HUNTING 101

darkwing · Post by **darkwing** » Fri May 02, 2003 7:53 pm

I know there are other hunting strat threads.

But every one of them seems to be filled with whining. And very little on various strats for Hunting.

I am new to SMR and I actually only check out SM for a few days about a year ago (never got the hang of it).

I am interested in learning how to hunt. I got my 20k traded exp and I want to get in my 5 kills before NG6 ends.

So a few ground rules:
-NO WHINING
-Please no posting "false strats". Do not tell me the best way to hunt is to first raid a level 9 port.
-Please commit on strats posted by others. Explain there good points and bad points.

Imhotep · Post by **Imhotep** » Fri May 02, 2003 9:22 pm

Holy cow! someone is trying to get out of newbies by the end of NG6! Hooray!

There are several ways, you will have to try one or all to see what you like, I will list whatever I can think of:

1. Scouts, scouts, and more scouts. Drop scouts everywhere and find out where people trade, get a bearing on what times they trade, then kill them whilst they are trading.

2. Scouts around major locations and banks. Try and catch someone banking their cash, or arming up a new ship, etc. I would say the bank is a decent place to get kills in newbies. This is especially effective with proper claok useage or IG useage. Who really examines all the 0/1 pods sitting at a bank?

3. Learn to use mines effectively. Trap people in mines then finish the job. This is not really a specific method per se, you can use this around ports or banks or however you want.

4. If you are good with your SMC useage, you can tell where people are trading by the experience they get. Then you do not have to drop scouts, you can just go try and kill them. Sometimes dropping scouts tips people off to the fact that you are hunting. I know vets that use both ways quite effectively. I prefer the no scouts, it makes me stealthy personally.

Then there are the non-hunting ways to get kills...

1. planet bust to find logged off players. This requires alliance teamwork, and sometimes everyone but you gets a kill

2. PR a level 1 port and uno real fast and see if anyone comes to try and kill you.

There are several other ways out there that are either more complex variations of these basic methods, or entirely different (how is that for vague

If you are working with a team, you can try all kinds of funky things. Good luck, see you in vet soon I'm sure.

Grey · Post by **Grey** » Sat May 03, 2003 5:48 am

All good strategies. I recommend you find an experienced wing man to tell you how to hunt in the beginning.

There is one thing though: I have seen a lot of ppl doing the IG/bank thing. As far as I know the last to arrive in the sector will in top. That is why I check the top 2-3 when I bank. But I have seen it work so it might for you too.

Hellman109 · Post by **Hellman109** » Tue May 06, 2003 5:08 am

Imhotep wrote:1. planet bust to find logged off players. This requires alliance teamwork, and sometimes everyone but you gets a kill

Has happened a few times to me... but other times i have gotten 5 kills, and the rest getting 3 all together... he he he

Imhotep wrote:2. PR a level 1 port and uno real fast and see if anyone comes to try and kill you.

Also can work well, works the best if you have a high level cloaker or 2 IS with you, as they will THINK there atting one, but will get killed by 3, that, or use a devestator, and hope they dont bring too many people or mine you in

darkwing · Post by **darkwing** » Tue May 06, 2003 3:50 pm

Well I suck at hunting.

I started this stint 5 days ago with 33mil in the bank.

I used a LTAC. Or rather 4 of them. I know have 4mil left, A planet which I managed to find. 4 more deaths. 10k lost exp. AND NO KILLS.

Every time I went out hunting I found myself picked off by a much larger ship.

Shesmu · Post by **Shesmu** » Wed May 07, 2003 6:26 pm

Good strategies from Imhotep as was to be expected from one of this games top hunters ...

Just wanted to add a bit about choice of ship/weapons:

If scout hunting: use a jump ship (FW is great - HBC next choice)

If you use mines, you should choose an armor-heavy weapons setup since your mines will take out some/most of your targets shields.

BTW, if you have problems with other hunters always coming after you - here's my favorite: trap the hunter ! Nothing more fun than tricking a hunter into a minefield. Load up with pure armor weapons. Drop a stack of 40 mines in a sector next to a known hunters location. Fetch more mines. Enter the sector with mines and drop another 40 mines or so. Wait for the hunter to arrive. He hits the mines. You retreat into the second mine-stack and when he enters in his once-whole capital ship, you blast away with your armor weapons. High-risk I know, but 10 times the fun when it works

Swagman · Post by **Swagman** » Sat May 17, 2003 3:36 pm

DW..

So you died, a little upset along the way, makes for a better hunter, analyze how these other people trapped you, see what mistakes you made (if any), you can still die without making a mistake, just the luck of the draw (pardon the pun).

Don't despair, you'll learn more from your failures, ask yourself some questions, did I enter the sector to quickly and was seen, didn't I drop my mines fast enough, should I have fired first before dropping mines..

Next pick a ship and try out a strategy (see if you like it), you don't need anything really expensive, 6 mill gets you 2 of the most effective ships in the game, for early hunting, the Carapace and HBC, with these ships you use a mining stategy like Shesmu just described, they have scouts, so you'll know where everybody is....

Learn to use scanner and local map and look around whilst dropping scouts, you'll be surprised in a NG how many people will try to hide in a Dead End sector.... (bet you could get 5 kills that way alone)

1 more thing, perhaps your weapon set up is wrong, sometimes all the biggest weapons do you more harm than good, if you have a low xp, combining that with a low accuracy weapon is almost fatal... try a higher accuracy weapon with a lower damage.

Anyway enough from me. Just persevere, that's the key.

Nariis · Post by **Nariis** » Sat May 17, 2003 4:10 pm

Great posts guys....do you mind if I use this information in the helpfiles? I left out hunting in the files, and upon reading what ya'll wrote...I should add it in.

McHale · Post by **McHale** » Sat May 31, 2003 1:56 am

I myself like to have a lot more than 20k before I get a warbird. I know a lot like to hunt early on but that is just me. If your new with low exp hunt with a friend. If you hunting dont move around for 10 minutes(hope thats right) and you wont be shown on the cpl. Traders check the cpl to see if hunters are on. You will have a bit of suprise in your favor. Also when your hunting check the statistics for sector kills. find out where the hot spots are to hunt. Dont forget about your weapons, make sure you have the best ones you can get and you have them in the right firing order. Dont get upset when you get the ole pod ride. I got killed a Lot before I finally got my first kill.

Vober · Post by **Vober** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 12:59 am

Chances are if you are reading this you are new ti hunting, so ill put a few beginner rules that I think work:

1: NEVER go in sectors where many people fight, big name hunters will kill you in seconds.

2: Lasers work wonders. Highly accurate, and at this point you arent attacking anything bigger than an IST anyways.

3: DONT attack people with low exp, they are worthless kills, if you do need kills for vet status I always buy them their ship back and then some

4: Hunt in groups of you can.

5: USE SCOUTS, if you get a ping check CPL, and news tosee if they get kills/are lower exp than you. after a ping WAIT about 10 minutes to see if you get more pings.

6: Dont hunt at banks unless you want me to haze you

7: MOST IMPORTANT VERY: have a fast connection and a fast finger