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To engage in combat you must first have at least one weapon equipped on a mounting point. Remember that some weapons, such as missile launchers and projectile weapons, need ammunition to fire.
When you equip a weapon, its icon will appear in one of the six circular shortcut slots at the bottom of your ship interface. The shortcut slots also correspond with the number keys on your keyboard. For example, in the first slot, hitting your "1" key will "use" the item equipped in that slot. This feature works with the number keys along the top of your keyboard, but not with your numpad keys.
Notice the little icons floating around in space? Those show you the general location of other players, monsters, starbases, etc. The colors of the various icons are also important. Below is an explanation of colors and shapes:
The color of an icon also plays an important role in identifying objects. The color of an object indicates how that object will react to you. Of course, if you attack something, its icon will immediately turn red and the target will begin attacking you.
To select a target, left-click on it with your mouse. The target will now appear in the targeting display in the lower right corner of your screen. You will also receive a text message in the target display, telling you the target's general combat strength compared to yours. These descriptions do not take into account any group members or other players.
Your target's information will appear in the targeting display, along with the distance to the target. Clicking on the text in the targeting display will also cycle through other information about the target. The blue bar represents the target's shield strength, and the red bar indicates its hull strength. If the blue bar is empty, then that target doesn't have shields. You can use the arrow buttons on the bottom of the targeting display to cycle through all targets you can see.
Earth & Beyond's targeting system allows players to choose and filter many different target types, from hostile creatures to objects in space.
You must be within the range of your chosen weapon in order to fire upon your target. Each of the three weapon types has a different range:
If you are using beam or projectile weapons, the target must also be in your forward "firing arc," which is the area 180 degrees in front of you. When you have a target selected but it is out of effective range, a red sighting graphic with crosshairs will be superimposed over that weapon's icon on its shortcut key. As you move closer to effective range, you will see the red targeting circle get smaller as it "zeroes in" on your target. When you get within range to fire, the crosshairs will turn green and begin to spin slowly. You'll also hear a tone that indicates you are within firing range.
If you are within range, you can fire your weapon by left-clicking its shortcut icon. You can also fire by hitting the shortcut key that corresponds with the weapon's shortcut icon. If you hit your target, you will see a number briefly appear over the target. This tells you the amount of damage you inflicted. Also, notice that the blue status bar on the targeting display will get shorter as you inflict damage. This reflects damage to the target's shields.
When a target has been hit (including your own ship), its shields will not be able to regenerate for 7 seconds. If the target receives another hit while its shields are regenerating, the 7-second timer will be reset. (For example, hitting a target twice in quick succession will not cause its shields to delay regeneration for 14 seconds. The shields will begin regenerating 7 seconds after the second hit.)
All players also have a chance of inflicting a critical hit upon a target, based upon their Tech skill level for the weapon being used.
Once you have destroyed your target's shields, subsequent damage will be inflicted on its hull. This damage will be indicated on the targeting display's red status bar. Once the red bar is reduced to zero, the target is destroyed. Organic Mobs (who have zero hull at the start) will be destroyed by simply reducing its shield strength to zero. When you have destroyed a target you will see a "Loot" icon (in the shape of a hand) appear on your targeting display. You can then retrieve any loot by left-clicking the Loot icon. To retrieve a loot item, left-click on its icon once and your tractor beam will pull it into your ship's cargo bay.
During combat, you should also pay close attention to your own shield and hull strength. These are indicated by the blue and red bars, respectively, on your ship interface console. When your ship takes damage, you will see a number, indicating the amount of damage, rise from the bottom of your interface.
When your ship is incapacitated, you will receive a message from the dock master at the station where you last registered. He or she will give you three choices:
Note that if you choose 2 or 3, you can later click the Distress button (in the place of your Warp button) to revisit the three choices.
Once you know the basics of combat, you'll start to pick up some tips and tricks to give you an extra edge in battle. Here are a few things to consider:
Many beam weapons are specialized in the type of damage they inflict, and you can also buy specialized missiles and projectile ammo. For example, in addition to the standard types of damage, such as Energy, Explosive, and Impact, you can get specialized Chemical, EMP, and Plasma weapons or ammo.
Various enemies will be susceptible to different types of damage, and resistant to others. Learn your enemies' strengths and weaknesses, and adjust your weapon loadout accordingly. Your fellow pilots and guild members can be a great source of information in this regard.
In addition to your enemies' strengths and weaknesses, it pays to know your own as well. You can then compensate, or just give yourself an added boost, by carefully choosing your weapons and devices. Many weapons and devices will give you a boost to skills, combat abilities, defense, etc. It pays to plan ahead for your upcoming missions, and adjust your ship's equipment to give you the best advantage.
Learn how to set your weapons to auto-fire! Just right-click on the weapon icon, then check the auto-fire box.
Your skills can give you some of the biggest advantages in battle, so learn how to use them. Talk to guildmates or other players in your race and profession chat channels to learn what works best in different situations. Knowing when to Hack, Self-Destruct, or use many other skills can make the difference in a tough fight. But remember, both your skills and those of your opponents can be interrupted by damage, and an interruption at the right (or wrong!) time can make the difference in a fight!
