Rebel player here. In my first tournament I learned how powerful the drug known as BIGGS is. I got hooked and pretty good at tight, organized, super-sexy range one formation flying.

So, BIGGS is being taken away, which is good, but now I need to learn how to NOT fly in formation - but still fire all my guns together on that first turn.

Any tips you can give me?

If it helps, here's the list I'm looking to fly: https://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Scum and Villainy&d=v4!s!263:19,243,128:54:25:M.-1,M.7;135:27,243,128:54:6:M.7,M.25;255:27,-1,126,243,-1,-1,237:53:25:U.186,u.117&sn=I'm the Captain Now&obs

2 minutes ago, Boba Rick said:

Rebel player here. In my first tournament I learned how powerful the drug known as BIGGS is. I got hooked and pretty good at tight, organized, super-sexy range one formation flying.

So, BIGGS is being taken away, which is good, but now I need to learn how to NOT fly in formation - but still fire all my guns together on that first turn.

Any tips you can give me?

If it helps, here's the list I'm looking to fly: https://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Scum and Villainy&d=v4!s!263:19,243,128:54:25:M.-1,M.7;135:27,243,128:54:6:M.7,M.25;255:27,-1,126,243,-1,-1,237:53:25:U.186,u.117&sn=I'm the Captain Now&obs

Think of your ships as your hands. You don't hold them together and punch someone with clasped hands (unless you're in Starfleet), but you're still coordinated.

Sorry that sounds like BS and has no practical value, but it's about how I think when I'm playing.

4 minutes ago, Biophysical said:

Think of your ships as your hands. You don't hold them together and punch someone with clasped hands (unless you're in Starfleet), but you're still coordinated.

Sorry that sounds like BS and has no practical value, but it's about how I think when I'm playing.

Holy crap, a Gorn joke. ("Look around you. Did you see anything? Maybe you can fashion a crude lathe ... ?")

I think the ability to time main thrust and one or two pincers is one of the first genuinely advanced skills of the game. (Or one of the main skills of a weird Japanese porno.) You're going to enjoy learning it, Boba Rick.

1 minute ago, Jeff Wilder said:

Holy crap, a Gorn joke. ("Look around you. Did you see anything? Maybe you can fashion a crude lathe ... ?")

I think the ability to time main thrust and one or two pincers is one of the first genuinely advanced skills of the game. (Or one of the main skills of a weird Japanese porno.) You're going to enjoy learning it, Boba Rick.

It happens almost anytime a Starfleet officer gets in a fistfight. They even did it on DS9, but that might have been an intentional reference.

But you're right, timing the merge, or setting it up in a way where it's okay if one of your elements makes contact first is a big deal.

6 minutes ago, Biophysical said:

You don't hold them together and punch someone with clasped hands ( unless you're in Starfleet ), but you're still coordinated.

Congratulations. Spit-take achieved.

Step 1: learn how to fly in formation.

step 2: don’t do it.

23 minutes ago, Biophysical said:

You don't hold them together and punch someone with clasped hands (unless you're in Starfleet), but you're still coordinated.

Holy ****, my sides. This made my day.

35 minutes ago, Boba Rick said:

Rebel player here. In my first tournament I learned how powerful the drug known as BIGGS is. I got hooked and pretty good at tight, organized, super-sexy range one formation flying.

So, BIGGS is being taken away, which is good, but now I need to learn how to NOT fly in formation - but still fire all my guns together on that first turn.

Any tips you can give me?

If it helps, here's the list I'm looking to fly: https://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Scum and Villainy&d=v4!s!263:19,243,128:54:25:M.-1,M.7;135:27,243,128:54:6:M.7,M.25;255:27,-1,126,243,-1,-1,237:53:25:U.186,u.117&sn=I'm the Captain Now&obs

Bomblet and genius no longer work together. Genius now forces the discard.

31 minutes ago, Smutpedler said:

Step 1: learn how to fly in formation.

step 2: don’t do it.

I'm not sure step 1 is necessary.

18 minutes ago, Nyxen said:

Bomblet and genius no longer work together. Genius now forces the discard.

