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Mertens
rank 14
Posted:
Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:01 am
quote : #1
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Posts: 236
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Ok, so maybe you remember when over a year year ago I asked if anyone would like a guide on the ships from starlancer (I made this topic because I can't bump up the other one). I promised I would write something, and I think within a month I had written up strategies for five of the ships. Well since then, I haven't really done anything about it, until now.

Now the guide isn't really complete, but I think it's as complete as it needs to be. I only wrote up strategies for the 6 most powerful ships, because frankly, nobody uses the other 6 ships, and with good reason. They aren't very good in comparison.

So, with the help of Dreamcast ™'s ship data guide, I was able to finish up some loose ends on the six ships I do have strategies for. Dreamcast ™'s guide has loads of data on ship capabilities and attributes, and the guide I have written puts that data into some useful strategies. Some of what I say may be vague or contradict what is shown in the numbers, but it comes from experience which I think will be useful.

If you want to add anything to it, please post your comments and suggestions. I will only claim to be an expert on the Shroud and Tempest, and my experience with the other ships is limitted.

Well, here it is:


TEMPEST

Strengths: Strong combination of shields and armor. Individual gun energy depletes at a good pace. Guns do a good amount of damage.

Average Attributes: Speed and maneuverability.

Weaknesses: Not a lot of afterburner fuel. Firing all the guns depletes the gun energy quickly.

Special Abilities: Reverse Thrust, Spectral Shields

Strategies: Set the guns to fire only the Tachyon Cannon. Get close to an opponent before opening fire to do a lot of damage and hopefully catch your opponent by surprise. When chasing an opponent down whose armor has been damaged, switch the guns to the Pulse Turret.

Turn on the Spectral Shields BEFORE the regular shields take damage for them to work. Spectral Shields are great for ramming, as the Tempest will be practically invincible for a few seconds. Keep an eye on the Spectral Shields meter. It will replenish slowly, but is NOT reset after each death.

The Tempest isn’t very fast, so don’t go chasing down an enemy unless you are on the verge of destroying them. You will only deplete your afterburner fuel and gun energy if you can’t catch them.



PATRIOT

Strengths: Both weapons are powerful and practical to use. Powerful shields and strong armor. Takes a licking, and keeps on ticking.

Average Attributes: Speed. Afterburner fuel capacity. Single-gun energy depletion.

Weaknesses: Not very maneuverable. No Reverse Thrust. Full-gun energy depletes too quickly to be effective.

Special Ability: Spectral Shields

Strategies: When you know for sure you have a direct line of fire, switch to full guns and unload. Switch back to one of the single guns when your opponent tries to run and take him out.

The Patriot can take a lot of damage before being destroyed, so don’t panic if somebody catches you off guard or gets in a lucky shot. Line up and make them wish they hadn’t been born.

The major problem with the Patriot is that it turns as slow as other large ships like the Tempest and Wolverine, but it has no reverse thrust. The Patriot can be easily outmaneuvered, so if you feel yourself being out-turned, just break off completely and maybe fly towards a power up or an area that would limit the maneuverability of all ships in the area to help level the playing field. The Patriot can be great for ramming, if you can jockey into a straight line-of-fire. If someone is chasing you, hit the afterburners to get some distance from your opponent and get him to chase you. You will need to be farther away than if you were in a ship with reverse thrust when you make the 180º turn to face your opponent. This is the most difficult part because the patriot turns slowly. During the turn, flip on Spectral Shields. When you are lined up, unload your weapons, hit the afterburner and keep going incase you need to make another 180º turn to finish him off.

Turn on the Spectral Shields BEFORE the regular shields take damage for them to work. Spectral Shields are great for ramming, as the Patriot will be practically invincible for a few seconds. Keep an eye on the Spectral Shields meter. It will replenish slowly, but is NOT reset after each death.



WOLVERINE

Strengths: Very powerful combination of shields and armor. Three different guns shooting out of five barrels. Only one of those five barrels requires gun energy. The Collapser Cannons are uber-deadly.

Average Attributes: Top speed and afterburner fuel capacity. Shield recharge.

Weaknesses: Turns like a pig when not using reverse thrust. It’s a big target, especially for missiles.

Special Abilities: Reverse Thrust, ECM

Strategies: The Wolverine is a close-quarters killing machine. Try not to chase down faster ships because it will just waste afterburner fuel that you will need to use reverse thrust.

You will want to use the Collapser Cannons most of the time because they do not require gun energy, can be fired continuously about four minutes, and will be recharged after each death anyway.

Try to catch opponents off-guard because by the time they realize they are being shot, most of the ammo needed to destroy them is already on the way.

Even though the wolverine is slow, it’s still great for ramming because it’s a big lumbering hulk. Your shields and armor will protect you most of the time, but your opponent won’t be so lucky. It’s like watching a train plow through a car.

Reverse thrust makes this ship much more maneuverable than it would be without it. If you feel yourself being out-turned, hit the reverse thrusters, line up, let unload your guns, and follow through with a kiss on the cheek, even if it’s the kiss of death.



