My Noob to Noob series is just as it says.... one Noob talking about the things he's learned hoping to help other Noobs. A large part of my reason for this is that many of the things I read here on the board turned out be relevant to the 3000k+ crowd and completely different in the <1000 infamy area. So read on and learn the quite probably incorrect lessons I've learned.
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In this installment of the not-so-popular Noob to Noob series I want to discuss togetherness, aka: team formation. It is common among the lower infamies for people to say “Together” and that’s not really what you want. What you want is a team coordinating together but not necessarily physically together.
A note here. My direct experience is largely limited to shooters and speeders. Some of my comments on other roles may be wildly inaccurate. First though, I’d like to present an image that shows my “theoretically perfect” team formation.
Don’t get too fixated on the exact positions. Here’s why I think boats should be more or less where I’ve said:
Scouts: If you have a speeder or enforcer then they probably ought to be out in front scouting. The exception to this is if your scout is outgunned by the opposing scouts – either a fleet of 2 or a single higher mark. In this case the scout should stay closer to home and friendly fire support while trying to bait the opposing scouts.
Speeders/Enfo’s: If you are lingering back by the shooting line without good reason then you are wasting the speed advantages of your boat. Get out there and scout. Good shooters will love you for it.
The Shooting Line: In the beginning of the match, the shooting line which includes shooters led by a defender if there is one should be all clustered together. The firepower needs to be within range of the enemy to take advantage of that opening salvo when the scouts find them. Many matches are won in the initial few seconds when one team manages to focus their fire and the other team does not. Work hard to take advantage of that opening salvo.
Shooters/Defenders: If you have a scout on your team you NEED to be following that scout at a cautious distance otherwise you’ve wasted a golden opportunity. In addition, if the shooting line is prompt landing those first few hits that opens up the opportunity for the scout(s) to go finish off a wounded target. Time is of the essence here. You have a few seconds to act so you need to be in position and ready when the moment comes.
The Fixer: Is hiding in the back like a good little fixer keeping the shooters all buffed up and waiting to see if I need any help on my way back home. I’m ignoring selfish fixers here.
Fixers: If you have a scout, keep a sharp eye out for the return trip. The scout is likely to have taken some damage on the scouting run and the quicker you get him topped up the quicker he can return back to the battle. Expect the scout to be dodging and weaving to avoid enemy fire so save your healing bolt for a sure hit.
The overall point here is that “together” does not and should not mean “physically together”. Instead, the team should seek to use the capabilities of different boats to maximum advantage. Good team-mates seek to understand and anticipate what their team-mates are doing rather than complain that they aren't "together".
For more in my Noob to Noob series, see the thread:
Noob to Noob: A compendium of dubious knowledge Click to expand...