What I was referring to was the ability to fire three weapons simotaneously. There's really not point to the Nova Cannon in the game. I fly the Pheonix constantly in our LAN Matches and have used the Nova Cannon exactly once, the first time ever, attempting to destroy a Kurgen. When it didn't die I throw the Nova Cannon out and forgot about it.

While I do agree with you that the Pheonix suffers from a lack of missile hardpoints, the closests alternative is the Reaper fighter. I prefer ships that deliver alot of damage in one lethal Salvo. Early game its the grendal, later it's the Reaper, and finally when I unlock it, it's the Pheonix. So when you consider that, and looking at late game fighters you have a choice between the Reaper and Pheonix.

(NOTE: Regarding the Wolverine: the ship is referred to as a flying tank and this is no joke. It unloads alot of damage, and has good guns and hard points, but the thing handles like a cemet truck that's been left to sit over night. Try taking this on a turret killing mission sometime. You'll survive, barely, but it really won't be pretty.)

This leaves you with a choice. You can select manuverability, and fly the Pheonix but have less missiles, or stick with the Reaper and have the extra payload but fly like a sloth. This is a conversation I have alot with my team, because I prefer more manuverable ships, but some of them just handle to fast for people on my team to handle, so they stick with the Reaper to have the added manuverability.

Now that being said...some people treat missiles like they're water. You'll get a full load next round anyway, right? Not me. I fire every missile like it's my last missile. Frequently I will get to the end of missions I've flown several times before and can predict knowingly with half or more of my missiles left

So on the subject of Missiles...Solomons. All the way. Why? Because if you're close enough to your target to hit it with lasers your close enough to hit it with Solomons. And, as opposed to Hawks Raptors Bandits and Jackhammers, there's no lock time, and waiting around to see if it hits. Fire three solomons and pick another target, cause that ones dead.

However, there are a few places I do use Jackhammers adn Bandits. First, there are several missions where Jackhammers are necessary for a number of plot specific reasons. Shooting hatches and mine shafts and the like. Also, Jackhammers are a good solid way to kill a Kurgen in one pass. Everytime.

There's a mission towards the latter half of the game that involves blowing up a station with a big radar array thingy on it. You all know the one I'm talking about. At the first nav or so there's a pair of fighters who run from you. Burn them down with bandits - this is a perfect example of why you play Multiplayer. Two bandits. Two targets. Two buddies. And then Jackhammer the kurgens and this nav is mostly dead.

"But I need the Jackhammers later!" you want to whine. Well shut up - because a Nanny ship rearms you at the next Nav.

Speed is important in this game, when bombers or transports are under attack. You can't waste time waiting for a missile to lock. That's why I use solomons over hawks or raptors. And Solomons...I've seen those things take out a whole incoming wing before it gets in range. Eight fighters gone, just like that.

And when solomons aren't an option...Screamers. 20 missiles of their damage. Just make sure you're close. Also handy for Capital ships. About the only thing handy for capital ships, really. But that's just my two cents worth and everything I have to say is biased towards multiplayer play anyway.

In LAN matches *everybody* chooses a Phoenix. basically in deathmatch you have to have reverse thrust so that limits your ship choices. Ban reverse thrust, however, and your ship choices become more interresting. Personally I fly the Mirage most. Agile and with killer guns - wastes Reapers and Patriots very quickly.

For the single player game I like the Crusader. Speed is irrelevant in most missions and gatling lasers (when you have big energy reserves like the Crusader has) are great weapons. Five hardpoints gives you plenty of screamers should you need them and, of course, you already have 110 seconds worth of afterbuner fuel.
Later I go for the Mirage since a burst of three shots from it's neutron cannon (plus the messon blasters for good measure) takes out most coalition fighters. Four shots destroys anything upto a Kurgan. Ignore all the heavy fighters they're too ponderous to dogfight with and some (the tempest for instance) have some design faults that make them almost useless against certain targets. I HATE the Phoenix. It's gun energy and recharge rate is too low for the weapons fit. I hate the Shroud too since two Photon cannon is just too puny an armament. I really resent the fact that you need to fly a Shroud to complete the game. When it comes to making runs on heavy targets (cap ships, stations etc) you really can't beat the Crusader. Good guns, plenty of missiles and spectral shields to keep you safe from flak.

Ship critique . . .

