How to combat reverse fliers

[forger]

turn off your shields, turn on silent run, get on their six and blow them up
might be tricky but that's one of the ways, if they turn on reverse again you do the same but that needs some serious practice and i don't think we need that but might be fun.

anyway i wouldn't engage reverse fliers alone, so get a friend or two and just kill them

 

[Amaze]

"4) Get on the forums and complain about people flying as-if they are in space, and try to get the game changed to make them fly like airplanes."
Worst thing about that, is that the vocal minority might succeed.

We surly can't have any ship with ability to counter the Viper /S


I for one look forward to the viper getting nerfed, at least a little bit.

Anyone remember the original Elite.
Try taking on an anaconda in a single viper and see how long you last?

I suspect all the viper pilots are also the ones wanting the FAoff speed boost changed back to what it was before.

 

[Globusdiablo]

You feel lucky punk?

I fly Lakon 6, with 2 missile batteries.

If, or should I say when someone engages me, all pips to shields (systems), and start flying backwards until fired upon. By the time they start firing, I usually have lock on. So when they are close and confident, banging at my shields, I send all I have straight in their face. Now there's a money shot if ever I saw one.

Then I run like crazy!

So I would have to say that silent running (negating lock on) is your best shot, if you want to take on the big boys.

No risk no gain right?

Can't wait to meet the next chump who disengages his shields... Yummy...

 

[Andromalius]

If the guy is running backwards and has you in his sights, just move on to another target/place. He didn't get to kill you either. And if he comes after you then you can do the same. It is a very defensive maneuver, nobody is going to kill you with it if you don't accept that rule of engagement.

 

[Philip Coutts]

If the guy is running backwards and has you in his sights, just move on to another target/place. He didn't get to kill you either. And if he comes after you then you can do the same. It is a very defensive maneuver, nobody is going to kill you with it if you don't accept that rule of engagement.

^ This

Just fly away, it's not worth the hassle. This has been an issue since Alpha and there hasn't been a solution to it yet. The only way to beat it is to have weapons which outrange your opponents. That way they can't hit you but you can hit them.

 

[Nemesis-T-Warlock]

Hey all,

Just got beat fairly honestly by an anaconda. I ditched mine, as I prefer the Viper.

My tactics when against larger ships is to get on their six, then use lateral boosters to stick to their six. Their turns I can slide around so as not to end up in their sights.


However, just came up against a guy who slammed in reverse, and just turned after me.

I boosted away, and tried again, but same thing. He constantly was able to keep weapons on me for > 60% of the flight. After withdrawing a further time, the 3 engagement finished me off, as I was seeing how I could remain out of his sights.

But if all his weapons are pointing backwards - just chasing wont work. getting in front is unpredictable as can just change direction, which leaves you outside the turn.

Can try it against AI, slamming into reverse puts you at a massive advantage.


Anyone got any tactics when they come up against this tactic?

Speed and manoeuvrability. That and weapons powerful enough to do damage fast.

you need to stay out of the approx. 45 degree arc of their forward view (assuming they have gimbals). Always check the weapon load out before attacking and adjust based on what you see. If no gimbals you need to stay away from directly in front.

Get the shields down and then choose a sub-system to target.

The flying backwards is their only real option against a fast fighter. Use your speed, use your thrusters, get enough pips to engines to keep your advantage. Once you lose your shields get everything onto engines.

Remember as well you can easily do strafing runs against an Anaconda. Chances are they will SC out before you score the kill, but you get the moral victory.

 

[Dremor]

Some tips from the Anaconda pilot who beated you

Hi Dynamo.

I think I'm the one you fought against.

More than my reverse tactic, the tactic I used was based on the use of gimballed an turreted weapon.

Here is my loadout :

3 C5 Pulse Laser (G)
2 C3 multi-cannon (G)
1 C4 Missile launcher (on the C8 hardpoint)
2 C1 Beam Laser (T)

And here are your mistakes :

-> You tried an hit and run tactic, giving me plenty of time to align myself on you.
-> You never used the silent mode, which could have given you the upper hand by preventing me (and my turreted/gimballed weapon) to be able to target you

Here are my tips for our next encounter :

-> The Anaconda have a huge blind spot behind the main deck. So try to sneak behind the deck, I won't be able to hit you.
-> Use your silent mode. I know that you loose your shield, but what is the matter if I can't see/hit you?

In Elite, the pilot skill matter, but not as much as the ability to adapt to the target .

Fly safe,

CMDR Dremor Auscent

 

[Nemesis-T-Warlock]

-> Use your silent mode. I know that you loose your shield, but what is the matter if I can't see/hit you?

Don't do this unless you have a weapon load out that doesn't cause heat.

Try this with beam weapons and you will get a bit toasty.

 

[tooterfish]

I wonder how many people suggesting tactics have actually tried them themselves? Because there seems to be a lot of theorycrafting going on here.

The reverse tactic is a very very strong one, disproportionally so in fact. It doesn't take an awful lot of skill to pull it off (I'm terribly sorry if this offends you), but it does take a lot of skill to counter it successfully. I'd suggest people actually try countering it themselves before denigrating another pilot's ability.

Anyone remember the original Elite.
Try taking on an anaconda in a single viper and see how long you last?

I remember the original Elite, do you?

Because you couldn't fly a Viper...

 

[Dynamo]

Hi Dynamo.

I think I'm the one you fought against.

CMDR Dremor Auscent

Hey Dremor, No it was a CMDR K********* who I went up against, and they didn't have a turret weapon or missiles (I checked each hard point before engaging).

Thanks tooterfish, you expressed my sentiments exactly, especially the first one or two posts "fly better". I would have normally run away from a fight if losing, but I stayed around and fought to my death, as I was trying different tactics out.

Could do with a single player scenario to experiment on a tightly circle-reversing anaconda.

 

[Philip Coutts]

The Reverse thing is just bally well not cricket! Gentlemen should fly and die properly.....forwards!

 

[whaaw]

the best way to fight against my conda is to come close as possible and try to stay there no way for me to counter this if you come in front of me you are done in 2 sec, dosent matter what kind of ship you have ( except for another conda^^) i just have to hit you twice with the cannons one for shield and one for hull. i can say c5 gimbaled lasers on the conda are fine but with this loadout you gona output some serius damage:

3xC6 Cannons
2xC4 Cannons
2xC2 Cannons
on the C8 slot put up some C4 Missile rack

no heat generation. and munition costs almost nothing....


i play this loadout with trailing enabled. for a ship 1km away i have a super sweat dot to aim. when it comes >500 i try to aim with the c6 cannon

 

[vonFelty]

4a) get on forums and suggest that since the main thrusters are in the back, reverse shouldn't be as fast as forward. This has been done in the past, and maybe we'll see some changes there. If someone wants to still use this tactic, they can always use FA off to continue drifting while they 180 around, and fly as in space.

Well one in theory could spin their ship around with FA off and then get to the speed they want facing one direction and then spin around facing the other.

Personally, I've been trying to unlearn playing War Thunder and use more of the reverse and FA off methods.

Its the easiest way to get someone off your tail. Hit the engines, turn off FA, and then rotate around to see the target.

 

[Dremor]

Hey Dremor, No it was a CMDR K********* who I went up against, and they didn't have a turret weapon or missiles (I checked each hard point before engaging).

Ok, my bad. I engaged another Viper the same day, same place, same result, but I can't remember the commander name (I have a bad memory on people names). He used the same tactic than you seem to have, so I through it was you.

But I think my tips still are useful.

"Know your enemy, know yourself, and victory will follow"