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Cerre Zin
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Posted - 2009.08.01 03:31:00 -
[1]
Hello pilots!
Is it possible or reasonable to be a reconnaissance scout?
I'm fairly new to the game and do not have a strong grasp on the ways to play, but want to play the forward scout role in an online game. A friend suggested I check out EVE Online. I played a bit before but felt very aimless, so now I'm trying again with more focus. Ideally, I'd like to be the stealthy or fast character that surveys a region and reports back to the main group about what dangers lie ahead, akin to a Ranger in space.
Does PvP warfare make use of scouts? If so, would it require joining a corporation? How about non-PvP? If it's a unrealistic idea, what are other reasonable goals to focus on?
Any advice or recommendations would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Cerre Zin.
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Cyprus Black
Caldari
4 wing
Mostly Harmless
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Posted - 2009.08.01 03:52:00 -
[2]
Edited by: Cyprus Black on 01/08/2009 03:54:25
Reconnaissance scouting is very much vital for life in EvE. Especially so for those who live in low and null sec. Knowing where enemies are, what they're doing, what they're flying, and where they're going is crucial information.
It's better to know ahead of time that the enemy is coming rather than finding out when they're already on your doorstep. Covert ops ships are ideal for this sort of scouting as they give bonuses to scanning and probing.
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Stupid people are amazingly clever at being stupid. They interpret the phrase "idiot proof" as some sort of challenge. |
Max Torps
Gallente
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
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Posted - 2009.08.01 09:32:00 -
[3]
As a scout you will never fin yourself short of work. PvP makes heavy use of scouts, tacklers and skirmishers.
As the other chap mentions, covert ops and the related skills are the way to go long term. Short term, you can scout in a cheap frigate with a cloak, alternatively you can skirmish/tackle which will require faster locking times and a cloak would penalise that.
You'll see the most action as a scout in a pvp corporation. A shameless plug but keep an eye open for the Agony Unleashed PvP University courses restarting after the Eve Tournament however don't put everything on hold, carry on and do what you want to do as any corp worth their salt will teach you how to do what you need.
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Leeham
Gallente
Dissonance Corp
Libertas Fidelitas
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Posted - 2009.08.01 10:59:00 -
[4]
An FC always loves a scout and every competent fleet has at least one scout to watch the route ahead
skillwise the first item you want to train for is the cloaking device. When no other option is available a disposable T1 frigate with a prototype cloak is enough to scout with until you can use a covert ops ship and the covert ops cloaking device
Finally learn to use your directional scanner and make bookmarks ~300km off gates in advance. The most common use of scouts is to spot enemy fleets waiting up ahead and use of the bookmark and directional scanner allows you to relay the enemy fleet shiptypes to your fleet commander without leaving yourself vulnerable.
Once you have those skills consider also training to use probe launchers and combat probes to locate enemy ships in safespots or cynosural field theory so you can use your ship as a cyno beacon for capital ships to jump to
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Lorzion
Minmatar
Black Serpent Technologies
Atropos.
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Posted - 2009.08.01 11:21:00 -
[5]
look into black ops gangs :-)
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Alexeph Stoekai
Stoekai Corp
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Posted - 2009.08.01 12:43:00 -
[6]
Scouting is a field where new players can be virtually as effective as veterans, as basic scouting can be done in anything small and quick.
I'd definitely suggest joining a PvP corp or alliance to pick up some skills from other experienced scouts, and to make your services useful.
Some important player skills to learn for a scout:
1. Lay of the land
Print some maps of the EVE regions you plan to operate in. Find out where heavy-traffic areas are, alternate routes, enemy bases, etc. Make tons of safespot bookmarks and spy points off gates so that you are prepared for operations.
2. Ship classes and roles
In the beginning it can be quite confusing to look at a long list of enemy ships and have no idea if they might be an insurmountable threat or an easy target for your fleet. It's always worth studying the ships of the different races and learning what to expect from them. That way you can compare the ability of your own fleet to that of the enemy, and expect the reactions of commanders on both sides.
3. Assessing the enemy
Unlike your own fleet, you will rarely know what modules the enemy ships have fitted. As a scout it will be vital to be able to tell a turret-fitted battleship from one with smartbombs, or to tell a bait ship from a vulnerable target. By actually looking at a ship, you will be able to see if it has turrets fitted, and learning to distinguish various types of armament from each other (before they attack your fleet) can be a valuable skill. By studying things like velocity you can tell if a ship has afterburners or microwarp drives, and by watching visual effects you can tell if ships are using logistics modules or sensor boosters.
4. Learn to report.
Different corps and alliances may use different formats of reporting certain things. Ask the commander how he wants intel relayed, so that he can make the best use of you.
5. Study mechanics
As a scout it can be very useful to know when a target is vulnerable due to game mechanics (such as not being able to jump through gates, or being flagged for criminal acts). Ask questions about it, be alert for information, or even try them yourself.
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Cerre Zin
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Posted - 2009.08.02 00:05:00 -
[7]
Thank you very for the advice. I'm very excited to hear that scouting is actually useful. Will look in to learning about cloaking.
Woot!
Cerre Zin
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Zartanic
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Posted - 2009.08.02 00:33:00 -
[8]
Edited by: Zartanic on 02/08/2009 00:34:26
Scouting or working out what's ahead of you is so important most players have to do it for themselves now and again. Some prefer to complain on the forums than do it though.
A simple example that happened to me earlier:
I want to find a fresh WH with no one in it (for easy loot farming)
I find 3 WH's by scanning, 2 are clearly occupied or likely to be (degraded due to ships passing and its an exit hole not entry), one seems not to be.
The one that I think is not I enter and do a systm scan, nothing...so far so good.
To be on the safe side I go to a few moons and then I detect a few ships and warp scramblers.
I get the hell out when I see combat probes dropped.
If I had not bothered checking I would have lost my Mission ship fast (the checking was done in a frigate, but a covert Ops ship would be even better)
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Sarina Tillaar
Caldari
Bladerunners
KIA Alliance
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Posted - 2009.08.03 13:10:00 -
[9]
EVE-tribunes scouting bible:
http://www.eve-tribune.com/index.php?no=2_24&page=5
It's a bit old but still got tons of usefull stuff in there.
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Joe Starbreaker
The Fighting Republicans
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Posted - 2009.08.03 15:29:00 -
[10]
Just FYI, the OP might also be interested in exploration and probing. The above responses are talking about scouting in PVP, which primarily means flying ahead of the fleet and assessing the enemy's location and strength.
For PVE, there's an activity called exploration in which you use scanner probes to find hidden complexes (like combat missions in space) and wormholes. An explorer can lead a larger group to these secret spots.
-/ the fighting republicans /- |
DrRamulack
Minmatar
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Posted - 2009.08.03 16:55:00 -
[11]
Train towards Covert Ops as well as all the nessesary support skills |
Saint VII
Minmatar
Tribal Liberation Force
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Posted - 2009.08.03 19:25:00 -
[12]
Not simply viable, but vital. The only other game I have played where scouting was nearly this important was Shadowbane.
No great scoundrel is ever uninteresting. |
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