REAPER

Strengths: Excellent combination of shields and armor. Vulcan Battery has virtually unlimited ammo.

Average Attributes: Strength of weapons. Afterburner fuel. Gun recharge time.

Weaknesses: Not very fast or agile. The Gattling Lasers run out of energy pretty fast.

Special Abilities: Reverse Thrust, Spectral Shields

Strategies: The Gattling Lasers fire very fast, but they drain the energy a lot considering it is the only gun that takes up energy. They do moderate damage, but it is unlikely you will be able to destroy an opponent with 100% shields and armor before your energy runs out. Try sneaking up on a distracted enemy with the Vulcan Battery. It will do a lot of damage and won’t use up any gun energy, so just hold down that fire button. If you end up chasing the enemy down, switch to the Gattling Lasers to finish them off.

The Reaper is not good for ramming. Even though it has great shields and armor, it just can’t accelerate to a high speed fast enough to be very effective.

The Reaper isn’t very fast, so don’t go chasing down an enemy unless you are on the verge of destroying them. You will only deplete your afterburner fuel and gun energy if you can’t catch them.

The excellent shields and armor mean you can stay in fights long and take a beating, so don’t go running away too quickly. Utilize reverse thrust to keep enemies in your line of fire while you maneuver.

Turn on the Spectral Shields BEFORE the regular shields take damage for them to work. Keep an eye on the Spectral Shields meter. It will replenish slowly, but is NOT reset after each death.

The Vulcan Battery can fire for eight continuous minutes before running out of ammo, so don’t be stingy. It is also replenished after each death, making the amount of ammo virtually unlimited.



PHOENIX

Strengths: Fast and maneuverable. Lots of afterburner fuel.

Average Attributes: Shields and armor. Individual gun energy depletion.

Weaknesses: Guns do not cause a lot of damage. Firing all the guns depletes the energy too fast to be effective.

Special Abilities: Reverse Thrust, Nova Cannon

Strategies: The Gattling Lasers fire faster, use less energy, and do more damage to shields, but the Pulse Cannons do more damage to armor. Try to remember to switch the guns at the ideal times, but if you can’t, stick with the Gattling Lasers.

Use the speed and maneuverability to your advantage to catch people by surprise and get to powerups.

The Phoenix’s weapons do not cause enough damage to get in a slugging match. Try to get the best line-of-fire possible to be sure you get consecutive hits. Use the reverse thrusters to jockey into a good position and then close the gap with the Phoenix’s incredible speed and acceleration.

The speed and acceleration of the Phoenix are good for ramming, but the shields are just average, so choose your moments wisely. You may end up going with your opponent at times you don’t want to if you try to ram with weakened shields.

The Nova Cannon makes a pretty light-show, but that’s about it. At best will remove the shields of your target, but then you won’t have any gun energy to shoot them with.



SHROUD

Strengths: Fastest ship in the game. Very maneuverable. Powerful shields. Gun energy depletes very slowly. Lots of afterburner fuel. Looks sleek and sexy.

Average Attributes: Gun energy recharge time.

Weaknesses: Weapons fire slowly and cause only moderate damage at best. Armor is weak once shields are gone. The cloaking system has been removed.

Special Ability: Reverse Thrust

Strategies: Utilize the Shroud’s speed and maneuverability. The Shroud is the fastest ship, which means it can get to powerups faster and more-often.

Try not to get in a slugging match because the weapons fire slowly, and the shields won’t last forever. Try jockeying out of your opponent’s line of fire with the reverse thrusters and then move to get him into your line of fire.

No shame in running to let the shields replenish. Nobody will catch you.

Lastly, since the Shroud has such powerful shields, follow my motto, “When in doubt, ram the bastard out – out of your sky that is.” Physics is your friend in a Shroud. Force = mass x acceleration, and you’ve got the fastest ship in the game that reaches top speed almost instantaneously.

Last edited by Mertens on Sat Jan 27, 2007 1:52 am; edited 1 time in total
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Dreamcast â„¢
rank 39
Posted:
Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:38 am
quote : #2
profile : pm
Posts: 923
Type: NTSC-U/C
Excellent work, Mertens. Smile The individual explanations should help a lot of people out. The guide by itself is just a lot of numbers, but this way people get an indepth perspective from what to expect once you're in the ship (ie: handling).
 
nintendo_DS
rank 21
Posted:
Mon Sep 25, 2006 7:08 am
quote : #3
profile : pm
Posts: 422
Type: NTSC-U/C
yeah, great job dude, here's to hoping you get online sometime to show us what you can do on these ships
  _________________
...look around and ask yourself if there's anyone better qualified...at that point in time. If...'yes,' ask them to accept command, and do everything you can... If...'no,' ...then take your best shot. That's all any of us can do.
Mertens
rank 14
Posted:
Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:22 pm
quote : #4
profile : pm
Posts: 236
Type: NTSC-U/C
I wish I could think of something to write for the other ships, but it's hard because compared to ships like the Wolverine or Patriot, everything is a weakness. Maybe down the road I'll think of something, but I would have to play with them in a battle first. It's the best way to come up with the successful tips and strategies.
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