Space Tips and Tricks

One of the most critical things to remember about the Space game of SWG is that, unlike the ground, it is highly "twitch based" and every inch and second matters. How to maximize

your advantage is an ever-evolving challenge. However, there are a number of tricks you can use that will give you a greater chance of survival in either the PvP or PvE aspects of Space.

Droid Interfaces, and how to best use them in PvE or PvP:

One of the most critical elements to the space game is effectively using your droid commands. To begin with, you need both a Droid Interface (DI) and a Droid or Flight Computer. For those of you not familiar with the difference: A Droid Interface is a ship component with mass and stats that will affect how fast you can run droid commands and overloads. Your Droid or Flight Computer is just a datapad device separate of your ship, but you must 'equip' it to your ship like a component before you launch, or you cannot use your Droid Interface. So, basically, both a DI and a Droid/Flight Computer are needed, and each is just as important as the other.

Another critical thing to remember is that you must find a Droid Interface with a good balance of low mass and good speed. (The lower the "Droid Speed" field the better: e.g. a Droid Speed of 14 is much better than one at 32. So the lower the number, the better). The faster the speed you get the higher the mass (typically) the Droid Interface will be. For PvE purposes you should be flying a larger fighter craft, like an Advanced X-Wing, (Freelance) Kimogola or Kryate, or TIE Oppressor. The higher the mass, the more flexibility you will have with equipment mass, such as a Droid Interface. And in PvE, the more weapons you have, and faster the engine (and more powerful the shields) the better you will hold up against the larger mobs of high-level spawns: such as in Kessel space where you may aggro as many as 10-20 enemy at once, and you'll need all that great mass. So what does my tangent on high mass ships have to do with Droid Interfaces? Well, what I'm getting at is that in PvE situations you should be using a Droid Interface around 15 or better speed, but the mass will likely be between 5,000-8,000 mass for such a speed. But on a larger PvE built ship, that mass will be just fine.

Now, on a PvP ship it's a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT venture: you need to build a ship to be small, fast, and light. Basically, a Jedi Star Fighter (JSF) or Heavy Variant of any of the starter ships (basically a 95,000+ mass version of the starter ships of any faction), or a (Freelance) Vaksai will be preferable. To fit everything on such a small ship, you will have to make some compromises: basically, you should be aiming for a VERY good RE'd certification level 1-3 Droid Interface between 22-25 speed, or a crafted Mark I - II Droid interface between speeds 24-29, and regardless you should keep your mass as low as possible: aim for around 450 mass, or if you want to have a slightly faster DI you'll be looking at 2,500 mass possibly for a <20 speed DI. I will go into much more detail on a few build ideas surrounding this and PvP/PvE below.

Be Picky with Mass:

Each and every ship component must be as low in mass as possible. The lower each part is in mass, the more you can ultimately cram on. Usually, you will be rebuilding ships every few days or weeks. You might settle on a really 'tight' build that is nearly maxed out on mass that works perfectly, but then you'll find a Weapon Capacitor that has 4,000 less mass than your current one, giving you 4,000 more mass to play with, thus causing a complete overhaul of your ship to maximize whatever you focus on: damage output, shield protection, capacitor energy/recharge, DI speed, etc. I will usually do a complete inventory of all my ships masses once every few weeks, seeing what small chunks of mass I can shave off here and there to make a ship better. Typically, I may only shave off 250 mass on a capacitor with a replacement, or 125 mass on a booster with an equal replacement, but the overall effect allows me to focus on what I love most: Ship maneuverability. The more mass I can shave off all around my ship and still maintain equal component functionality, the heavier (and better) an Engine I will be able to fit on the ship. Now, heavier doesn't always mean better, obviously, but in the case of things like engines, shields, and most weapons: the bigger, the better. One of the most intriguing parts about the Space game of SWG is when you finally think your ship couldn't be any tighter or more perfect a build...and then you find a weapon capacitor that maintains the same exact stats as your current one (or better) but is 4,000 mass smaller...that makes me *sigh* very heavily, but also grin enormously: I know then that I can finally rebuild and rework my ship to get that one extra thing on that I always wanted.

A great example of what being "Picky With Mass" can get you can be found in my very own re-re-re-rebuild of my Advanced X-Wing. For over a year I thought I had a great ship, nearly maxed out on mass with awesome components across the board. Then I found what is called a "Pre-CU Droid Interface" which basically just refers to a crafted Mark I Droid Interface made back before April 2005...which would have stats of around 450 mass and a speed under 15. Well, by chance, I found one of my very old Pre-CU DI's (447 mass, 11.4 speed) in my bunker that was lost long, long ago in one of my many house moves. After equipping that DI, I shaved 7,000 mass off my ship and increased my DI speed from 14.1 to 11.4 amazingly. That extra 7,000+ mass allowed me to complete my ultimate dream: RE three separate Income Tri-Cannons (a level 8 weapon that is a reward: usually RE's to around 23k mass, 2500-3800 damage, and .700/.700 vs. Shield/Armor with a energy per shot BELOW 14.1). I managed to cram on THREE Incom Tri-Cannons (all with masses around 24k) and a Post-Chapter 5 Mark V engine with Pitch Yaw Roll with 85.5 across the board, and speed of 104.7. On top of all of that, I was able to keep all my other great components, effectively making my Advanced X-Wing the ultimate ship. All because of one single part I found that changed my entire idea of what a 'great ship' is.

