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So, should I just keep at it or give up?


Devrius

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With no brackets, no PvE to "train" is there any hope of me ever getting good at GSF?

 

I started playing GSF a week ago, checked all the guides, tried different weapons gotten a few ships (the T2 scouts and the mine layer bomber), gotten the right components (that I'm very slowly upgrading) and only missing one optimal crew member per faction... And I've come to a realisation, I'm not even slightly better then I was before.

 

Every death match comes down to how many fully upgraded, fully crewed ships are on each side, how many aces and how fast newbs are spotted and farmed (the average team has 25%+ newbs, many which I see in one match, theyswear never to play GSF and I never see again).

 

Dominion is won in the first 3 minutes by gunship sniping and bombers hugging the one node that is inside a difficult to navigate structure.

 

 

There is literally no way to gain experience in piloting, you either get creamed early and continue to get creamed until the end (by which point the few good pilots on your team have left the match) or you win big and get a few scraps from your team's aces in the form of damage to fleeing ships or kills by the way of missiles to depleted engine enemies.

 

My 1st 20 matches where basically me getting one shot by people in the same ship I was piloting (not even with overcharged, just one shot by lasers), then eventually they had a harder time killing me and I got to kill some of them, was I getting better? Nope, I just had enough gear to look less silly and more importantly in said matches better team mates that watched my six...

 

 

I have 115 matches played, will things ever get better or did I miss the boat with GSF? because I'm getting the feeling that unless you started playing since Beta, GSF is a closed community with no way to join in the fun.

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With no brackets, no PvE to "train" is there any hope of me ever getting good at GSF?

It's hard, certainly. I think, if you're willing to group up with some of the better pilots you could find yourself doing well supporting them and learning from them. Having a few skilled players on your team would also give you more support and opportunities to learn (since you'll be dying less), especially if you ask questions in a voice server like Mumble, Teamspeak or Ventrilo. In my guide I listed some helper pilots out (biggest thanks to Animal-mutha for coming up with the initial list) on each server and some other resources that might help you further.

 

Every death match comes down to how many fully upgraded, fully crewed ships are on each side, how many aces and how fast newbs are spotted and farmed (the average team has 25%+ newbs, many which I see in one match, theyswear never to play GSF and I never see again).

Which is why I tried to make a guide to help newer/intermediate players or those with the drive to just keep at it and take the punches. Many games I forego the newbie farming and chase after veterans, I think it's generally a more fun experience (I'm not really a fan of 'farm' games like Diablo). I like having a larger community with a wider variance of player skill and personalities. I'm sure many others are willing to help out to get more players involved in GSF (can you really say that about many of the ground PvP communities?). It is definitely a team game.

 

There is literally no way to gain experience in piloting, you either get creamed early and continue to get creamed until the end (by which point the few good pilots on your team have left the match) or you win big and get a few scraps from your team's aces in the form of damage to fleeing ships or kills by the way of missiles to depleted engine enemies.

I actually think having a veteran flying your wing would help you more than you might think. It's easier for them to see where you're making mistakes or what you should focus on if they're playing with and talking to you instead of just ramming missiles and lasers down your throat. I've met plenty of players who started recently and are definitely skilled veterans by now. I guess it really depends on how far you're willing to go (and/or suffer?) to improve your gameplay.

Edited by TrinityLyre
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If you've played over 100 matches, you should have noticed yourself getting better. I believe most people notice drastic improvements over their first 100 matches.

 

I would say that you probably are getting better, you just don't realize it.

 

Keep at it -- and remember it's not about winning or losing -- just try to have fun with it. And pay no attention to the starfighter 'records' that Bioware added....absolutely nobody who understands the game cares about how many games you've won/lost, or what your damage ratio is.

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Last match (which we lost) I went 1/7/3 20 440 damage, which now that I think about it is way up from when I started (something like 0/6/5 2 000 damage). I think it just feels like I haven't improved because even when I play decent enough I'm still getting shot down by far superior pilots (there are quite a few I can literally never shake if they are on my six).

 

I think I'll just keep at it, I have read your guide over and over, pretty sure I would have given up after the second day if I hadn't looked up your builds and components.

 

One thing though "Retro Thrusters" is definitely not new player friendly, it's by far the worse engine to have for a new players XD

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If you are averaging less than a thousand damage, something is very wrong. You are presumably not aiming at the target.

