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General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: anged.exe on June 08, 2007, 06:52:32 am

Title: weak wingmen
Post by: anged.exe on June 08, 2007, 06:52:32 am
I want to know if i can make the wingmen stronger with a mod or something else, cause they often die like flies.
Its not only cause the missions become much harder without them, but it is totaly unrealistic, that im the only one who survive everytime, even if we all have the same ship. :mad:
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: TrashMan on June 08, 2007, 08:13:52 am
You can use special hits in FRED, guardian sexps, or make them auto-repiar (again, with sEXP's)
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Snail on June 08, 2007, 08:37:19 am
Are you playing on Very Easy?

Play on Insane. All your wingmen become better, but so do your enemies. They're still weaker than you but they should be better than they are on Easy.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Admiral Edivad on June 08, 2007, 02:20:53 pm
with FRED, you can also change their AI level
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Javito1986 on June 11, 2007, 09:33:27 pm
I play on Hard and Insane and am always impressed by how well my AI wingmen perform on those difficulty levels. They become very useful and actually I depend on them for survival since its virtually impossible to survive if you let yourself get drawn away from your wingmen and surrounded by two or more Shivan fighters... so what game are -you- playing?  :confused: Like Snail said, try ratcheting up the difficulty to improve their AI tenfold.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Agent_Koopa on June 14, 2007, 08:31:14 pm
but it is totaly unrealistic, that im the only one who survive everytime, even if we all have the same ship. :mad:

Much has been made of that fact, my friend.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: haloboy100 on June 16, 2007, 09:46:09 am
you people are playing on insane?  :sigh:

I could never beat the fs2 or fs1 campaign past the medium difficulty!!!

damn, i suck....
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Bob-san on June 17, 2007, 12:03:51 pm
I only play on Insane. True, I use cheats when I'm on other campaigns (they're horribly unbalanced against me as I don't play on medium), but still when I play the normal campaign, I don't cheat and just play on Insane. I get 20% more points for everything, plus my wingmen are actually SMART and will follow my orders. What's fun is being in a very fast and very maneuverable ship while telling my wingmen (C-3-1) to kill my target. Only a few missions I've passed without wingmen (such as the first mission near the Knossos), and that is generally because I have to work alot. Just a note--early in the game, the best way to take out AAA beams is with Rockeyes... if you approach it you'll be blasted to death. Rockeyes or order wingmen to destroy the beam, though that usually results in 2+ casualties.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Snail on June 17, 2007, 12:15:18 pm
Rockeyes have a considerable range, but you just can't fit enough on a fighter to use them more effectively.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 17, 2007, 01:18:31 pm
Rockeyes have a considerable range, but you just can't fit enough on a fighter to use them more effectively.
Before Trebuchets, they are actually pretty effective at ship sniping.  1900m is a good enough range if you're trying to snipe off AAAF beams.(Goddamn things bounce me around like a ping-pong ball :mad2:)
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Bob-san on June 17, 2007, 02:36:55 pm
Exactly. Also useful in the supply mission at the end of act 1--you can "snipe" off the main beam from the cruiser while still almost 2KM away, preventing as much damage as possible. Early in the game, there is great alternatives to flying into beam weaponry... by the time you have to face them, you are armed with Stilettos or have a cruiser to do the work for you (most of the time).
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Snail on June 17, 2007, 02:41:11 pm
What about 'into the Maelstrom?' I found out in that mission that Harpoons are USELESS against turrets.  :doubt:
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Bob-san on June 17, 2007, 02:51:26 pm
Which one was that? I don't remember names :D
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Snail on June 17, 2007, 03:18:39 pm
Escorting a few gas miners and a freighter, NTF sentry guns, Hercs, Medusas, Rebel Bombs flying around, Rebel Cruiser NTC Maelstrom comes, must disarm turret, Colossus arrives, that one.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Bob-san on June 17, 2007, 03:33:37 pm
That's the one I was talking about... I guess the cruiser is the Maelstrom... anyways just shoot it with a bank of Rockeyes and it's not a threat (give your wingmen an ignore ship command so they don't get hit by AAA). Do the mission, then have em disarm and destroy.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: karajorma on June 19, 2007, 05:57:03 pm
Best use for Rockeyes? Don't use them in the first mission against the NTF fighters. Save them up, approach the Belisarius and fire them into it. Then get the hell out of range.

Sit back and laugh at the fact that your little stunt alone has bought you 1/5 of the way to not being an ensign any more. :D
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 19, 2007, 10:53:09 pm
Best use for Rockeyes? Don't use them in the first mission against the NTF fighters. Save them up, approach the Belisarius and fire them into it. Then get the hell out of range.

Sit back and laugh at the fact that your little stunt alone has bought you 1/5 of the way to not being an ensign any more. :D
What the deuce?
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: BlueFlames on June 20, 2007, 12:18:14 am
Karajorma's just dorking out and flaunting ways he boosts his score in FS2.  Feel free to ignore or laugh at him.  Either is appropriate.  ;)
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 20, 2007, 12:26:02 am
Karajorma's just dorking out and flaunting ways he boosts his score in FS2.  Feel free to ignore or laugh at him.  Either is appropriate.  ;)
So I gathered.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: jr2 on June 20, 2007, 03:30:02 am
Sit back and laugh at the fact that your little stunt alone has bought you 1/5 of the way to not being an ensign any more. :D

*Fanboy detected*

:lol:

:nervous:  Actually, there's probably a fanboy lurking in each of us somewheres...
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: MT on June 20, 2007, 08:34:57 am
Karajorma's just dorking out and flaunting ways he boosts his score in FS2.  Feel free to ignore or laugh at him.  Either is appropriate.  ;)

Actually, I did that myself before, except that I approach the Deimos head on, firing the Rockeyes and then switch to Tempests, all the while firing my Subachs, first aiming to disable the 2 frontal Terran Turrets. Once the Psamtik starts firing, turn 180 degrees and afterburner away.

