Cadet II/Stealth bomber

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Note Below is a copy-paste of the current Cadet II, Week 7 post on sbing. No point reinventing the wheel entirely. It has not been formatted for the wiki. The original is accessible here (if you have access)

Stealth Bombing

Original Draft by Shotgun@PK - edited by BV and Staff

Introduction

Stealth Bombers are probably the most versatile and lethal bombers in Allegiance. If used properly with teamwork they can destroy even the most formidable opponents. To properly use Stealth Bombers you must be aware of the tactical situation and the strategic needs of the team.

There are other important considerations to think about before you launch. Is this a solo run? Are you Belters, that can use a stealth fighter as a nan? Who else is going with you? Is there already another teammate camped and waiting? If a regular bomber, do you have a competent stealth scout to accompany you? Have you arranged for escort by a SF or Scout to help on your route? Does the commander know where you are going and what your plans are? Does your team know?

We will begin this tutorial by discussing the concept of stealth. This guide is primary intended for the use of Stealth Bombers, yet you will be able to see where the same rules apply to conventional bomber use in a stealth mode.

Stealth

Stealth is more than signature, route and coordination. All of those are key components of successful stealth bombing. Stealth bombing does not necessary have to be done with a stealth bomber. Bios Heavy Bombers, a low sig conventional bomber, are additional examples. It is method of bombing, not just a particular ship. Stealth refers to being undetected and the unexpected. Many a game has been won or lost because of the latter part. What precautions you take before you launch from base and when you launch your attack will make a major impact upon your success rate.

Signature

First a review of basics:

You should all be aware of the signature of your spacecraft in any Allegiance environment. This is the difference between being spotted and making it undetected to the point where you can unleash your anti base missiles on the target. Here-on mentioned as sig

You'll notice when you mount or dismount your shields by using Ctrl-7 that your sig drops when you dismount and rises when you mount them. As a rule of thumb most stealth bomber pilots rarely mount shields due to the sig increase, for that reason most will not even carry them in cargo.

Missiles, you'll also notice by mounting and unmounting (Ctrl-5) your anti-base missiles that your sig also rises and falls. For this reason the standard loadout for a majority of stealth bombers will be no missile on the firing point and 3 sets of anti base missiles in cargo, and usually one extra set of counters. (Note: loadout will depend upon your target and post target plans)

By launching without a shield and no missiles mounted you have your sig low without using your cloak and have minimized the chance that you will be detected.

In general, dependant on whether you have a stealth bomber or conventional bomber, you would carry a shield in the latter.

Please note there is one other type of configuration you might consider. The use of BOTH Heavy Cloak and Signature Cloak on the same ship. See below for more details.

Route

Immediately upon launch, turn on the grid! Ctrl-g, I can not stress this enough. It gives you the advantage of being able to think in "3D".

Although the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line, you can't apply this logic when stealth bombing. First there is the problem of getting from one sector to the one where the target is located. Before launching stay in base and check out the commanders view, look for probes that have been spotted, caltrops on the alephs, drones on the aleph and if there are any scouts/figs camping the alephs you need to go through. Look for rocks to use as a shield from your opponent.

Once you have selected your route then you launch and instead of going straight for the alephs take a moment to hit f3 and look at your sector map. Instead of blundering into those probes that the opponents� scouts have laid and your team hasn�t found, go a little out of your way to within 1k of the aleph (sometimes 2k if a lot of probing is suspected), then cloak and proceed through.

Wait until you are at least 2k from the aleph before dropping your cloak (this allows you to be clear of those nasty little probes that have been placed around the aleph). Rinse and repeat with every sector you have to go through till you get to the target sector, then you won�t uncloak until you get set up for the attack.

Sometimes the best route is the longest route. Most commanders worry about the frontal assault more than the back door. This is a major mistake.

Entering that final sector is the biggest risk for a SB. Ask for help in coordinating your entry. Send in a fig/int to draw away the defenders. Ask a scout to take a peek for probes. Work together! In your preplanning you should have memorized the closest rock or route you plan on taking once you pass through the aleph.

I personally will immediately dive "down or up" upon entry. Most pilots plow straight in. If I have a opponents ship nearby that eyed me, it gives me an opportunity to change direction radically to avoid him once I lost eye. I have even been known to fly right back into the aleph to lose him!

