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Post by mav on Aug 13, 2016 8:47:15 GMT -8
ESF is for everyone. This first few posts are to help players to understand what ESF is, and how everyone can take an active role even if they don't like battle at all. After that, I hope everyone tries it and posts their experiences for others to share. My personal experiences are mostly battle related, and the information there is more complete and more accurate. I have participated in about 6 or 7 ESF battle events, including 2 during which I served as a fleet admiral. I have done the others roles, but my memory of them may not be as accurate. Please get involved so you can correct my inaccuracies,  I am now a regular participant in ESF, and I consider it the most fun aspect of UWO. and here is the secret which many players don't Know ...... it isn't only about PvP battle!!!!!!!!!!! it is probably the least understood event in the game. Let me start by posting an outline of all the activities that are part of ESF: - A couple weeks before the first Friday of a month the Aggressor and defender Nations are announced and the preparation phase begins:
- The Aggressor Nation votes to determine where the ESF will take place,
- The other nations vote to determine which side they will join.
- The final details are published about a week before the ESF takes place(beginning on the first Friday of every month)
[li]Each day of the ESF... beginning about 3 hours before the scheduled battle....[/li] [/ul]
[/ul][/ul] |
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Post by mav on Aug 13, 2016 14:34:53 GMT -8
That outline leaves everything as clear as thick mud, I know. now for a little detail which might make it a little clearer. First lets look more closely at the Preparation phase. THIS IS THE PART FOR NON BATTLE PARTICIPANTS! - As soon as the royal palace announces the coming battle, there will be a quest available in each capital. Don't worry which quest, as soon as you go to the Palace during this time you are automatically offered the quest.
- Go to the contested area.
- Merchants:
- Once in the area you will see a large ship. I can't remember it's exact name, but it is something about ESF merchant supply ship. click on the ship as you sail past and you will be granted a requisition for materials to fortify the port(s) you will notice the flag on your ship changes to indicate your ESF assignment.
- go find and purchase the materials needed to fortify the port. then deliver them to the port to contribute to the construction of fortifications.
- go back to the supply ship as many times as you are able or wish to before battle begins.
- The battle strength of the fortifications is directly affected by these deliveries.
[/ul] - Crafters:
- Once you are in the contested area you can find a "ESF equipment manager ship" or some similar name, Click on this ship as you go by, and your flag will change to indicate that you are supplying ESF ports.
- Craft Canon, ship armor, or other equip-able items, then deliver them to the port.
- You can repeat this process as many times as you want.
- These items directly affect the battle strength of the port fortifications.
[/ul][/div] - Explorers:
- Once you are in the contested area you can find a "ESF expedition manager ship" or some similar name, Click on this ship as you go by, and your flag will change to indicate that you are involved in ESF espionage.
- Sail to enemy ports in the contested area, and enter the harbor. you don't need to enter the town.
- on the normal activities menus (set sail, enter square... etc) there will be new options, including spy mission,(discover strength and firepower of fortifications) and conduct sabotage(attempt to undermine fortifications being built)
This information is from memory, and I have only been involved in each of these activities 1 or 2 times. so feel free to edit/correct my sketchy information.
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Post by mav on Aug 13, 2016 14:37:42 GMT -8
Now for the part everyone thinks of as ESF...... Battle! Each faction will have a city near or in the contested area for gathering. This is where the leaders will congregate, and start to form fleets. DO NOT BE SHY HERE! and, DO NOT BE LATE, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. - Arrive at the rally port about 1 hour before the ESF is scheduled to start. (by 15 minutes before start you are already late) as soon as you arrive, use world chat to say things like "is there a Spanish ESF fleet that has an open slot?" You need to get the attention of the leaders, especially if this is your first time.(keep in mind they are busy working out an overall strategy. they aren't intentionally being rude... I hope)
- Once they are aware of you, and that you are not yet assigned, you will be invited to 1 or more chat rooms:
- there will be an ESF chatroom for all members of your faction. you should be invited here right away. This would be a good time to tell the leaders if you are only interested in NPC fighting. Otherwise they will likely assume you are looking for PvP. there will be fleets for both, but even NPC fleets may get dragged into PvP battles from time to time.
- Once you are assigned to a fleet you will be invited to the fleet chatroom. some may just use the group option. but most make a chatroom.
- You have every right to start your own fleet and be an Admiral, or you may even get asked to lead a fleet. If you become an admiral, you will be invited to yet another chat for Admirals only. this is where the admirals decide what roles each fleet will play... PVP... NPC.... patrol/defend.... assault port..... conduct sabotage....
[li]Now you are in a fleet:[/li] - To the general fleet members all will seem like total chaos.... that is ok, to some extent it really is. Although the overall strategies are discussed by leaders. the fleet tactics are entirely up to the admiral. Some are better than others at this. you will always by positioned in the fleet in the order in which you joined it. It is much more fun and better scoring to be in the 2nd or 3rd positions. if you prefer to be support and mostly spam surgery and repair , ask to be added last so you can slip along the periphery of the battle.
- No later than 5 minutes before the start. go to the harbor and make sure you are in the right ship (Light ship first, then med, then heavy) and please be sure your sails, canons and all are equipped. I always make sure to check my custom slots to be certain the battle skills I use most are readily available, and where I expect them to be. Also, be sure to have repair and surgery ready to spam at any time.
- When in battle don't forget that you are part of a team. If you go rogue, you will lose. keep track of fleet members and spam repair and/or surgery when a fleet-mate needs help.
- Battle scoring is done in 2 ways:
- Team victory points are based on defeating enemy fleets.(the score is the same whether you kill the Admiral right away or save him for last). And yes NPC fleets do count. most ESF fleets will start in fast kill mode... take out the Admiral ASAP.
- Once a team takes the lead your admiral will probably switch to all-kill mode. in this case save the Admiral for last... This is where players can earn individual honors. Along with the team Victory points, Each player earns individual point for their personal kills and performance. These points earn special honors in the form of rank promotions from your country leader, and gift awards.
- All other battle considerations depend entirely on who is your admiral,
- Have fun and don't be afraid to lose. There are no penalties for losing, just rewards for winning.
[/ul][li]Be sure to turn in the completed quest after the battles are done.[/li][/ul]
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Post by mav on Aug 13, 2016 14:52:13 GMT -8
Here are some tips from my experiences in ESF....
The first, and most important advice I can offer is..... Don't be afraid of ESF. You have as much right to participate as anyone else. Don't worry if you make mistakes. like everything, you get better with practice.
I must confess to having a self serving motive for posting this. I have not always been impressed with the way fleets are run in ESF. I think that the best way to remedy that is to have a fleet with players who fleet together often and have coordinated strategies. (during an ESF event is not the time to teach a fleet how to work together) To that end, I would like to invite all members of LohneHeart to get involved. My goal would be to have a fleet that knows each other well enough to work together and not be so chaotic during battle. We can start as only a NPC fleet and only move to PvP when we are ready to.... if even we ever decide to. If you would like more help with ESF ask Rass. or Abbye, or me. we are glad to help.
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Post by rassalon on Aug 13, 2016 16:20:07 GMT -8
Wow. Best comprehensive guide I've seen so far. Nice work Mav.  |
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