Fighter strat
From SobanWiki
Contents |
Homeworld Fighter/Scout Strategy
I figured we definitely need a topic on scouts. Just scouts. They are the fastest, most agile, expansive, universal, widely used, flexible unit in the game.
Some battles are won and lost with the use of this unit. And in many games i have noticed a frightful lack of skill in using scouts.
Fact: Scouts are NOT a build 80 and group attack another group of scouts unit. No unit is like that.
Fact: Contrary to popular belief, anyone skilled with scouts will do more then bandbox yours.
Scout Tactics
F2 zzz
When in a scout battle automatically set them to F2 zzzz. This will make them very hard to hit. I had games where it was 2v3 scouts and my ally dies to leave my scouts alone in a 3v1. Because i am F2 zzz and if you are lucky they aren’t good with scouts. Your scouts will survive until help comes along. A very good stall tactic to work against a swarm.
How To Use
Press F2 and keep hitting Z, watch for fuel.
Why?
Have you ever had a players scouts who just were just a pain in the butt because they wouldn’t die? Now you know why.
Verses Vetts
Often you will come into a battle where enemy vetts are pinned against your scouts. This only makes things slightly complicated. I often found the best combination if your vetts attack there scouts and your scouts attack there vetts. Unless it is a wall supported by frigs. Then kill the scouts first and then the vetts unless your vetts will suffer heavy losses.
How To Use
Set the scouts to F4 and focus on one or two of the vetts. When they are flying past the enemy vetts select F10 and allow them just enough time to get into formation. Then hit F2 and zzz them out of danger before they get targeted. If your enemy is dumb, ball the hell out of his vetts. But if he is attacking your scouts F2 zzz them after every attack. and F4 z F10 them coming in for the attack. If possible have the scouts attack vetts in a wall. This concentrates the greatest amount of fire but this makes the scouts 100 times more susceptible to getting torn apart.
Why?
Scouts are a killer to unsupported vetts. Especially when F2 zzz. Vetts have a great trouble hitting scouts but scouts hit vetts with much greater accuracy then they hit scouts.
F4 (Agressive) Wall by Fiirkan|SF
Scout walls that are used to concentrate maximum firepower few targets eliminating enemy numbers quickly and effectively
How To Use
Take your scouts, put them into a wall (F9) and then put them into evasive (F2). When the enemy comes, let them fly past your scouts once, and as they come by, hit F4 and target the nearest micro formation with your scouts. Kill two at a time, so if its a Delta3, take out two and then kill the other. Lather, rinse and repeat. All this time, spam ZZZ so they turn around very fast. If you ever find your scouts flying out into the wrong direction instead of killing dudes, hit ~ to make them stop and then retarget quickly and spam ZZZZ some more.
The ~ key allows your scouts to make those incredibly sharp turns that many would think is an exploit, but its not really... It may be a physics engine exploit (suddenly stopping all their momentum) but its not an exploit in the sense of formations... By spamming z you also allow your scouts more acceleration coming out of their dead stops (don’t make them stop for too long or you'll be dead!).
Just don’t let the enemy get behind your wall, if that happens, hit F2 and get outta there.
Why?
This tactic works best when your enemy is using micro formations (delta 3's, wall 4's, claw 5's etc.) and requires the micromanaging skill of a master, but done properly its great. Essentially you can do this with up to about 20 scouts, down to about 8, any more and it gets too un-maneuverable, any fewer it just doesn’t pack enough punch.
Albino: Warning Exploit
A powerful scout exploit most of you know, but since many scout key mashing can be built off of this it is important you know. I believe they were called wolf scouts because of the way they behaved hunting in packs.
How To Use
The basic command for this is F4 zzz F10 z F9 z F10 z F9.
Why?
Devastates scouts coming in packs. Especially on an opening attack when the enemy draws near hit the keys and repeat. The scouts will dance in a wall. They will be extremely hard to hit and will slow greatly down firing with great accuracy. They sometimes hit a clump where they will continue to rotate and turn and could possibly destroy an entire swarm in seconds. Basically its very obvious. If you see very fast scouts moving in a tight wall and dancing killing everything in sight, then yea you’re looking at Albino Scouts.
BBall
Basically its a glitch where the scouts constantly fire a steady stream of mental death upon an enemy of choice, or you can let the bball choose who dies first.
How To Use
Simple, select one scout and have the other scouts or fighters guard it in F4 F10 formation. An aggressive sphere. Upon reaching an enemy the bball should fire constantly on a target. It it fails to, select the scouts in the ball, excluding the center scout and target a ship for a second then quickly reguard the center scout. If it still fails to fire move it closer to the target and select the balled scouts F4 F10 them again, retarget the ship and then reguard the center scout.
Why?
Constant stream of death doesn’t sound appealing? Good verses Cap Ships.
Tip
Take a few times to practice this technique so you can do it quickly. Sometimes a player prefers to keep the center scout stationary at one point in space. Others like to have the center scout make its usual target runs. I on the other hand prefer to F4 F10 all the scouts and select a target. Then when the ball is blooming i deselect 2 or 3 scouts with the shift key and have the selected scouts guard one unselected scout. This will make for a stationary bball at too great a distance to scuttle on.
That’s it for now. But add some of you own scout tactics, as I can incorporate them.
