Dark Orbit 101: Hunting

June 28, 2009 at 5:28 am (Dark Orbit 101 Series)

By ScsiDog

Aliens are fine and dandy to kill, can spend all day long just racking up the credits popping BKs.  But the real rush of Dark Orbit is hunting other players, especially, hunting down and destroying full elite goli’s.   Hunting real people is a very different beast from killing aliens.  Below are some guidelines, strategies, and tips to help you achieve success in hunting. 

Before popping FE know the three rules:
1) Always have an escape route, unless you are in PVP
2) Prome/xeno are your pals
3) Run if you must, dont give the other guy the kill

Have an escape route. Almost no one thinks of escaping before they engage the enemy however, if your target is tougher than you thought or their friends show up you need a plan ‘B’. This means that you need to hunt close enough to your escape portal to be able to escape, but not so close that the target can escape!

Prome/xeno are your pals. Sure you put prome on your engines and maybe even your rockets, but the big players prome their lasers as well. This is one of the big differences between FE golis. Getting prome can be expensive. You must have xenomit to get prome, and there are four ways to get zeno:

1) Buy xeno with uri (yech) or with credits in the trade auction.
2) Get xeno from boxes (takes forever and only available during special events)
3) Get xeno from killing aliens.  If you cube and are the first on the prize box you will get over 130 xeno (worth 1300 uri) this is the fastest, cheapest way to get xeno.
4) Use the Galaxy Gate generator.  This is usually the fastest way, plus it helps you build gates and get other ammo and goodies, but is random and does cost uri.  Read the Dark Orbit 101: Galaxy Gates article for more information.

Run if you must.  When hunting other players you have 2 jobs 1) pop them and 2) do not get popped. There is no shame in running so that you can live to fight another day. But to do this effectively you must use rule 1!!

Hunting Strategies

When not in PVP maps there are two primary hunting models, Pack and Lone wolf.

Pack hunting is the easiest. The three pack hunting models are: dogpile, trap, and support.

The dogpile model is where all group members travel to enemy territory unhidden and attack any targets of opportunity. The problem is that there is no way to regulate the distribution of kills, wihich can be unfair to some members.  Plus, it can be difficult to get help if you are outgunned because everyone is spread out. 

The trap model is where a single member finds a target while the rest of the group stays hidden (either cloaked or in a location with lots of NPC masking their mini map signiture). The designated trapper (usually a Vengi) finds a target, initiates the kill process and drags the target to the group which finishes the kill. This is repeated with all group members having a chance to get the kill.  The trap model can be great fun, especially for the bait! 

The support model also has a single (or small number) pact member(s) locate a target and initiate the kill. The pact member completes the kill unassisted unless the target obtains assistance from their team mate or the target is more powerful then expected. If the target gets help or is too powerful then the group unmasks and engages the opposing team. This is repeated giving equal pack member an equal number of kill opportunities.

There are, of course, a variety of other pack-hunting techniques, but they all tend to be a variation of the above.

Lone Wolf killing has two basic models: fast attack and ambush. The fast attack model has the lone wolf quickly traversing the hunting map using hearing and sight to find targets. The trick is to quickly engage the target before they can get away. The ambush model is much easier. The lone wolf is cloaked and traverses the hunting map looking for targets. There is usually plenty of time to select the perfect target (important for quests), select the correct attack mode, line up a good escape route, and get the correct timing (it is easier to attack a target that has been weakend by an NPC).

Battling an equal. Unless your opponent has a hacked ship, all ships of the same type have the same capability. The secret is to use more advantages then the person you are battling. The options are: a)prome lasers, b) prome rockets, c) insti-shields, d) smart bombs,e) rapid fire rockets, f) rapid cool-down, g) duel mode, h)targeting, i)absorb, and j)auto-rocket

The use of prome was covered in lesson I. Insti-shields are expensive so they tend to be last minute use items. However, if both combatants are using the same ammo and better ammo cannot be used, the early use of insti-shields can yield great results. The insti-shields gives 3 secs of protection, this means 3 laser shots and 1 rocket shot (if rapid fire is used) with an FE goli this means 4.8 x 1.3 (prome premium) x 3 (if greens are used) x 3 (number of shots) + 4 (4k rocket) x 1.3 (prome premium) = 61.36k maximum “free” hit points on your peer. So this should be used with the hardest hitting mode. Smart bombs are close range weapons, they are easy to dodge as there is a lag between when it is set off and when it starts producing results. This means you should be right on top of your opponent prior to use. If you haven’t already done so, get a Premium account, amongst many other benefits, Premium members’ rate of rocket fire is twice as fast. Use both ship configs (typically battle/tank and speed configs). Use the battle config first as you want to weaken the opponent ASAP. Although very expensive the use of the targeting computer give about a 10% additional gain on average. In a battle of equals this is meaningful. The 5x or absorb laser shot only exchanges your shields, this means that if your opponent has no shields nothing will occur from the 5x shot. This is also true if you have full shields nothing will happen…

Prepare! I have seen people get excited and rush off ill prepared. Before going off to hunt prepare youself and your ship. The first act of preparation is to determine if you are going to hunt in the uppers or lowers, are you going to be in the battle maps or the normal maps. If you are not going to fight in the battle maps or the uppers then use a jump chip to get to the lowers safely. Make sure to have everything needed for the type of battling you are going to do. Do you have enough prome? Has it been placed on engines, rockets, and lasers? Do you have the correct number of cloaks, enough elite ammo? Do you need insti-shields or smart-bombs? Do you have your escape plan ready? Are BOTH configs repped? Only after you are COMPLETELY ready should you put your ship in harms way.

Finally, the most important rule of all: HAVE FUN!