Cadet I/Scouting

← Scout guide

Probing →

Scouting the map - The basics

Scouting is done using a scout, surprise surprise. This is because the scout has a scan range of 2400m - compare this to the fig's paltry 600m scan range or the int's 400m blindness. Scouting is most useful at the beginning of the game but remains essential throughout the game. Without continuous scouting a team is clueless about the enemy's moves and positions and will most likely lose because of countless decision errors.

We will go more indepth into each area in upcoming lessons. For now here is a brief overview.

Scouting at the beginning

Scouting at the beginning of a game is crucial and failure to do so would result in a boring game. Initial scouting is all about finding alephs so the team can expand and secure space. Secondly, it is about spotting helium and tech rocks so the commander can plan where he will mine and build his techbase. Finally initial scouting is about finding the enemy team and their constructors, so you know what your opponent is up to.

You will probably see money or technology floating in space. Each cashbox you collect is an additional $500 for the team, which can make a huge difference at the beginning of a game when your team has few miners. Technology, on the other hand, can save your commander many thousands of dollars because once returned home he doesn't need to pay for its research. However, your team still requires the corresponding techbase before they can actually use it.

Note Belters are an exception to the previous rule. They are excellent scavengers and can use any technology that they find immediately, regardless of techbase. As such it is vital that you bring any and all tech home when playing as belters

Tip: If you find something that your scout can use, such as Gat 2, make sure to mount it before docking. That way it will still be on your ship when you launch, and you can use it regardless of whether your team has the techbase!

Remember though, that your primary duty is scouting. It is important that you pick cash and tech up, unless you know it is useless or it is way too far from your flight path. If you don't know if a tech is worth picking up or not simply ask your commander, or any of your teammates since most are probably veterans.

Finding alephs

Alephs are quite easy to find, when you know how. Since the 4th release of FAZ Allegiance has included a map preview pane in the game lobby. Examine it closely before the game starts, and take note of which sectors have 2 alephs, which have 3, etc. Knowing this allows you to know their layout within a sector - if their are 3 they will form a rough triangle, 4 will form a rough square and so on. If you are playing a custom map, however, this may not hold true. See this page for some examples.

Tip: Use the F3 map view to give yourself waypoints to scout faster. Work as a team with the other scouts in the sector! You see one teammate going "left", give yourself a waypoint to the "right". If they are behind you and following, give them a waypoint to the "left". Talk to each other!

While searching for alephs you might encounter enemy scouts. If you do, you can assume that the position where they appeared is the position of their aleph and therefore you should explore in that direction. As a scout, do not engage in a dogfight with enemy scouts, for it is useless and nothing more than a waste of time (which can turn into an enormous waste of time if you get podded).

Tip: Enemy scouts will do the same thing when they spot you. Hence minimise your signature whenever possible.

This is why certain maps (such as InsideOut) may require you to avoid exploring certain sectors, to avoid the risk of giving out the position of your alephs. Giving out the position of your home aleph against a team that is likely to rush, like the Rixians, may be highly costly. The only way you can be sure to not give away your aleph's position is by not entering the sector at the beginning of the game. Only veteran pilots that disengage their shields and missiles should scout those risky sectors, and usually only if the commander requests them to do so.

Probing

During your scouting probes should be dropped for they are extremely important. They are named EWS probes (Early Warning System) and they deserve that name since they are often the only thing that spots an enemy bomb run. You want to drop probes close enough to enemy flight paths that they will be seen, but not so close that the probe is found and destroyed. A very delicate balancing act. For further research of scan ranges, download TEK.

Drop probes beside the linear paths between important elements (alephs, helium rocks, enemy bases). For example, do not drop a probe in the imaginary line connecting 2 alephs inside a sector; instead drop it to the side so that it doesn't get spotted and destroyed as easily. Probes must be deployed in hard to find places, unless you plan on dropping a lot. A few well-placed probes should be enough for most sectors, enough to detect the enemy's movements and allowing your team to quickly react. As the game progresses and certain sectors become more important they will, of course, need additional probage.

