[karajorma]

Originally posted by TopAce
It is the same in FS2: You have to play on at least Medium to get all the medals. On Easy, there are three medals you cannot get: The Order of Galatea(I hate to play the mission you can get it in if I want to get the medal, otherwise it's an easy mission) and two other medals you can get in the mission Exodus and in.... Dunkerque, perhaps?

Bollocks! I've heard this particular comment one time too many now.  

In Exodus the SEXP Skill-Level-At-Least is only use in one place. The Arrival cue for Pisces Wing. Pisces wing aren't referenced in any event except for the Destroy Pisces Directive (Which itself is never referenced).

Don't believe me? Here's the SEXP.



So there is no way that a skill level is needed to get the medal in Exodus.

(On top of all that Pisces only appear if the mission is set to Hard or Insane, not medium. )

In Proving Grounds they didn't even use the Skill-Level-At-Least SEXP so there's no way that the medal could require a skill level. On top of that the SEXP looks like this.



Neither event is dependant on the difficulty setting.

Next time someone wants to claim that you need a certain skill setting for a medal please prove it before you post. I've not been through all the missions but the general consensus is that no mission requires a skill setting and it's starting to get on my nerves when people claim that you do [/Rant]

EDIT : I Just knew Goober would post before me and make it look like I was contradicting him

EDIT 2 : This is interesting. A quick search with Grep shows that skill-level-at-least is only used twice in the entire game (Multiplayer included). The one I've already mentioned in Exodus provides two extra Shivans for the player to kill if he's doing well. The first time however is in Bearbaiting where players who are near the Sathanas are made invulnerable just as it jumps out if playing on easy or very easy
 Didn't know that before I always thought that I had been hit by the sathanas at the right angle to get deflected away from it or something when I didn't die

[Goober5000]

Originally posted by karajorma
EDIT : I Just knew Goober would post before me and make it look like I was contradicting him

What would HLP do without its Keepers of Minutae?

I just realized that Visual Studio has a pretty handy search feature for this sort of thing.  So, for FS2:

Code: [Select]

Searching for 'skill-level-at-least'...
C:\TEMP-FS2\SM3-01.fs2(2640):         ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
C:\TEMP-FS2\SM3-06.fs2(1893):   ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
2 occurrence(s) have been found.Neither of those sexps are used in any medal conditions.

I'll check FS1 in a few minutes.

[TopAce]

I haven't got the medals on Easy, but I did on Medium. That could be the reason I thought I needed to play on at least Medium.

[Goober5000]

Here are the results for FS1:

Code: [Select]

Searching for 'skill-level-at-least'...
D:\TEMP-FS1\M-ConvoyAssault.FSM(1126):      ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\M-ORecovery.FSM(1792):      ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\M-Rescue.FSM(843):      ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\M-Unstoppable.FSM(1581):      ( skill-level-at-least "Insane" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\SM1-01.fsm(1230):      ( not ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" ) )
D:\TEMP-FS1\SM1-01.fsm(1251):   ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\SM1-01.fsm(1440):         ( not ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" ) )
D:\TEMP-FS1\SM1-01.fsm(1636):      ( not ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" ) )
D:\TEMP-FS1\m-va.FSM(1898):      ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\mm3-02a.FSM(2634):      ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\mm3-04a.FSM(2042):      ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\mm3-05a.FSM(757):   ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\mm3-06a.FSM(2098):      ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm1-02a.fsm(525):   ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm1-02a.fsm(1130):      ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm1-02a.fsm(1589):      ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm2-07a.FSM(2142):      ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm2-08a.FSM(2005):      ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm2-08a.FSM(2074):      ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm2-08a.FSM(2075):      ( not ( skill-level-at-least "Hard" ) )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm2-08a.FSM(2145):         ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm2-10a.FSM(1507):      ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm3-04a.FSM(2162):      ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm3-06a.FSM(2037):      ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
D:\TEMP-FS1\sm3-07a.FSM(1579):      ( skill-level-at-least "Medium" )
25 occurrence(s) have been found.21 in the main campaign and 4 in the multiplayer missions.  Quite a difference.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Goober5000
I just realized that Visual Studio has a pretty handy search feature for this sort of thing.

