Ship to learn FAoff combat with fixed weapons?

[Knightshark]

After two weeks 100% FAoff (ok, 95% - without cargo scooping) i figured i do it the hard way and try to learn FAoff combat with fixed weapons. Why? Because why not!
Now i am asking myself which ship to use. It should be expendable (or losing it shouldn't hurt too much), so no FAS/FDL. I always wanted to go back to the Vulture, but it is also slow and rebuy is still around 1 million. In an eagle i cannot kill anything i guess. So, what are the alternatives. Viper 3 or 4, or maybe a Keelback with a Taipan fighter to train in?


While were at it, i think the best place to train are RES - any better ideas?

 

[777Driver]

Not sure what's wrong with the Eagle? I often take it into a RES, flown pure FA-OFF (Imperial Eagle) Viper MKIII is also a good option. Best option is to take an SLF, park your mothership well away from the action and shut down it's thrusters, switch to SLF and head into the chaos.

The best place to train initially is outside of a combat zone, pick a static gravity free environment like an outpost, focus on one part of the station at a time and manoeuvre around keeping your weapon sights fixed at each point you choose, keep doing it until you can fly FA-OFF in your sleep, then head to a RES and get trigger happy.

 

[Ian Skippy]

After two weeks 100% FAoff (ok, 95% - without cargo scooping) i figured i do it the hard way and try to learn FAoff combat with fixed weapons. Why? Because why not!
Now i am asking myself which ship to use. It should be expendable (or losing it shouldn't hurt too much), so no FAS/FDL. I always wanted to go back to the Vulture, but it is also slow and rebuy is still around 1 million. In an eagle i cannot kill anything i guess. So, what are the alternatives. Viper 3 or 4, or maybe a Keelback with a Taipan fighter to train in?


While were at it, i think the best place to train are RES - any better ideas?

Viper MK4. Why?

1) Cheap.
2) Lots of hull
3) Not super agile. Yes, that is a pro: you do not want to learn this in a super agile ship as you'll be all over the place.

Best place? Rings outside of RES. Start by shooting at rocks first. Seriously.

 

[Knightshark]

Not sure what's wrong with the Eagle? I often take it into a RES, flown pure FA-OFF (Imperial Eagle) Viper MKIII is also a good option. Best option is to take an SLF, park your mothership well away from the action and shut down it's thrusters, switch to SLF and head into the chaos.

The best place to train initially is outside of a combat zone, pick a static gravity free environment like an outpost, focus on one part of the station at a time and manoeuvre around keeping your weapon sights fixed at each point you choose, keep doing it until you can fly FA-OFF in your sleep, then head to a RES and get trigger happy.

1. I was just thinking that the dmg output of the eagle is to low to kill anything, on the other hand it is has very weak hull, so i would expect to die a lot and spend most time respawning.

2. What do you mean, and outpost in space? I have little issues tethering to stations or patrols and keeping them in my crosshairs, but i find it hard to remain close to a ship that is in combat mode with me (ie trying to evade, joust etc).

Best place? Rings outside of RES. Start by shooting at rocks first. Seriously.

Did that!

 

[777Driver]

1. I was just thinking that the dmg output of the eagle is to low to kill anything, on the other hand it is has very weak hull, so i would expect to die a lot and spend most time respawning.

2. What do you mean, and outpost in space? I have little issues tethering to stations or patrols and keeping them in my crosshairs, but i find it hard to remain close to a ship that is in combat mode with me (ie trying to evade, joust etc).
!

Yeah, an outpost in space, or any fixed object. I would tend to pick a random window on an outpost, keep the sights fixed on the target and do simulated attack runs from various angles (No over controlling or sloppy stabilisation)

Anyway, whatever works best for you, good luck!

Regarding the Eagle, pick your targets wisely, you'll want to be targeting smaller ships anyway if you are training with FA-OFF and fixed weapons. Almost impossible to miss the larger ships when using fixed weapons.

 

[VR andysonofbob]

All of the above
I vote for the Viper too; the placements are very centralised.

If you have Horizons, maybe pick on some skimmers as practice?

Can I suggest sticking to one type of weapon to begin with i.e. Lasers or MCs not both? That way you can build up the skills as it can be a bit overwheming having to swap from scan to projectile.

 

[[VR] Frank_G]

In the early days, i pretty much enjoyed the Viper Mk. III for FAoff and bounty hunting. Nice ship, that can be both quite fast and provide good armor protection. It is not as tanky as the Mk. IV, but it packs the same punch and personally, i prefer speed over armor, especially for FAoff piloting.

