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Warfare & Tactics

 
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Advanced covert-ops combat scanning guides/ advice?
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Piamet
Cool Event Ballistics Dummies
#1 - 2016-10-26 00:31:18 UTC  |  Edited by: Piamet
I've been looking for articles, videos and examples of high-level covert ops plays for fleet intel, but all I can find are basics. Are there guides out there that describe advanced tactics?

I've been trying to rely more on D-Scan so as to reduce the number of pinpoint scanning passes. What I do now:

1) Jump into system
2) Initiate warp to celestial or tactical, covert-ops cloak, launch combat scan probes
3) Move probes vertical 32 AU spread formation and scan to approximate enemy position
4) Cloak warp over to the general area and D-Scan down to the nearest 1-5 AU
5) If enemy is not already on overview, scan own ship's position with pinpoint formation
6) Warp to target at optimal range for fleet

6.5) Say relevant-sounding stuff on comms when appropriate to maintain job security :p

Surely there's more to combat scanning than that? If there is more I could do, what is it? Right now, it feels like 10% skill, 50% luck, 50% mysticism. My scanning buddies talk about good combat probing like it's the most arcane thing ever, but I suspect it's a lot of step 6.5...

My problem is that the process often either takes too long (so fleet moves on) or the enemy ships manage to detect me regardless and roll to another safe. How can I be faster and more precise?
Substantia Nigra
Polaris Rising
Goonswarm Federation
#2 - 2016-10-26 01:44:30 UTC  |  Edited by: Substantia Nigra
Like most things in eve combat scanning is easy enough to do. Also, like most things in eve, combat scanning is difficult to do well. As I see it the difference between mediocre and good lies in a range of factors, including:
  • Skillbook skills, implants, ship choice and fittings, to make your scan runs are as fast and accurate as possible;
  • Techniques employed, to increase the speed with which you acquire a target while decreasing the likelihood of them warping somewhere else; and
  • Task specific elements such as communications and finding appropriate warp-lines for your fleet mates, to increase the utility of your scanning efforts.

On the techniques side there’s a whole heap of little things you can do to help. Like so many things they’re all of a diminishing-returns nature, but when you’re trying to outsmart or outmanoeuvre other players every little thing helps.

I’m sure you’ll get debates and alternative opinions here but I see the following as being a few of the 'techniques' things that can help:
  • DSCAN before you deploy any probes. It’s a huge force multiplier for combat probe scanning. Learn to use it and use it well (e.g. quickly narrowing down the ‘view’ and range) and you’ll save quite a bit of time, effort, and exposure during your probe scanning.

  • System ‘anatomy’. Look at the system map, you actually have quite a lot of time available before your gate-jump cloak dissipates. When you wish to deploy probes try and find somewhere that is unlikely to be in DSCAN range of your target. This is not always possible but well worth looking for.
  • Get those probes out of the system ASAP. Deploy them and immediately drag-scan them way out to the middle of nowhere. That way you can set up your desired pattern, without the probes being visible to your targets, and then ninja them into system and back out again as you need.
  • Have a preset probe configuration that you like. I still use my old ‘concentric 8’ pattern when time and accuracy are critical. The client’s preset patterns are fine for general usage though.
  • Prescan wherever possible. I sometimes chase down site runners. They are very surprised when my Sabre warps right on top of them and they have not seen a single probe on their DSCANs. I’ve scanned the sites beforehand and have usually also setup perch bookmarks to I can run warpins, say ‘at 50km’, for the Sabre.

Just my tuppence worth.

I guess I am almost a 'vet' by now. Hopefully not too bitter and managing to help more than I hinder. I build and sell many things, including large collections of bookmarks.
Nikea Tiber
Backwater Enterprises RD
#3 - 2016-10-26 08:51:31 UTC
Substantia Nigra wrote:

  • Get those probes out of the system ASAP. Deploy them and immediately drag-scan them way out to the middle of nowhere. That way you can set up your desired pattern, without the probes being visible to your targets, and then ninja them into system and back out again as you need.
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This one is huge. As long as the gate is quiet, try and drop your probes then immediately warp + cloak, and send your probes to > 14 AU from any celestial. Keeping your probes out of dscan range of potential targets is paramount if you want to catch them while thier pants are truly down.

If the gate is hot clearly you don't want to take the time to drop probes, though you are on-grid intel already at that point, so probe launch is moot.

Your FC set things up so you can inty punt, right?

my other nano is a polycarb
Mephiztopheleze
Laphroaig Inc.
#4 - 2016-10-27 05:20:45 UTC
check out Martino Fabbro's youtube vids. specifically the black ops ones.

Occasional Resident Newbie Correspondent for TMC: http://themittani.com/search/site/mephiztopheleze

This is my Forum Main. My Combat Alt is sambo Inkura