GSF - What stops me from playing

[hillerbees]

I am hoping Devs might pick up on this and maybe other players who found it hard to get started in GSF.

 

I have been playing the game since launch and the one part of the game I do not participate in is GSF. I have tried it many times but I just can't get my head around it. Will there ever be a proper in game playable turorial on how to play?

 

I know there is stuff on You Tube etc. and a lot of good people have invested time in trying to support the playerbase in th is way but surely I should be able to learn to play within the game - I never had to go outside the game before to be just average at what it takes to participate.

 

This is a computer game not a flight simulator for a real plane/spaceship it shouldn't be beyond my capacity and yet here I am.

 

I am pretty confident that I am not alone and I'd also venture to say that the reason people don't queue is not because of uneven teams or whatever but because they cannot get a basic handle on the game and because if you just dive in with the current tutorial as your only learning point you are doomed to failure.

 

Comments welcome.

[WellborneMoose]

I can offer a few suggestions that really helped me wrap my head around GSF at the start. The first is join the GSF chat channel (/cjoin GSF) in game and ASK QUESTIONS. The people who sit in that chat are the people with the most experience flying and will be happy to help.. I had alot of my questions about accuracy, evasion, and tracking penalties answered by them.

 

Another suggestion, which may or may not apply to you, is slog through the first weekly to get enough req to buy some component upgrades. There is definitely a difference between a stock ship and an upgraded ship in terms of performance. Also this gives you time to get used to flying a particular ship which obviously helps you get better.

 

I doubt there will ever be an expanded tutorial in game and I know you said you didn't want to watch the GSF School videos, but I would encourage watching the Basics videos at a minimum. The only other way to learn the game mode is to play it more.

[hillerbees]

Is there a particular ship that is easiest to fly starting out - not talking about "the best ship" in game but in terms of a starter ship to plow resources into. And would you recommend playing all your gsf on one toon or going from toon to toon?

 

Thanks for your reply.

[BarbarikDave]

Is there a particular ship that is easiest to fly starting out - not talking about "the best ship" in game but in terms of a starter ship to plow resources into. And would you recommend playing all your gsf on one toon or going from toon to toon?

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Personally I started with the Scout ship. It has the best turning and is by far the easiest to control and learn how to fly with, once you get the flying aspect the shooting gets a lot easier, I wouldn't worry too much about spending fleet requisition on it though, only spend ship requisition for it and save the fleet for the other ships. Expect to die, a lot, but that's all part of learning. Do enough dailies to get that ship requisition for the Strike fighter next. Read everything when it comes to the upgrades and try a few out to see what suits you best. Then fully upgrade everything you choose to use, then get used to it. I wouldn't worry too much about trying another ship out after that until you are comfortable with the Strike Fighter, that way if you don't like the scout, gunship, or the bomber you will always have the Fighter.

 

GSF is all about patience and a willingness to take a lot of hits. I tend to see the same people running it every time I do and they have all the upgrades on all the ships so you won't be even close to competing with them until you have at least one in the same. Instead, focus on the newer enemies, the one's that split off from the group and venture too far into your space. Also, be willing to break off pursuit, even if their health is at 1-2 hits away. People tend to fly back to their team when their low on health and you'll more often then not be swarmed and killed before you get those shots off. (Trust me, I know )

 

I'm by no means an expert but in the 3 weeks I started it up again since beta I've gone from having 0 kills 2 assists, and 15 deaths to having 5-6 kills, 10 assists, and 5-6 deaths. The hardest part to me is the flying and understanding where you are on the map, what direction you're facing and if you're upside down or not.

[phalczen]

I never had to go outside the game before to be just average at what it takes to participate

 

Most of the content in the game has stuff beyond the in-game information. You might be able to skate through some of the story mode operations without reading the guides, but if you've ever joined a guild and discussed the next boss fight in an operation with your group mates over voice comms, you've already gone "outside" of the game.

 

I do realize its a little different with GSF, since unlike ground pvp or flashpoints/operations, what you learn about combat progressing through the story does not prepare you for GSF. I do agree with you that the tutorial isn't optimal for teaching you the things you need to survive: crew member copilot abilities, adjusting power management during fighting, leading your shots against moving targets, etc. I wish the development team had more time and resources to improve the tutorial. Our best hope may be for a custom match lobby to be created, enabling players to take other fledging pilots under their tutelage and train them.

 

In my first days of playing MMOs I tried to just learn on the fly, but I quickly realized that the resources players put together to improve your knowledge are key to improving. That, and joining a good guild. If you already know about these GSF resources, such as Despon's guides on YouTube, resources which have been painstakingly assembled at no charge just for other people to enjoy GSF, and yet you still consciously choose to ignore them, then you only have yourself to blame. Adult learning means formulating a question and searching out all available resources to answer that question. Expecting to be spoon fed information all in-game isn't feasible.

[phalczen]

Is there a particular ship that is easiest to fly starting out - not talking about "the best ship" in game but in terms of a starter ship to plow resources into. And would you recommend playing all your gsf on one toon or going from toon to toon?

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Since update 5.5, the Strike fighter, and particularly the starter stock Starguard (pubside)/Rycer (impside), is now a very good ship. There are definitely some components you will want to change out eventually to a stronger build. But since the changes of GU5.5, many of the stock components on that ship are considered best in slot. The Novadive/Blackbolt type 1 scout starter ship is a good ship but terrible as a starter ship. I would highly recommend the Strike over the scout for someone struggling with the beginning stages of GSF.

