Topic: The Gamble: Faking a HET Breakdown

[Roychipoqua_Mace]

Ever tried this? Would be perfect to draw an unsuspecting player right toward you, thinking you're harmless, until that moment... (!)

The only way I could think to do it would be to do an Emergency decel, but then they wouldn't hear the breakdown sound effect. Maybe if you did it from like range 30 away, they wouldn't hear. You could pretend that you HETed to avoid running off the map.

Or you might be able to purposely breakdown, and hope that your timing is very good so that you can smash them if they come in.

Maybe these tricks are too complex they break the "Only valid test is combat" idea  I'd like to know if anyone has pulled it off though.


Good to have Dnet back, you rock Admiral Frey!! 

[Centurus]

Ever tried this? Would be perfect to draw an unsuspecting player right toward you, thinking you're harmless, until that moment... (!)

The only way I could think to do it would be to do an Emergency decel, but then they wouldn't hear the breakdown sound effect. Maybe if you did it from like range 30 away, they wouldn't hear. You could pretend that you HETed to avoid running off the map.

Or you might be able to purposely breakdown, and hope that your timing is very good so that you can smash them if they come in.

Maybe these tricks are too complex they break the "Only valid test is combat" idea  I'd like to know if anyone has pulled it off though.


Good to have Dnet back, you rock Admiral Frey!! 

If anyone has, then I'd say it's time to get back into training.

[Bonk]

Yeah, my first thought was the lack of the sound effect would be a give away, unless at distance like you suggest, where it would not be as effective as the opponent would have more time to think.

I've never tried it. If it worked I'm thinking a Hydran fusion ship with lots of gatlings would be most effective.

You would also need to actually het before the emerg decel... (perhaps twice - depending on the ship)

But now that you've asked, people may expect it of you, so by asking the question you have reduced the possibility of success significantly. (You really are missing the SPQR's guidance... )

[Nemesis]

I think that against an inexperienced player they would not recognize the apparent HET failure and an experience one wouldn't fall for it.

I've never tried it. If it worked I'm thinking a Hydran fusion ship with lots of gatlings would be most effective.

Fusions on suicide overload are extremely effective.  I've used 4 Fusion beams on suicide overload to destroy a K-D6 (from behind) in one shot and cripple a K-D7 in one as well.  It is well worth the repair cost.  (This is in normal combat without trying the HET trick).

[Roychipoqua_Mace]

Hmm, yeah, it doesn't sound too promising, no one would fall for it. Very risky at least.

But now that you've asked, people may expect it of you, so by asking the question you have reduced the possibility of success significantly. (You really are missing the SPQR's guidance... )

Shhh! It's part of the secret plan. When we actually have a breakdown, they think we're faking it, so they stay way the heck away. 

[Beeblebrox]

Regarding the lack of breakdown noise; it is possible that the sound could be drowned out by the noise from weapons fire, explosions, etc.  If a captain (one who missed this thread, that is) saw an enemy ship at zero speed in the middle of a melee he might decide to take advantage despite the risks.

[Pestalence_XC]

I have used this tactic extensively in the past...

On one server I got caught by a Rom X Heavy Cruiser and I was in a battle tug.. pleanty of power.. lots of HET capability... slow movement, but armed to the teeth.

I had all weapons OL'd and ECM at 5 and ECCM at 1, WW at the ready.. I was closing distance at max speed .. all of 18.. just before I entered plasma range, I hit HET, but I did not turn the ship... I hit emer decel instead.. and ramped my shields up to max on the front..

My opponent mistook it as an HET Breakdown.. he came right on in ant tried to hit me with everyting he had at range 4.. I WW'd, HET'd again and started accelerating.. and knocked half his ship out at range 3 with all OL's.. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the mission chasing him until he left the map..

It is a viable tactic, but you do have to trick your opponent into it.. it is a gamble.. you have to really consider when to use it..but just keep in mind that this tactic will only work 1 in 8 times.. the rest of the time, you will get eaten up by your opponent if they stay back from ya.. most experienced pilots won't chance getting into OL range.. especially if they see that all your weapons are charged.

[TAnimaL]

funny that this topic should come up...
during a slugfest last Sat, I was flying Feds v. Roms; we were both in our DN phase, I had WW'd his first plasma pass and just getting back to speed while he maintained distance to my aft when I decided to gamble on a HET. I broke down. He heard that and swooped in to pound me with phasers til his trop came back. I was sweating out his fire with fresh shields, and I recovered much faster than I had feared. And his plasmas hadn't recycled and I was still holding OL'd torps... Well, he got his revenge later with his BB...
Suffice to say, for me it was less of a tactic and more of getting lucky...

[Beeblebrox]

Suffice to say, for me it was less of a tactic and more of getting lucky...

Sometimes that's all it takes.

[Skaren]

How about if you recorded the breakdown noise and then opened up the channel to players and played back the recording?

We play multiplayer games with TS, so I think that the ideal might actually work.  I do not know how in the heat of battle a player would pick up that the HET sound was sent by a player via Team Speak as opposed to in the game sounds.

Very interesting ideal,...

[Corbomite]

How about if you recorded the breakdown noise and then opened up the channel to players and played back the recording?

We play multiplayer games with TS, so I think that the ideal might actually work.  I do not know how in the heat of battle a player would pick up that the HET sound was sent by a player via Team Speak as opposed to in the game sounds.

Very interesting ideal,...

You could probably set it up as one of the Taunt sounds. Only the player you taunted would hear it though.

[FCM_SFHQ_XC]

How about if you recorded the breakdown noise and then opened up the channel to players and played back the recording?

We play multiplayer games with TS, so I think that the ideal might actually work.  I do not know how in the heat of battle a player would pick up that the HET sound was sent by a player via Team Speak as opposed to in the game sounds.

Very interesting ideal,...

You could probably set it up as one of the Taunt sounds. Only the player you taunted would hear it though.

Still though sound files are local execution over the internet, so while you might here the sound, it would only play the audio file name that the taunt executes, so they'd hear something different (without broadcasting it over TS or Vent loud enough to drown out their sound for that moment)

[Corbomite]

OH! You're right. I forgot that the taunts that the client has are the one's they hear.

[Panzergranate]

It's a shame that your battle tug wasn't carrying a CV or SCS pod.... then the Rommie wouldn't have even made the map edge.

Obviously, trying to pass off a fake HET breakdown with a ship that has a low chance of breaking down, especially one that is known to also has a HET bonus rating, then the opponent (or opponents in a multiplayer LAN game) will probally smell a rat.

If I witnessed a battle tug apparently failing to pull off an HET I'd probally fall for it, just like 99% of all other players, as nobody would expect anyone to be dumb enough to attempt an HET with a battle tug. Only an inexperienced rookie would do such a dumb and risky maneuver.... which would also sucker in anyone to move in for the kill.

The thing is, now that some of us have read this topic, we're all going to be wondering if their opponent has read this thread and if an HET breakdown is genuine or not, thus missing good tactical opportunities.