Star Wars: Squadrons has officially appeared and the first players are already making their rounds through space. The first impression of the game is good to excellent, and the single player campaign is particularly popular. But there is one thing the space shooter is not: easy. Especially the control of the space fighters through space poses a challenge for beginners. If you heed a few tips about Star Wars: Squadrons, you will get along much better.
Choose wisely, young pilot!
Simply get into the Tie fighter or X-wing and fly away, you can do that - and most of the time it works. However, Star Wars: Squadrons offers more variety when it comes to choosing the right flight crate for the mission. The game has a total of four different types of spaceships, and not without reason: Depending on the target, different space fighters are particularly efficient. You should know this in order to fly into battle with the best possible “equipment”. This is especially true because there is a standstill Star Wars: Squadrons usually means screen death. Always keep moving is the motto and this works particularly well if you choose an efficient, not just functional lilac for your upcoming task.
Every fighter has individual skills, sometimes maneuverability, sometimes firepower. And so it is advisable to choose interceptors or fighters for dogfights that are agile and fast, so they can better avoid enemy fire and sit in the stern of the enemy spacecraft. If, on the other hand, you want to attack capital ships, you should sit in a bomber in order to be able to deal as much damage as possible with one approach. In addition, the following applies: The composition of your own team also needs to be reconsidered. You should therefore know the individual spaceship types and their capabilities, even if you go into battle against them.
In terms of maneuverability, drifting to avoid enemy fire is essential. Technique is key and should be practiced whenever the opportunity presents itself. The "Boost Drifts" allow a ship's mobility to be fully utilized in order to fly tight curves, overtake others or, ideally, sit behind the opponent in order to then maltreat him calmly with laser salvos and rockets. And this is exactly where the practice mode comes into play: what makes you yawn in other games actually serves a purpose in Star Wars: Squadrons. Maneuvers and flight movements can be practiced here, it is particularly important to practice evasive rolls or changes of direction - they not only save lives, but also make life difficult for the opponent.
Know the technology of your ship!
Directing energy into the individual systems sounds like a gimmick. In fact, system control often turns out to be a decisive factor in a close dogfight. Redirecting all your energy to your shields at the right moment or giving the lasers full firepower when you are behind an enemy - these are tactics to keep in mind because sometimes the details are when two ace pilots collide. When it comes to pursuit - and there is no other enemy in sight - you put the energy on the steering jets and thus increase your speed and mobility in equal measure. The differences are noticeable, so you should know the trick and use it. This is explained in the context of the campaign and players are also pointed out several times, but in the heat of the moment this great tactical option is forgotten. So overloading is important!
This is also relevant because not every space fighter has the same requirements. A Tie Fighter with no shields is a much easier target than an X-Wing that can boot its shield strength with Overload. Depending on the combat situation, you have to make quick decisions - this not only makes sense in terms of gameplay, but also brings a lot of fun that you simply miss out on if you only ever fly in "balance".
Improving maneuverability through energy diversion is essential for another reason: To escape enemy tracking. If you want to fire missiles, you must first lock in the enemy spacecraft, i.e. keep it in your sights for a few seconds. If the HUD signals that you are being locked in by an enemy, you should react in fractions of a second and make quick evasive maneuvers. Tight curves, increasing the speed in order to create distance or even suddenly braking - depending on the situation and position of the opponent, you can avoid tracking. If you think about energy control at the right moment, you can gain valuable seconds. The idea behind it is simple: be as difficult a target as possible for your opponent. This is even more true in the multiplayer mode, because if you are hard to hit, you like to let go of you faster. And exactly then comes the moment for revenge!
By the way: Don't panic if the activation was successful. If the rocket sticks off your tail, that's no reason to give up. On the contrary: Sharp maneuvers help to lose missiles. Turns, boost drifts, rolls, flying through tight obstacles - all of this helps to deviate or redirect the deadly missile and thus avoid its destructive effect. Due to the high speed, it is not easy to get away from rocket fire with one piece of skin, but you should still try. Important: Don't fly at full throttle if you want to dodge missiles. Half Throttle gives you a much better chance due to the ship's increased mobility.
Another way to avoid rocket fire is through countermeasures. Simply activating and thinking about it does not work, it depends on the right timing. You don't have to act blindly, the HUD provides important information. When a rocket is approaching, white arrows appear on the HUD that point towards each other; if the rocket is extremely close, the markings turn red.
So when two, better three, of the four markers have turned red, it's the right time to activate the "countermeasures". The rocket is then close enough for the measures to take effect. However, the number of available countermeasures is not unlimited. It's more of a trick for that emergency when you know you probably won't be able to outmaneuver a missile given the circumstances.
Play, play, play!
The best and most fun tip at the end: games Star Wars: Squadrons as often as you can. Not only do you get better, perfect the controls and get to know all the moves, but you also gain experience. If you level up, you can buy equipment for your space fighter, i.e. new components. This is not crucial immediately after release, but becomes more important the longer the space shooter is on the market.
There is a comparatively simple method of farming experience points: fleet battles. The difficulty of the space battles against artificial intelligence can be adjusted in such a way that one can simply concentrate on fulfilling the goals. At the end of the battle, there are tons of experience points - and therefore quick level-ups. That can now be repeated and repeated. It's not particularly varied, but it is efficient.
Another tip, but one that means investing in your own gaming peripherals, is to buy a flight stick. A big advantage of Star Wars: Squadrons is that HOTAS are supported. Instead of using the rather coarse controller, the space fighters can then be steered precisely through space. In the end, this not only works much better, but is also more fun because it noticeably increases the feeling of flight.
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Logitech G X56 HOTAS Throttle & Stick Controller for...* |
142,63 EUR |
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