Setting Up

Ok, you've finally made it to the target sector. Now under some circumstances this calls for a direct charge to the target, but under most it's time to hide. Different factions have different scan ranges for their teleports, refineries, bases and outposts. Also to complicate things further you have to worry about if the enemy has pulse probes or not (in which case you must try to stay about 6,000m from them or the nasty little things will find you). This is where use of TEK will benefit you immensely. Take the time to play with SB�s and base comparisons in TEK. Learn the basic scan ranges!

As soon as you are in the sector, head away from anything that can scan you. Select your f3 mode and make a waypoint somewhere at least 5k from the target. Remember the map is 3 dimensional, so either go high or low when you make the waypoint. Be aware of the scouts and fighters in the sector, and choose your waypoints accordingly, the further away the better. Monitor the situation and move your stealth bomber as the enemy appears. When you reach the minimum distance from the target and keeping all enemy assets at least 5k from you, uncloak and recharge.

I can't stress how important it is to remember to maneuver while recharging and prior to setting up. Hunting SBs is a bit of an art and there are very competent artists out there, so beware!

Coordination

Now if the target is only a teleport or a refinery you may be soloing this, sometimes outposts are suitable for this tactic, although it�s not recommended against the tougher factions such as IC etc. Know how many missiles it is going to take to destroy you target. Know how long your reload and arming times are. These are critical factors often overlooked on a solo run by a newbie.

This makes the coordination of several stealth bombers a prerequisite to the destruction of the large target or capturing a target with nerve gas. As in all missions PAY ATTENTION TO THE CHAT. Determine who is going to call and coordinate the run The one calling this attack sets the range and then all stealth bombers move into position and report they�re ready for the attack. All ships will then cloak and move toward the target from different vectors. Usually 3 stealth bombers can take out a tech base or a shipyard, but to insure success a higher number can be used.

Many teams will employ multiple offensive moves at the same time. Send an �eyed bomber� to one sector, have an attack start on some miners in another sector, start a solo SB run on another target in another sector. The whole idea is to draw off the defenders from the primary target.

The Attack

Ok you are set up, 6,000m from the enemy Starbase. The leader of the 4 stealth bombers in Okanogan gives the order: Go, go, go! You begin moving forward and cloak, switching to F3 quickly confirms all stealth bombers are moving forward. You make sure that you have hit the Q button to select the enemy base. As you pass 2,100-2000m you arm your AB1. At approximately 1,700m you get the eye so you switch off your cloak because you are unzipped. (This is where you would load your heavy cloak for use if you brought one!) You watch patiently till you hit 1,200m from the starbase and fire your first AB. You see your second AB arm as you begin side thrusting and adjusting your aimpoint to hit the starbase and it explodes. Being very careful with the sidethrust, sometimes it can cause your missiles to miss. I almost always stop for a second as I fire.

If you are lucky enough you unmount missiles and activate your cloak and slip off to a point to pick up your comrades that weren�t so lucky. If not you pod home, or if it was their last base you look at how your team won.

Special Faction Bombers

Rix is a special case when it comes to SBs. In the case of rix with station pods you can do a lot of damage with one or two SBs. Of course it all depends on the opposing teams reaction speed. If your pods don't activate before they shoot them it results in no damage to the station. So very stealthy and release the pods about 1000 meters from the target.

TechnoFlux is another special situation, and the guns that they can use are very effective coupled with their low sig.

Of course the rule is, the more SBs attacking a target, the higher the chances of success.

(BV) Bios bombers are a very special bomber. I love them beyond all other regular bombers. Either for use in a "normal" bomb run or soloing a small base. I am but one of a handful who can claim to have solo'd a major tech base in one. Yeah a little brag, but my point is with constant work on improving yourself and a little luck, it can be deadly. Plan on getting podded a lot, but when you do pull it off, the grin is immense!

Plus as an annoyance tactic in larger games, it can drive your opponent nuts.

First a normal run. Make sure you gunners know when to fire and when not to! Drop shields and missiles before launch. I only take two ammo clips at the most, dependant upon how far I have to travel on the final approach where I will be eyed. I never turn my cloak off the entire route until I get close to the final sector. Then I park away from the aleph and recharge. Why? I have a constant lower sig than flipping it on and off. Personal tactic.