Certain pilots drop probes right on top of alephs, believing they will spot everything that comes close to the aleph. Instead what happens is the first enemy pilot through that aleph will spot and destroy such an obvious probe.

We cover probing indepth in an upcoming lesson.

The enemy

If you scout into enemy territory near the beginning of the game you are likely to encounter not only enemy attack ships, but also miners and constructors. This is why it is good to have Dumbfire missiles equipped. They are trickier to fire, since they have practically no tracking ability (and that which they do have is counter-intuitive) but if you can get every one of them to hit you have a good chance of killing an enemy utility ship with your measly scout. If you see miners, tell your team. If they're undefended then attack them. If they are defended, don't. You will just be facing a long pod ride. If at all possible make sure you attack in groups. A single scout must work quite hard to take out even a single utility ship. A good strategy is to harass the miners until they retreat and then abort your attack. This will prevent the enemy from valuable income early in the game.

For constructors chances are that they will be escorted. Give the constructor's identity and position (for instance "op con midlow") then stay at a distance to keep it detected. Avoid getting podded uselessly by the constructor's defense. If you see it is heading to an aleph, and you have a prox ready, and you can get there first (that's a lot of "ifs") you should try proxing the other side of the aleph. You could easily destroy or damage several of the escorts at the very least.

If the constructor is unescorted, attack it like you would attack the miner. Be aware that it may ripcord, or that it may build on a nearby asteroid. If it starts ripcording (it will slow down and start shaking) there is nothing you can do except try and destroy it as quickly as possible. If it lines up to dive into an asteroid be sure to ram it out of position so it must restart. Doing so can buy time for you to destroy it or for friendly reinforcements to arrive.

Note Large constructors have so much mass that ramming them is unlikely to slow them down one iota

For all utility ships, don't try to destroy them if escorts get nearby. You can't afford to get your ship podded early in the game because the pod ride will be very long (unless you're Bios, in which case your pod can rip home as soon as a home teleport receiver is built). Above all, make sure you survive, and attack in groups.

Tip: You should almost always have a nanite gun in your cargo! Many an opening tactical move has been saved by being able to repair your constructor or fellow team mate. Remember that 'GT scouts mount both as default equipment. Toggle your nanite gun off so you are not repairing an opponent as you try to destroy them.

Preventing a disaster

Probes are not only good at spotting enemy threats. They are also very useful at detecting enemy utility ships. If you detect a refinery it is a good idea to lay a few probes around, about 1k from the he rocks. When the miners enter the ref sector and become detected, your commander can order an attack on them. The same goes for constructors. Technology rocks should be probed, and a constructor should never be able to go from its launch point to its build point completely undetected. If it's spotted your team can react and try to destroy it. Even if it's too far you can at least be aware that the enemy has built in the area.

Tip: Most rescue probes have a better scan range than a standard EWS probe. A well placed rescue probe can be very effective in early warning. Some commanders demand their use early in game.

Powerups, floating Cashboxes and Tech

A "power up" with a symbol that is commonly recognized by gamers. But it doesn't do what you think. It only repairs and replenishes ammo, fuel, hull, energy and shields if they are damaged or depleted. It does not give you extra powers or strength. It floats randomly in space.

These "Cashboxes" are worth 500 credits. They are found randomly floating in space. By flying into it you automatically give your commander the money. You do not have to dock or anything else with it. Just fly into it. Always try to grab one if you are close to one. These little contributions can make or break a game at a critical moment.

"Tech" is also found randomly floating in space. These denote various pieces of tech (guns, missiles, shields, cloaks, etc.) that your team does not possess yet. You pick it up by flying into it.

Note You must have an empty cargo slot to pick it up. Either deploy a mine or probe, fire off your missiles or use ctrl-s to eject what is in your cargo slot. You should be flying with the F4 screen open at all times anyway, so you can tell at a glance what is in your cargo.

← Scout guide

Probing →