How to get behind a target / advanced combat tips?

[White Shark]

Ok, so I'm trying to improve my combat, because at times, I'm terrible and get completely owned by NPCs. First of all, how do you get behind a target without him shooting over the top of you, only for you to turn around and to be facing him yet again? It's annoying having constant face offs. I try the technique where you thrust downwards, whilst trying to pivot your ship, but the target seems to simply pivot his own ship so he's facing me all the time. I'm trying to get on his six, but I just can't seem to manage it!

And when I search on Youtube for tips videos, it's like they don't exist. People mindlessly upload the training missions, or vids which are of no help. I want to "git gud" and improve, and I want to learn how, but there's nothing on offer video wise to help me from what I've searched. It's like all those who are apparent masters at combat aren't willing to show off these amazing skills. If someone could point me in the right direction, that would be great!

Also, will it be necessary for me to turn flight assist off in order to become a top combat pilot? What are people's views on FA?

Thanks everyone as always! [up]

 

[mung0]

If you want to stay glued to their 6, fly a ship with a far tighter turn. There's no other magic secret to it. The more superior your flight envelope, the more you get to dictate the engagement, but unless the gap is markedly big, the facetank / joust routine is pretty much going to be forced on you.

 

[mung0]

To expand on that and answer your question more fully, the secret to success given equally matched ships is not to expect to be able to circumvent the whole turn & joust battle thing, but to simply be better at it than your opponent.

I hear you on videos not necessarily being illuminating, but best advice I can give - use those training missions, over & over, till you're outflying those enemies with ease. It's a risk-free enviroment to get to grips with manauvering.

To help give you the edge - manage pips aggressively. Manage the throttle aggressively. Experiment with fa-off, get a feel for when to use it & how to come out of it.

 

[tafkabb]

First, set your LB + RB combo to 75% throttle. You'll need to use FAOFF a lot, and you won't always be sure of your vector (direction) when you turn FA on. LB + RB will immediately put you in the blue zone. And as Mung0 says, practice using the training missions. Use it to master your pips.

I'd recommend using fixed weapons in a small ship as well, and fight Pythons. Pythons are easy money/rank. You'll be surprised how often you see completely wasted chaff puff out of a target with fixed, as you burn those shields away

 

[mung0]

First, set your LB + RB combo to 75% throttle.

why not 50% throttle? That puts you right into optimal 'blue'. 75% gives you optimal blue in super cruise, but it's not like optimal throttle tweaking is so desperate in sc vs in the heat of combat?

edit.. Sorry don't mean to come off confrontational, just curious

 

[White Shark]

To expand on that and answer your question more fully, the secret to success given equally matched ships is not to expect to be able to circumvent the whole turn & joust battle thing, but to simply be better at it than your opponent.

I hear you on videos not necessarily being illuminating, but best advice I can give - use those training missions, over & over, till you're outflying those enemies with ease. It's a risk-free enviroment to get to grips with manauvering.

To help give you the edge - manage pips aggressively. Manage the throttle aggressively. Experiment with fa-off, get a feel for when to use it & how to come out of it.

Hey, thanks for these tips! I fly a DBS which is meant to be quite manauverable.

First, set your LB + RB combo to 75% throttle. You'll need to use FAOFF a lot, and you won't always be sure of your vector (direction) when you turn FA on. LB + RB will immediately put you in the blue zone. And as Mung0 says, practice using the training missions. Use it to master your pips.

I'd recommend using fixed weapons in a small ship as well, and fight Pythons. Pythons are easy money/rank. You'll be surprised how often you see completely wasted chaff puff out of a target with fixed, as you burn those shields away

Hey, didn't realise you could do speed settings with the Xbox One! I've just done this now in settings. Thanks for that!

 

[tafkabb]

why not 50% throttle? That puts you right into optimal 'blue'. 75% gives you optimal blue in super cruise, but it's not like optimal throttle tweaking is so desperate in sc vs in the heat of combat?

edit.. Sorry don't mean to come off confrontational, just curious

Yeah, that

 

[jnavarim]

What ship do you use? If you have a small ship with good maneuverability is not thaaat hard and you may not even need FAoff. If you use a big ship, you probably need to use turrets, because if you are in a big one and these new NPC are on a good small one, you may find it very hard to face then during the battle. Also, to turn faster you can try to boost, when boosting your ship can turn to any side almost twice faster, but still, if your have a big ship and the NPC a small one it may not be enough.

