| Author |
ICC Supply Ships and You |
Bardiche
Chief Marshal
Joined: November 16, 2006
Posts: 1247
|  Posted: 2010-04-24 07:21
Welcome to this lecture. Today our subject will be the ICC Supply Ship variants. While in the past abundant modding made it pertinent to give close thought to the layout of your ships, this is no longer true. However, please read carefully the contents of this message for some suggestions on improving your Supply experience.
Equipment
I can be succinct. Keep your IE Drives: at max speed they generate more energy than PFE, and you'll be going at max speed a lot to avoid going down in flames.
For shielding, re-actives work due to their fast recovery speed, and you'll be spending most your time focusing on fixing and dodging, so you are unlikely to require actives too much.
Set lasers to PD. Forget you have railguns or gauss. Upgrade with Defence Enhancements, or speed enhancements.
Usage
Effectively using the Supply Ship means you are a mobile Depot. Ideally, Supply Ships accompany a ship that will likely need repairs/refills, like bombers, but they can also be used to jump into a battlefield and save a damaged ally. An effective range to keep from your target will be 150~200. Sticking too close will make you a possible victim of splash damage, and going farther from that might get you out of a reload's maximum effective range, which is 260. Once you notice you are getting more than 200 distance between you and your target, adjust your heading to get closer to them.
For ease of use, if you have more than one Supply Drone, try to assign numbers to them so you can quickly set drones to multiple people or yourself, in the case of ammunition refills, or quick self-hull patching.
Another important thing to remember is that your allies have weapons, more likely than not. When you are in the battle zone and your ally has guns, it is important to remember that there is a good chance that ally will utilise said guns.
Therefore, watch your flight path and ensure you are never between ally and foe, as catching allied fire is a pain for both you and the one you're trying to repair.
Note also that your guns are for show, and not for use. You are a Supply Ship, the bone of your fleet. Reload Drones are your body and refills are your blood. You must earn over a thousand supply points. Unaware of combat. Nor aware of killing. It is your task to withstand temptation and stick to supplying. Those supplies will never end. But that is the only path, your intended role. Your role is "unlimited supply works".
Ingress
Supply Ships, as mentioned earlier, aren't combat vessels, but support vessels. As such, entering a battlezone is relatively easy. Try to position your supply at a spot in the system where you can easily reach your allies on whatever they are doing, then jump in when the going gets tough. Maintain a high speed at almost all times (vary a bit between speeds to dodge enemy fire), ensure your shields are covering you sufficiently from all sides and stick to a target.
Engagement
You're not engaging. You are supporting. Stick to priority targets such as Dreads, Cruisers, and other slow moving vessels: the smaller ships can usually fend for themselves and dodge enemy fire while you get the big ones back up online.
When an ally flees, don't give chase unless the other combatants urge you to: Your allies still in combat will need your supplies more than the one that fled, and a fleeing ally will more likely than not jump away as soon as they can to avoid tracking anyway. Get to them later and prioritise the next slowest moving target, or whoever others ask you to supply.
The most important thing to remember is that, when people know you are a supply, often they will give you a target to prioritize. Stick to that target, and only help the others whenever capable. If you are in prolonged combat and find your energy running low, warn your allies that you are in need of recharges. Turn off your PD, check your shield status and keep supplying that ally. Should your shield status drop below 50 and/or an Elite Assault Dread or K'luth Dread is in the area, get out of the combat zone and warn them you are doing so. Otherwise, get out once shield status is less than 30.
In fact, if a K'Luth Dreadnought uncloaks within 500gu of you, jump immediately. No questions asked.
Additionally, Stations are big targets. So are their explosions. When an allied Station, or allied Dreadnought even, begins hitting under 15% hull, maintain a 200gu distance to avoid getting caught in its (inevitable) fireworks - more often than not, they'll bring you for company in the underworld, and it's a nasty place to be.
