[X3AP] cheesy combat and outsmarting the AI

[MrFiction]

The last few days I've been clearing out Xenon sectors in an Argon Boreas. I've managed to take out multiple Xenon I K J ships and a handful of M7/M6 ships all in a single sector. These are my observations on how the AI combat works.

The enemy AI usually follows your ship if there are no other friendly NPC ships around.
Enemy AI can't strafe (very important)
Enemy AI will spawn in the middle of a sector, like if there's a jump beacon nearby (Q's appear out of nowhere).
Mosquite defense is pretty overpowered, missiles are no longer a concern

Using this knowledge I managed to take out hundreds of Xenon ships, it's pretty simple:
1. Fly away from the Xenon ships, they will follow you. In this example I flew into Xenon sector 101 and turned around as soon as I entered. There were lots of enemy ships so I lost a good deal of shielding while managing to fly away.
https://www.imgbox.link/83bMrVD

2. Set back turret to "Attack enemies" or "Attack my target" and fly away from then enemy ship, I fly slightly below the enemy speed
https://www.imgbox.link/HqTmnAU
https://www.imgbox.link/iOwhTfG

3. Watch the enemy get destroyed. My shield even regenerates, as long as you keep strafing (very important) most enemy weapons will miss while the AI controlled ships get hammered by lasers.

So what are your cheesy combat tactics?

[Alan Phipps]

Take out the leader of a formed group of enemy fighters in a very quick and overwhelming assault and the rest may just stop and do nothing for a short period while the AI decides what they should do next.

This is not really a 'fair' or 'fun' combat exploit if you just want to fight and kill enemies but is a quite useful tactic if you want a vulnerable ship of yours (say a recently-captured ship without defences) to have a better chance to escape the attentions of the enemy patrol.

[Bill Huntington]

Xenon Q and smaller spawn in their sectors up to a limit, except X472, where they don't spawn. The bigger ones usually spawn in the closest Shipyard, with two exceptions. 'The Xenon Sector' next to TU 3 has no SY and their big capitals spawn there. The other exception you really don't want to see unless you've saved first. That's when ALL Xenon SY have been destroyed and the capitals spawn explosively in all Xenon sectors and don't stop, then come hunting.

X101 has a SY until you blow it up.


I found the Boreas marginal for extended periods in Xenon sectors. The Tyr and Osaka are my ships of choice with 6 x 2GJ shields. My favorite is to destroy all the Xenon SY except Core 023, destroy all the Xenon capitals while doing it, and have 16 - 20 J and K spawn in Core 023. Kill them all, leave the sector for a short period, return and they spawn again one by one. Kill them all again, rinse and repeat as many times as you want. You need a tough sidekick for Energy. I use the Skirnir. I did this one a few times in TC, not yet in AP.

Good Hunting.

[MrFiction]

Interesting info on Xenon spawning. Time to work on my terran rep to try out the Terran battleships.

[Monkeyfister]

Once you have it isolated, softened-up by a few missiles, and following you, spin around, and hit full reverse.
Strafe and twist so your Mains and one side turret are firing together on its blind spot(s).

Craven, but effective.

[Solomon Short]

EBCs & a decent amount of ammo...

[Timsup2nothin]

I dunno if this counts as cheesy...

I was just wandering along in ScorpCorp Privateer, a Buster Raider that I use for harassing Paranid shipping; mostly just for entertainment value. Anyway, I spot a military supply transport in Aladana Hill. He looks to be leaving the military outpost? Surely my Argon brethren wouldn't be trading with the enemy! But alas, they apparently were. Traitorous swine!

The Paranid has, among other things, well over a hundred IREs. This will be fun and profitable says I. Half a million in spilled cargo is a bonus. He also has seven fighter drones, which is about my limit in the Priv...wait, those are Mk2 drones.

Of course my greed centers have now connected with my basic dislike of Paranids and I can't resist, so I open up on the freighter. Before I even get rolling good I get the "take this freight, may it choke your life" message and the offered freight consists of seven angry fighter drones. I run. This isn't a serious problem since I can outrun them, but I don't have time to just run around until these little jerkwater robots run out of juice! The dratted Paranid is making off with my IREs!

The gall!!!! Who does this Paranid think he is dealing with?

So I ducked into the barrel of the trading station and shot mosquitoes at any drones that appeared in the open end. Took about five minutes.

[Master of the Blade]

One of my favourites is using Xenon/Pirate/hostile in general stations as cover against fire from their own ships. Gives me time to regenerate shields, and they're busy killing their own stuff. Putting an enemy capital between yourself and another capital is a similar way of speeding up kills too.