I may never come back, and I just want someone to know.

This article contains text from a former Shadow Academy course. It is no longer in use, and is preserved here for historical purposes only and should not be used/referenced.

Sith Starfighter Tactics

The Sith Order of the Dark Brotherhood of Jedi is the most ancient Order within the Brotherhood. As such, they have created and lived a long tradition. Upon this, a solid teaching structure evolved over time increasing one's efficient wielding of the Dark Side. Over time, these teachings led to the First Sith Empire. With the empire, warfare became primary. The pure rage and raw power of the Dark Side became known to the galaxy and sacred to the Sith. Eventually, a new order, the Krath sect, was born. Ultimately, the Old Republic fell, and thus was the rebirth of a galaxy.

To this day, the great tradition of the Sith survives. The tactical training learned over the thousands of years reached an apex with Darth Vader - perhaps one of the greatest starfighter pilots the galaxy has ever known. Now, the Sith follow in the tradition of the late Dark Lord of the Sith - Darth Vader. Dark Side Warfare realized its abililty during his reign, and Sith today follow in Vader's footsteps in Starfighter and Starship piloting. This is a compilation of tactical wisdom accumulated from the thousands of years of Sith Warfare. With mastery, practice, and vision of the Dark Side, this material will whet you skills as a pilot, lead the Sith Order to a greater prosperity, and contribute to the capitulation of the weak Jedi Rebellion - the ultimate goal of the Dark Brotherhood of the Jedi.

Read the tactical tradition of the Sith. The careful reading of it will increase your knowledge of the Sith Lore which has made our Brotherhood so strong. The test will begin not by your simple response to questions of interpretation but rather in the trials of battle when not only your understanding of lore but its implementation with the Dark Side to overcome one's enemies. You may think this is a simple case of read and forget to only "extend" your list of certificates of completion, but the true knowledge you choose to gain from this course can and will help you in the execution of tactics in a fight for supremacy against the Rebellion.

Knowing the commands to control your fighter is the first step to mastering your starfighter. The tools of strategy and tact come secondary but as even more important and will be discussed more with maneuvering. Finally, it is the rage and vision of a Sith that will adhere all of these skills into a dagger of destruction. The following are a list of technical controls that are used on the keypad of nearly all galactic starfighters.

Speed and Throttle Control

<-- (BACKSPACE) - This key puts you at full throttle (100%). Full throttle is useful when approaching a spacecraft, after destroying an opponent in an intense dogfight, or fleeing from the blast radius of a large ship.
[ - The left square bracket is used to set throttle to 33%, or 1/3 throttle. This setting is very useful in outmaneuvering an opponent or making a quick turn to evade fire. 1/3 throttle is the speed at which your fighter maneuvers the fastest.
] - The right square bracket is used to set throttle to 66%, or 2/3 throttle. It provides less agility than 1/3 but more than full throttle. It is sometimes useful when your opponents are traveling quickly and 1/3 is not fast enough to keep up with them.
\ - The backslash will set your throttle to 0% speed or 0 throttle. It is not suggested to use this in the heat of battle but can be useful when away from the action getting a reload or when performing other mission objectives like docking, picking up objects, etc. in XWA.
ENTER - The enter key will set your throttle to match the speed of the craft you have targeted. It is very useful in dogfights especially when your target makes unexpected speed changes.
- (minus) - The minus key will slow your fighter down by dropping the throttle 1% with each press. It may be useful when you want to maintain a slighter greater or lesser distance relative to your opponent or other craft.
= (Equals) - The equals key will speed your fighter up by increasing the throttle 1% with each press. Same principle as the "-" key.

Target Acquisition

T - T cycles through all mission targets - including allies. It is most often used in "single player" skirmishes and in Tours of Duty. Knowing the mission craft that make up a combat area is vital to the success of any mission.
Y - Y acts just like T, but operates in reverse, paging backwards through each target.
U - This key selects the newest arrival in the mission area. If a critical craft enters combat, valuable time can be saved by quickly identifying its location and stats with the use of this key.
R - R selects the nearest enemy fighter. This can quickly eliminate the starfighter presence in whatever radius around you that you wish.
E - If you want to know who's firing at you without having to toggle through all of the enemy starfighters, press E and save yourself a lot of time and pick out everyone threatening your ability to complete the mission.
A - This key targets the attacker of your current target. This is very useful when picking off the fighters attacking mission critical ships.
N - In XWA, this key targets the nearest hyperspace buoy and repeated presses target other buoys.
O - In XWA, this key targets the nearest objective target.
I - In XWA, this key targets the nearest incoming warhead.
P - In XWA, use this to target the nearest "living" pilot (or player pilot).