Be Picky with Reactor Energy Drain:

Nearly as important as low component mass is the Reactor Energy Drain (RED) stat of each and every component onboard your ship. It is critical to keep your ship components' RED as low as possible, because ultimately it all adds up to either an overloaded reactor with a disabled ship soon after, or (if managed correctly) an over-powered reactor with nearly unlimited ship potential. Having each ship component's RED as low as possible will afford you greater flexibility for droid program overloads (see below). A few ship components to look out for in terms of RED stats: Boosters should never go over 500 RED, weapons should stay under 2000 (preferably 1900 or less), and shields (depending on strength) should be between 1500-1800 RED, as should your engine. Your reactor will vary (depending on a PvE or PvP build, or just the type of ship in general and the mass to work with). But once your ship is fully outfitted you should NOT be using more than 75% or your Reactor's energy...so for example, a good Reactor energy stat after outfitting would be 10,000/15,000, or 15,000/20,000. I usually try to aim for using less than 65% of my reactor so I can pull off any droid program overloads I want without fretting, otherwise you may be in trouble with 'overworking' your reactor after doing overloads. Now I need to explain more about what droid commands you should be using and how far you should go with overloads on various setups...

Droid Commands and Overloads:

What you need to be using each and every time are Reactor Overload: IV, Weapon Capacitor Overload: IV, and Engine Overload: IV....no exceptions. Then you have the choice with Shield Shunts: I use Shield Shunt:3 because it allows my weapon capacitor to still have 1/3 of its energy remain after recharging my shields nearly to full. Most experienced pilots will use this. Now, there is also Shield Shunt:4, which will complete drain your weapon capacitor of energy to near-fully recharge your shields, which most novice (or hard-head) pilots will use. The major disadvantage of Shield Shunt:4 is that you will have no weapon energy left...which will ultimately get you in very bad trouble. I highly recommend using Shield Shunt:3.

Now, the final (and sometimes most important) overload: Weapon Overloads. Most skilled pilots will program into their droid TWO overloads for their weapons, one mild overload and one powerful overload. I would personally recommend programming either Weapon Overload: 2 and Weapon Overload: 3, or Weapon Overload: 3 and Weapon Overload:4 into your droid. This will allow you to use the more mild of the two for PvE purposes and then if you enter Deep Space, or a very hot PvE zone at that, you will be able to quick-switch to your more powerful weapon overload on the fly. I personally use WO:3 and WO:4 myself, and use WO:3 in all situations except PvP, then when I'm in Deep Space and notice an enemy player sneaking up on me (see my portion below about using Target Nearest Enemy Player) I do a quick switch to WO:4, which will allow my three Incom Tri-Cannons on my Advanced X-Wing to kill any enemy player with one burst.

If you do a lot of heavy PvP, I would suggest outfitting a light ship (like a JSF or Heavy Variant starter ship) with ONE level 8 or 10 weapon and an engine focused on maneuverability, with a decent shield setup and likely no armor. Program your droid for ONLY ALL level 4 overloads (including the weapon) but don't take a more mild weapon overload. You'll need the extra droid program space in the droid for "Front Shield Reinforcement: Heavy/Extreme" (whichever you can fit). In PvP, 99% of shots are placed while in a 'turning war' with the enemy player: a 'turning war' is when you turn dramatically to get an angle on your opponent, and he is likely doing the same thing, and the first person to get an angle and land a shot wins. So, if you're both facing each other, than the most precious thing to have is A) a powerful weapon overloaded with Weapon Overload 4 and B) Massive front shields. To obtain shield capacity beyond the norm, you will need to run a Front Shield Reinforcement droid command, preferable "heavy" or "extreme". Instead of dying instantly in PvP you will be able to absorb three, sometimes as many as five, shots from another player before your front shields are worked down to nothing. However, reserve your "Front Shield Reinforcement" command for the instant you see an enemy player, as you do not want to weaken your rear shields in regular PvE combat for great front shields...the majority of NPC ships hit you from the rear (unlike in PvP).

"Target Nearest Enemy Player" is your Best Friend in Deep Space:

Using the "Target Nearest Enemy Player" is the most important thing you can possibly do while in Deep Space (whether you are not a PvP'r and only looking for GCW points from random ship kills, or if you are a PvP'r on the hunt for other players). I set my "Target Nearest Enemy Player" to a button on my joystick for easy access, and I hit it literally every 30 seconds with an unconscious rhythm. This will allow you to immediately target the nearest enemy player (usually there is just one up there at a time, sometimes [rarely] more) and get a jump on them before they notice you. The moment I target another enemy player I prepare for the ensuing battle by making sure my weapons are on Overload 4 and then doing a Front Shield Reinforcement Extreme.

