Ralatha, When The Walls Fell.

[McGruff]

After the required second run, my ship looked pretty bad (if it held together at all), but the Ralatha was toast, too, so I was alright so long as a handful of Drakrhi or Sartha didn't some a-callin'.

Is it even possible to successfully complete a torpedo run in WC2 while there are still Kat fighters out there? I always found it necessary to take out every fighter before tackling a capital ship. It would have helped a lot if the torpedo lock wasn't lost when you switch to the rear turret.

 

[Falcon988]

Is it even possible to successfully complete a torpedo run in WC2 while there are still Kat fighters out there? I always found it necessary to take out every fighter before tackling a capital ship. It would have helped a lot if the torpedo lock wasn't lost when you switch to the rear turret.

Yea I always thought that was unnecessary. Though I never use the rear turret much anyway.

Although, the one time I did I made the coolest WC kill ever by simultaneously destroying three Drakhri within 2 or 3 seconds of one another.

 

[McGruff]

The rear turret on a Broadsword is indispensable. The thing just doesn't turn fast enough to line up those mass drivers, but if you fly straight and go to the rear guns, they all just fall in line behind you waiting their turn to blow up.

Which reminds me of another question. WC bombers technically have a full crew compliment including gunners. Why is it that when you make a kill using the turrets, the pilot still gets credit on the killboard if some other guy actually did the shooting?

 

[Quarto]

Is it even possible to successfully complete a torpedo run in WC2 while there are still Kat fighters out there? I always found it necessary to take out every fighter before tackling a capital ship. It would have helped a lot if the torpedo lock wasn't lost when you switch to the rear turret.

Good question. In theory, yes - but then again, in theory almost anything is possible. I've never been able to do anything like that, and I don't think I even tried more than once or twice. It's definitely doable and probably not that difficult in a Sabre, since you can use afterburners. But in a Broadsword? No amount of shields can save you from enemy fighters if you're forced to fly in a straight line for several minutes.

Which reminds me of another question. WC bombers technically have a full crew compliment including gunners. Why is it that when you make a kill using the turrets, the pilot still gets credit on the killboard if some other guy actually did the shooting?

The most likely reason is just that Origin wanted to keep things simple. You could even call it a technical limitation, but only in the sense that somebody at Origin wisely decided that this is not something worth spending any time on. Basically, while your turrets have gunners according to the storyline, the game itself is not programmed to recognise your turrets as separate entities - your ship is just one person. And of course, had they done so, they would have needed to (at least from WC3 onwards, since WC2 was killboard-less) add turret gunners to the killboard.

 

[McGruff]

Cool, one more rear turret related question. My little tactic for beating the final mission in WC2 when you're all alone in your Sabre against a swarm of Drakhai Sartha is to afterburn in nearly a straight line while making slight directional changes about every second. One by one the Sartha go "Yaaaah" until there's only a couple left, which I can easily dispatch. I've always wondered if it's my turret picking them off or if the cluster of Drakhai are shooting themselves to pieces trying to get me?

 

[Death]

Cool, one more rear turret related question. My little tactic for beating the final mission in WC2 when you're all alone in your Sabre against a swarm of Drakhai Sartha is to afterburn in nearly a straight line while making slight directional changes about every second. One by one the Sartha go "Yaaaah" until there's only a couple left, which I can easily dispatch. I've always wondered if it's my turret picking them off or if the cluster of Drakhai are shooting themselves to pieces trying to get me?

Probably both.

The turret does engage enemies while you're not in it, but in general its aim is somewhat poor, though the enemies tend to help by flying in straight lines, and not jink around to throw off the aim of anyone shooting at them. And, as we all know from flying with Maniac or Hobbes in the earlier games, the AI has no problem with trying to shoot through other ships (particularly yours) to get at their target.