Energy System Maintenance

F9 - This key cycles through your laser recharge settings. There are 5 recharge settings: 1) All power directed to engines, 2) minimal recharge rate, 3) maintenance recharge rate, 4) increased recharge rate, and 5) full recharge rate. Configurations 1 and 2 cause you to lose laser cannon stores, setting 3 keeps your laser power at its current level, and rates 4 and 5 increase the size of your laser stores. 1 drains lasers more than 2. 5 powers your lasers faster than 4.
F10 - This key adjusts the shield recharge system. The recharge settings for the shields are the same for the lasers. Cycling from 1 to 5 can either redirect power to the engines, maintain shield strength, or intensify the shield strength.
F8 - This key governs the energy of the Beam Weapon. It is based on the same energy principles as the laser and shields systems. Pressing it cycles through the same settings as mentioned under "F9."
B - This key activates the Beam Weapon (if it is installed on your starfighter). The beam weapon, as will be explained later, is a mechanism specifically designed to interfere with the circuitry of other starfighters or isolated parts of starships.
X - X sets the connection settings for lasers/ions. It is available for craft with 2 or more lasers and/or ions. Dependent on how many cannons you have, you can select from single, dual, quad or laser/ion link fire mode. This can fire a spread of just 2 lasers up to something like the deadly volley of 6 simultaneous cannons firing in the empire's TIE Defender.
S - This key sets your shields to one of three settings: full front, full back, or even distribution. "Full" doesn't necessarily refer to ALL shields in the front or 100% or 200%. If your total shield percentage exceeds 100%, and you select "full front," 200% will appear in the front, but a small percentage will still remain in the back. The same is true if selecting "full back." The "even distribution" setting sets an equal portion of your shields in the front as well as in the back. This uniform shield amount is what other craft in the battlefield see as your shield percentage.
Z - In X-Wing Alliance, this key sets the laser harmonization setting. It has the special quality of converging your lasers upon your target. There are various settings which can be used to adjust the actual convergence which will be discussed later.
' - This key transfers laser power to the shield system. It is a great key to use when coming under fire and needing the extra shield boost to come out of a maneuver alive.
; - ; shifts power from the shields to the lasers. This is usually helpful when your laser cannons are in a weak state and you need the added strength to more efficiently take out a critical target.

Communication

Shift+Keypress - There are multiple key presses that convey a set of orders to the currently targeted craft. Most only work for special craft which allow the player craft to give them orders. A few are listed here.
Shift+A - Attack player selected target. (applies to wingmen)
Shift+I - Ignore player selected target. (applies to wingmen)
Shift+C - Wingmen are ordered to provide fire cover for you during battle.
Shift+W - Targeted craft awaits further orders.
Shift+G - Targeted craft goes ahead with previous orders.
Shift+B - Selected craft will board you. (applies to reload craft mostly)
Shift+E - Targeted craft engages evasive maneuvers.
Shift+R - Targeted craft reports in with current orders.
Shift+H - Targeted craft heads home.
Shift+S - Calls for reinforcements (if available) - confirm with "space bar," generally.

Game Specific Communications

X-wing vs TIE Fighter:

Tab - During multiplayer games, this selects the various communication modes you can choose to send text messages you type in flight. There are three settings for communicating: Send to team, send to enemies, send to all. Pressing tab multiple times selects these different modes.
Esc - This key aborts the current message and returns keyboard control to the pilot.
Enter - This sends the typed message.

X-Wing Alliance:

Shift+Tab - The communication modes are the same as in XvT. Pressing the "Shift" key with "Tab" opens the dialog box while pressing "Tab" thereafter scrolls through the different communication settings.
The "Esc" and "Enter" commands in XvT work the same in XWA in-flight communications.

Views and Information

XvT/TIE Commands:

K - In XvT this key will open the score box. This shows all players and their current kills/assists with their score.
L - In XvT this key will open the log box. The log box shows all recent messages displayed in the game. In TIE, it pauses combat and brings you the message/log window
F - In XvT, this key opens a listing of all friendly craft.
Shift+F - In XvT, this shows all enemy craft.
G - In XvT, this opens a transparent in-flight window with all mission goals. In TIE, it pauses the game and brings you to a separate mission objectives window.
D - In XvT this will open the damage box which shows any systems damage on your craft at that time.

XWA Specific Commands:

Delete - Opens and closes the lower/left information window.
End - Opens and closes the CMD window.
PageDown - Opens and closes the lower/right information window.
PageUp - Opens and closes the rear radar scope window.
Home - Opens and closes the miscellaneous information window.
Insert - Opens and closes the forward radar scope window.

Fighter Maneuvers

Before going out and collecting skulls, a pilot must understand the basic concepts of movement in a three dimensional space. Although you are limited by these three dimensions and the capabilities of your craft, a combination of many successful maneuvers will always mean the difference between life and death. They can help you in both evasive and offensive movements.

First, it is helpful to understand that there is more than just the "put-your-joystick-in-the-extreme-lower-right" (or left) maneuver. Sure, it works in the game TIE Fighter, but to counter the better AI in the harder platforms or the skill and might of a REAL pilot takes more tricks in your bag than some simple, automatic reflex you gained in flight sims of long ago. A pilot who can fully master all possible maneuvers with an element of unpredictability will out-do even the best AI or the best multiplayer pilots. First, a lesson in axes of rotation will be outlined.