That's basically what I did but Grep loads faster than Visual Studio

Originally posted by TopAce
I haven't got the medals on Easy, but I did on Medium. That could be the reason I thought I needed to play on at least Medium.

Obviously you weren't a Top Ace yet when you were still playing on Easy then

[DeepSpace9er]

I remain amazed(sp?) at how many Freespace players dont play on insane. Its the best challenge of all, how can you Not want to play on insane?

How can you run your ass off if your afternurner takes a year to recharge?

[Deepstar]

I think a key in Hard and Insane is the right distribution of energy to the three systems...

[TopAce]

Originally posted by karajorma
...
Obviously you weren't a Top Ace yet when you were still playing on Easy then

Bollocks! I've heard this particular comment one time too many now.  

Go to Game Warden and read the appropriate thread about nicknames. Find my post and read it, you will see that this nickname has no concern with FreeSpace at all.

Anyway, it's an innate point of mine to play any game on the easiest difficulty for the first (few) time(s). Switching to Medium in the case of FreeSpace took longer, becasue I really hated the flaks and the AAA guns. I still hate them, though, but I am able to dodge the flak now that I know all the craft pretty well.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by TopAce
Go to Game Warden and read the appropriate thread about nicknames. Find my post and read it, you will see that this nickname has no concern with FreeSpace at all.

I've read it. I was joking with you

[BlackDove]

Key to playing on Hard and Insane (I play on Insane, Hard was never my thing, so I don't know much about it - when I finished on normal, I didn't want to do Hard, just went on Insane) are your wingmen.

Yeah, they're mighty stupid on all (what I persume to be) four difficulty levels bar Insane. Because of their aimbot, they actually prove extremely useful because the damage dealt is increased by quite a bit. They only need a few well placed shots to finish a target, and that proves deadly with their aimbot.

However you're the one that needs to issue the orders every two or five seconds for them to work. Ctrl+W and Ctrl+E then 3 (in both cases) are usually the best two commands for them. Occasinally you'll hit c31.

As far as your own flying ability goes, well that's up to your skill. A few pointers may be:

Do not rely on your afterburners , use your main speed, and use the afterburner for dodging the stuff that shoots at you.

Do not under any circumstance collide. It is not worth it unless you have respawns (and you don't in Single Player).

Take only the shots you know will count. If you are doubting werther it'll hit or not, do not use it, wait for another opportunity.

Missile spam helps I guess (though I use tempests myself).

Do not (I repeat, DO NOT) **** with your agumentation settings if you don't know how they will directly affect your fighter.

I personally always keep the engines one bar above default. That's it.

I do however agument it in fights when I need more engines or sheilds, but you need to be able to know how to dodge incoming fire while changing the agumentation.

Finally, and the most important thing ever - Sheild > Laser, Laser > Sheild. If your guns do run out, and you have a good amount of sheilds, do the Sheild > Laser gimmick and have your guns recharge faster (when you're hunting). The opposite when you're being hunted.

And remember to use the AI. AI rocks at Insane.

[Mongoose]

I never saw much of a point in playing games on harder difficulty myself.  I usually play games to complete the story and find out what happens, not to get needlessly frustrated from dying one thousand times and get completely pissed off, leading to a broken controller.

Players near the Sathanas in Bearbaiting are supposed to be made invulnerable when it jumps out? I've been killed by it jumping out several times.

[karajorma]

Only on easy and very easy. And only then within a certain distance of the Sathanas.

[Charismatic]

Yes, your made invincible when it jumps out, not beforehand. Thus you can die, before the god trigger, by it killing you itself before it jumps.

[karajorma]

Nope. You're made invulnerable when the Sath is 3650m away from the jump node and the sath jumps out when it's 3500m away. So you're made invulnerable before it jumps out.

However you have to be 1400m from the jump node which means that there could be places close to the sathanas where you aren't made invulnerable and can be smacked by it as it jumps out.

[TopAce]

The first time I was able to kill the two beams, she smacked me while she was jumping out.

[Setekh]

Originally posted by Goober5000
Uh, no.  The Galatea is only destroyed once.You probably played on Medium then.

