Guide To Fighters
Guide To Fighters
Table of Contents
How to Read this Guide:............................................................................................................................3
Statement of Purpose:................................................................................................................................4
Disclaimer:.................................................................................................................................................5
The Big 3 Fighters:.................................................................................................................................7
The Argon M4 Buster.......................................................................................................................8
The Argon M5 Discoverer:...............................................................................................................9
The Argon M3 Nova.......................................................................................................................10
The Advanced Fighter:....................................................................................................................11
To Recap:........................................................................................................................................12
The Typical Guns of Fighter-Class Craft:................................................................................................13
The Typical Missiles of Fighter-Class Craft:...........................................................................................14
Drones and you, what they do and how they work:.................................................................................15
Software, Ship Upgrades and Useful Wares:...........................................................................................16
Combat Strategy:......................................................................................................................................18
Combat Tips:............................................................................................................................................19
In Closing.................................................................................................................................................20
Statement of Purpose:
I have authored this guide with the hopes of dispelling some of the confusion
new players experience with the X3 series of games. The scope of this guide is to
broadly cover M3 through M5 fighter craft in X3:Reunion, X3:Terran Conflict and
X3:Albion Prelude. If the reader is not already aware all games in the X-series build
on their predecessor's mechanics. Therefor many ships, weapons, stations, sectors, etc.
that were present in a previous version of the game can also be found in newer
versions.
When a differentiation between games is required, please see the associated
annotation on the bottom of the page. It is generally true that anything in X3:Reunion
will be applicable to X3:Terran Conflict and anything available in X3:Terran Conflict
will also be applicable in X3:Albion Prelude. This guide will attempt to categorize
objects in the X3 series but as items are later added this system will not always work
precisely.
This guide will exclusively cover the basics of M3~M5 class fighter craft,
their most often utilized armaments, software, etc. The overriding goal is to keep
things simple through systematization & categorization to allow players a context for
comparison. If a player draws a conclusion similar to The PAC1 is the basis for
comparing all M4-class fighter guns. then this guide has succeeded.
Particle Accelerator Cannon, see section FIGHTER GUNS for more information.
Disclaimer:
This guide attempts to keep the mystery of discovery open by not revealing all information about objects in
the X3-series. I believe this is important for the enjoyment of the series for many players. As such this guide is not an
attempt at a comprehensive listing of all possible configurations, derivatives, etc. I have intentionally omitted much
information that is largely irrelevant to a newer player in keeping with this line of thinking.
With regards to X3:Reunion, most of the guns come in
an Alpha, Beta & Gamma variety.
concerned there are generally only two, Alpha and Beta. Please
check the chart to the right for more information on their
relative strengths and weaknesses. That being said, an Alpha
PAC is still a PAC and of an entirely different class than
HEPTs2 or IREs3 so both Alpha and Beta are identified
collectively by their type (ex: PAC, IRE, etc.) for this guide.
This guide will only thoroughly cover three ships
which were chosen due to their abundance in Argon Space and the fact that they form a base line for comparison
among all other ships of their class. The player will generally lack both the Racial Reputation 4 and the credits to
purchase these ships immediately, they are commonly encountered throughout Argon space and beyond. This means
that I highly encourage new players to choose an Argonian as their race the intention is to apply the lessons learned
here.
2
3
4
High Energy Plasma Thrower, see section Fighter-Guns for more information.
Impulse Ray Emitter, see section Fighter-Guns for more information.
The Player's standing with a particular race, raised through the completion of missions, trading and elimination of that race's enemies.
pack
correctly
installed.
That being
to
accomplish.
With
the
X3:Terran Conflict & Albion Prelude, names like Solano, Elite, etc.
Both are
Cargo not only takes up units of space but also has a size requirement ranging from Small to Medium to Large to eXtra Large.
In
X3:Reunion this ship and its subtypes were generally seen as near
the top of the line for superiority but in X3:Terran Conflict and
even more so in X3:Albion Prelude this ship's age is beginning to
show. It can still hold it's own against other ships but not to the
same extent that it could previously since the introduction and
mass production of the M3+8 class of ships.
to
one
of
them.
whether
ship
is
an
Not to be confused with the advanced designation for one time special ships.
To Recap:
We have discussed the categories of fighters present in the X-Series, from the small M5 Scout to the M4
Interceptor and up to the M3 Heavy-fighter. All things being equal the previous class should have little chance against
the next class. With a skilled player flying a Buster could handle a Nova but this would be very time-consuming
and require that all other threats had already been destroyed (so the player doesn't get shot while avoiding a Nova).