Lines of rotation can be more easily understood with both a description and a picture. Imagine a spherical room with black walls. Now, think of three mutually perpendicular lines intersecting at the center of the sphere. Put yourself at this central point. Above you is a line coming from the top of the sphere extending through your center and exiting the sphere below you. This lines connects the sphere's poles. This will be called the Horizontal Rotation Line (HRL for future reference) - rotation along this line causes you to move in the left/right directions (looking across the horizon of the sphere). A line entering from the left side of the sphere and passing through your center, exiting the right side of the sphere is called the Vertical Rotation Line (VRL) - rotation here moves you in the up/down directions (vertically towards either pole of the sphere). Finally there is the Line of Sight (LOS). This line enters from directly in front of you and exits at the back of the sphere behind you. Rotation along this line "spins" you clockwise or counterclockwise relative to a clock in front of you.

The Climb

The climb is a relatively simple maneuver that involves rotating along the Vertical Rotation Line (VRL). By simply pulling the joystick towards you, you will rotate on this line and move in an upward vertical direction. Climbing is the quickest way of moving towards something above you.

A Dive

Diving is the exact opposite of climbing. In climbing you push forward. However, to dive, you push the joystick forward. A rotation along the VRL again, but this time, you move in the vertical downward direction. Dive to reach a fighter that is below you.

Banking

Another common movement is the Bank. To bank, you must push the joystick to the left or right. Movement is along the Horizontal Rotation Line (HRL) - horizontally to the right or left. The bank is a very common movement to change direction. If all a fighter could do was pull up and down then fighter combat would be very boring, neither fighter would be able to get the other in its sights. When banking, your view rotates either clockwise or counterclockwise from your original line of sight. In the future, "left" will be referred to as "port" and "right will be referred to as "starboard." Port and Starboard are two terms frequently used in the Imperial Navy and should be understood when describing maneuvering techniques. So, to bank to your port side refers to pushing the joystick to the left and moving along the HRL. Banking starboard is a move to the right.

What is a Break?

Earlier, I referred to the following maneuver: "put-your-joystick-in-the-extreme-lower-right" This is a classic example of a break. A break combines movement along both the VRL and HRL. It is the unification of both a Climb/Dive and a Bank. Simply move your joystick in either of four directions: Push Forward/Left, Push Forward/Right, Pull Back/Right, Pull Back/Left. One doesn't have to push ALL the way to the left and forward. Different amounts of. A Break can use a lot of diving, but only a little bank. Use the combination that is best for your situation. The advantages of breaking are that it is a very quick change of direction, is very useful for evading incoming laser fire, and it is often random and instantaneous.

The Roll

Rolling is rotation along the Line of Sight (LOS). Although the controls in TIE and XvT make it disadvantageous for use with other maneuvers, it is an amazing tool in XWA. Known as the "rudder," in XWA, a Roll is executed by using the "twist" axis of a joystick or the keys "1" - for rolling left, and "3" - for rolling right (numbers used only on the number keypad). When used correctly it can be an awesome power. Combined with Breaking, it is your enemy's worst nightmare, and your best friend in defensive maneuvering. It is a must for experimentation in flight exercises.

Spirals

The spiral is a rolling technique which is very effective in defensive and evasive maneuvers. When a fighter rolls, the average location of the LOS will remain the same, but the other lines of rotation (VRL and HRL) will roll with the fighter to maintain stability around this spiraling axis. The VRL and HRL will appear to always enter and exit from the same location as if you are traversing a circle. However, as you are continuously moving towards infinity along the LOS, your craft will actually create a "spiral." Because of the use of the HRL and VRL, instead of flying straight, your trajectory will actually look like a spring that has been stretched out. An added bonus to the spiral is that you can contort the "stretched spring's" motion by traveling in different directions and adding a degree of unpredictability in your direction of motion making you're a difficult target for target acquisition.

Conclusion

The maneuvers described here seem very simple in writing but are generally always much more difficult to execute in combat with "grace." Unpredictability and extreme precision of both maneuvering and weapon systems will create an unbeatable pilot. Only the vision and skill of a pilot trained in the Dark Side can fuse all of the maneuvers into an effective tactical approach whenever in a combat situation. Again, a simple reading will not do. You must practice these techniques to master them.

Fighter Weapons

Weapons are the sole tool of destruction. They are vital to success as a pilot and the annihilation of the enemy. Their use must be mastered to insure our place as rulers of the galaxy. The first step to learning how to use weapons is to understand the technological manipulation of them and then a little physics behind their use.

There is a major difference between the cannons in TIE and those in XvT/XWA. In TIE, there is no defined convergence and the cannons always fire the same way. However, there are two types of cannon settings in XvT and XWA. "Point harmonization" aligns the cannons slightly toward the centerline of the fighter so that the lasers meet at a point that is assumed to be the optimum combat firing range (in XWA most craft have automatic harmonization, so the range changes on it's own). This method results in maximum lethal density near this particular range, but it leads to wider dispersion at much longer ranges. At these longer ranges, you see your lasers break off and go really wide if you miss a closer target. Point harmonization is often preferred by pilots who have the best marksmanship and are confident they can place the maximum density point on their target. For the more "mortal" pilots out there, there is another option that may be used in XWA but must be used in XvT. This is known as "pattern harmonization." This often yields better results overall, but takes more time to kill a target if you have poor laser accuracy. Pattern harmonization involves adjusting each cannon to create a fairly uniform pattern of a certain diameter at the harmonization range. Although the maximum lethal density is not achieved in this manner, the average pilot has a better chance of getting all of his lasers to hit a target regardless of distance. The advantages of this method are much like a shotgun over those of a rifle.