I know, I have EM for a one time thing. Genius is free, so why not?

54 minutes ago, Boba Rick said:

Rebel player here. In my first tournament I learned how powerful the drug known as BIGGS is. I got hooked and pretty good at tight, organized, super-sexy range one formation flying.

So, BIGGS is being taken away, which is good, but now I need to learn how to NOT fly in formation - but still fire all my guns together on that first turn.

Any tips you can give me?

If it helps, here's the list I'm looking to fly: https://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Scum and Villainy&d=v4!s!263:19,243,128:54:25:M.-1,M.7;135:27,243,128:54:6:M.7,M.25;255:27,-1,126,243,-1,-1,237:53:25:U.186,u.117&sn=I'm the Captain Now&obs

Play a bunch of high PS imperial aces for practice- there's no better way to embrace the chaos of 3 aces all doing their own thing than flying Imps! I suggest aces with all different dials- try out Quickdraw, Vader, Countdown- god dang that list will make you a better flyer.

Play corran or jake with dash or chewie. Teaches you hammer/anvil strats.

This might sound odd, but fly in formation anyways--but just place the ships further apart from each other (at least 2 ship lengths).

You're going to have to ease into unlearning what you have learned, so this would be a step in that direction.

1 hour ago, Biophysical said:

I'm not sure step 1 is necessary.

You can’t play the middle of the road if you’ve never seen the near curb.

1 hour ago, Biophysical said:

I'm not sure step 1 is necessary.

You have to know what NOT to do so you don't end up doing it by accident.

10 minutes ago, Smutpedler said:

You can’t play the middle of the road if you’ve never seen the near curb.

I never have flown formation lists, my first list was 4 TIE Fighters and a Defender, and I flew the TIE Fighters dispersed over a pretty broad area.

Fly Sabaac, Echo, and Vessery in the same list. It's impossible to keep them in formation.

Colonel Vessery (35) w/ Juke (2) , Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1) , TIE/x7 (-2)

"Echo" (30) w/ Veteran Instincts (1) , Fire-Control System (2) , Agent Kallus (2) , Advanced Cloaking Device (4)

"Pure Sabacc" (22) w/ Crack Shot (1) , Lightweight Frame (2) , Adaptive Ailerons (0)

Total: 100

Achievement unlocked!

I started out playing Imps, tried to play Rebels with their formation flying...After first contact with the enemy my guys lose their **** and seem to do what they want... I suck at formation flying a lot, I think thats why I prefer Aces, low PS generics need their wingmates to help out with the focus firing.

You could always also fly two ships apart to practice and the third ship as a turret until you get better (training wheels). That is what I did. I flew Quickdraw, Ryad, and Double Edge.

Fly like I do. Pretend each ship is in it's own special world and forget what the movement dials are for.

But for serious advice...

The easiest way is to just set your ships up in opposite corners of the map.

Taddah! 'Formation flying' is now impossible.

You'll have to learn to manage the merge a bit differently, but that's not hard. Just starting in opposite corners usually gets you thinking in the right direction, though. And then once you have the hang of that, you can experiment with other options.

Ez, stop playing and whine on the forums till the next faq.

PINCER MANOEUVRE!!!

Learn the speeds and ranges of your ships. If they're not flying in formation, you need to learn to think about what it means if one ship is in the middle, another on the corner, and you find yourself trying to get guns on Spot X of the board simultaneously .

Practice figuring out the speeds and distances, starting from the same points each time, so you know how to do it in X rounds, and whether or not that can be varied to be X+1 or X-1; just how much of your arcs cover each bit of the board from any given set of starting positions.

Basically: You don't need to have your ships side by side, but you do want to have at least a rough understanding of what it's gonna take to get your ships shooting at the same thing .

(Disclaimer: I really need to get around to doing this myself, more. )

Break when your opponent least suspects it! Use surprise! Charge across the minefield at enemy lines under cover of daylight!

Ok... Best not get too crazy, but seriously use your ships to set traps and crossfires. Don't stray so far that you leave a ship unsupported and don't forget to have a plan to form up again after.