 

 

Ask yourself:

 

"Am I flying in a straight line in an area where enemies could target me?"

"Is the enemy taking damage from my shots? Is he in range or out of range? Can I adjust to make the shots hit?"

"Am I making sure to "target enemy under cursor" and then firing at his advance reticule"

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Last match (which we lost) I went 1/7/3 20 440 damage, which now that I think about it is way up from when I started (something like 0/6/5 2 000 damage). I think it just feels like I haven't improved because even when I play decent enough I'm still getting shot down by far superior pilots (there are quite a few I can literally never shake if they are on my six).

You won't be better than every pilot after 100 games. Some veterans have played thousands of games so it's an unfair expectation to think you'll be able to defeat them when they've had so much practice. It is, however, reasonable to try surviving against a veteran's attacks and using that as a way to improve your play. Good pilots don't let enemies get easy kills often. Maybe ask those superior pilots you're fighting what you can do to shake them or what you're not doing that makes you such an easy kill for them?

 

 

One thing though "Retro Thrusters" is definitely not new player friendly, it's by far the worse engine to have for a new players XD

For sure, I didn't list it thinking it would be a great choice for newbies. Some of the guide definitely makes assumptions about having played a bit and thus not really being a true "newbie." Retro Thrusters definitely take practice (it took me a long while to get used to it) but they have a huge payoff in that you can do quite a few things with it that give you the upper hand and that other engines don't allow you to do.

Edited by TrinityLyre
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Don't be stupid and you will do just fine. We can't all be Scrab :)

 

Play smart, play for objectives. That is priority. We all sucked after 100 matches. Hell, I tought I'll never hit anything other then with my GS (ok, some are great at start, but ignore that), I was terrible on scouts and strikers, now it doesn't matter, I'll top the damage charts in every ship (unless Scrab is playing with/against me, he is just too good :D ). You will get better.

 

Just, please, don't be one of this guys. Knoy your limits. Stick to players you noticed as good, and help them taking stuff down, guard satelites, if you are scout push GS away etc etc etc. You don't need to be Maverick ;)

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Keep at it, I started in December and have gotten much better since the early days. Part of the issue is gearing up, and the other part of the issue is knowing how to play to the strengths of your ship / build.

 

This is still a learning process for me even at this point, just recently got the strike fighter down pat, used to hate it now im able to engage / kill / evade and most importantly deal with the minefields I cant in my scout. Many of the things you learn are not obvious and cannot be taught (quickly at least)

 

These are things you need to find out by playing lots of matches, being in different situations etc.

 

The biggest single difference anything made for my playstyle was finding a group of friends. At first they helped to clean up the battlefield so I could survive long enough to learn how to fight. After that it was watching them and learning the various techniques. Asking questions as stupid as it sounds was a huge difference maker as well.

 

The biggest mistake people make is not trying to find a group of veterans to fly with. These people can make you a better pilot through advice and example. That being said we need more pilots not less =) so keep at it and before long you will be owning the starways =)

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Keep at it. It sounds like you're flying a rough server, but everyone has the potential to be a good pilot.

 

I think what could help you is picking what time you play. Playing prime time is probably going to run you up against some nasty ace pilots...however, playing way late, or way early could even the playing field, allowing you to get more requisition more easily. Be the big fish in the small pond first, then try to knock those aces' teeth out.

 

Or, yes, talk to the pilots whose skills you respect! Ask them for pointers, ship builds, or even to fly on their wing. Really decent aces, like the folks you find on Ebon Hawk, will gladly share their knowledge and time with you.

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Don't lose heart. I sucked in my first 50 games or so. Then I started to learn tactics, got points to upgrade my ships and crew. Now after 700+ matches, I am decent player and help my team. Remember the game is not for the personal glory - it is teamwork. So, if I don't get highest kills, that does not mean I did bad as long as my team won.

 

Be patient and don't be discouraged by losses.

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Keep hammering out the dailies.

 

If you are having a rough time sometimes just getting in two matches can be a blessing instead of a curse. Coming in fresh everyday can help with the burnout and prevent "I quit" frustration from building up.

 

After you start putting some good matches together and feel a bit more confident then chain-queing might be something you'll want to do again in the future.