Most people who have fired a gun or an arrow at a stationary target understand that the projectile takes a finite length of time to reach the target. The same is true for lasers. Although you are firing a very high energy packet of photons that travel at the speed of light (or nearly so), or a slower accelerated mass of ions, the lasers and ions you fire take time to reach their target. This finite time causes problems for us if the target happens to be moving, since the target's position will change somewhat from firing the lasers to their impact. So, a lead is required for the lasers and target to arrive at the same point in space at the same time. This will come to no surprise to anyone who has ever shot at a flying bird or skeet. The lead required is roughly proportional to the crossing speed of the target, so if its track is directly toward or away from the shooter (0° or 180°), no lead is necessary. However, the very maximum lead is required when the target's track is 90° to the line of sight from shooter to target. So, we must address this "lead."

The process of shooting and making contact is rather complex. You can easily shoot lasers and miss all the time or aim for a stationary target and do pretty well at hitting it. However, neither of these is helpful. Most targets not only move but also fight back. So, you must know how to fire your cannons at the precise time so that when your target actually crosses your predicted path, the weapons meet with the enemy and destroy it. Your cannons have a limited range and speed, and your craft has its own speed and direction. These must be considered when firing your lasers, ions, or warheads. You must learn how to fire at your target in a wide variety of conditions. Only practice will hone the skills you learn here.

Hitting a target that is flying straight toward the attacker without moving in the vertical or horizontal directions is easy, but it is a very unlikely situation. So, one must anticipate where the target will be at a given time in the future and be sure to fire his cannons at a time before the target actually reaches this point. This concept is known as the "firing triangle." A firing triangle consists of three areas in space, the location of the attacker, the location of the target and the area of space that the target will be in when the lasers and the target intersect. As the attacker, one must attempt to make three predictions about one's target. These three predictions are where the target is going, where the target's damage spot will be, and when the target will arrive at the point of damage or destruction. Using these predictions, a pilot can determine how to place a volley of lasers in space and time so that the targeted craft will receive damage in the future.

Remember, your lasers do not reach your target instantaneously. They must travel some distance to reach the target and the further you are away from your target, the longer it takes for your lasers to hit. However, you can increase the speed of your lasers (or any other projectile) by increasing the speed of your starfighter according to this formula: Laser Speed = Ship Speed + 567MGLT. Using this laser speed, you can find the time it takes for your lasers to hit your target using: Time = (Laser Speed)÷(600n). Where "n" is the distance in kilometers. Example: If my ship is traveling at 100MGLT, My laser speed is 100 + 567 = 667. If my target is one kilometer away, then the formula is simply: 667÷600 = 1.11 seconds. Keeping in mind our goal, this time is how long it will take our lasers to reach our target (assuming it is stationary). If it is moving relative to you, you must calculate its instantaneous velocity. Doing all of this math is a convenient little trick, but in the heat of battle, there is no time for it. You must grow accustomed through practice to know how long everything will take to reach your target.

When dogfighting, since your target is less predictable, it is advisable to not fire at it until it is in closer range. Trying to hit a quickly moving fighter at 1.5km is a very difficult task and not an efficient way of destruction. At a distance, one may consider using "suppression fire." This method is used to deter your target from firing his weapons. Just putting a little effort into aiming in his general direction will force him into evasive maneuvers, losing track of his current objective. One must not forget the importance of a diverse maneuvering tactic. It is not good enough just to be able to kill your opponent with deadly accuracy each and every time. There will be times when your opponent is just as accurate. They are the times when your opponent may even be able to out-maneuver you. On the defense, evasive maneuvers can include banking, looping, and spiraling dodges including many of the other possible combinations of these maneuvers. But in the mess of maneuvering, you must be able to attack your opponent. It is still not enough to just be able to out-maneuver your opponent. You must be able to both fly with grace and kill with precision. You must also know how to destroy your opponent when he is executing a maneuver. If a pilot is well versed in maneuvering to a great enough degree, he can out-maneuver nearly everything you throw at him. However, if he is predictable and doesn't understand that he opens himself up for destruction, you can exploit his moves.

Banking dodges are easy to hit when predicted correctly. However, because of the all the varying possibilities, some predictions aren't as easy. In most cases though, the tactic to use is "leading." Leading involves firing ahead of the path the target is following. Imagine a curved line that shows how the target will travel in a time lapse movie. One must fire his lasers at just the right instance such that your lasers hit the target right as he plows his craft into this triangulated area (this is assuming your target hasn't deviated from the path you thought he was going to take).

Looping dodges are harder to hit because they generally involve a much tighter turning radius. It is more difficult to find out where the end of the loop is or even where in the loop the target is. The loop can be made easier to attack when it is directed straight at the attacker. However, things get trick when it is directed obliquely to the attacker in a very non-circular or even in an unpredictable spiraling roll. In the straight-directed loop, it is fairly easy to follow since there is no horizontal, and only vertical (or vice versa) relative to the observer. You do not need to spin or bank your craft to simply maintain a fairly close kill zone. Perpendicular loops are a class of difficulty which requires such a method. There are many variables required to maintain a lock and it is very easy to make a small error in any one of them that will cause you to lose your target.