PREDATOR - OK for early missions but the guns are weak and it's too fragile for engaging heavy targets

NAGINATA - Great ship for dogfighting. Makes a good deathmatch ship but only three hardpoints cuts it's versatility too much. Fun in multiplayer co-op.

GRENDAL - Too sluggish to dogfight BUT since the main guns use no gun energy if you use the powerball to split energy 50/50 between screens and engines you get a very fast ship with good firepower that can sustain serious damage. Excellent assault ship with seven hardpoints. If you are playing co-op and someone else can take care of the fighters for you this ship can really cream turrets and other sub-targets.

CRUSADER - Great ship. Agile, tough enough and packs good firepower. My personal favourite - I even like the chunky looks.

COYOTE - Great ship for anti-torpedo missions. Lots of hardpoints make up for the puny guns but I prefer SPECTRAL SHIELDS to BLINDFIRE . . .

MIRAGE - Best dogfighter there is. Great guns - two shots on full guns will destroy a SABRE, SALIN, SARACEN or AZAN. Three shots kills practically anything else. Beause the main guns are placed very close to the sight line they are very accurate but it takes nerve to go torp hunting.

TEMPEST - Awful ship. Sluggish to manoeuvre and the Tachyon cannon are so far apart on the ships wingtips that shots often go either side of a target - especially turrets. Lots of hardpoints and, in deathmatch at least, it has REVERSE THRUST though I haven't tested it in single player or co-op.

PATRIOT - Like a MIRAGE but faster, tougher and a lot less agile. Hunt's torps well but thats the best I can say for it.

WOLVERINE - Can be fun if you take a lot of fuel and try in/out slashing style attacks using afterburner to get away ready rather than trying to dogfight. Anything which stays in your sights for longer than two seconds is definitely on borrowed time. I prefer more agile mounts but I can see why some people love the WOLVERINE. Collapser guns are possibly the best weapons in the game.

REAPER - Godawful ship. All the disadvantages of the WOLVERINE without any of the advantages. HOWEVER this is my ship of choice for the mission against the PUKOV where the need for great firepower and BLINDFIRE for anti torp duties makes me grit my teeth and fly it.

SHROUD - If it didn't have a CLOAK nobody would fly it. Agile but puny firepower.

PHOENIX - Would be a great ship if it didn't empty it's gun energy banks in four seconds with full guns. One of the two ships (the other is the SHROUD) that you have to fly if you want to succeed in deathmatch games.

The above are my oppinions NOT assaults on anybody elses taste, nationality or sexuality. Feel free to disagree but please be civil. I'm too sensitive to be shouted at . . .

Editted for smelling pistakes

Ban REVERSE THRUST! Fly something other than a phoenix for a change!

Edited by - Pure on 4/7/2005 4:02:34 PM

YOU HATE THE PHEONIX SO YOU MUST HATE AMERICA!!!! BOSCOE BAN HIM!

WARNING - READ BEFORE PROCEEDING

I have never played a multiplayer StarLancer game in my life. My computer just can't handle it. From Akula's and Pure's views I have seen, I beleive I have drawn enough info to do this. If not, someone please tell me that AND shoot me if I ever get to multiplayer.


Why do people like the Pheonix? First of, with it's Blind Fire power, it's easy to hurt someone majorly. It's also hard to get hit yourself, unless you are facing someone your own level. Second, people prize it's miracle reverse thrust. With it, anyone following you will be rammed by your engines, and shot down like a bunny. It can also throw of people trying to shoot at you from a different angle besides behind. The only thing the Pheonix really has to watch out for are missles, but its beefy shield and armour will do that for you.

Pheonix VS. Grendel: It's got beefy defence and almost the same firepowr as you, but it's speed and agility is terrible. I once saw HawkEye in a Grendel while being assaulted by a Black Guard. She as down to three armour ponits for every side. (though storyline characters can't die, unless you're Viper) Fly in, activate full guns or Gattlning Lasers, and let loose. Or charge up the Nova Cannon. It's slow enough to be hit.

If you are being hit by the Grendel, PULL UP OR DOWN! It won't stop firing ever, since it had bullets AND lasers for it's cannons, it's easy to play the game and NEVA run out of bullets. Or do the infamous Reverse Thrust onto him. Be warned if you want to do that, you'll be hurt even more, as he's firing at closer range.