"Well, Alpha 1, you're uh... you're still a survivor of the Galatea... uh, sure, I guess you can have another medal for that if you really want..."

[karajorma]

Originally posted by TopAce
The first time I was able to kill the two beams, she smacked me while she was jumping out.

Yeah. I haven't really looked but if you aren't directly in front of the Sath and manage to get hit by the bits at the side of the sath or something you'll probably get killed.

[Dark RevenantX]

I collide with lasers, not the Sathanas.

[psycho_fergo]

i am utterly shocked and appauled. insane is not hard!!!! i can finnish most of the missions without dieing once, one or 2 i dies maybe 3 or 4 times...cause sometimes i dont have too much luck playing chicken....i will expalain that in a sec..

my tactics are...sheild and engine management is king....know how to adjust your levels while dodging enemy fire...

i found that if you need to do a quick change in direction to get the upper on the enemy...quickly boost to your sheilds, slow down, turn (u turn much fuster) then hit your burners while you then adjust back to your engins and then concentrate your sheilds. as long as there aren't any flak/aaa/missles near you...lasers shouldnt bee too much of a problem...may take a tine bit of damage..but once you perfect...you can also dodge of things while doing it...

this is good for people chasing you....

i must say...wingmates are pals on insane...just think of them as sheilds... and you will get the idea...but yes, they have a good shot so use that to ur advantage.

now..for my most favourite tactic. this does not always work, beware that you will probably die the first 10 times you try this...after that though...you should have figured out how the adapt to certain situations...

a new wing of ships jump in...if its fighters...supriseingly..its easier than bombers...target the closest of the wing and go full speed..as soon as your in rande...hit your burners and as soona s u reach maximum velocity...release some missles...trebs are awesome for this..as i find with the extra speed..it knocks a bit of collision damage in there....(not sure how this works...can someone varify my theory..of faster missly...more damage...) if you can..just befor the misle hits breake its sheild with your lasers...(i like subachs and sometimes a kyser...depending on the situation)

that takes care fo the first...u will be shot at too..but maximuse your front sheilds and you should hold out untill you can get behind...
i have found if you take out one...and get behind fast enough..the enemy ships havnt reached a certain "dogfight area" as i like to call it...it is still travelling there...so get in behind and just go nuts and take as many down as fast as you can. this can work well ebcause in of maps...enemy wings alternate on different sides of the map...making it almost the same situation every time and can give you a chance to be away from the action and reload with a support ship. if your closer too the warp in point..

bombers like the seraphims just make me mad. thier sheilds are a POOOOOOOOOOOOO to break through on insane...you can hit them with a bloody helios and its still there...grrrr

be carful of shevan bombers..i dont know how this works but am i correct in saying they have laser turrets..they can change the direction in which they shoot.....since i have seen lasers ripping me to peices..and they are facing sideways to me. so watch these things...i thing the tauries are easy but nephalims hulls are a poo to break in half....the sheilds are like taking candy from a baby when you home something like a circy but the hull needs something like a maxim to breach..or a nice flood of tempests..

one other weapon i MUST recomend in this rediculousely long post and with of spelling mistakes im sure.....this is the morning star....this thing rocks for marras. who cares about breaking sheilds and hulss with this thing....thats what the secondary lasers are for coupled with some missles....thsi thing knocks the little weeny marras off course and makes them useless in space...you can play around with them...shoot them into cap ship hulls and stuff...come to thing of it...they should do some kind of FS2 soccer....have an invincible marra..and have 2 of those sol gates from inferno...and try and get the murra through...haha....

anyway...cap ships on your team...are a big...**** YES!!! (i know this has been said before) but they are the best thing since..since...since pie

enemy cap ships are actually friend to...yes..with all the aaa's and flak..but ever thingk about them savin ur but when your trying to take out a few turrets or subs and an annoying fighter shoots some missles at ya? just hit ur burners and take some turrets ou on the other side...and tell your wingmates to blast the fighter

ok..ive written way too much...im going to go jump off a cliff now

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Setekh]

Hey psycho_fergo, welcome to HLP. I notice your location is "hungary or australia"... which one is it?