Spiraling dodges are also difficult to hit as they are essentially a perpendicular loop that moves a fighter in the direction of their intended target. The best way to hit a spiraling dodge is to fire along the path of the loop as is done with a looping dodge, but remember that the loop is coming closer to you or going further away - whichever the case may be.

Types of Weapons

Your lasers are your primary weapons. They are a powerful, renewable, and can be customized to your needs in platforms like XvT or XWA. In TIE Fighter they are very very very slow compared to the speed of lasers in XvT or XWA. You must give extra time for your lasers in TIE that you wouldn't give in XvT or XWA. Also, in TIE, you are awarded 3 points for ever laser hit and subtracted one point for every laser fired. This encourages a high laser accuracy when in combat to achieve a better score. Beware that for TIE Fighter, the EH uses a laserless scoring system which subtracts all the points gained from the laser scoring.

Ion Cannons

Ion cannons are an excellent tool in capture missions. They are one of the few weapons that can fully disable a whole capital ship. They are a favorite among heavily loaded bombers and can be quite menacing on shields when used linked with laser cannons as in the T/D for example. They are slower than lasers (since they aren't just photons), but are a very deadly and effective weapon when a need to disarm a target arises.

Warheads

Warheads are special in that they home in on their target. Although it takes a good amount of time to acquire a target lock, they are generally "fire and forget" when deployed against the right ships (missiles for fighters, rockets for capital ships). (Plug: You lose 50 points each time you fire a warhead, but gain 100 points for each warhead - more points for more warhead hits).

Concussion Missiles

Concussion missiles (or their advanced version) are an excellent weapon of choice for almost all missions. Concussion missiles are generally used to gain an edge in a dogfight to wear down the bigger shields or more efficiently kill your enemies. These are also good for using against various strategic points on capital ships like warhead launchers or laser turrets (usually when the shields are down in XWA).

Proton Torpedoes

Proton torpedoes are sluggish and don't really pack a big blow. Advanced torpedoes, however, can be more useful. They are much more agile and when you aren't using them in large numbers with your wingmates against capital ships, single warheads can be used for heavily shielded fighters like B-Ws or GUNs. This eliminates a lot of the time breaking down their shields.

Heavy Rockets

Heavy Rockets are a bomber's best friend. The are most deadly in the Missile Boat, but they can still be a handy complement in a flight of T/As, T/Ds, or GUNs. They are the second most powerful warhead and are the warhead of choice in nearly all bombing groups today. They are very slow however, and are best fired without target acquisition in case your capital ship has a countermeasure system.

Space Bombs

Space bombs are the slowest and deadliest of all warheads. However, because for every bomb in your payload, you get two rockets, it turns out the rockets give more "boom" for their payload as two rockets do slightly more damage than one heavy bomb. So, never, ever, ever, ever, ever use space bombs - unless of course you like their small sleek design and sound.

Beam Weapons

Beam weapons are designed for one purpose only: Technological Interference. It disables the influenced target from performing an operation that is generally vital to its role as a combat worthy craft. This interference gives the user a big edge over his opponents in a multitude of ways.

Tractor Beam

This beam, when aimed at a craft, will cause your target to lose the ability to control the path of its movement. Similar to disabling "flight controls," it is good when used with craft that are much faster or maneuverable than you. While you hold them along their current path, launch a missile or laser volley to wear down their shields or destroy them. Otherwise, if this gives no foreseeable advantage in battle, direct its power to the engines to boost your speed.

Decoy Beam

Another very powerful weapon, the decoy prevents enemies from targeting you. Although real players can still pursue your craft, the effect on AI is that they simply can't acknowledge your existence. They can not acquire a missile lock and they can not continue firing cannons at you. They generally target other members of your flight group or other members of the same global group or team. Be careful when flying alone, though. The craft you don't want attacking you may actually go after mission critical craft which could be a very unnecessary risk to mission objectives.

Jamming Beam

The jamming beam temporarily disables its victim from firing upon its user. This is especially helpful against capital ships and other smaller ships like ETRs/ATRs or E/Ss. The target of a jamming beam should almost always be something that has turborlasers. It is generally ineffective on fighters unless they are coming directly at you. Then, the jamming beam can help quickly destroy the incoming fighter without you having to worry about incoming lasers. (This doesn't work as well with 2 or more incoming fighters).

Gunnery Practice

As mentioned previously, it is very helpful to have a high degree of laser accuracy. Although it seems useless in single player gaming, since the AI is only so good, it is vital in multiplayer gaming. The difference between life and death is almost ALWAYS a judge of which pilot has the better "firing triangle" - which pilot came aim better. After that comes maneuvering which was already discussed.

In XvT, a good way to practice laser accuracy is with the mineclearing melee. The settings you should use are as follows:

Difficulty: HARD
Your Ship: Something imperial and unshielded (T/F, T/I, T/B)
Also, if you don't target the mines, you will begin to understand when the target is in your sights without the need for a "green light" so to speak.