Pheonix VS. Naginata: You better hope whoever is plaiying it doesn't know how to do the Renegade Roll. (That what I call it, twirling in circles so Blind Fire is useless) Because the Naginata is so FREAKING FAST. It matches the Pheonix basically, in speed. Spectral Shields will aid it, making it a frustrating kill sometimes.

The Naginata, however, has poor defence and firepower however. They are used basically for a challenge, or because the pilot doesn't need Blind Fire to kill. If you have ever tested Spectral Shields, you otice they last about 10 seconds and go poof. Surely a little patience won't kill you, unless a Vagabond or a Wolverine is after you. Or a Solomon.

Don't bother with the Nova Cannon against Naginata's, unless you got superhuman clone aim. You'll kill yourself charging up the cannon over and over and over and over and over...With it's recharge speed, you might as well try to blow up Jupiter with it.



Pheonix VS. Crusader: Crusaders lack missles, much like the Naginata. However, it's well rounded, decent speed, lethal firepower, and good agility enough to annoy Blind Firers. But you are still above him, in your whistling cockpit of the Pheonix. (Frankly, I find the whistling annoying.) You have the lethal power of the Nova Cannon on your side. You have the infamous Blind fire ability, if he doesn't do the Renegade Roll. It makes me wonder how the Ronin were destroyed by the Black Guards. They could have just afterburned out...unless they are still under the Code of Bushido...no wait, that was Naginata...

Ok, back to the Crusader. I had to get off-topic.

Any veteran can make this innocent newbie ship into a n equlivant of a cloaking Shroud ship. Sometimes, you won't even know they are behind you unti lthe first laser strikes. Combine that with good firepower, you're in trouble. so fight fire with fire. Return your own fire, pop up behind him with the spookiness of a cloaking Shroud, and best of all, Reverse Thrust him. You'll give the pilot a bit of a fright.

Pheonix VS. Predator

The ship that all newbies prize when they first play StarLancer. It's easy to not use other ships until you got Coyote. That's because us newbies love its Blind Fire. It just so happens that its weapon happens to be a Proton Cannon. Descently fast, but so weak. Do not use on Kurgens. Use a missle for heaven's sake, man, those who use Predators!

Back to subject. The Predator has decent speed, good agility. and a nice beginning hadpoint. It's weapons are horrible, so don't even worry about it shooting you. However, start worrying when they fire any type of missle at you. They've got enough room to unload an entire army of Solomons on you. And while it may seem like a waste, it means someone WILL die. How would you like it if your game ended so early because some pilot unleased 6 Solomons on you?

However, it is easy to shoot one down as well sometimes. You can be flying in this ship and killed by about 4 laser turrets while trying to shoot them down, if you weren't paying attention. Imagine what you're gun can do! SHOOT THAT PREDATOR! EASY KILL!

The Renegade Roll method won't do much for people who don't use Blind Fire, because most ships that don't have Blind Fire have macho guns. Like Wolverines, or Tempests. If the Predator start doing it, deactivate the Blind Fire and shoot him. The problem with doing Renegade Roll is that you sometimes lose your sense of direction and, sometimes, have no clue where you are goingm and no clue what's happening. You expose yourself as a nice target for Nova Cannon users, and with it's poor defence, it's basically saying, "Fr33 T@rG3t! Sh00T M3!

Coyote: Almost the same as the Predator, it's got a bit more defence then the Predator. It's speed is slashed by 20 km. Basically, the Predator and the Coyote are the same. The only difference I can really think of is in turret hunting, the Predator is most likely to die first. If YOU'RE hunting turrest, whether you are the Pheonix or the Coyote, KEEP MOVING. Strafe left and right all the time.

Coyotes also have more hardpoints then the Predator does. Even more Solomons. The gun cannon is the same though, so don't lose any sleep over it. Still the boring old Proton Cannon.

Mirage: In Pure's opinion, the Mirage is the best dogfighter in a....well, dogfight. It has a painful cannons that will rip most ships open in two or three shots, assuming you're on full guns. Despite what it looks like, this French craft has a decent speed. The speed is there to look after the armour, because the Mirage has a pretty weak shield and armour. And shield recharge. What is really horrible is its hardpoints. There are only 4 of them.

The guns are pretty much stuck into the missle of the ship, so accuracy is easier. That makes turret hunting easy as well. About 1 to 4 shots will destroy almost every type of turret. Once again, keep moving. as the armour is horrible, and the turrets could actually destroy you. If you play fine without the Blind Fire, this ship is for you.