Edited by MaybeEvil
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So I've been playing GSF since I first started this thread, I finished getting my republic crew and found out a few of the big flaws in my play style.

 

Turn out all I really needed was to follow a simple advice:

 

A good player told me to stop chasing and drag enemies back to other ships and then defend our gunships from other scouts/fighters.

 

I also upgraded my engines enough to get the cool down reduction, as it turns out 5 seconds *is* the difference between life and death.

 

I actually got the 30k damage and 4 to 1 kill ratio achievement :)

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So I've been playing GSF since I first started this thread, I finished getting my republic crew and found out a few of the big flaws in my play style.

 

Turn out all I really needed was to follow a simple advice:

 

A good player told me to stop chasing and drag enemies back to other ships and then defend our gunships from other scouts/fighters.

 

I also upgraded my engines enough to get the cool down reduction, as it turns out 5 seconds *is* the difference between life and death.

 

I actually got the 30k damage and 4 to 1 kill ratio achievement :)

 

Yeah, choosing a few of the better components and even investing in just the first tier or two of them makes a big difference. I have a few main pilots, but when I play other alts, just having the engine breaker CD down and costing less engine power helps a lot, as does a lower missile lock time. I actually boost those sooner than the lasers. There are some edge cases where better lasers will help you take out something, but not as much as the others. And really, I still find myself wishing for the fifth tier on all of them (even after I get through the first 3-4).

 

And a little experience helps a lot. Glad you stuck with it. :)

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Last match (which we lost) I went 1/7/3 20 440 damage, which now that I think about it is way up from when I started (something like 0/6/5 2 000 damage). I think it just feels like I haven't improved because even when I play decent enough I'm still getting shot down by far superior pilots (there are quite a few I can literally never shake if they are on my six).

 

I think I'll just keep at it, I have read your guide over and over, pretty sure I would have given up after the second day if I hadn't looked up your builds and components.

 

One thing though "Retro Thrusters" is definitely not new player friendly, it's by far the worse engine to have for a new players XD

 

 

Yeah man just keep at it. I agree with the general sentiment of having 100 matches under your belt, especially these days. The few of us who who started in December were all learning together so that 100 match number is probably too high for us, but I suspect it's none too far from accurate these days.

 

You speak of how you feel the aces target the novices and farm them. I'm not sure this is true, however if you still believe it. Craft a strategy of making yourself a long drawn out chase, they would rather find an easier target that takes less time to kill to inflate their score. Stay low in Mesas and use the half built ships that are everywhere as a cover maze. Most players will break off rather then chase you around all day.

 

Retro Thrusters are an insanely powerful tool for a dog fighter, and there isn't a ship I haven't put them on given the option. Yes they do require significant situation awareness. Personally I think the best all around Engine is Korigan Turn, it's the safest to use, it has more opportunity to use then Barrel roll, and it repositions you in combat better then Barrel Roll. Barrel Roll Is the best option for players who use an Escape based play style, or feel they need a gap closer though Barrel Roll is hands down the best Missile Beak.

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...Barrel Roll is hands down the best Missile Beak.

 

That's a funny way of spelling Distortion Field. Or, if we're talking strictly about engine components, that's a funny claim to make, since each missile break (except power dive and maybe snap turn) brings its own swiss army knife to the table.

 

Retro is definitely my favorite, though it definitely takes practice to use. I try to avoid Kuat B and Shipyards C because they're just not conducive to successful retros. One of my favorite tactics, and one I think beginners can learn easily, is to boost forward before using retro. Once you get the hang of that, you'll naturally start thinking about where you were a second ago and what's behind you right now, which are the two keys to using retro proficiently.

Edited by Armonddd
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Enjoy it!

-Every match has it's challenges. The fundamental thing is that it's supposed to be a team effort. Goalkeepers rarely score goals in soccer, but they're essential to a team nonetheless. - So geting more kills than deaths is a start, assist a few kills, even with a shot or two or missile away. It really isn't about chasing kills all the time. - Also hunt down ships close to death, who've blown their cooldowns tussling with your team-mates.

 

- In domination, try simply defending the sats, or mine-laying or peeling off defenders, or knocking off the sentry turrets. - In Death-match, try for the power-ups, defend other ships, stick close to your team-mates or harass the enemy. - every win or loss gains rep. Remember the dailies and the weeklies. Your ships will improve at a steady rate. - There are always going to be Aces, and you may never top the table, but the contribution is the key factor- and having a blast as well.