The goal of the exercise is to kill as many mines as possible with a single shot with the fewest hits to your craft. It is a difficult task and may take a lot of practice before you learn accuracy and maneuvering well enough. Have patience. Eventually, you probably will get killed. T/Fs can only take two hits and the other craft only a few more. Keep practicing, and you WILL improve. In XWA, the skirmish option gives you more things to try.

Play the first Race Mission

Timing isn't necessary. Killing all of the turrets, however, is vital. Once you can kill all of the turrets at a slower speed, go for a greater speed constantly pushing yourself to get all of the turrets. If you miss one, you're going too fast. Reduce your speed a little until it's easier. Go faster and faster making sure you shoot as few lasers as possible and destroy all of the turrets. If you still need more of a challenge, start worrying about timing too.

Make a Custom Skirmish

All fighters should be set to Super Ace. Start with one enemy fighter (your choice for difficulty) and dodge its fire while trying to kill it. When you can kill it without taking damage, add another fighter to the flight group. Now, with two fighters, repeat, trying not to take damage. Continue doing this, practicing both your gunnery on their initial approach and your maneuverability skills.

Create a Custom Minefield

Similar to the method in XvT, this will practice your gunnery skills. In the Custom Skirmish, put yourself in a TIE Fighter (or other unshielded imperial craft - although T/Fs are the weakest and most difficult to survive in) with difficulty on Hard. Set your enemy to: 6 waves of 6 Type-ONE mines with Super Ace AI. Turn the mines OFF (meaning: make their mission - "None: Stationary"). Try to kill each mine in one shot, don't target the mine, and try to get hit as little as possible. Get as many mines using these rules in your chosen amount of time. 10 minutes is generally a good amount of time.

More on Combat Maneuvering

The approach is considered a lost art due to the fact that most pilots prefer to avoid contact while approaching and push a dogfight where they intend to make the kill. The problem with this is the majority of a game is spent on the approach, the time when both fighters are far away and flying toward each other. A player with exceptional approach skills will almost always defeat a player with marginal approach skills and outstanding dogfighting skills. The logic behind this is that the player with approach skills will have a huge opportunity to shoot down the other pilot before the other pilot has a chance to take advantage of their skill.

Even if an approach pilot does not make the kill before reaching the dogfight they still have several options in extending and denying their opponent a chance to kill them in the dogfight. Conclusion? A player with better approach skills will win because dogfighting skills are specific to only one part of a pass while approach skills can be used anywhere in a pass.

There are three ways to maneuver during the approach, the first and most common way is breaking. Breaking techniques are far more general than any other technique and thus can be used in any number of situations without becoming a liability to the user. Because breaking is more aggressive than anything else, one must consider three factors in how to break: how aggressive is your target, how skilled is your target in both dodging and accuracy, and how skilled you are in dodging and accuracy. Assume your target has average accuracy, below average dodging ability, and doesn't fire very often. Now, you have average dodging ability and average accuracy. The best breaking technique is to use small unpredictable breaks to get out of the line of fire and then back in to take a quick shot. You would take advantage of your target's lack of accuracy and nonaggression by being more aggressive and hitting his below average dodge.

According to the factors mentioned above, the user of a breaking approach must adapt his technique to match the skill level and technique of his opponent. For an opponent with better accuracy or higher aggression, make wider, but more unpredictable breaks. For an opponent with worse accuracy or lower aggression, you can take shorter breaks. In the worst case scenario, your opponent has excellent laser accuracy and dodging skills while still remaining relatively aggressive. This is where timing comes in.

In a breaking approach, speed is essential for survival. You must remember to have your fighter moving forward at the fastest speed possible and remember to change the predictability in which you break. Predictable maneuvering gets you killed. Experienced pilots can guess at critical points in your approach or break where you are most vulnerable, and they will exploit you each time as they are predictable. That is when they will kill you and win the game.

The most dangerous time of any approach technique is when you cross your target's line of sight. It is then that you are most vulnerable as any shot your opponent fired may hit you if they correctly guessed where you would be. If you have also fired at him it is equally dangerous for him. If this happens then the best result is that you will both get hit and die, but sometimes you will die and he will not, so it is best to minimize how many times you actually cross their path and try instead to monopolize on hitting your target as they are dodging. The rule of thumb is this: Fire when your target is dodging, and dodge when your target is firing.

A spiraling approach technique is rare in XvT but fairly common in XWA with the "rudder." A pure spiraling technique is when all you do is spiral, while moving in the general direction of your target, and firing at him. This allows you to maximum offensive fire while still making it difficult to be hit in return. However, you lose the ability to aim well, may fall into a predictable path, and may lose control of your maneuver to your disadvantage.

