elite python with my harmless NPC. Now that she is dangerous I switched roles, I am flying the FGS and she is flying the multi cannon condor. I strip the shield and she destroys the hull, its very effective and I can be half asleep and still kick .

I been side tracked working the BGS some, but I will level her up to elite once I get some time.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

I really haven't trained my crew member, because as it stands right now I have only one ship that can use a fighter, and it's not really much of a combat ship, and I don't really have much use for that ship at present.
Some day, in the distant future, I'll have another ship that can use a fighter bay, or fighter bays will be options for other ships, and this will finally become useful to me.
In the meantime, somebody is getting rich for hanging around a crew lounge doing a whole lot of nothing. Not a bad job at all.

 

[Cmdr Zach]

Is there any trick to finding compromised nav beacons?

 

[dutchy2000]

Is there any trick to finding compromised nav beacons?

Look for low security or anarchy systems. There is one 2-3 jumps from shinrarta where I do all my training. I killed so many pirates there, I am 100% hostile to that faction and supposedly they are sending people to find me. Haven't seen anyone come after me though. I can look up the name once I get in game at some point.

 

[Shintai]

There is one in the Keries system.

 

[gobbles]

Ok, I've been ..trying to level up a pilot in the Keelback, as that's how far my credits go, but it's been a very uphill battle.

I keep getting the Keelback shot up and losing the pilot by some random incident. I haven't even gotten a pilot to level up from harmless yet, after maybe 5-7 Keelbacks....

I only go to danger level 1's and other things of that hardness level. The last time, yesterday, I went to a level 0, and got ambushed by a 3 ships. It only took 10-15 seconds and I was obliviated

I think I just need advice for keeping a Keelback alive

 

[Shintai]

Ok, I've been ..trying to level up a pilot in the Keelback, as that's how far my credits go, but it's been a very uphill battle.

I keep getting the Keelback shot up and losing the pilot by some random incident. I haven't even gotten a pilot to level up from harmless yet, after maybe 5-7 Keelbacks....

I only go to danger level 1's and other things of that hardness level. The last time, yesterday, I went to a level 0, and got ambushed by a 3 ships. It only took 10-15 seconds and I was obliviated

I think I just need advice for keeping a Keelback alive

Goto a safe nav point in medium security. Look for wanted ships. Pick small and easy targets. Make sure your fighter is using 2 fixed pulses. Tell the crew to engage as default and start attacking with the Keelback. Use 2 pulse and 2 gimbaled multicannons. That should help you progress

When there is a good amount of police, then you can get the snowball effect going. Make sure the "report crime" is enabled under functions.

You can keep track of your pilots XP progress while fighting. You may have to refresh the screen, like hit engage hostiles yet again.

Before I changed to the Gunship, I practiced in a Keelback with this setup. Took 2 pilots to competent from harmless.

http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=80Z0,...Q06Q06Q02204s03c06k0,7T401rq015O013q012G012G0

 

[IceFire122]

My main pilot made Dangerous today. ranking sure slows down for the higher levels. As compensation, his skills are now quite useful.

I made early ranks in CZ, where you are basically busy replacing the fighters every minute or two. In HAZRES or compromised Nav beacon, the fighter can stay alive much longer and ranking is a more calmer experience.

I am still wondering, what the best loadout choice is for high ranked pilots.
Fixed beams are nice, when the enemy is chaffing, but what is the best hull cruncher loadout? Multicannons? Plasma?

 

[captain slow]

My pilot is soon to be deadly. There isn't much of a trick to it. I've been hunting in various res sites. As long as they join in the fight and survive, it doesn't matter who gets the finishing blow or how much damage is done or what the target is worth. The targets rank is pretty much the only factor. Deadly and Elite Eagles and vipers etc are fantastic food for crew leveling. Fixed beams seem to be the best fighter weapon. My crew is probably a better pilot than I am now