62 replies to this topic

[Catalina Steiner]

This is my long awaited and requested strike thread. I don't like air strikes and artillery shelling but much more I don't like to avoid any issue of this game. Strikes are part of this game and so we will examine them. And while doing this thread, I'm looking forward to use them more often than before.

Air strikes and artillery strikes are consumables. They are consumed on use. The same is true for the UAV. You buy them in your module menu and if you have used them in the game, they are gone. You need to equip them again to use them in the next game. Actually we have an auto-refill option, so you don't need to equip them by yourself again and again.

We need to know about the types of strikes. There are six but only two groups of strikes: artillery strike and air strike. Both are similar but not the same.

Artillery strikes are more concentrated on one points. They hit a (round) area.
Air strikes are spread wider in a line. The line is thin but longer.


Usual air strike and artillery strike. Both can be equipped in the module menu (consumable slots).
Costs: 40,000 C-Bills.


If they are improved, they look like that (the improved artillery strike for example). You can buy the improvement with GXP (pilot skill menu). We will learn later what this improvement do to our strikes.
Costs: 40,000 C-Bills (you bought the improvement with GXP, so the improved strikes are not more expensive now).


Priority air strike and artillery strike. They are better than the usual strikes (but have the same effect as the improved strikes!) and they are only available for MC.
Costs: 15 MC.

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 13 August 2014 - 03:35 AM.

[Catalina Steiner]

Let's see what the do in detail.


Usual air strike and artillery strike.
Both include six projectiles, both are delievered after five seconds time delay. And each projectile does 35 points of damage.



The improved strikes are replacing the usual strikes (here improved artillery strike for example). They are no modules on their own. If you have once unlocked the skill, these strikes will replace the usual strikes immediately.
Both include ten projectiles now, both are delievered after four seconds time delay. And they are still doing 35 points of damage.



The priority air and artillery strikes. They are as good as the improved air and artillery strikes. The only difference is the price, you need to buy them with MC.
Ten projectiles, four seconds time delay, 35 points of damage each projectile.



You can improve your strikes with another method. You can decrease the area of bombardment by twenty percent. It's called air strike or artillery strike accuracy. Buy them first if you are interested in concentrated bombardment.
It's important to know that they are using slots of "mech modules". You need to unlock them with GXP and buy them with C-Bills.
So if you have added a strike as consumable, you can now add the fitting accuracy module as mech module. Therefore you are using two different slots of one strike.

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 16 August 2014 - 04:55 PM.

[Catalina Steiner]

Now we need to know about the costs of accuracy and improvement. Both need to be bought in the pilot skill menu.
To decrease the area of bombardment, you need to unlock these skills:


Air and artillery strike accuracy
Costs: 5,000 GXP*

To improve your strikes and make them better (more projectiles, less time delay), you need to unlock these skills:

Improved air and artillery strike
Costs: 15,000 GXP*


* 5% of the rewarded XP are additional GXP. If you got 1000 XP for your last match, you have additional earned 50 GXP.

[Catalina Steiner]

Important things to know about the strikes:

1) How to aim:
It's easy to trigger a strike: you aim on a point and press the key you have chosen in your settings menu.
You should consider that the strike will be placed where you aim at with your arms (not the torso).

Here is a screenshot. The strike is placed on the circle, not the crosshairs.



2) Both strikes are available one minute after the match has started. Betty will tell you if the strikes are online and ready to use.


3) Strikes have a maximum range to place them. You can aim a maximum range of 2,500 meters. If you aim at a point that's further afar, you can see the symbol of infinity ().
You can aim at this point but the strike will be placed at a point with a maximum range of 2,500 meters away from you (mostly in front of the aimed point).





Thanks to Mr Everything (Youtube Guide)

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 11 August 2014 - 06:54 PM.

[Catalina Steiner]

I know what you want to see. Awesome animated pictures of devastating air and artillery strikes. I will post some here from time to time.

Some strikes (Thanks to Indoorsman)

Strike 1 (Canyon Network)

Spoiler

Strike 2 (Canyon Network)

Spoiler

Strike 3 (Terra Therma)

Spoiler

Strike 4 (Alpine Peaks)

Spoiler

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 12 August 2014 - 02:13 AM.

[Ayrmoon]

Very well done Cat - You should put this in the guides area

Happy Hunting

PS: I was wondering how this worked. Thanks

[990Dreams]

Now I know what on earth "improved" means in the GUI.

Great guide, thanks for the tips!

[xeromynd]

Well put together, props to you sir.

Couple things:
-Couldn't hurt to add the Improved Airstrike screencap as well.
-It should be explained that Strikes currently can be activated underground
-The Airstrike damage pattern should be explained (straight line moving away from your mech, depending on where you target.)
-The "Improved XXX Strike" upgrades should be noted that they are NOT modules.

Along the lines of the last (I've never unlocked it) are the Accuracy upgrades modules, or permanent upgrades?