Egress
Egress, for a Supply Ship, should not be needed. Sometimes, though, you may be the only one left, your forces are overpowered or you have no Energy. Once you notice you can no longer stay in combat, warn the others of your condition and get out. If you have hull damage, set your drones to repair you. An important thing is that you keep moving, as people tend to track your location and give chase. Do -not-, under any circumstance, jump to damaged allies or an allied Station unless you are certain no enemies are within 2000 gu of you - this is especially true for the K'Luth, who know how to do a so-called 'track'. Make two jumps to your allies; one to a point not aligned with their position, then to their position. This only goes when you have sufficient reason to believe there may be enemies within aforementioned 2,000gu zone.
Once you are clear from the battlefield, regroup with your allies and fix who needs fixing.
I hope that this reminder course will help people who have never flown a Supply Ship before, or who currently find their Supply experience ending in tears. It's not the most glorious of jobs, but it is important to the fleet.
Inaccuracies may exist, I copied this straight from my previous lecture on Supply Ships in 1.483. However, I felt that it warrants repeating and a slight editing/addition to its content.
This guide is mostly useful for UGTO Supply Ships as well. K'Luth have ECM Supplies, so different strategies apply.
EDIT: how i use bolding tag
[ This Message was edited by: Bardiche on 2010-04-24 07:30 ]
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Nimitz
Fleet Admiral
Courageous Elite Commandos
Joined: April 19, 2005
Posts: 141
From: Melbourne, Australia
| Posted: 2010-04-24 07:33
Good guide, should be quite handy for new suppies starting out 
However, don't forget to mention that with today's gamers, the scenario is not that clear-cut. The moment they jump in, they will target you regardless of bigger/more important targets around. So unless you're in a station, you're pretty much relegated to not following your allies into the combat zone.
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\"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.\" -- Rich Cook
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Bardiche
Chief Marshal
Joined: November 16, 2006
Posts: 1247
| Posted: 2010-04-24 07:38
I've seen skilled pilots pull it off quite handily, hence why I left it.
Shooting an ICC supply is mostly meaningless anyway, it's not like ICC has a lot of armour they can fix.
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Eledore Massis [R33]
Grand Admiral
Templar Knights
Joined: May 26, 2002
Posts: 2694
From: tsohlacoLocalhost
| Posted: 2010-04-24 09:37
1, Never stop! (minimal of 8gu/s in all situations)
2, Watch allied targets (don't stand between allies and there targets)
3, Don't jump in small steps, Use IE and keep your Jump Drive Charged.
4, Watch your surroundings and the battle condition.
5, Communicate with your reload/repair partner.
6, Next to a ally and a enemy over 600gu, shoot some rounds. not like they will notice its you.
7, Pay attention to allied chat and distresses.
8, When leaving the combat zone to go to a badly damaged ship, Always Double jump.
9, When under heavy attack, Use that Shift-J. a wounded sup is still useful for rear line supplying.
10, Beat Doran at Repair points.
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DS Discordion
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Aeraesoria
Admiral
Synchronicity
Joined: October 25, 2007
Posts: 49
From: Aeraesoria
| Posted: 2010-04-25 00:44
Quote:
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On 2010-04-24 07:21, Bardiche wrote:
Note also that your guns are for show, and not for use. You are a Supply Ship, the bone of your fleet. Reload Drones are your body and refills are your blood. You must earn over a thousand supply points. Unaware of combat. Nor aware of killing. It is your task to withstand temptation and stick to supplying. Those supplies will never end. But that is the only path, your intended role. Your role is "unlimited supply works".
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LOLZ nice reference to Fate Stay Night XD
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Zero28
Grand Admiral
Joined: August 25, 2006
Posts: 591
| Posted: 2010-04-25 10:54
Quote:
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On 2010-04-24 09:37, Eledore Massis [R33] wrote:
7, Pay attention to allied chat and distresses.