As one becomes more skilled, one realizes that it is instead more advantageous to used partial spirals. A partial spiral is when a player implements a breaking technique but throws in a fraction of a spiral every once and a while. For example, you use a breaking technique, but when you break out of the line of fire you then spiral out of the way. Then, shortly afterward (or long depending on your target's skills) you stop spiraling and break back in for a volley of laser fire. This type of dodge is far more difficult to hit than a simple break but is also more difficult to get right and use effectively as you may lose track of your target in a maneuver that looks more defensive than offensive. Additionally, variations in speed are more important while spiraling than when simply breaking. When spiraling, you want to change your forward momentum in small increments by going from 100% to 66% throttle and then back to 100%. This will make your predictable path a little less predictable since your target may know where you will be but can't be sure when you will be there. Moving along the path of the spiral, you must also change speeds. Spiral slower in some areas or even change the width of the spiral by contorting the "spring" so to speak. This will make you even more unpredictable.

There are two more ways to make a spiral less predictable. You can constantly change the center point of the spiral which can make your path completely unpredictable - especially if you contort the radius of rotation. Imagine how a slinky might behave during a planet-wide tremor. Try to emulate this randomness. The new center points you choose will change the direction of your spiral constantly. In fact, changing the direction of a spiral is the way you perform the second cut in predictability...a spiraling spiral. Imagine a fighter that is spiraling around the path of a bigger spiral; yes, it's as effective as it sounds and not terribly difficult to implement. Picture a spiral directed by a slowly rotating banking motion, or, if you'd like you can find a film of me doing it in the expert section of Marikallees v.2.

Looping was mentioned briefly earlier without an explanation. Though rarely used, looping is a purely defensive move to gain distance and prepare for future attacks against your opponent. A loop is generally an "out-of-the-plane" maneuver which brings your craft directly out of the combat scene by turning 90° to port or starboard and then pull up or down to perform a loop. This loop will be very difficult to hit since the deflection to your target is very high, most of the time you will be able to complete the loop and move into your technique of choice before you take any damage. If you wish to attack then you have to exit the loop and perform either a break or spiral to attack your target. This technique will both prolong the approach as well as keep you alive for a bit longer against a skilled opponent. However, if you use this continuously without moving into an attacking technique, it will be considered avoiding/running. This is not an honorable situation. So, when you do loop, be effective, and try to only do it it once or twice to completely change direction and throw your target's aim off then move into a break or spiral to attack them while they are still caught off guard.

A weave is performed when you combine several different techniques or several different directions of the same technique. If you break up then down then back up then back down again continuously, that is a weave. It is a rhythmic execution of maneuvers used with the goal of avoiding fire while still attacking your target. The most effective weave, and therefore most unpredictable, is one that makes you a nearly impossible target for your opponent to hit while moving you toward him and offering several opportunities to fire on him.

Anything can be used to compile a weave together, all it takes is a series of maneuvers that are each hard to hit put together to bring you toward your goal, killing your target. When compiling a weave it is best to use several different techniques. Try using all your axes of rotation and a wide variety of maneuvers while trying to keep your laser offense during times when you will have a chance at hitting your target. For example: A break to port followed by a break up and then a spiral clockwise will give you an unpredictable weave that will take you back toward your target so that you might take a shot. The final point of a weave is where you pull the trigger. At that point, you then move into a completely new weave.

The limit to what kind and how many different weaves you can come up with is how creative you are. Sit down and come up with twenty or thirty weaves and you'll realize how simple it really is. Once you design them, try to make a skirmish against some Super Ace AI and try them out to see if they are effective and then try to perfect them for the real test in a multiplayer match. I prefer to design and implement my weaves in real-time, just before I use them against my opponent. When I fly like this I find that even I'm surprised by what I manage to come up with; and the result is that I am far more difficult to hit than I would normally be. Coming up with weaves on the fly gives you the option of adapting the weave to your opponent and adaptability is where the true skill for winning lies. Different opponents all need to be handled differently. Deflection and survivability go hand in hand as mentioned earlier. Deflection is the angle between your path of motion and your target's line of sight. This means that if you are flying 90° away from your target (and they are looking at the underside or top of your fighter) then you will have maximum deflection while still closing some distance between your fighter and your target. This is probably the most difficult deflection angle to hit and if you use it constantly then you will have excellent survivability. Zero deflection is when you are facing your target. This is very bad since your target will be able to tag you with a laser blast very easily. So, when appropriate, have a high deflection angle when you are not directly attacking your target. This will give you a higher degree of survivability. After you let out your lasers though, be sure to increase your deflection as quickly as you can to avoid taking damage.

The profile of your fighter is how much of it your opponent sees. To be as hard to hit as possible, you should try and show your opponent as little of your craft as possible. Some fighters have very small profiles like the A-W or T/F while others like the X-W or GUN have larger ones. Decide what angle to show to your opponent so that the profile is smallest. Although this is a very small and sometimes uncontrollable aspect, it can be used to your advantage nonetheless.

Always keep moving; a fighter that stops moving is effectively saying "Shoot me, I'm an easy kill." Your movements should always maneuver you with the goal of firing on your target safely, if you get to that point and decide that it isn't safe don't hesitate to break off the attack and wait for a better time. When you aren't firing, always be in a very hard to hit maneuver. Practice your approach as much as you can when first learning. The dogfight can be learned later as the approach is always the first chance to kill or be killed. If you can't survive the approach, the dogfight is meaningless.