Since I'm no expert myself, I can't play the whole battle with FAoff, but I change from on and off often so I can move to face the enemy when my turrets lose the target.

I'm in a B Rated Cutter and I just beat a deadly FDL that I couldn't even see, he was in my six all the time. The fight was all about turrets, chaff, point defense and pip management, was a good fight but I did went to 20% hull in the end of the fight, I don't have the money to improve my hull yet, so when I lose the shield it start to get dangerous.

Yesterday I beated an Elite Anaconda, but none of us tried to outmaneuver the other, it was pointless to even try, I brought the Elite Annie down again with pips management, chaff and subtarget and this time I didn't even lost my shield.

But I not even close to these gods of war Git Goodders around the forum, when the 1.6 came I got my ass kicked pretty bad.

 

[Dragonfiend]

First, set your LB + RB combo to 75% throttle. You'll need to use FAOFF a lot, and you won't always be sure of your vector (direction) when you turn FA on. LB + RB will immediately put you in the blue zone. And as Mung0 says, practice using the training missions. Use it to master your pips.

I'd recommend using fixed weapons in a small ship as well, and fight Pythons. Pythons are easy money/rank. You'll be surprised how often you see completely wasted chaff puff out of a target with fixed, as you burn those shields away

i never thought to mess around in the controls like that, thank you for the tip.

 

[Otherwhere]

dot for reference

Elite's training videos are pretty meager at helping one to improve one's skills. And the SW training mission is so unbalanced (I have shields, they don't) I really learn very little. Is the Cobra vs Cobra the best training mission? Can I practice targeting subsystems? (Is that worthwhile?) I wish you could practice with other ships and alter builds, but I guess that's what the main game is for.

 

[Rafe]

why not 50% throttle? That puts you right into optimal 'blue'. 75% gives you optimal blue in super cruise, but it's not like optimal throttle tweaking is so desperate in sc vs in the heat of combat?

edit.. Sorry don't mean to come off confrontational, just curious

I just saw this and thought I would give it a bash. Did you know you can set the same button combo to both sets, lb first, then while holding it, press rb and set to one, and rb first then lb to set to the other

Ooop, maybe not. It just 'looks' that way *cough*

 

[Rebel RDX]

i never thought to mess around in the controls like that, thank you for the tip.

Dunno if it's any use to you, but by moving sensor zoom to B+RB/LB, it frees up A+LB/RB to be used for heat sink and chaff

 

[DiabolusDecorum]

Sometimes when your in a big slow ship and they are in small fast ships the best action is to put more distance and get them on your 12. Instead of ringin round the rosie with each other, roll 180deg and circle the other way. A bit like an S shape. They should come up under your nose with a little bit of distance.

Or do a three point fa off turn.

 

[J0etheBr0]

Here are two tips.... (Im taking this from Aerial Combat tactics)

If commencing with Ship to ship attacks, you have two strategies you can work with...
If your ship is highly capable with turn rate, radius and all around general maneuverability, you would be focusing on turning battles... trying to get the edge in on the enemy with the combined useage of standard, vertical thrusters and boost.

If your in a less maneuverable combat ship, Zoom and Boom Tactics would benefit you greater than Turning circle tactics.
Obviously Zoom and Boom would be more over boosting into the combat, sending a flurry of heavy weapon fire upon your target, Boosting back out of the immediate combat area, then turn and make runs until target destruction.

Since Combat in Elite is less on BVR (Beyond Visual Range) fire and forget Combat style of current day militaries and more on up close and personal dogfighting of the past wars (WWI,WWII, Korea and Vietnam) and Id say much closer to the WWII/Korean War style of dogfighting combat.

If you are highly interested in boosting your combat skill. I'd study up on Aerial Combat Techniques from Fighter Aces from the World War II and Korea.
Then put an elite twist on the combat tactics.

My two cents, o7