There is no need to save up the Rockeyes. After the fighter and bomber waves, the transports will stop and wait, during which there is time to reload before the Deimos appears.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 20, 2007, 11:00:59 am
Er... You can't reload weapons in that mission. (IIRC)
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Nuclear1 on June 20, 2007, 03:02:24 pm
What about 'into the Maelstrom?' I found out in that mission that Harpoons are USELESS against turrets.  :doubt:
What FS2 are you playing?  :wtf:

I always use Harpoons/Interceptors to disarm turrets when I don't have Stilettos or Rockeyes available.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: haloboy100 on June 20, 2007, 03:07:22 pm
actually, i agree with snail...i usually choose hornets over harpoons if i really need to take care of a turret.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Game_Master64 on June 20, 2007, 04:19:14 pm
ah, if i have a choice and it's on insane, i'd go with trebs, to bad there not in that mission eh?
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 20, 2007, 05:01:56 pm
actually, i agree with snail...i usually choose hornets over harpoons if i really need to take care of a turret.
Hornets aren't really good against turrets, because of the crappy Subsystem damage ratings.  In all honesty, no other missle though is better for pounding crusiers than Hornets.(Trebs are too bulky, and don't provide an effective enough volume of fire.  Tornados are far better for dogfighting, but don't arm properly when fired unlocked.  Hornets are brutally effective in this regard. 

Though, as far as straight-out turret smashing, trebs do work wonders(My prevoius paragraph was just flat-out attacking a crusier, not disabeling it.), or, really failing that, Rockeyes.  Hey, at least you have a use for them.  (Plus they make fantastic anti-bomb weapons.)  :)
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: haloboy100 on June 20, 2007, 05:31:53 pm
(Plus they make fantastic anti-bomb weapons.)  :)

Really? whenever i try to use them even while targeting a bomb they just veer off and crash into the nearest bomber...
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 20, 2007, 05:43:56 pm
(Plus they make fantastic anti-bomb weapons.)  :)

Really? whenever i try to use them even while targeting a bomb they just veer off and crash into the nearest bomber...
Well, In my experiance, they are pretty good at knocking out bombs.  Admittedly, the Morning Star and and the Maxim are better for knocking out bombs, but the Rockeyes range does allow you to shoot down bombs at extemded ranges (Specifically, the mission in the Nebula where you have to prevent the Oberon from getting blown up, and the Shivans appears out of nowhere.)
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Game_Master64 on June 20, 2007, 06:17:11 pm
 thats the mission where they test the pegs, right? can you actually prevent the oberon from being destroyed? i usually just sit there, or take a few shots on it myself. figured it was hopeless. ya learn something new every day
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: haloboy100 on June 20, 2007, 06:32:02 pm
and you didn't bother to TRY to protect the thing??? :rolleyes:
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 20, 2007, 06:35:39 pm
thats the mission where they test the pegs, right? can you actually prevent the oberon from being destroyed? i usually just sit there, or take a few shots on it myself. figured it was hopeless. ya learn something new every day
ShivanSPS actually saved the Oberon from both the Shivans and the Stealth fighters IIRC.
and you didn't bother to TRY to protect the thing??? :rolleyes:
Well, in his defense, the Pegs are kinda frusterating to stop, although it can be done. 
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Bob-san on June 20, 2007, 07:47:11 pm
Wow, that's a bit of a feat. I usually just load out with rockeyes and send the Pegasus to lightspeed with a fun morning star. Get my aim, drop to 0 shields, and start blasting away! Anyways--I've never been able to save the Oberon.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: haloboy100 on June 20, 2007, 07:57:40 pm
what i do for a little fun is deactivate the invulnerability on the fighters with cheats then blast 'em away!  :p :lol:
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: lefkos on June 21, 2007, 12:18:54 pm
my wingmen arent weak
THEY ARE FRAKKING DUMP!!
almost everytime in a dog fight and they activate the afterburner they are flying to a capital ship(if its near our fight)
what the hell?!
its so annoying !! everytime i also collide with a bigger ship because of the  dump AI
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Game_Master64 on June 21, 2007, 12:21:49 pm
im not gonna comment on that
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Desert Tyrant on June 21, 2007, 12:23:23 pm
im not gonna comment on that
Ditto
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: MT on June 21, 2007, 12:46:48 pm
I am replaying the FS2 campaign (lost count of how many times already) and trying to complete Bearbaiting. The wingmen are completely useless. I cannot trust them to destroy the beam cannons, neither can they be trusted to destroy the flak guns. I can't even trust them to do a simple thing such as to cover me while I do the Alpha One bit of completing all the mission objectives. All they do is float around and fire randomly while I get wasted by the second wave consisting of Maras who use me for target practice while I attempt to get a lock with the Helios.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: haloboy100 on June 21, 2007, 12:54:03 pm
Wingman are the entire reason JAD focuses so much on alpha one... :nod:
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: Game_Master64 on June 21, 2007, 01:16:30 pm
yup
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: MT on June 21, 2007, 11:20:59 pm
Wingman are the entire reason JAD focuses so much on alpha one... :nod:

 :confused: You mean the mod?
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: haloboy100 on June 21, 2007, 11:22:04 pm
well...ya...JAD is a mod...right?  :confused:
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: MT on June 21, 2007, 11:22:56 pm
well...ya...JAD is a mod...right?  :confused:

Just confirming. I never played the mods or know much about them.
Title: Re: weak wingmen
Post by: haloboy100 on June 21, 2007, 11:23:44 pm
ya, most campaigns nowadays are practically mods in their own right...but i still would rather refer to them as campaigns  :doubt: