14 hours ago, FrightfulCommand said:

Recently I find power creep has made it so that even 5 dice at range 1 do pitiful damage to scum ships. Why is this a thing.

Git gud? 5 dice attacks will do damage, even 4 dice attacks (I'm thinking HLC here) can strip all of Dengar's shields in a turn meaning you'll kill him quicker meaning he'll get fewer revenge shots. Even against Fenn, 5 dice can do a lot.

13 hours ago, FlyingAnchors said:

expose is actually great.... on the decimator.

Nah.

13 hours ago, Chibi-Nya said:

If you are RAC, then the odds for Expose should be just about slightly better than 2.25 since you can change 1 focus for free.

Maybe? We'll see.

11 hours ago, FlyingAnchors said:

Except it really, really is on the decimator. Specifically in some RAC builds. Because your trading an agility for an extra attack dice... and you already have 0 agility, so you might as well capitalize off it and roll 4 dice. Even better at range 1.

You're spending 4pts for that benefit, when you could be boosting out of arcs. Even without using EI as well, which is another 3pts.

11 hours ago, FlyingAnchors said:

Would you like to know how many times I've seen double Deci stomp people, and at least one or both had expose? Because it's allot.

Thank you for your wonderful, anecdotal, statistically irrelevant evidence! Double Deci with expose or not is a lot of hull to chew through and that can catch people off guard.

9 hours ago, HammerGibbens said:

Well, running the math through the Dice Probability Calculator thing from http://xwingcalculator.x10host.com/diceuilm.html

You've got RAC w/ TL and Focus vs a 3 dice defender who also has focus

Expected Damage 0.9883832931518555
Expected Crits 0.6642168760299683

Then you've got Expose RAC w/ TL only, no Focus, still vs that same 3 dice defender who also has focus

Expected Damage 1.589395433664322
Expected Crits 1.0419146977365017

Against a 2 or 1 dice defender it remains the same, Expose has higher expected damage and crits.

Mathwing certainly isn't my specialty, so I still can't see why Expose is mathematically not a good choice on him.

You're better off looking purely at the damage from the attack, not considering a defender.

--------------------------------------------------------------

At range 2, the 'standard range': There are 3 options: (A) RAC Without Expose, (B) RAC with Expose, (C) RAC with Expose and EI. Let's assume RAC's action (where he gets one, i.e. A & C) is a TL to maximise the expected damage.

(A): 3 dice, TL, 1 eye to crit

1.875 hits/crits with the TL (since we don't reroll the eye), 0.9375 eyes, 0.1875 blanks. So adding on the 0.9375 eyes (which we turn into a crit) we get Expected Damage = 2.8125

(B): 4 dice, eye to crit

2 hits/crits, 1 eye, 1 blank. Adding the eye gives Expected Damage = 3

(C): 4 dice, TL, eye to crit

2.5 hits/crits with TL (not rerolling the eye), 1.25 eye results, 0.25 blanks. Adding on 1 eye (since we can only turn 1 eye into a crit we get Expected Damage = 3.5

So, by spending 4 points, you can add on a massive 0.1875 hits/crits, and by spending another 3pts, getting stressed every turn, you can add on 0.6875 hits/crits.

Or, you know, you could... Use engine upgrade, get to range 1, and spend 4pts on Expertise for whoever you're using the decimator with.

I'm wondering if it might be worth it on Viktor Hel - with Vaksai he can get Expose + Glitterstim for the same price as just expose, and the 'shoot me, stress you' means his reduced agility isn't so great.

Personally, I suspect it's still not worth the investment when you could get a one-use, extra dice attack for the same price by packing a missile and guidance chips.

I am planning on running 2 Expertise Ion Cannon TIE/D with Cruise Missiles and Stealth Device. Rexler and Maarek. Please tell me this is a really bad idea.

56 minutes ago, spacelion said:

I am planning on running 2 Expertise Ion Cannon TIE/D with Cruise Missiles and Stealth Device. Rexler and Maarek. Please tell me this is a really bad idea.

It's a very bad idea.

Just wading in... Expose is almost universally awful BUT the only place that it mathematically makes sense is on RAC. I thought that was pretty well accepted?

Not saying that using your Action on Expose is better than other upgrades you could take (eg. Kylo Ren, Engine Upgrade), but there are definitely working versions of RAC with Expose that maximise damage output over defensive abilities.

8 minutes ago, SOTL said:

Just wading in... Expose is almost universally awful BUT the only place that it mathematically makes sense is on RAC. I thought that was pretty well accepted?

