Hello

[SilentAce]

Hi all,

I was clearing out an old box of bits and I found this game disc still
in its box so I figured WTH and installed it. From that I found my way
to these forums and now I know im going to be spending my time
trying to train up a squad that might be able to hit a barn door at
more than 5 paces.

I have been reading through the forum and of course have many
questions but as I have not yet really tried and failed these can wait.
I like the game as it reminds me of Battleforce which I used to play
on the amiga (the shareware one not that Jason thingy).

My two immediate stumbling blocks I guess will be creating a squad
that might live a round or more and then actually picking the right
titan to suit them.

Any pointers on beginner squad formation would be most welcome
although I gather my first jock should be a strong leader to allow
for better picks after.

SilentAce (Mike)

P.S Dont know if your still about sabre1 but my curiosity got me
to wondering if your the same sabre from Jumpgate.

[drgrieve4]

My way might not be the best way but I pick a titan and then build a jock around that. Pretty much all my jocks are human or replicant, but sometimes I use a cyborg for a close combat titan.
 
Early combat is pretty much toe to toe as everyone closes to get a decent to hit, so I stick to recon titans that are close combat or short range.
 
When building the inital stats try to get 60 in your weapon and movement. (Pick a titan with one weapon type - except for close combat which will be two, but concentrate on close combat ie 55 CC and 45 other). If you can't get to close to 60 fire their ass (ie don't save). Don't spend too much DP in boosting stats just get the max stat to 60. Boost con for the front lines guys so they have 99 or 108 hit points.
 
The rest is up to the titan ie jump which is ok to start at 40, then some scan which is good for getting xp and a small boost to hit. I also pump survival to around 45 so I'm not tempted to cheat and reload the auto save.
 
Recons are walking death traps so I don't get my 4th squad member until I've upgraded the first three to lights. Lights are also much more fun to design.
 
Have fun!

[SilentAce]

Thx Doc,
 
I had concluded from my several failed first few forays that CC
was definately a must for early survival. Also after having my 4
player teams wiped everytime I also figured that life as a recon
could be short. Hence I switched to my 1 Titan 1 Jock plan to
get me started. That way I figured I could build up a stash of
credits to spend on new jocks and Titans.
 
For me I have been settling on the idea that replicants are the
way to go even with their inbuilt fragility. Also though I am male
I have decided my group will be all female for that instinct bonus
which seems far more important than the +1 con males get. Hence
the Black Widows have been born.
 
I like your point on building the jock around the titan and will
definately use that as my blueprint from now on. Have not
yet looked into building my own Titans as it looks a bit more
complicated than it was in Battleforce but im sure at some
point need will drive me to it. As to surviving for me it is
always "if the die they die" no reloads.
 
My leader just made level Green so I may burn some funds on
finding member #2 to join. I'm still unconvinced about humans
but I may add one when I have the 3 main spots filled.
 
Thanks for taking the time to answer Doc and if I cant come
up with some decent designs when I get to lights i may well
tap your knowledge barrel again [:)]
 
SA.

[CrushU]

Actually I tend to build titans around my jocks.

Yeah, first is Leader, second is Manager, third is Mechanic.
This means that your first jock is ideally Replicant I or Human, NEVER Cyborg. Second is a ditto, though having him as a Replicant D is also a good idea. Reason being that you get paid based on the highest Business skill of any jock, so having your Manager *always* fighting is a good idea. Third can go either way, Rep D or I or just whatever. DCS skill isn't as picky.

When I first recruit my jocks, I pick one weapon skill that they've got high *max* for and improve that one. I tend to grab a couple of stat increases, but I make sure to max or near max the one weapon I chose for them. Scanner is a high priority for me, because it takes less time with higher skill, and that's one of the few things that is noticeable time difference based on skill. Electronic Warfare helps with targetting time, I give close-in jocks priority on that one. Jump I get if I have leftover piloting points, recon is always a good choice. Gives a bonus to your defense while in trees and lets you run through trees faster, always good. Close Combat is a near necessity on *all* pilots, because unless you are in a Plasma Gun-only Titan, you WILL come to melee, and the melee weapons on Light/Recon are some of the most effective for that weight class.

When I say I build a Titan around a jock... I look at his stats and pick out the ones he's using... E.Warfare? Ok, he doesn't need a Super computer... Scanner? Alright, he can take a scanner perhaps of a lower grade... Defensives, hmm, he can take a Titan that runs a bit hot, and can use Shields... DCS is an either You Got It or you Don't, for my guys. Based on all those, I choose which weapons he's going to use, and go from there.

I generally stick my Leader into a H.G.M. titan and have him lob missiles at the enemy. Never underestimate the value of that insane range on those things. Manager ALWAYS gets Energy Weapons, simply because they let him keep fighting without worrying about ammo. Mechanic always gets any DCS TOS I got, and I prefer having him use Cannons or UGM when possible. Napalm's always fun, too.

On the Black Ray Guns... They're Very Useful against heavier titans, who aren't prone to falling from damage, and take longer to stand up. They tend to be less useful against the smaller... Except they still have the laser bonus to hit moving targets, and they do a nice 10 damage to one location, usually enough to punch out that loc in two shots on a Light/Recon. Nice to see a new face.

[Thorgrim]

On the Black Ray Guns... They're Very Useful against heavier titans, who aren't prone to falling from damage, and take longer to stand up. They tend to be less useful against the smaller... Except they still have the laser bonus to hit moving targets,

If you mean the target's speed related modifier, they don't. They negate LS protection on head hits though.