Lessons learned - Compromised Navigation Beacon Hunting
27 Sep 2019Thbtx
Tonight was an interesting night for this brand new (21 days old) Commander. This was my second time hunting NPC bounties around Compromised Navigation Beacons in a wing. I learned some very valuable lessons, and wanted to document them as a reminder to myself, and possibly information other new Commanders might not know. So, in no particular order, I submit the following:1) Don't shoot the good guys.
This is the most sure-fire way to get a) a bounty on your head, b) multiple nearby friendly ships trying to blow you up, and finally c) insta-death if you attempt to dock in the same system, before your notoriety has gone to 0. In the fur-ball, being psyched up from that last bounty can lead you into trouble quickly. Not waiting those few seconds to see a target's status (clean/wanted) before opening fire can turn a good day into a breathless, cold, agonizing death for your ship, and you. Thankfully, I was only a witness to these actions this evening, but alas, a wing-mate fell by the wayside to all three.
2) Don't bite off more than you can chew.
Although it is possible for two smaller, newer Commanders to take down a much larger ship, it does not come easy. An expert NPC in a Python gave us (Chieftain and Dolphin) a run for our money. We took the day, but in retrospect, the time would have been better spent dispatching multiple right-sized prey.
3) Watch the number of ships in the enemy's wing.
While you're waiting for that clean/wanted to pop, take note of the wing size your potential prey is in. Yes, it goes without saying that three are harder to kill than two, but I've just said it. And I will keep reminding myself of this until I learn to make better opponent choices, or my shields finish recharging.
4) Have one member designate the target.
In my opinion, there needs to be a flight-leader, who is assigned the task of target calling. This allows for more concentrated fire, and removes the chance you and another pilot begin attacking an opponent in two separate 3-ship wings.
There was laughter, a few tears, but in the end a fun time was had by all.
THB signing off.