Rescue Probe/Sanctuary

[spacejocky]

When Rescue Probes available, how many should you take for 1st scouting run...?


I ask because, the other day in a game, I entered a sector for Con support that another scout had just gone thru. he had left an RP at his entry point, and another behind the aleph he left by, and still another above plane in the center. Then there was still another above plane in the next sector. I usually take only 1 or 2 because of the cost, and fill up with regular probes. Would filling up with RP's be better ?

Sanctuary's being used by anyone are probably another matter...Different strategy ?

Thanks for any advice...I like to probe properly ! (Probe em till they squeal ) /wub.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":iluv:" border="0" alt="wub.gif" />

[Terralthra]

RPs have a much better ratio of signature to scan range than standard EWS probes. If your comm will give them to you, and you can put them in places where they will not be immediately spotted, it's usually worth it.

They have a lower endurance, though, so you will need to reprobe more often.

[cashto]

I usually only take one out at a time. Later on in the game I might take more if I'm intentionally spamming RPs in every sector. But for my initial run, I only take one.

It sounds like some of these RPs were badly placed ... in front of the aleph, and in a sector adjacent to home? Both of those are no-nos. You can't just drop probes anywhere. You need them in forward sectors so that they have a chance of spotting enemy cons / miners, and in places where they can save you a long walk to base.

[TeeJ]

QUOTE (Terralthra @ Aug 18 2008, 06:19 PM) They have a lower endurance, though, so you will need to reprobe more often.

*noted.

[spacejocky]

QUOTE (cashto @ Aug 18 2008, 07:40 PM) It sounds like some of these RPs were badly placed ... in front of the aleph, and in a sector adjacent to home? Both of those are no-nos. You can't just drop probes anywhere. You need them in forward sectors so that they have a chance of spotting enemy cons / miners, and in places where they can save you a long walk to base.

They were pretty well forward on the map, the sector with three was 2 away from enemy garr, and I'm pretty sure the entry one was behind/below that aleph. I came up from low after I pegged my aleph's and caught up with the Op Con just as it went next sector forward.

It was a late call to push the op, so our guys were catching up to it piecemeal. Unfortuneatly, their whole team knew it was coming. /doh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":doh:" border="0" alt="doh.gif" />

[guitarism]

And just a note. Next time I see someone dropping all their probes in the first sector they come to, you get a superboot. The point is to put them farther out where the ENEMY is, not where the only thing they see is my own miners

[DasSmiter]

how else will you be able to scout your own He3 levels in this new, fixed 'g' screen, era?

[Dark_Sponge]

They have 1/3 the sig and x2 the scan of ews probe 1. I like to drop one in the enemy's home to spot where they send cons and miners.
Take as many as the commander will let you.

[SouthPaw]

As people have already mentioned, the IC rescue probe has excellent sig/scan ratio so act as uber probes.

If you want them to operate in their intented rescue function they need to be hidden in sectors you expect a lot of friendly pods to be in: Their home, their techbase, where they mine etc. I like to put one about 1000-1200m from their home aleph if we have no forward bases.

TF beacons are cheap, spam them more particularly at start of game.

Belts Sanctuaries have higher sig (so the enemy gets to see them easier and use them) a smart enemy will kill sancs in their home, and leave the ones in your sectors.

Once you secure a sector, kill the sancs in it. I played a game recently where there was an enemy belts sanc in a contested sector with two ops. We bombed their op, our com moved two miners into the sector, 7 pods headed to the sanc 2k from us. One of our pilots kills the sanc then gets podded. 7 pods now have 6k walk back to op. Both miners die. Moral of the story, kill enemy sancs in sectors you cotnrol, once you have secured them...

[gr4vity]

No IC com in his right mind* will refuse it if you request a 1.000$ Scout from time to time. The more of those useful buggers are out there the better! /mrgreen.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="mrgreen.gif" />


(*Only exceptions might be times with low cash)