General Tips And Tricks

There are plenty of ways to build on your score in single player missions. Speaking from the point of view of a Dark Jedi, you have no limits in terms of what you can morally and ethically do. Chances are, if there's something in the mission which isn't on the goals list, it shouldn't be there - therefore, it's your duty to... "remedy" its situation. For example, in a battle in a deep space sector between a House of Dark Jedi and rebel trash, you find a freighter full of civilians nearby. Well, they shouldn't very well be there, should they? You know how to take of that right, right? BOOM! Civilians?? Target practice? Fun! Everyone knows that civilians don't belong in warzones. Although, before getting too excited, at least inspect the ship to make sure it's not something important that should be saved. It could be important...who knows, one of your fellow Dark Jedi could be on board! Check the cargo, and make sure it's not on your goals! If it's not, bye bye!

Note: Killing off transports full of innocent civilians is not something a Dark Jedi should be afraid to do. If it appears as a simple inspection goal and thats all, then inspect the freighter, and drop a few torps to teach them a lesson or two. We'll have no civilians traveling aimlessly through their waypoints in the middle of combat.

There's too many of them! I can't shake 'em!

This is a simple tactic, but an important one. Assuming you have an ion cannon or two, remember what it can do. We've all had to face multiple A-Ws with advanced missiles. They key is to destroy all but one member of the flight group. Then, simply disable this last craft to prevent more waves and carry on with your mission. Destroy the convoy or protect your ship. These are more important than pesky A-Wings. However, when you're all done or if you get bored, don't hesitate to waste the disabled fighters and take on more waves.

Hit and Run, Run, Run!

This works especially well in all platforms. It's a simple tactic - especially when you're in something like an A-Wing without any warheads left and want to wipe out larger ships (Example - an enemy CRS... or civilian convoy). People generally think a simple interceptor wouldn't be able to take down a major capital ship. However, it can. It just takes a lot of time and effort. It is referred to as a PRR or "Pickle, run, and reload." Pickle means drop your entire payload (It can also be referred to as 'Ripple,' though a ripple is more often a total ammo dump). Find the target, lock on, and shoot some volleys. Then, dump your power into your engines and get out of there fast to repower lasers and/or shields. Then, repeat. Eventually, you'll wipe it out. If you're luck, there might be a reload craft around to help out.

Stay awake, pilot!

The BIGGEST mistake you can make in battle is to numb your senses and make a stupid mistake you might regret after 30 minutes of effort. Stay awake in the cockpit and keep an eye on what's going on around you. If you don't know what's out there, you are as good as dead. Also, watch out for what is on the HUD. The lights which light up tell you when people are shooting at you or launching missiles. When the missiles come, remember to use flares, chaffs, or just turn around and blow it up with lasers.

Ramming

...should never be done. There is an occasion where ramming is used to destroy those craft which have been endowed with special...super shields. But outside of that, it is destructive, makes your head spin, and makes the repair crews very angry at you. No one said anything about increasing your high score, so shhh! If the craft is larger than an ETR or so, don't worry about them. Otherwise, you might have a chance at destroying it along with your insanity.

Missions and High Scores

When trying to get a high score I suggest you first fly through a mission to see how it unfolds. You will see exactly how the mission runs so that you can then fly the mission again, and know exactly what you must do. This may take awhile, but you will get a better understanding of what you will need to get a better score.

The Computer

When you fly multi-player matches, you are flying against another human, but when you fly a battle or mission you are effectively flying against the computer. A human can be very unpredictable but no matter how much a computer tries, they are nothing but predictable. In TIE Fighter, the computer is especially predictable in given situations. With experience, you will be able to predict where a fighter will turn and when. Even flying missions with invincibility for non-competitions will help. Over time, you will notice that the computer always does certain movements at certain moments and then your reaction will become automatic. Like with everything else, practice makes perfect. Just remember that when flying a real pilot, the experience will be totally different.

Preset Energy Settings

In XvT and XWA, it is possible to preset various laser/shield/engine settings. Instead of messing with the throttle, F9, and F10 keys, press one button and automatically have key settings you need during multiplayer melees. It saves a lot of time and gives you an edge over your opponent. Remember that in quick turning contests, 33% throttle gives the best turning abilities.

Mission Editing/Pilot Revising

This is the single-most lethal death wish you can deal yourself. ANY and ALL mission editing is absolutely forbidden. There are multiple ways to catch people if they do this and it isn't just by what the max score is or the max kill amount is. Even then, it is impossible given the mission circumstances to kill everything sometimes. A lot of people have mastered these games and are in perfect positions to smell out a cheater. Don't even think about changing the mission or your pilot file. Consider what you could gain from a high score and then consider all that you could lose if you are caught. It's not worth it...

Conclusion

Also, not every person who gets extremely high scores does all of these things. Some people are just gifted with a lot of talent and a huge dose of luck. That being said, I will guarantee you that if you do even a few of these tips, then your scores will be higher. You will also see the work that some of us go through to get such impossible scores. But even so, a lot of patience and a boatload of luck must also be thrown into the mix. I hope that this has been helpful and I hope that all of you will be able to be that much better a pilot. Thank you.