WC: Privateer - favorite trading routes

Thanks for the effort Wedge but the memories are too strong, it didn't work. :)

Concerning missiles: the twin IR launchers against Talons were very useful for me. And for getting the Steltek drone off your back for a short while. :)

But I admit, when I first played WC 1 and 2, I almost never used missiles as well. But later I thought, hey I have them, why not use them. Also, IIRC, hitting a ship with a missile would make it spin around a bit.
 
Hello,

<shoots Mekt with MIB-style neuraliser> :p
I've never really used missiles much in WC, and in Privateer especially, I don't think their cost justifies their measly warhead.
Although, I do remember popping Seelig with two IRs just after he becomes hostile. Just for fun.

At the beginning I use Cargo runs between Helen and Achilles/Hector just as a bonus. Starting up with hunting down the weak Retros (scout & patrol) und whining to the pirates - and soon enough money ist not longer the problem.
Missiles - my first Tarsus is equipped just with a missile launcher and 10 FF missiles. The prize is just 100cr and with 2 or 3 missiles you get the kill. It saves time and the cost of repairing the ship. I shoot them off at about 2500m.
Like mentioned before equipped with 2 launchers it is often just 1 double to get a Talon down.
Later in the game, with 4 Tachyons, I don't use them that often. They are just some kind of insurance if anything went wrong.
 
missiles

I think that I got more of my early kills, when building up my ship for the plot missions, with missiles than guns. Lock onto a baddie, afterburn away using the joystick button, and while doing that a trigger pull lobs 2 ImRecs over the shoulder, evening the odds for your underpowered Tarsus (even with the generator upgrade, it's not too difficult to run out of juice in a heavy engagement, especially with a pair of tachyon cannons).

Another nice trick I tended to use a lot is to lock onto a Talon and lob a pair of missiles at it, then manually guesstimate where to aim and engage another target at the same time with my guns. This tactic is especially useful for getting quick kills in a busy firefight, or if you're defending a wayward merchie that's getting the shit kicked out of it by passing hostiles.

Besides, with the second tactic, you can swagger into the bars and brag on how you don't rely on that pussy ITTS crap. :D
 
Thanks for the effort Wedge but the memories are too strong, it didn't work.
If it did, how would I ever convince you to pay me? ;)

This tactic is especially useful for... defending a wayward merchie...
Good point. I forgot I did just that when defending Hunter Toth. I admit missiles have their uses on certain occasions, I just don't use them on regular flights.
 
Back when I was awful at Wing Commander games, I'd turn on invulnerability and fly from agricultural planets to nearby mining and refinery bases.
 
Besides, with the second tactic, you can swagger into the bars and brag on how you don't rely on that pussy ITTS crap. :D

You could make a really funny picture with a screen shot from Privateer...flying a Centurion with four different types of guns (something like Tachyon, Neutron, Mass Driver and Laser) on the front and ITTS active...there'd be four different ITTS targetting icons scattered across the screen in front of a zooming talon and a caption that reads: "Do you feel lucky today? Well...do ya?"
 
Every mission out, especially early on, should involve as many paying missions as you feel comfortable tackling (make sure they TELL YOU WHICH HOSTILES you'll be fighting - kilrathi are rare in Troy, but they do pop in occasionally) and a cargo run of some kind. Every trip should generate enough profit to buy the next item on your upgrades wish list (minus cost of emergency repairs if something goes pear-shaped).

Remember that in an early Tarsus, you'll be dead meat for a Kilrathi *anything*

Upgrades should go something like this:
afterburner
tungsten armor
two meson blasters
ECM1
generator upgrade 1
two missile launchers (w/ Pilum FF missiles, if you can afford it)
two tachyon cannons
repair droid
ECM 2
Jump Drive (once you have the Jump Drive, foes get much harder)

The two missile launchers will be essential! Facing Talons (retros and pirates), you can kill some percentage of Talons with just two IFF missiles. The trick is to fire at about 5000 meters and double tap the fire button - that is, hit the enter button twice, rapidly - to fire them VERY close together. If they both hit the same quadrant at the same time, you either kill the talon or need only a laser bolt or two to finish him off. Facing Kilrathi, the two missiles will either knock the shields down to nothing/1 bar (Gothri) or blast through the shields and turn the hull red (Dralthi).