Not saying that using your Action on Expose is better than other upgrades you could take (eg. Kylo Ren, Engine Upgrade), but there are definitely working versions of RAC with Expose that maximise damage output over defensive abilities.

Yeah, Expose has a place on the Decimator, but the other actions competing with it are probably still better.

Engine Upgrade for Boost - the Decimator's best line of defence is to move out of arc and not get shot.
Kylo - forcing RAC's crits through shields and onto hull, blinding or PS0-ing your opponent?

You could throw Experimental Interface on there as well, but while that would allow Expose and Kylo it would rule out Engine Upgrade.

Choices are a good thing I guess!

Basically every EPT from wave 5 and earlier. Daredevil, Marksmanship, Expose, Lightning Reflexes, Cool Hand, Adrenaline Rush... etc etc etc... except for VI, Push the Limit, maybe Lone Wolf. A few others have niche uses, but mostly they're just binder junk.

5 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

Basically every EPT from wave 5 and earlier. Daredevil, Marksmanship, Expose, Lightning Reflexes, Cool Hand, Adrenaline Rush... etc etc etc... except for VI, Push the Limit, maybe Lone Wolf. A few others have niche uses, but mostly they're just binder junk.

Predator.

But aren't the others only binder junk because of how good PTL/Predator/VI are for their cost? It's all relative.

1 minute ago, SOTL said:

Predator.

But aren't the others only binder junk because of how good PTL/Predator/VI are for their cost? It's all relative.

Also Deadeye

4 minutes ago, FTS Gecko said:

Also Deadeye

See that falls into 'niche use' per Spaceinvader... along without other EPTs that see play like Draw Their Fire, Expert Handling, Swarm Tactics etc.

33 minutes ago, SOTL said:

Predator.

But aren't the others only binder junk because of how good PTL/Predator/VI are for their cost? It's all relative.

Yeah, Predator's good too.

Ehhhh. Even if PTL and VI and Pred didn't exist, Lightning Reflexes wouldn't be worth a point, and Marksmanship and Expose and Daredevil* still wouldn't be worth using at all.

*Except on Oicunn, and maybe Kylo.

Don't know if anybody mentioned it already but I'm kind of disappointed with the Jabba crew card. I just can't find a good squad with an YV-666 plus 5-point-Jabba plus enough ships with Illicit upgrades in it to make everything worth the points.

17 hours ago, Icelom said:

Low PS Tie bombers with range 2-3 ordnance... I keep trying to make them work but either i am out of range, out of arc, or in range 1. cant get the **** missiles to fire. In my head its a great damage platform but my skills just do not equate to success on the field of battle with them.

Any points for some blockers? Get a cheap TIE to block the other ships so you can stay 2-3

18 hours ago, Icelom said:

Low PS Tie bombers with range 2-3 ordnance... I keep trying to make them work but either i am out of range, out of arc, or in range 1. cant get the **** missiles to fire. In my head its a great damage platform but my skills just do not equate to success on the field of battle with them.

On TIE bombers? Long Range Scanners. Always, and twice on Sundays.

Guidance chips are amazing for people with Deadeye, or high PS pilots, but Long Range Scanners are so much better at helping you get and keep that lock - and you often get a focus to make up the dice modification. Reaquiring the lock is hard, so accept you won't - don't take extra munitions and make them a one-launch platform, and you could fit 5 in a squad - that's a lot of missile arcs to dodge, and even if one gets PS-killed it's still 16-20 attack dice (depending on the ordnance) coming back in.

If you have a hankering for missiles but the TIE bombers aren't behaving because of range, consider swapping to TIE advanced. A touch more expensive, but Tempest Squadron Pilots with TIE/x1, Accuracy Correctors and Guidance Chips work well with Cluster Missiles - range 1-2 is much more forgiving in a head-on approach than 2-3, and Accuracy Corrector/Guidance Chips is a nice pairing with the 2 unmodified missile attacks. Plus, Advanced are a **** sight more capable once the missile tubes are empty.

18 minutes ago, Siddhi said:

Don't know if anybody mentioned it already but I'm kind of disappointed with the Jabba crew card. I just can't find a good squad with an YV-666 plus 5-point-Jabba plus enough ships with Illicit upgrades in it to make everything worth the points.

Nah it's not just you. He's pretty unimaginative and not easy to get anything close to full value out of, as well as being poorly written. He's a spectacular disappointment.

