THE JUMPGATE DEFINITIVE GUIDE - Tripod

Realspace Combat
The topic of realspace combat is hideously complex, and it's unlikely that anyone knows all there is to
know about it. The advice in this section is probably best applied to fast and/or agile ships, but I will
make an effort to cover the full spectrum of ships. Note that the duelling abilities I described above will
help you in realspace combat significantly. I assume functional voice communications on your ship.
Realspace Combat - Understanding Your Ship
It is extremely important to understand your ship's abilities, and those of others.
Speed: Controls the ability to run and chase over long distances. A fast ship, assuming it doesn't get
killed before it accelerates, will always be able to escape, and will be able to chase down ships running
in a straight line. Fast ships will generally perform well in large fights, but the speed may not be as
useful in smaller ones.
Thrust/Mass (T/M) ratio: Controls the ability to evade, and the ability to run and chase over short
distances. A ship with a good T/M ratio will out-accelerate less agile ships, and can use this to escape
being under fire, and to catch up with running enemies. A good T/M ratio will also allow you to dodge in
such a way that you cause the enemy to miss. A good T/M ratio is useful in all fights, but particularly as
you tend towards the larger ones. High T/M ships will, in general, be good at evading ammo.
Damage/Second (DPS): Self explanatory - the damage your ship can do per second. DPS tends to
decrease in importance in larger fights.
Shield: The larger the shield, the better. Every hitpoint taken off your shield can be regenerated. A
ship with the same total damage absorption (DA) as another, but more of it in shield has an advantage
- particularly in larger fights. Recharge rate is an important factor - the faster your shield recharges, the
quicker any attack on you is nullified. Recharge increases in importance as battle size increases.
Bigger shields are more of a benefit to fast ships - they are more likely to be able to escape to
recharge.
Armour: Contributes to your total DA, but is non-regenerative. Armour increases in value as fight size
decreases, but is, of course, never more worthwhile than shielding.
Profile: Profile is important for all aspects of combat. The more you get hit, the faster you have to
run/die. Ships with bad profiles, as when as losing out in duels, will also get him more in snap shots
(i.e. hitting a target travelling at a large relative vector to you during a brief contact period).
AB supply: Most two engine ships have enough AB to last the vast majority of fights, as long as they
don't waste it too much. Having double the AB supply in a single engined ship is an undeniable
advantage, but it is mostly only over the long chase that it really comes to light. Be careful about going
deep space if you are in a twin engine ship, as you may get caught. You'll also be able to run better in
a single engine ship.
ModX count: ModX are useful in any fight, but their import increases in larger fights. The flashfire is of
course the most commonly used. It is the ultimate get out of jail free, chaser, or offensive tool. Dragon
pilots may now wish to seriously consider the PWD. I've seen several pilots using it to great effect.
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