Final run, use the cloak when you can. Opponent�s ships far enough away you can cloak and have no eye? Immediately change direction slightly. It drives the rammer�s and mine dropper�s nuts! Smart gunners watch for the cloak and stop shooting immediately to see if we have lost the eye or not.

Solo bombing in a Bios bomber. I hesitated about even bringing this into here. But it is a skill that can be learned. Rule #1, your commander and team must know what you are trying to do. So they do not draw attention to the sector you are in or going to. Your team must have other offensive action going at the same time. It is almost impossible to accomplish without something going on elsewhere to detract your opponent.

No gunners, unless it is one who you trust explicitly. Then I will only take one. Same thing with a nan scout. I will only let one accompany me if I KNOW he understands the program. I always take a load or two of hunters with me. Extra countermeasures and only one ammo clip. The whole concept revolves around being unseen until I am on the final approach. Use rocks to hide behind to recharge. Think of it as stalking a target. Sneaky, sneaky and more sneaky movements. Slow and patient is the way to go. Traveling way off the beaten path and off the main grid will get you there. Rip's, OPs and refs are normally your target.

If you get the opportunity, play with it.

Additional comments on Bios solo bombing by McWarren: Important things to do when solo bombing with Bios:

1. Preplanning is perhaps the most important issue with solo bombing. Know your route ahead of time. Is the target base close to an aleph you will be coming through? Do you see any probes sitting on alephs that could potentially eye you? What can you do to give you the highest probability of NOT getting eyed before you want to be eyed? If you see an enemy probe that will be a problem make sure you or someone else clears it before you leave base in a bomber, otherwise you will waste time and money making a run that is likely to be unsuccessful.

2. Never fly in a straight line between one aleph to the next. Even in friendly sectors, fly in an arc toward the destination aleph and keep the cloak engaged. Most bios solo runs are stopped a sector or two ahead of the target. If you get eyed, abort, choose a different target and start over.

3. Always uncloak, fully recharge your energy, and recloak as you enter an aleph. Make sure you time your entrance to the aleph to coincide with the point where your cloak is fully engaged giving you the maximum amount of time to move away from the aleph on the opposite side. Once you've cloaked and started to move through the aleph go to F3 piloting like in early game scout runs and highlight yourself.

4. When you enter an aleph angle away from the front of the aleph. Don't fly straight forward or toward the next aleph. Since you are in F3 mode tell yourself to move to a position left or right of the aleph and off the plane, like you are in a stealth bomber. If you run out of energy and you are still uneyed you are still in business. If you are eyed, rip out and try again. Perhaps find the probe that has eyed you and destroy it before making another attempt.

5. Once you are in the target sector uneyed, remain in f3 mode. Look at the map and plan a route that will get you into position to set up without getting eyed. Note where rocks are. If you can, start moving toward a rock that will put itself between you and the enemy base. When you get behind it uncloak and recharge your energy. Sometimes you may have to do this 2 or 3 times on your way to the final setup. The key is to stay as far away from the base as you can while driving toward the spot you will use to set up for the attack.

6. If possible, when attacking an outpost it is preferrable to set up on a side of the base where there isn't a red door facing you. If you set up in front of a red door it gives the defenders the best chance of stopping you since you will be directly in front of them when they launch.

7. You should be able to set up for the run uneyed without hiding behind an asteroid at about 5000m if you have missles and shields unmounted and cloak off. When you are ready to begin the assault, cloak and start at full throttle toward the target. If you don't have a nan pushing you your ship will run out of energy well before you come into anti-base missle range. Most of the time you will run out of energy somewhere between 2500m and 3500m and you will be eyed by the enemy base. When you get eyed raise your shields and missles and contine toward the target. Don't forget to uncloak when your energy runs out. If you recharge your cloak while still driving toward the target you can cloak once again as the first defenders close in on you. Unless they are defending with a scout the defender will be unable to see you when you recloak and you will often fly right by them unnoticed. Most small bases (refs, tele's, and outposts) take two anti-base 1 missles to destroy if you have any kill bonus at all. When your energy runs out a second time you should have plenty of time to destroy the base before the defenders are able to pod you.

Bios solo bombing takes patience. It gets more difficult the larger the game is. It is particularly deadly in smaller games where there are 15 players per side or less. The primary reason for this is it is easier to reach your final setup point before getting eyed. It is likely that you will get an eye somewhere along the way and if you do get an eye before you are moving on the final phase of the run most times ripping out and starting over is the best option.