[The Great Unwashed]

xeromynd, on 12 August 2014 - 09:54 AM, said:

Along the lines of the last (I've never unlocked it) are the Accuracy upgrades modules, or permanent upgrades?

Permanent upgrades, fortunately

Now that I am here: what is the advantage of the 15MC strikes?

Edited by The Great Unwashed, 12 August 2014 - 11:02 AM.

[xeromynd]

The Great Unwashed, on 12 August 2014 - 11:00 AM, said:

Permanent

Eek thanks for the info, I'll hold off on buying then. That's something they really should make you aware of in the store.
I'd argue that spread shells vs. accuracy-upgraded shells both have their uses.

[The Great Unwashed]

Sorry, I think I was a bit overly wined when I responded! The Air and arty accuracy are modules unlockers, priority (improved) an upgraded consumable with 10 shells each for arty in stead of 4 (much better and worth it)

Edited by The Great Unwashed, 12 August 2014 - 11:29 AM.

[EarlGrey83]

Very nice beginners guide, thanks for the great writeup.

[Modo44]

Catalina Steiner, on 11 August 2014 - 05:15 PM, said:

Priority air strike and artillery strike. They are better than the usual strikes and only available for MC.

You may want to add that these work exactly like the fully unlocked Cbill versions, so there is no need to spend money.

[Catalina Steiner]

Thank you all for your nice words. I appreciate it if you like my work.

xeromynd, on 12 August 2014 - 09:54 AM, said:

Couple things:
-Couldn't hurt to add the Improved Airstrike screencap as well.
-It should be explained that Strikes currently can be activated underground
-The Airstrike damage pattern should be explained (straight line moving away from your mech, depending on where you target.)
-The "Improved XXX Strike" upgrades should be noted that they are NOT modules.

Thanks for your feedback. Anyone who could send me a screenshot from this unlocked improved air strike?
I will add explanations of "underground strikes" if I have collected more facts about it (and experienced it).
I will add more information about the damage pattern later.
I have added the explanation that the improved strikes are permanent replacements, no new modules.

Modo44, on 12 August 2014 - 12:13 PM, said:

You may want to add that these work exactly like the fully unlocked Cbill versions, so there is no need to spend money

Done. Thanks.

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 12 August 2014 - 12:54 PM.

[Marvyn Dodgers]

xeromynd, on 12 August 2014 - 09:54 AM, said:

Well put together, props to you sir.

Couple things:
-Couldn't hurt to add the Improved Airstrike screencap as well.
-It should be explained that Strikes currently can be activated underground
-The Airstrike damage pattern should be explained (straight line moving away from your mech, depending on where you target.)
-The "Improved XXX Strike" upgrades should be noted that they are NOT modules.

Along the lines of the last (I've never unlocked it) are the Accuracy upgrades modules, or permanent upgrades?

That would be ma'am instead of sir Well done 'Lina

Edited by Marvyn Dodgers, 13 August 2014 - 03:48 AM.

[Koniks]

Thanks, CS.

Might be useful to add what happens when you click a strike with your crosshairs on a mech or a UAV instead of terrain.

[Catalina Steiner]

Mizeur, on 12 August 2014 - 04:44 PM, said:

Thanks, CS.
Might be useful to add what happens when you click a strike with your crosshairs on a mech or a UAV instead of terrain.

It's nothing special. A piece of artillery don't care for the aimed point. It fires on the point, nothing else. It's just important to aim a point where the crosshairs is. It can happen that you want to aim a mech but the crosshairs are showing to the horizon in the back and the strike will be fired far away from the target you want.

***

I have added this sentence in the first post:

Artillery strikes are more concentrated on one points. They hit a (round) area.
Air strikes are spread wider in a line. The line is thin but longer.

It's a better describtion of the strikes and their effect.

[LiGhtningFF13]

I have to add that there are also extra modules for artillery and air strike accuracy. But quite didn't get the difference with or without these ones!

[Catalina Steiner]

Catalina Steiner, on 11 August 2014 - 05:32 PM, said:

You can improve your strikes with another method. You can decrease the area of bombardment by twenty percent. It's called air strike or artillery strike accuracy. It's recommended for artillery strikes because they are spread wider than the air strikes. Buy them first if you are interested in concentrated bombardment.

It's in the second post.
And I'm not sure if it's really a big difference but a decrease of 20% is a lot if you want to hit a point.
It's not NEW module, it's an improvement to your current module.

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 13 August 2014 - 11:43 AM.

[Davegt27]

One question if you have auto fill can you call in multiple air/artillery strikes in one drop/match?



Also do you know of a counters to these weapons (like in Ballad they had an anti-mortar unit, for air there would be something like and air cap)

An air cap would mean you have air superiority and the opposing force could not (or at least delayed) air strike capability.

Thanks in advance
Davegt27