Traning mission 3: Predator and prey. The new Kobayashi Maru

Dr. Mabuse

D
My combat simulator must be malfunctioning. I find the training mission 3: Predator and prey impossible. I've run it 20-30 times now, and only managed to kill one enemy two times before getting shot out of the sky. It's <bleep> impossible.

I remember one of the old vids of the ancient sci-fi films Star Wreck or something, referring to Kobayashi Maru as a training session where the captain was supposed to lose no matter what he did. This feels just like that.

I have an average survival time of 20 seconds. Even if I enter "Silent running" as soon as I can... And even if I do survive more than 20 seconds, I can see the heat level ticking up just as fast as the seconds I run toward mission end by obliteration.
This isn't fun any more.

The mission briefing give no hint of what kind of tactics works, except Super-cruising out of there...
Can someone please provide some practical tips on how pass this one?

Right now, the only way I can think of that will actually work is hacking the simulator and change mission parameters by giving myself a Nova Bomb.
 

Draven Darken

Draven Darken
It shouldn't be that hard. I had never played any version of Elite prior to starting with the gamma a week ago today, and assuming that I am remembering correctly that this is the mission vs the pair of Federal fighters, I beat that mission on my first try and have never lost in it. (I wish I could say the same for the later training missions!)

The key is to take out one of the two opponents very, very quickly. Concentrate fully on that one opponent, and don't forget to make use of your missiles. I usually have taken out the first opponent in that mission within 30 seconds or less, and from there on it is a pretty straightforward process to dispatch the remaining opponent. If you are slow about jumping all over one of them and allow the two of them to survive long enough to start ganging up on you, then I can see how you'd have more problems with it.
 
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TANDKO

TANDKO
I think he is talking about mission with 3 fighters and Cobra. I haven't beaten it myself, just tried yesterday and went back to manual. The key there is stealth, and the problem is that even it is the stealth tutorial, it doesn't help at all. Doesn't explain the concept and doesn't tell what to do.
I actually think that no tutorial is better than such tutorial. Without tutorial you dont expect anything just read a manual and watch youtube. But here they make you belive that that there is a tutorial when in fuct it's just not helpful at all, better call it a testdrive area.
 

Jarek Storm

J
The trick is to reprogram the simulation so that you can win.

That's how you get the commendation for original thinking.

I don't believe in a "no win" scenario.

:)
 

TANDKO

TANDKO
Ok. As it appeared it's very easy, don't need to overthink it. Just turn on Silent Running. And start killing fighters quickly. The heat level will rise when it's critical drop a heat sink. Easy:)
 

Draven Darken

Draven Darken
Mystic said:
Oh, sorry. I actually don't even remember that training mission … I guess it didn't make a big impression? I'll take a look at it again tonight to see if I remember what I did.
Click to expand...

I figured out my mistake: I was thinking that all of the tutorials had the name "Training Mission #", when in actuality only the last five have that name. So "Training Mission 3" is what I think of as the 8th out of the 10 tutorials. And now that I've reviewed it, I have to agree with the OP that it makes the Kobayashi Maru test look like a cakewalk - I haven't gotten anywhere near completing that one to date either. (Although I probably was overthinking it as suggested by Tandko.)

My apologies for the confusion.
 

TANDKO

TANDKO
Mystic said:
(Although I probably was overthinking it as suggested by Tandko.)
.
Click to expand...

Actually, no, you wasn't ;) I tried but I couldn't do it twice. Guess I was lucky one time. The key is to finish all of the fighters before depleting all heat sinks. An it's challenging to outmaneuver federal fighters.
 

Arindor

Arindor
Actually, I found that, if you can cope with the outcome after finishing the Kobayashi Maru test (i.e. dying, a lot), then you should find ED a cinch. ;)

The mission tutorial the OP mentioned is quite tough but, after enough practice, you get there eventually. Mind you, it is infuriating to say the least.
 

Starbuckz

Starbuckz
I just did it again and it's a little harder than the rest but definitely not impossible.
As soon as it starts, pull straight up will full power to engines and pick up the cobra first. Do not approach it up front!
Once you are behind it, you have won. Its escort isn't even worth mentioning.
 

Thespen Tombs

Thespen Tombs
Starbuckz said:
I just did it again and it's a little harder than the rest but definitely not impossible.
As soon as it starts, pull straight up will full power to engines and pick up the cobra first. Do not approach it up front!
Once you are behind it, you have won. Its escort isn't even worth mentioning.
Click to expand...

That's the way I did it at first, but having a month till P.B started i did learn to do it in stealth eventually.
.
If it still works
.
I manually turned off the big heat makers (so my vents remain open) which quickly drops you to zero heat. Then I go silent running and turned my engines and guns back on, that allowed me to take the first one out before needing to use a heat sink, the heat sinks you have should be enough to finish off the others.
 
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TANDKO

TANDKO
Well. I found how to beat it repetitively. Turn on Silent Running right away. Look where Cobra is going and go the other direction.
The key to out maneuver Federal Fighters is reverse without it circulation radius of SW it to big and it's too slow. When fighter passes you turn on revers and that's it. Dump heat sinks in a process.
 

Dr. Mabuse

D
TANDKO said:
Well. I found how to beat it repetitively. Turn on Silent Running right away. Look where Cobra is going and go the other direction.
The key to out maneuver Federal Fighters is reverse without it circulation radius of SW it to big and it's too slow. When fighter passes you turn on revers and that's it. Dump heat sinks in a process.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, I haven't mastered shorthan yet. Can you please epand/elaborate for me please?
 

smsKONG

smsKONG
Thespen Tombs said:
That's the way I did it at first, but having a month till P.B started i did learn to do it in stealth eventually.
.
If it still works
.
I manually turned off the big heat makers (so my vents remain open) which quickly drops you to zero heat. Then I go silent running and turned my engines and guns back on, that allowed me to take the first one out before needing to use a heat sink, the heat sinks you have should be enough to finish off the others.
Click to expand...

This - silent running on its own isn't very stealthy due to the heat build up, so you need to shutdown things like shields so you aren't producing the same amount of heat.

It's not too difficult once you get to grips with assist off and can fly around in your deep freeze for much longer periods
 

FromtonRouge

FromtonRouge
TANDKO said:
Well. I found how to beat it repetitively. Turn on Silent Running right away. Look where Cobra is going and go the other direction.
The key to out maneuver Federal Fighters is reverse without it circulation radius of SW it to big and it's too slow. When fighter passes you turn on revers and that's it. Dump heat sinks in a process.
Click to expand...

Yep I confirm that. I tried this technique yesterday and was able to complete the mission 4 times in a row (lost on the 5th attempt). So the main tip is to go immediatly in Silent Running, look at the Cobra and go to the opposite direction.

Looks like the Cobra can target our ship if we are under 2.5 km in Silent Running (and 3.8 km when not)

It's also possible to kill the cobra first but it takes more time.
 
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Dr. Mabuse

D
There still must be something seriously wrong with my simulator. Even if I go silent running, then turn off every system on board, and I mean EVERY system on board, it doesn't even take 30 second before the Cobra finds me, even if I'm lurking behind an asteroid.
 

FromtonRouge

FromtonRouge
Honestly I found this mission a lot harder than before. I don't know if the devs changed something in the heat mechanic and Silent Running but before Gamma this mission was really really..... really easy :(

If you can't complete the mission in SR you can try to kill the Cobra first, just don't let the Cobra to be over 2 km from you : [video=youtube_share;UFSPi-v0pnE]http://youtu.be/UFSPi-v0pnE[/video]
 
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