 

For the record, I usually only score a mid-table position, but If I help the team instead of hinder, I'm doing a good job.

 

- Also try an RP server, there are aces there too, but there seem to be more casual players who just like to blast around the space-ways, and aren't so bothered about being the best of the best!

 

Stick with it, your ships will be mastered eventually, & there's no prizes for getting there first!

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As far as engines go I use Barrel Roll or Koiogram Turn, Barrel on the Imp side Koiogram on Pub side, to feel which is better to my play style so far they both do the job well.

 

Barrel I use to get back in formation in a hurry to bring anyone following me to the group and Koiogram to turn retaliate and start a turning war.

 

That's for my scouts, Barrel Roll on all Gunships and Strike Fighters.

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As far as engines go I use Barrel Roll or Koiogram Turn, Barrel on the Imp side Koiogram on Pub side, to feel which is better to my play style so far they both do the job well.

 

Barrel I use to get back in formation in a hurry to bring anyone following me to the group and Koiogram to turn retaliate and start a turning war.

 

That's for my scouts, Barrel Roll on all Gunships and Strike Fighters.

 

That's a good plan, but I would really really recommend putting retro on someone just so you can get a feel for it. I feel like it combines well with clusters, though it can also do good stuff with concs.

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That's a good plan, but I would really really recommend putting retro on someone just so you can get a feel for it. I feel like it combines well with clusters, though it can also do good stuff with concs.

 

Oh I have it on a couple scouts, the problem is that my situational awareness is not up to spec, meaning I often end up with someone on my six and Retro doesn't help me out much then.

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Oh I have it on a couple scouts, the problem is that my situational awareness is not up to spec, meaning I often end up with someone on my six and Retro doesn't help me out much then.

 

That's legit. Practice will make perfect. In that case, some pointers for when you're more comfortable with it:

 

If you're in the open, retro will often put you behind the guy on your tail (assuming you don't smash your rear into an asteroid or some such). You can game this a bit by pressing S or X (to reduce or kill your speed, respectively) before hitting retro. Other people have told me you can do it after hitting retro as well, but that's just not a habit I got into. (I should probably practice it.)

 

In a head to head, retro gives you an enormous missile advantage. Not only do you break their lock, but you can usually finish your own as well. If you're quick, you can also use this time to land some laser shots -- I find burst and heavy cannons are best here (burst will do big damage while giving you time to aim, while heavies always do big damage when you can reduce the tracking penalty, and can be upgraded for shield piercing, hull damage, and armor penetration -- a very potent combination).

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1. Don't beat yourself up

2.Remember it's a team game not a solo game.

 

You can improve immensely and it still won't help. Right now you are likely on a server where your side, is likely facing enemies in fully upgraded ships, using voice chat to coordinate vs your group of pugs. What this means is you are basically screwed, if you were looking for something you could drop in queue and play.

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You can improve immensely and it still won't help. Right now you are likely on a server where your side, is likely facing enemies in fully upgraded ships, using voice chat to coordinate vs your group of pugs. What this means is you are basically screwed, if you were looking for something you could drop in queue and play.

 

That's a really pessimistic attitude that's completely unrealistic.

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People on my server were talking about the vast gap between a green player and someone whose played since December and has a fully maxed out ship. One suggestion I liked was a shield and armor strength buff for players till they have 20 or so games in their legacy. It would prevent gunships 1 shooting someone when they are just starting out and actually allow people to learn how to fly.

 

Personally if I see a player really struggle in multiple games, I will whisper to offer advice or to let them know they will improve if they keep queing (please do not be a jerk and yell at the new people.). As I try to convert more and more of my guildies and friends from warzones to gsf, it has become very clear the tutorial does a very poor job explaining many aspects of the game. People are many times clueless about F1-F4 and how exactly secondary weapons and targeting works.

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That's a really pessimistic attitude that's completely unrealistic.

 

Right now on the server I play on I can tell you how a match is going to go 80%+ of the time before it even starts by just looking over the people in the teams. The team synergy is just that intense in this game and the difficulties in even explaining why particular objectives are important just makes it worse when teams aren't on a voice comm channel.

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