I guess they didn't want to risk another palpatine.

19 hours ago, FrightfulCommand said:

Recently I find power creep has made it so that even 5 dice at range 1 do pitiful damage to scum ships. Why is this a thing.

Only to Scum. No other Factions can defend well. That sounds a little biased.
It is very ship specific, not faction specific.

Jess Pava tanks well too, so does Kanan if you can take an Evade, check out a Focus from Rey and remove a die from the roll. Anything will R4-D6 will laugh at 5 hits.

Any token stacking Imperials will do the same (Defenders anyone?). I have seen a local player fly Kenkirk with Palp, Lone Wolf and Ysanne tank big shots nicely.

Hell, Whisper with initiative who takes an evade and hits you before you shoot will have Focus, 4 dice and an Evade token.

*Urge to make a Youngster Expose TIE swarm intensifies*

I mean... the only Scum ships that can really defense-tank that hard are Fenn and Assaj. Which to be fair, has been a big chunk of the Scum competitive meta for a while...

2 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

I mean... the only Scum ships that can really defense-tank that hard are Fenn and Assaj. Which to be fair, has been a big chunk of the Scum competitive meta for a while...

I don't know, Fenn does take damage. The thing is he can TL+Focus to actually contribute before he dies.
Asajj will come and go based on what the meta is. She seems to have disappeared locally as players stopped bringing PTL aces. If they return, so will Asajj.

2 minutes ago, Polda said:

I don't know, Fenn does take damage. The thing is he can TL+Focus to actually contribute before he dies.
Asajj will come and go based on what the meta is. She seems to have disappeared locally as players stopped bringing PTL aces. If they return, so will Asajj.

Assaj is good for more than just PTL aces, with focus/evade and her ability she's reducing a minimum of 2 damage per turn, quite likely 3 or 4. Fenn should be taking 3.5ish damage with focus and title, or 2.5ish with focus/autos. But beyond that in Scum is Brobots or Scyks.

6 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

Assaj is good for more than just PTL aces, with focus/evade and her ability she's reducing a minimum of 2 damage per turn, quite likely 3 or 4. Fenn should be taking 3.5ish damage with focus and title, or 2.5ish with focus/autos. But beyond that in Scum is Brobots or Scyks.

I'll give you Brobots, but a lot of what contributes to their defense is their unpredictability. People will switch up their positions and not give you the same one to shoot at.

Scyks defend like TIE/FOs or TIE Fighters (mindlink helps, but that 5 hit shot from Whisper should clean them up fairly well, stress hurts them as well).

It's not worse than old school Palp Aces. There's certainly some faction-blindness going around.

1 minute ago, Polda said:

I'll give you Brobots, but a lot of what contributes to their defense is their unpredictability. People will switch up their positions and not give you the same one to shoot at.

Scyks defend like TIE/FOs or TIE Fighters (mindlink helps, but that 5 hit shot from Whisper should clean them up fairly well, stress hurts them as well).

3 dice with TL/focus and regen is pretty much the best you can get outside specific pilot abilities.

8 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

3 dice with TL/focus and regen is pretty much the best you can get outside specific pilot abilities.

If we are talking Pulse Ray Shields, you know where they will be next round. They can regen, but if you have PS advantage, they are not doing damage back that round.

Maybe this is still awesome and I'm just not good enough to make it work yet, but...

Keyan Farlander seems like he should be a natural fit for advanced proton torpedoes. You get to maximize the hits even with a lousy dice roll, AND lose a target lock in the process. Seems like just add Push the Limit to make sure you can get the stress right when you need it (and use that extra action for, I don't know, getting that target lock you need), and then pummel somebody with a massive strike.

For me though, I find that he either doesn't get that shot off, or is forced to choose a sub-optimal target because of pilot skill (Yay, I totally wrecked a 15 point TIE fighter!), or, in some other way, simply fail to get much out of the attack. Part of it is I think I'm not very good at flying B-Wings, their dial is just not very good. And then I've spent 38 points on a guy who, at the end of the day, just isn't pulling his weight.

Am I right, or is it actually a good combo that I just suck with?

5 minutes ago, Polda said:

If we are talking Pulse Ray Shields, you know where they will be next round. They can regen, but if you have PS advantage, they are not doing damage back that round. There's nuances to everything.

No denying that. I've generally found that I can use PRS in such a way that the 'penalty' doesn't matter too much. Even then, 3/focus/evade is still the gold standard.