M5s are fast, lightly shielded and
carry the weakest weapons. M3s carry far
heavier weapons and have far superior
shielding but at the expense of speed and
acceleration.
might
be
something
like
4xRPG
and
10
11
by
the
player
against an enemy.12
There
are many more missiles in X3 and they have their uses but for a new player, we will limit our discussion to these 5.
Mosquito Missiles and Fight Command Software MkII enable the player to activate the Missile Defense
system which launches a missile automatically when an incoming missile is detected. 13
Wasp & Hurricane Missiles are ideal for taking down M5-class scouts and/or, in numbers, M4-class
interceptors. They are fast enough to catch nearly all fighters but do have a big enough warhead to significantly
damage a heavily-shielded fighter.
Tempest & Thunderbolt Missiles are great for taking out slower M3/M3+ class fighters. Most standard M3
fighters will either be destroyed or nearly so by a single hit from one of these missiles but they are not fast enough to
catch a M5-class scout or a swift M4-class interceptor.
12
13
See Combat Tactics Missiles for more information about how to deal missiles fired at the player.
See Software, Ship Upgrades and Useful Wares Fight Command MkII section for more on this.
14
Shields
It goes without saying that the ship should have as many of the heaviest shields as possible. 15
Engine/Rudder tuning:
Again, upgrade these as quickly as possible for maximum performance from your fighter.
Jump Drive
Duplex/Triplex Scanner
15
Boost Extension
Triples the acceleration rate of any ship.
Freight Scanner
Could be useful if it had more than a 5 km range. Identifies items
carried by any other ship including weapons, shields, software,
tunings, etc. Some players utilize it, many do not.
Repair Laser:
You cannot equip this on your ship but it is by far one of the most important things you have. Instead of
paying a ship yard to repair your ship (which can cost as much as the ship), simply get out, aim at your ship &
fire away. Your laser is saving you credits. This is also true for claimed ships, repair them before you sell
them to increase your earnings.
Combat Strategy:
In the X-Series, there are many ways to skin a cat. At this point I hope the player has discovered that
destroying that enemy pirate ship can be accomplished with either the player-ship's main armaments, missiles, or
combat drones. This is just a small sampling of the complexity of the X-Series but there are generally preferred
methods of accomplishing a given task.
For the purposes of learning, imagine a
scenario.
You
want
your heavy
missiles
16
Combat Tips:
Missiles
Bring up your freight bay. You are looking for Speed and Guidance Anything faster than 200 m/s
with guidance is a M5 killer (save the Mosquito and Thorn). Anything slower than 200 m/s with
guidance for less than 15,000 credits is an M3~M4 killer.
Do not use large missiles (usually sized M and slower than 200 m/s) while under fire. They will
destroy the player's ship if they are hit while leaving the ship.
Guns
Faster Targets = Get closer
Slower Targets = Stay farther away
Ammo Based weapons require more management but some are superior to their energy based cousins. A
good mix helps.
Enemies
M6, M7, M2, M1 and TL Will kill you, leave alone for now
Strafe
The player should always be strafing, preferably in two directions at once. The player should also vary
their direction of strafe to avoid incoming fire. This is less useful against fast, light weapons but essential
against larger, heavier weapons.
Jump Drive
Can be used to string out enemies. Close on an enemy formation, launch a missile & jump to the far
side of the sector. All ships will chase you at maximum speed. This means you will engage M5s first,
M4s second, and so on. Very useful for large formations of enemy ships.
Always keep energy cells on hand for speedy escapes.
In Closing
At this point you've potentially read this entire manual. I hope you've understood the ideas I have attempted
to convey. By this point you should recognize which ships are stronger than yours but not be intimidated by it.
Indeed, you should be able to engage them with a high degree of confidence in your ability to either destroy or capture
them.
Missiles are great additions to the armament of any ship but should be treated with due respect. Missiles can
really level a playing field between asymmetrical opponents but are just as dangerous to the launcher if not utilized
properly.
Drones are great for many things and are a force multiplier for the player. A drone really costs very little as a
fraction of what the player spent on a ship and are an economic method of leveling the playing field.
Weapons have a rhyme and reason to their naming. Additionally, nearly all weapons have a reason for
existing and a job they do better than any other.
Essentially, the X-Series has systems and rules like any other game. I hope I have helped explain how those
systems work for smaller craft so you can enjoy one of my favorite toys, X3.