It changes your game from being prey to behing a predator. You can start performing 3 patrol missions (if you can find them) and making 22000 or 25000 credits PER FLIGHT. The twin tachyon cannons give you staying power against heavy fighters (centurions, demons, gothri, broadswords) and mean that you can gun down Talons in about 6 double-hits.

A Tarsus with the above upgrades is about the most ferocious thing you can have, IMHO, until you earn enough money (~300,000) to afford the jump all the way up to a Centurion with 2 lasers, 2 tachyon cannons, two missile launchers, Generator 3, Shield 2, tungsten armor, turret with tractor beam, ECM3, etc.

Anyways, have phun! ;-) :)

BLAH!!! I never even left Troy until I ditched the Tarsus, I just hated flying it. I'd take as many insystem patrols and bounty missions I could and then also raid any Draymans that entered the area until I could afford something less crappy.
 
I love the tarsus.. ultra small profile on head on attacks and dual torpedo launchers. Oh man was I good at spacing retros.
 
I wouldn't use FFs in priv. Any missile is weak enough there, and FFs are the weakest.
I'd better dive, burn, turn, lock and fire HS. It is better way to knock enemy hard enough.
And as for trading... I have no patience for it.
By the way, you needn't a mission to get an afterburner. Just sell your missile launcher, and a/b is yours.
It is sure of much more use in the early game, than any missile,IMHO
 
In terms of total damage output, FF, IR, and HS are about equal, but HS pretty much guarantees that all hits will be on the rear quadrant, which is useful when fighting anything heavier than a Talon. HS do have the drawback that it is harder to hit a more agile fighter with them, though.
 
By the way, you needn't a mission to get an afterburner. Just sell your missile launcher, and a/b is yours.
It is sure of much more use in the early game, than any missile,IMHO

I'd definitely take the missile launcher over the afterburner for those first couple missiles. Two IR missiles will almost always take out a Talon, and you won't encounter much more than a few talons for your first missions. There's your afterburners.
 
I'd definitely take the missile launcher over the afterburner for those first couple missiles. Two IR missiles will almost always take out a Talon, and you won't encounter much more than a few talons for your first missions. There's your afterburners.

Indeed... the first few missions I played in Privateer were very very very tense because I had very little money, I couldn't afford to repair significant damage (like to the maneuvering jets $$$$$$$$$!) because I had to scrimp and save for better armor...a generator upgrade....better guns...etc.
 
I wouldn't use FFs in priv. Any missile is weak enough there, and FFs are the weakest.
I'd better dive, burn, turn, lock and fire HS. It is better way to knock enemy hard enough.
And as for trading... I have no patience for it.
By the way, you needn't a mission to get an afterburner. Just sell your missile launcher, and a/b is yours.
It is sure of much more use in the early game, than any missile,IMHO

In terms of total damage output, FF, IR, and HS are about equal, but HS pretty much guarantees that all hits will be on the rear quadrant, which is useful when fighting anything heavier than a Talon. HS do have the drawback that it is harder to hit a more agile fighter with them, though.

Hmmm....

Particularly when starting out, you don't have a good enough ship to focus on the "dive, burn, turn, lock, fire HS"

About the only ships against whom the double tap, turn, burn sequence isn't a great idea are mercs, gothri, or broadswords....they can take the double hit on the front quarter and shrug it off a lot easier than a talon, gladius, dralthi, stiletto, etc. The dralthi and stiletto are fast enough to give a missile fits, but every second they're dodging a missile, they're NOT shooting at you!

Part of what makes IR or FF so attractive is that you can lock up at max range, pop off two shots at one opponent..and THEN turn'n'burn to get out of the firing corridor of your opponents... The other benefit of FF is that, when you're in some swirling furballs, you can visually track guns onto one target while popping off IFFs against another ship as long as you maintain lock. Recall that, in priv, enemies try to dogpile on you...parked on all sides of you pounding away.
 
The other nice thing is that unlike in WC2, missiles in Privateer can not be shot down, and enemies have no ECM, so the missiles won't be spoofed, although a Stiletto, Demon, or Dralthi is capable of outracing a pursuing missile.
 
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