The Targeting Cursor is NOT Your Friend:

In Space, as many veteran pilots know, the lead targeting cursor is a joke. By 'lead targeting cursor' I am referring to that small targeting sprite that attempts to anticipate where you would have to fire for your lasers to meet the enemy ship...called a 'lead shot'. Most times that cursor is COMPLETELY off the mark, because depending on the angle you are approaching the enemy from behind or in front, and the angle at which they are flying, and the variability of speed, the actual spot you need to aim is usually a little closer to the ship that the cursor suggests, or (if the enemy is flying incredibly fast and banking at amazing speeds) then possibly in front of the cursor. I like to fly right up on the tail of most NPC ships (within 50-75m or so), and I never have to aim anywhere except about midway between the enemy ship and the targeting cursor to get a hit. I would suggest going up with some VERY LOW POWER weapons on your ship (say just some light cert 1 weapons that do nothing more than a few hundred damage) and just see where your shots land on various ships at various speeds and angles. The reason I suggest very low power weapons is that you will not destroy the ship, ultimately it's shields will recharge faster than you can damage it, and thus you can effectively 'practice' on one random spawn Teir 4 or 5 for many minutes at a time, and really get a feel for where you need to aim in real combat.

PvP Targeting is a Guessing Game:

In PvP combat you will usually face off against extremely small, light enemy player craft, most likely something like a Jedi Star Fighter (JSF). The JSF, and ships like it, can move at such dramatic angles and shift directions in a instant that you must not pay attention AT ALL to the 'lead shot' target cursor. Your best chance at hitting a JSF in PvP combat is by aiming right at the ship (regardless of how much that player turns, weaves, and bobs). Most enemy players will jerk and bob everywhere, and your brain wants to shoot at least in the direction of the cursor. DON'T. Instead, let them jerk and bob, and instead fire DIRECTLY at their ship, or lead it just slightly...basically you are focusing on one spot to pull the trigger on as fast as possible (don't hold the trigger for burst, spray tons of separate shots) completely blanketing the immediate area they are dodging in and out of...and eventually they will pass into the line of fire and a shot or two will connect (and that's all it takes in PvP...one or two shots). Most PvP takes place in 'turning wars" at extremely close range, and against a JSF you will quickly learn that their 'hit box' (or the actual spot the ship occupies that must be hit) is about the size of a dime (well, not literally, but it sure feels like it). Just stay patient, watch your capacitor energy and keep up with the enemies turns, and as long as you focus on their ship (look directly at it) your brain will make it's own adjustments after a little experience, and you'll find yourself dropping JSF's left and right.

Building towards either PvP or PvE with each ship:

Just a short note on building a PvP or PvE ship. First, with each and every ship build you must actively think "What am I building this ship to do?". Most people build a few favorites: A JSF or Bellabub-22 for pure PvP, and an Advanced X-Wing for knock-out PvE, and then a few additionals like a KSE-Firespray for difficult space missions to help buddies (and to show off), or a YT-2400 POB ship just to have a solid POB ship. But when you build these ships you must critically think about each and every component, and how they all affect (whether positively or negatively) the overall usefulness of your ship in whichever specific situation. And you must always ask yourself what it is you are trying to get out of the space game: so don't put on a massive engine with incredible Pitch Yaw Roll (PYR) stats if you're doing PvE, because generally you won't need it for that...and it would be better to use the mass for a huge effective shield. And if you're doing PvP you don't need a booster (at all really), and you're shield really won't matter much: ultimately, in PvP, if you are hit in a smaller craft you're instantly dead, so what is the point of putting on a 35,000 mass shield generator 2,500/2,500 shields front and back as opposed to a 6,500 mass shield generator with 1,800/1,800 shields front and back? Both of these shields will not be able to protect you in PvP, and the latter smaller shield will be 3-times as effective as the massive one if you just do Front Shield Reinforcement Heavy or Extreme. Thinking about all these uses and combinations is enough to give you a migraine, I know. But ultimately it will allow you greater flexibility and a sense of understanding and ultimate control over each of your ships.

You DO NOT have to Fly to Kashyyyk to land of Kashyyyk:

And just one last side note. A lot of people (in fact, MOST) think you need to actually launch into space and physically fly to Kashyyyk and land by docking at the station just to get to ground world of Kashyyyk. This is completely false. Kashyyyk does not show up as a clickable planet on the map of planets to travel to, but it DOES show up on in the drop-down menu of selectable planets in that very s

ame window. This allows you to instantly travel to Kashyyyk from any major starport terminal just like any other planet. I know, shocking!

And that's all I have for now in terms of the Space game for general Tips and Tricks. I'll see what else I can think of in general that may be of some help to new and veteran pilots alike. Enjoy!