Tempest: You're kidding me. This ship is nosuse for Multiplayer AT ALL. The guns may be powerful, and it may have lots of missle hardpoints, but since the guns are spaced out a lot, and you get your good missles by the tiem you get Patriot, Tempest aren't much.

Generally, there'll be the ship that kills the Kurgens fastest, until you got a Patriot. Other big ships, like Scarabs, or Sharovs, will take in a lot of fire, since their size will gulp up your widely-space but powerful guns. But there are usually more fighters then Kurgens, so pick something else. I don't care if Viper or Bandit flew one because they were expert, but do not fly in it. End of story.

More to come....I don't have time.

MAJOR Credit goes to:

Akula: He's got more sense then me. He also displayed what he thinks of other ships and the Pheonix.

Lancers Reactor: Info on missles.. Now I got to get Freelancer, darn it!

Pure: Ship info. Where I got the Pheonix VS. Other ships. And knows how to not hurt people. I'm not saying that Akula is aninsensitive wart though.

Messages: SOMEONE PLAY MULTIPLAYERWITHMEARRRGH!

Proud Member of The Flying Tigers...duh!

Edited by - Jambo on 4/8/2005 1:09:05 AM
Edited by - Jambo on 4/8/2005 1:11:36 AM
Edited by - Jambo on 4/8/2005 2:18:21 AM
Edited by - Jambo on 4/8/2005 2:05:57 PM
Edited by - Jambo on 4/9/2005 7:37:14 AM

Edited by - Jambo on 4/10/2005 12:22:11 PM

Edited by - Jambo on 4/23/2005 4:20:01 AM

Edited by - Jambo on 4/24/2005 10:09:21 AM

I was just kidding with my. "You hate America" crack. =P

Frankly, I don't see the paticular benefits of Reverse Thrust, okay? I fly the Pheonix and I use it, on occasin, when clearing turrets or lining up a shot that I can't afford to miss with.

I don't like the Pheonix for the reverse thrust, I like it for the speed and agility it carries, along with the weapons loadout (not the missiles, obviously, but even then they're manageable if you're careful).

Another choice I enjoy, avoiding the Pheonix, is the Coyote. It's got the speed and agility I like, I usually upgrade to this because it's available before the Pheonix is.

The other ship I happen to enjoy is the one Jambo is talking about, the Crusader. This is, IMO, the most under appreciated ship in the game. I know on my crew no one bothers with, and danged if I can explain way. Twin Gattling Lasers, decent speed, decent handling, decent health. It's the ideal early game fighter, I think (All though, like I said, I prefer the Grendel for the heavier guns, mauverability be damned!

And the Wolverine...well. It's the wolverine. That's all that needs to be said. If you can put just one tiny short burst of fire on target with the Wolverine nothing will come out alive...I thought. Actually I've had some trouble with the Haidrian Fighters on the Coalition side taking two or even three bursts to kill. Not to much fun.

The Shroud can be fun, in limited circumstanes. Such as turret clearing. That's about the only time I use it. And when I have to.

I should mention that there is a vast difference between playing the CAMPAIGN and playing MULTIPLAYER DEATHMATCH. In the campaign REVERSE THRUST is not essential. In DEATHMATCH it is.

BTW, in the campaign I never use missiles against enemy fighters since they almost always get decoyed away by the enemy's chaff. There are a few exceptions; AZANS seem to lack any ability to avoid missiles, KURGANS are suckers for a well timed JACKHAMMER strike and ripple firing SOLOMONS at incoming torps is a useful tactic. Most of the time just pack screamers for that extra firepower in a tight spot.
And don't bother with VAGABONDS either. By the time they become available you should be quite capable of shooting up a BASILISK even if it is cloaked.

Finally, download SLedit and play with the weapon editor. With this tool it's possible to add external weapons to hardpoints on your ship. Sometimes I like to replace my CRUSADER's gatling lasers with twin double barrelled laser cannon. No long range firepower but it chews up anything at close range.

Ban REVERSE THRUST! Fly something other than a phoenix for a change!

Why does my browser show an update for today?

@ all you Phoenix-lovers:

Play against WP Crying Devil or Wp Hellfire sometime... they pulverise everyone they come across in shrouds in Multiplayer ^^