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Hosted Projects - FS2 Required => Blue Planet => Topic started by: Aardwolf on August 09, 2010, 01:47:44 pm

Title: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Aardwolf on August 09, 2010, 01:47:44 pm
The Slammer is an awesome variation on the cluster bomb... I just wish I could use it right.

Any tips? Useful-to-know numbers, or estimates of "effective range" / when to detonate?

Also, how can you make sure you don't accidentally fire a second Slammer when you mean to detonate the first? That's happened at least once when I waited to the last minute, and it was really annoying (but it happens with FS2's remote-detonation missiles too, IIRC)
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Infamus on August 09, 2010, 02:11:18 pm
detonate about 200-300 meters before impact,so the bombs have time to spread as the fighters fly through the soon-to-be cluster-phuck, works every time, and make sure they are coming AT you

oh and save these for bombers
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Scotty on August 09, 2010, 02:20:52 pm
It detonates on its own, just fire and forget.

Although, pick targets that are still in intact wing formations.  Launch at the leading fighter/bomber of the group.  Watch the fireworks.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Fury on August 09, 2010, 02:22:03 pm
Slammers automatically detonate when they're 150 meters from target. For best effectiveness depending on enemy formation and heading, you can detonate it earlier. Slammer childs have 750m range, traveling at 300m/s. Each of the 25 childs can pick their own target.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 09, 2010, 03:01:13 pm
25 childs

:eek:

That many? :eek2:
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: azile0 on August 09, 2010, 10:40:25 pm
If you use the double-fire feature, you can splash an entire bomber wing in one shot.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: blowfish on August 09, 2010, 11:17:25 pm
If you use the double-fire feature, you can splash an entire bomber wing in one shot.

I've seen a single slammer splash an entire bomber wing.  It's just difficult to do reliably.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Herra Tohtori on August 10, 2010, 02:34:13 am
You can switch to another secondary weapon to prevent premature release of another slammer. As to effectiveness, last time I played I found it better to manually detonate the thing. When you approach the targets and launch the missile, fly "to the side" so that the target and missiles are not exactly lined up. That will give you better ability to judge the relative velocities of the targets and the missile (plus better view for epic screenshots). Also makes it easier to keep track of missile distance indicator and target distance. The most effective detonation distance depends from lots of things that you'll pretty much need to learn on your own.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Snail on August 10, 2010, 02:35:59 am
The current record for largest Slammer multi kill is 6 Artemises, by QD I think.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Klaustrophobia on August 10, 2010, 02:59:46 am
Whenever I tried to use them, the formations broke long before they were in range of my slammers.  I don't think I ever got more than one kill at a time out of them.  Extra damage to a bunch, though.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: QuantumDelta on August 10, 2010, 04:34:13 am
The current record for largest Slammer multi kill is 6 Artemises, by QD I think.

Sure it wasn't E?
He's much better with slammers than I am because I don't use them often.
It's possible it was in one of my DE beta feedbacks in irc tho, cuz they made me use slammers when I hadn't been previously :P
Felt cheesey so I stopped and substituted with Grimlers.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Dilmah G on August 10, 2010, 04:40:39 am
I pulled six artemis bombers on DE on one of my testing playthroughs. Man, I love that weapon.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Snail on August 10, 2010, 05:14:31 am
The current record for largest Slammer multi kill is 6 Artemises, by QD I think.

Sure it wasn't E?
He's much better with slammers than I am because I don't use them often.
It's possible it was in one of my DE beta feedbacks in irc tho, cuz they made me use slammers when I hadn't been previously :P
Felt cheesey so I stopped and substituted with Grimlers.
Yeah I think it was The E.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 10, 2010, 08:33:16 am
Sure it wasn't E?
He's much better with slammers than I am because I don't use them often.
It's possible it was in one of my DE beta feedbacks in irc tho, cuz they made me use slammers when I hadn't been previously :P
Felt cheesey so I stopped and substituted with Grimlers.

You don't use Hellfires?
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: QuantumDelta on August 10, 2010, 12:30:00 pm
I normally fly with Hellfires yes, I make a bit of an exception for DE on insane.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Dragon on August 10, 2010, 03:50:36 pm
I've also scored an entire wing of Artemis bombers with one Slammer, but it wasn't the final version.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Ravenholme on August 10, 2010, 07:27:17 pm
The current record for largest Slammer multi kill is 6 Artemises, by QD I think.