 

[Mohrgan]

Just my perspective: Use the ship you ultimately want to fly, to learn how to use fixed weapons. In the end it's about familiarity. The question that I think is more important is: Where to go to learn how to line up your shots. Go back to a Nav. Beacon. Start with targets you can dominate so you can focus on flying and aiming, rather than the threat they pose. Look to get the shots you want, and nail down your execution, then move up the food chain.

 

[[VR] Enexemander]

You're going to laugh, but I learned in a Type 9. I'm one of the weirdos that likes mining, so I flew my Type 9 with FAOFF and mining lasers are fixed beams, so I just started aiming for different craters to start.

With a ship that slow, you don't get the feeling your ship is out of control easily.

For combat? It's hard to say without knowing what your problems are. A diamondback scout is a good choice. Great harpoints for fixed, inexpensive, easy to maneuver and can be built to take a hit.

In order of easy to harder-
Beams
Pulse
Burst
Rails

Projectiles is all about shot speed, so faster = easier

I will say that there is a big difference between hitscan and projectiles with FAOFF. Hitscan is just aiming like with FAON. With FAOFF, you're REALLY better off visualizing flight paths/trajectories and thinking ahead about how you want to hit your target. I really find that using trailing targeting helps with this. /my 2 cents.

 

[Knightshark]

You're going to laugh, but I learned in a Type 9. I'm one of the weirdos that likes mining, so I flew my Type 9 with FAOFF and mining lasers are fixed beams, so I just started aiming for different craters to start.

With a ship that slow, you don't get the feeling your ship is out of control easily.

For combat? It's hard to say without knowing what your problems are. A diamondback scout is a good choice. Great harpoints for fixed, inexpensive, easy to maneuver and can be built to take a hit.

In order of easy to harder-
Beams
Pulse
Burst
Rails

Projectiles is all about shot speed, so faster = easier

I will say that there is a big difference between hitscan and projectiles with FAOFF. Hitscan is just aiming like with FAON. With FAOFF, you're REALLY better off visualizing flight paths/trajectories and thinking ahead about how you want to hit your target. I really find that using trailing targeting helps with this. /my 2 cents.

Funny, my recent mining session in a T9 brought me here. That was the point i realized that firing fixed with FAoff is actually big fun. Rotational stabilization and aiming are not my primary problem. It’s rather staying in close distance with a target that tries to evade. With FAon i have no issues using thrusters ie circle strafing. With FAoff i have difficulties to adjust for rapid changes in the flight direction of my target at high speeds, probably because the thusters i use to change direction are too weak. But i am not sure what exactly is my problem. But ot seems thta slow ships (fas) are much harder than fast ships (taipan) to keep the target in range and sights. That’s why i am looking for a cheap but capable ship to expeiment without worrying about getting killed.

Atm i am thinking about viper 3 with beams - awesome thruster sound.

 

[GunnerBill]

I heard that the iCourier was ideal for this.

 

[[VR] Enexemander]

Funny, my recent mining session in a T9 brought me here. That was the point i realized that firing fixed with FAoff is actually big fun. Rotational stabilization and aiming are not my primary problem. It’s rather staying in close distance with a target that tries to evade. With FAon i have no issues using thrusters ie circle strafing. With FAoff i have difficulties to adjust for rapid changes in the flight direction of my target at high speeds, probably because the thusters i use to change direction are too weak. But i am not sure what exactly is my problem. But ot seems thta slow ships (fas) are much harder than fast ships (taipan) to keep the target in range and sights. That’s why i am looking for a cheap but capable ship to expeiment without worrying about getting killed.

Atm i am thinking about viper 3 with beams - awesome thruster sound.

Oh okay. So every ship has a different flight model. Some ships have weaker directional thrusters, some have weaker main thrusters, and the difference in mass can matter quite a bit. It sounds like you are depending (maybe too much) on your directional thrusters (which are weaker than main thrusters in every ship). As an example, I love to use my directional thrusters in the FAS, but it's silly to rely on those in the Dropship. Same size of ship, but radically different thruster strength ratio.

In all cases, it helps profoundly to be able to visualize your opponent's flight path. Most NPCs will not fly erratically, but if your trajectory isn't solid, you can catch them at odd angles. So, in addition to the type of ship you're flying, prioritize bigger targets. Not just because they are easier to hit, but because they are slower and it's easier to visualize their flight path. Tip- look for the engine trails.