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i'd like a small request on that one, you see im running on 1920x1080 Resolution, so the writting chat is AWFULLY small, Even more when theres a /Y war goign on, the distress shows in the chat for a second or 2
My request is to somehow, make the Distress more noticible, even maybe a warning sound for all ship (wich can be toggled on/off in case of spam)
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19:33:51 [ZION]GothThug {C?}: "Zero..you are DS's hero"
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Eledore Massis [R33]
Grand Admiral
Templar Knights
Joined: May 26, 2002
Posts: 2694
From: tsohlacoLocalhost
| Posted: 2010-04-25 13:54
Quote:
| On 2010-04-25 10:54, Zero28 wrote:
Quote:
| On 2010-04-24 09:37, Eledore Massis [R33] wrote:
7, Pay attention to allied chat and distresses. |
|
i'd like a small request on that one, you see im running on 1920x1080 Resolution, so the writting chat is AWFULLY small, Even more when theres a /Y war goign on, the distress shows in the chat for a second or 2
My request is to somehow, make the Distress more noticible, even maybe a warning sound for all ship (wich can be toggled on/off in case of spam) |
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Hmm dunno about the rest, but i to am kind of annoyed at the short duration some chat is able to be read.
I'll ask if we can have a increased chat buffer for F4.
Dunno about sounds or specifics for distress calls. we will have to wait and see.
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Sputter{TB}
Grand Admiral
Interstellar Cultural Confederation United
Joined: September 22, 2004
Posts: 109
From: Pennsylvania
| Posted: 2010-04-25 14:39
took that from 483 huh, well back in 483 a suppy was pretty good in combat for ship size lol, also people need to realize that if your in a supply ship in combat you will get primaried and insta popped
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Ph33r the Ruptors!
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Xydes
Grand Admiral
Joined: August 07, 2009
Posts: 276
From: England
| Posted: 2010-04-25 15:32
As a person who grew up as a UGTO supply I have found some helpful tips for UGTO supplies starting out:
1. Keep with in this range: 140-250gus
2. Dodge enemy fire at all costs. Supplies are usally if not in most occasions the main target.
3. If under enemy fire. You will usually have the upper hand. Due to the fact that you have speed on your side in most cases. Fly AWAY from the enemy and fire a few rounds from your aft (Behind).
4. Try and avoid going in between your ally and your enemy when in combat situations.
5. Make lots of pres.
6. Have fun.
7. Get Platinum Supply.
-Apollo
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Zero28
Grand Admiral
Joined: August 25, 2006
Posts: 591
| Posted: 2010-04-26 11:23
Quote:
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On 2010-04-25 13:54, Eledore Massis [R33] wrote:
Quote:
| On 2010-04-25 10:54, Zero28 wrote:
Quote:
| On 2010-04-24 09:37, Eledore Massis [R33] wrote:
7, Pay attention to allied chat and distresses. |
|
i'd like a small request on that one, you see im running on 1920x1080 Resolution, so the writting chat is AWFULLY small, Even more when theres a /Y war goign on, the distress shows in the chat for a second or 2
My request is to somehow, make the Distress more noticible, even maybe a warning sound for all ship (wich can be toggled on/off in case of spam) |
|
Hmm dunno about the rest, but i to am kind of annoyed at the short duration some chat is able to be read.
I'll ask if we can have a increased chat buffer for F4.
Dunno about sounds or specifics for distress calls. we will have to wait and see.
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Thank yew 
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19:33:51 [ZION]GothThug {C?}: "Zero..you are DS's hero"
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DiepLuc
Chief Marshal
Joined: March 23, 2010
Posts: 1187
| Posted: 2010-04-26 14:33
Some experiences from me:
- Shoud not "F" or "G" while supplying while the target ship is combatting. However, shadow a ship bombing is kind of great act.
- Look the direction before jumping. Note that you can self reload when being attack to have time viewing F2 screen. Why? Planet collision is more painful than destroyed by enemies.
- While you're in a battle, don't take too much time in F2, due to kluth ambush.
- And remember, supplying an injured ship contains the risk of destroyed by that ship. So you may want to reload it from behind.
I think supplying is a very kind action. People need to PM "thank you" more. Don't think you're supplied as that one needs prestige, just think one's helping you.
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