Cadet I/Scouting

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Scouting the map - The basics

Scouting is done with a scout, as scouts have a scan range of 2400m. This is much larger than the fighter's 600m scan range or the interceptor's 400m. Scouting is essential throughout the game. Without continuous scouting a team has no information on enemy movements and will most likely lose.

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 will result in a boring game, or a fast loss. Initial scouting is all about finding alephs so your team can expand and secure mining 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 and miners, 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 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.

Finding alephs

Alephs are easy to find. Allegiance has 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, and so on. Knowing this allows you to know their layout within a sector - if there are three alephs, they will form a rough triangle. Four will form a rough square, and so on.

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 usually do the same thing when they spot you.

On certain maps (such as InsideOut), it is important to avoid scouting some sectors, such as the middle. This can prevent the enemy from finding your alephs. Giving the position of your home aleph to an enemy that is likely to rush, such as the Rixians, may be costly. The only way you can be sure to not give away the position of your aleph is by not entering the sector at the beginning of the game. Only veteran pilots that dismount their shields and missiles should scout these sectors, and usually only if the commander requests them to do so.

Probing

Proper probing is extremely important. EWS probes (Early Warning System) deserve their name since they are often the only thing that spots an enemy bomb run. EWS does not stand for "Effective watching of ships" as low-signature ships can easily avoid most probe nets. You want to drop probes close enough to enemy flight paths, but not too close that or the probe will be found and destroyed. A very delicate balancing act. For further information on scan ranges, download TEK.

Drop probes beside the linear paths connecting 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 sufficient 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 need additional probes.

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.

Probing is covered in more detail HERE

The enemy

If you scout in enemy territory, 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. They are trickier to fire, since they have almost no tracking, but if you can get every one of them to hit you have a good chance of killing an enemy utility ship with your scout. If you see miners, tell your team. If they are 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 slow down the enemy's economy.

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 a 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, and you will just be podded.}

For all utility ships, don't try to destroy them if escorts are nearby. You can't afford to be your ship podded in enemy sectors, as the pod ride will be very long (unless you are Bios, in which case your pod can rip home as soon as a home teleport receiver is built.).

Tip: You should almost always have a nanite gun in your cargo! Many constructors have been saved by repairing your constructor or fellow teammates. 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 1000 meters from the he3 rocks. When the miners enter the sector and are detected, your team can 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 is spotted, your team can react and try to destroy it. Even if it is 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 and are harder for the enemy to detect than a standard EWS probe, and can rescue podded pilots. A well placed rescue probe can be very effective. Most commanders demand their use.

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 up Tech (but not Cashboxes or Powerups). 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.

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