I think I can beat that with 6 direct kills, one where my slammer did the most damage to it that when it was finished up I got another kill. Delenda Est, just before the 2nd Strike package shows up and you've got to take on a lot of fighters burning towards you. One warhead, not dual-fire either. ('course, my computer crashed later when the Imperieuse showed up, but you can't have everything). It's not much of a margin, and was the result of some rather nice circumstances and many replays of Delenda Est (For enjoyment, I seem to have beating the mission on Medium down a pat)
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: esarai on August 10, 2010, 08:57:05 pm
I think the slammer six-kill record is actually held by an AI.  IIRC, one of the pilots in a playtest The E was doing dropped one and completely kapwned 6 Tevs at once.  And not a slammer damage/primary cleanup combo--six direct slammer kills.  At once. 

Fury, what kind of monster AI have you created?
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Scotty on August 10, 2010, 08:58:04 pm
I've gotten six kills with a double shot. :nervous:
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: General Battuta on August 10, 2010, 09:02:42 pm
The current record for largest Slammer multi kill is 6 Artemises, by QD I think.

I think I can beat that with 6 direct kills, one where my slammer did the most damage to it that when it was finished up I got another kill. Delenda Est, just before the 2nd Strike package shows up and you've got to take on a lot of fighters burning towards you. One warhead, not dual-fire either. ('course, my computer crashed later when the Imperieuse showed up, but you can't have everything). It's not much of a margin, and was the result of some rather nice circumstances and many replays of Delenda Est (For enjoyment, I seem to have beating the mission on Medium down a pat)

I wonder if this means I shouldn't patch it. Maybe it's just the next Forced Entry!
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Ravenholme on August 10, 2010, 09:09:26 pm
The current record for largest Slammer multi kill is 6 Artemises, by QD I think.

I think I can beat that with 6 direct kills, one where my slammer did the most damage to it that when it was finished up I got another kill. Delenda Est, just before the 2nd Strike package shows up and you've got to take on a lot of fighters burning towards you. One warhead, not dual-fire either. ('course, my computer crashed later when the Imperieuse showed up, but you can't have everything). It's not much of a margin, and was the result of some rather nice circumstances and many replays of Delenda Est (For enjoyment, I seem to have beating the mission on Medium down a pat)

Maybe I should clarify that this was 6 direct, 1 partial for a total of 7.

And, Battuta, it might need some patching, it's tougher than Forced Entry by a large margin. (To be fair, I completed FE first go in a Zeus, I think it was). DE took a few attempts, but I enjoyed every minute of them, personally. But a lot of people are complaining, so it does suggest that there are problems with it.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Scotty on August 10, 2010, 09:11:20 pm
I just think the framerape makes it harder than it looks in FRED.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: General Battuta on August 10, 2010, 09:12:08 pm
I just think the framerape makes it harder than it looks in FRED.

Believe it or not, but missions get playtested hundreds of times.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 11, 2010, 01:29:11 am
Fury, what kind of monster AI have you created?

Your worst nightmare. :p
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Dilmah G on August 11, 2010, 03:03:15 am
I just think the framerape makes it harder than it looks in FRED.

Believe it or not, but missions get playtested hundreds of times.
Oh, you have no idea. I've played the missions in so many different states and so many times, I just don't even bother trying to remember their names.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: esarai on August 11, 2010, 03:40:35 am
Mah bad, misread.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Madcat on August 11, 2010, 07:54:23 am
I wonder if this means I shouldn't patch it. Maybe it's just the next Forced Entry!

What do you mean with "patching" here?
I certainly think you need to iron out all the reported bugs with the checkpoints, JACKKNIFE arriving at the wrong time etc. so the mission runs smooth every time. Apart from that, I don't think it needs to be changed...  :nervous:
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: General Battuta on August 11, 2010, 12:08:48 pm
I wonder if this means I shouldn't patch it. Maybe it's just the next Forced Entry!

What do you mean with "patching" here?
I certainly think you need to iron out all the reported bugs with the checkpoints, JACKKNIFE arriving at the wrong time etc. so the mission runs smooth every time. Apart from that, I don't think it needs to be changed...  :nervous:

Those have been fixed (ironically they were due to player action in both cases.  :nervous:) However the beam overload sequence has also been made easier.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: QuantumDelta on August 11, 2010, 12:43:15 pm
I thought DE was easy enough on insane  :doubt:
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: Ravenholme on August 11, 2010, 04:29:54 pm
I thought DE was easy enough on insane  :doubt:

Yeah, I'm not really getting all the tears about it being hard either. What I think it probably is, is that people are playing it with outdated rigs that can't keep up with the advancing march of the FS2 SCP (Through the MVPs) into a more modern age. So the lag is making it hard, as does need some decently quick reactions which lag would make hard.
Title: Re: Slammers... advice?
Post by: The E on August 11, 2010, 05:03:56 pm
Hell, i can play it, and I get down to 4 FPS or below in places...