[QuantumDelta]

wow talk about over achieving, I thought you only used to get this medal on hard/insane if you defended the Oberon kept the Acquitaine above 50% and killed the Tiamat 

[Scotty]

There isn't a single retail medal that you don't get if you are below a certain difficulty.  That's exlusively multi.  (because I've filled the medal chest on a Very-Easy runthrough)

[Mongoose]

There isn't a single retail medal that you don't get if you are below a certain difficulty.  That's exlusively multi.  (because I've filled the medal chest on a Very-Easy runthrough)

In FS1, however, there were a few medals that you couldn't earn unless you were playing on at least Medium difficulty.

[Kosh]

I remember that in the old (possibly current as well) mediavps, if you don't kill the Tiamat, you fail the mission even if the Aquitaine leaves with like 80%.

You're wrong. The Tiamat can leave without you failing the mission. However, you WILL get a recommendation on how to kill it.

The recommendation is useless, I don't think it's possible to kill it without bomber support.

[General Battuta]

It is (or was, in certain versions of FSOpen.) Rian, Rian's sister, a friend and I successfully defended the Oberon, got the Aquitaine out with >50% hull, and destroyed the Tiamat by disabling and disarming it and then killing it with EMP missiles, which somehow bypassed its big-damage flag.

[Asakura]

EMP is one of those things that does the big damage flag where you least expect it. Otherwise defending the Oberon is relatively simple, just lob a EMP into the face of the Nahemas when they warp in, then they will lose lock on the fenris.

Killing the Tiamat is not a difficult task, start with the main beams to prevent damage on the Aquitaine, then kill its engines. Finish off the bombers then return for the corvette later.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Someone posted a tip on the Proving Grounds FS Wiki article stating that, if you kept firing EMPs at the Oberon, Delta will eventually get pissed off and start shooting YOU up.

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Proving_Grounds#Tips

[General Battuta]

Yep, they will. Though you need to time it nicely.

[Asakura]

Yep, they will. Though you need to time it nicely.

Yeh. If you do it right they will start shooting at you or maybe your wingmen. If you are unlucky they start hitting the Aquitaine. I am also not sure of the odds of getting all three to hit you, because they usually just end up upon you after random retargetting.

EMP is still a must-have for killing the Tiamat, and it is pretty handy against the bombers. I would carry it regardless of whether I use it on delta wing.

[Mongoose]

At least according to what that article says, it should be theoretically possible to get the Aquitaine to destroy the Tiamat by sticking close to it if you're playing on Medium difficulty or higher, without having to use the EMPs.  I've never tried it myself, though.

[Asakura]

8 runs through the campaign this round and I faintly remember one rare occasion where the Aquitaine does the job, but otherwise I always have at least 10% of the Moloch left to chip.

[QuantumDelta]

Making sure the acquitaine doesn't lose any beams is key to making sure it destroys the moloch, basically being awesome with the first set of mara and killing the moloch main guns before it fires.

[Asakura]

Alternatively leave the maras to your wingmen or just ignore them altogether. They hardly scratch the Aquitaine, so taking out the Moloch's main beams would take precedence.

[General Battuta]

I don't think so. The Maras will disarm the Aquitaine's forward beams. You need to handle them unless you're planning to use the risky EMP business.

[Asakura]

Maybe I should find time to play that mission again in detail to see how that works out...

[General Battuta]

I just tend to trust QuantumDelta given his mad skillz.

[QuantumDelta]

The mara's have a tendency to strip off several of the Acquitaine's turrets, the lower forward beam cannon, the two underside flaks being the most prevalent, they also occasionally strip the beam on the left hand side of the central super structure too, if the Moloch fires either of it's main guns it strips either front beam turret (bit random, on really rare occasions I've seen it miss completely).