 

[CMDR ANCALAGON]

SLFs have the lowest rebuy!

I've been thinking along these lines as well lately, and have taken to hoping in an SLF and using my Anaconda for target practice (not really going to get through the shields on that thing). I've also been flying around through ice rings (tend to be a bit brighter).

I do have a crew member that is nearly elite, and on several occasions in a USS where there is only one enemy or if I've interdicted a single wanted small ship, I've switched the the SLF and ordered the crew member to hold position in the mother ship.

The anaconda can withstand fire from small ships for eons without losing shields, so I really don't have to spend much time keeping an eye on the mother ship's shields. If anything does start to go south, I order them to attack or just switch back to the mother ship myself.

So far it has worked out great (in regards to not loosing my $480 mil cr anaconda) and I've recently taken on multiple enemies at once.

Another strategy that works (but is a bit more risky) is to drop into a RES or nav beacon in an anarchy system and move about 15km away. Hop into the SLF and order the mother ship to hold position (no crew required) and then head to the RES/NAV beacon and start taking on anyone that you want. You can't scan to see if they are wanted or anything, but you also won't incur any fines or bounties. When you get destroyed, just launch another ship and head back in!

If someone discovers the mother ship and starts to attack it, you will receive an alert that the ship is under attack, and you will have plenty of time to switch back to the mother ship and deal with whatever the problem is.

 

[Knightshark]

Thanks everyone. It's done. Here she is, the XSS Momentum (build)

I spend the day with engineering and just took her for a spin in HAZRES. Killed 2 AspX, 2 Sidewinders, and one Eagle. Man, that Eagle was tough. I am used to FAon with gimbals, where Eagles just melt away. This was really hard. Also crashed into an Asteroid. My conclusion so far: FAoff with fixed weapons is brutally hard, but really fun. Every fight feels like a boss fight, even against a Sidewinder, meaning you really have to focus all the time and think. That's great, i love it. Just hope i manage to improve a lot.

Regarding the build, i was thinking switching the two small G3 efficient beams for long range beams to get more dmg in the distance. The A KSW is overkill anyway.

 

[Madrax573]

I'll second the Viper MK IV!!!

It is one of the best platforms for learning FA-off anyways. And the weapon placement you already know with the MK III.

Also come join our discord and chat all about FA-off'ing

 

[jasonbarron]

Have fun, Knightshark. Personally, I think this game is at it's best when the pilot is flying FA Off with fixed weapons.

 

[Fendalton]

Why not in the training mode?

Seriously, it throws you straight in there, and if you die or mess up it doesn't matter. Don't have to spend time flying there either.

 

[Threeofseven]

iEagle handles good FA off, so does the Dropship.

 

[Riverside]

Have fun, Knightshark. Personally, I think this game is at it's best when the pilot is flying FA Off with fixed weapons.

I agree, it's satisfying to get it right even when little else is going your way.


I started with a hauler (single, centrally mounted weapon), quickly moved through a Viper MkIII & on to a Cobra MkIII (the ship I'm most familiar with) but with the HOTAS-X I used at the time I found it easier with a more stable, less twitchy platform, optimally a Python or FDL.

I replaced my HOTAS-X with a T-16000FCS which makes fine control much easier but I've only flown the Corvette since I got it, none of the twitchier ships.

I'm not good enough to do it with an Eagle or Vulture, they just leap all over the place in my hands

 

[Knightshark]

I agree, it's satisfying to get it right even when little else is going your way.


I started with a hauler (single, centrally mounted weapon), quickly moved through a Viper MkIII & on to a Cobra MkIII (the ship I'm most familiar with) but with the HOTAS-X I used at the time I found it easier with a more stable, less twitchy platform, optimally a Python or FDL.

I replaced my HOTAS-X with a T-16000FCS which makes fine control much easier but I've only flown the Corvette since I got it, none of the twitchier ships.

I'm not good enough to do it with an Eagle or Vulture, they just leap all over the place in my hands

I also use the T16k, and i an thinking about adding curves (too lazy so far). But i have more issues with small twitchy target than with controlling a twitchy ship. Killing an Eagle with FAoff&fixed in any ship seems to be extremely hard, simply because the target is so small and moves fast. Maybe i switch the small fixed beams to seeker missiles, but that would be agains my idea of maximal challenge.