 

I think an argument could be made for the starter stock type 2 gunship, the Comet Breaker/Dustmaker. Its not quite as good as the type 1 gunship (Quarrel/Mangler), but its still a gunship with a slug railgun, still one of the best tools in a squadron. I don't think its better than a Strike for someone just starting out, but if you stay back and worry about finishing off targets that come within range, it teaches you valuable gunnery skills.

 

I would stay away from the starter type 3 bomber (Sledgehammer/Decimus) for a new player. These have been improved with 5.5, but not to the extent that I'd recommend them over a Strike or a gunship.

 

Since you are just starting out with GSF, you should probably focus on one toon so you can maximize your experience/requisition gain with a Strike. You cannot directly transfer requisition between characters (there is a way but it is indirect and doesn't actually transfer the requisition) so if you are just trying to learn, you are best off focusing on one toon. That being said, I do GSF on all my characters because for me, GSF is the best method of earning unassembled components and CXP. Once you feel comfortable with GSF you can do it on all your characters if you like.

[Khaleg]

You simply can't do or even master all things just by "learning by doing", at least it's much harder in gsf than it is in regular pvp. So in case you still wanna try it this guide here is very good:

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=729222

[Lendul]

 

I have tried it many times but I just can't get my head around it. Will there ever be a proper in game playable turorial on how to play?

 

Having taught a few people to GSF, the first thing I tell them is to ignore what the tutorial tells them to do. You are right in that the tutorial needs much improvement. That being said. The tutorial map can help you. Just ignore the instructions and go in there and just fly. One thing many people do not know is that in the tutorial, your ship is indestructible. Get in there have fun, fly fast & furious and push your limits, bounce off those asteroids and find out what you can do. Try shooting through those gaps at full speed, see if you can barrel roll through the derelict star destroyer. And just get a feel for the ship without all the Lendul's out there trying to blow you up

[Storm-Cutter]

^ Exactly. Use the tutorial mode to master flying around stuff, speeding up, slowing down, rolling, pitching, yawing, and all the rest. When you can whizz around objects and not crash, the shooting aspect will soon come.

 

But remember a couple of points in real matches:

 

A) It's a team game. - Okay there are some pilots who can carry a whole match, but for the most part it is about playing your role and not going full throttle into danger for personal glory. Hanging back a bit and being a good wingman is just as important.

 

B) It's a tactical game- ( in domination) - Attacking and defending are critical, and remembering that incoming calls don't always need a 7 or 15- man ship response.

 

C) In TDM it is an attrition game. Scouts hit and fade, strikes dish out and take lots of punishment, bombers are support vehicles and Gunships are glass cannons. Keep back, keep close to your team and pick off any enemy stragglers.

 

D) personally I don't think it's that hard to master the basics. - But then I came from a long line of flight games in the past. - But the flying is the key - and realizing that supporting one's team and not going for personal glory and that most ships are tissue thin when caught out alone in space.

 

E) Personally I'd recommend playing around with the keybindings. - find something that works for you. Try mapping some to your extra mouse buttons, Managing your power levels and cooldowns is most of the skill.

 

F) Always keep an eye on those power bars. Leave some fuel in the tank for an escape, try to attack with full weapons power, keep your shields up. - There's nothing wrong with pulling a fast turn around an object to LoS the enemy while your power fills up again. - Running and evading and hiding while you recharge is also critical.

 

G) The community are a real nice bunch of people. They are pretty forgiving toward rookies. Get to know and chat to a few. They'll soon help you improve.

[TrixxieTriss]

My only reason why I don’t play GSF is it doesn’t feel SW or have a joystick. It’s not like Poe, Luke, Wedge or Anikan are using a mouse or PS/Xbox controller to fly fighters.

In my opinion, not making GSF based around the use of a Joystick was a massive mistake,

[merovejec]

Well to be honest it is quite a different part of the game and it surely is not for everyone. If you wanna go with GSF you should probably already have some affection for it. As for me, I played every single Star Wars flight simulator starting with X-Wing.

 

The system felt very familiar to me, but I did have to learn A LOT about the ship stats, companions and much more. What has been made easier now is the ship upgrades, you are able to master 1 ship quite fast now, which helps the new players greatly as in the past a new player had 0 chance against the mastered ships of the veterans. As for the guides, people already mentioned Stasies guide, its really the best and you should check that. The game will only teach you to fly the ship but no more, true. Rest is done by reading the descriptions and trying stuff out, thats the long way. The short way is to ask.

 

Overall GSF may not be for everyone, but it surely is a great part of swtor. Its good for CXP, UCs and fun.

[TonyTricicolo]

Funny to say, I actually prefer the rail shooter over GSF.

[phalczen]

not making GSF based around the use of a Joystick was a massive mistake,

 

Possibly, but I think when it was designed they wanted to make it accessible to all the players of the MMO, many of whom probably only had M/K.

[ImmortalLowlife]

My only reason why I don’t play GSF is it doesn’t feel SW or have a joystick. It’s not like Poe, Luke, Wedge or Anikan are using a mouse or PS/Xbox controller to fly fighters.

In my opinion, not making GSF based around the use of a Joystick was a massive mistake,

 

THIS is my reason as well. I absolutely hate the "chase the cursor" m/kb controls. If it had joystick/controller support, I'd give it another shot. But since it doesn't, and people get flamed for asking about it...I just don't participate.