The Red Tail

All your guides, strategy discussions, request for help on how to play go here. Please use [SPOILER] if relevant.
Trapspringer
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2012 6:53 pm

The Red Tail

Postby Trapspringer » Mon Oct 15, 2012 9:47 pm

Although I only have the Engi ship, the starter ship Type A and the first Zoltan ship to compare it to, the Red Tail is quickly becoming my favorite ship. I love the layout because its symmetrical, logical, there are plenty of doors that open to space that allow me to put out a fire or suffocate intruders. You start out with 2 humans a mantis and a zoltan, which is pretty cool. But the four lasers are a little weak. I've learned how to use autofire with them but i usually find myself just wanting to scrap them and outfit with some new weaponry.

Does anyone have any advice on how best to improve this?
xdiesp
Posts: 109
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:39 pm

Re: The Red Tail

Postby xdiesp » Mon Oct 15, 2012 10:20 pm

A: four lasers, it's an X-Wing!
B: as it has rebels colours, you are on a stolen ship!

4 shots and 4 weapon energy is nothing to be embarassed about, seriously. Outside of the kestrel, 3 shots all weapons combined are already elite weaponry when it comes to starting gear...
Sli Fi
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 4:14 am

Re: The Red Tail

Postby Sli Fi » Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:34 am

It's the best ship in the game, minus the crystal cruiser. The lasers are easy to replace at a shop. Just save at least 100 scrap at all times.
A Rock Called Wanda
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2012 3:11 am

Re: The Red Tail

Postby A Rock Called Wanda » Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:09 am

There's no accounting for taste. I think the four Basic Laser setup is one of the best. You've got a quick 10 second weapon cycle and the convenience of being able to use autofire because they're all on the same cycle length. Your gunner will gain experience amazingly quickly. A hit to your weapons will only disable one or two lasers, but critically it can't knock out your entire main weapon (a death sentence if you're relying on, say, a Glaive). And you can cut through three shields from the very beginning! Those lasers aren't impressive, but they'll carry you far.

You're also not dependent on missiles from the beginning. That would be a problem if you didn't have the firepower to cut through shields, but you do. And by the time you get a launcher you'll have a tidy stockpile of missiles.

Really, it's nice to get upgrades, but you can do fine with those lasers. I've won with three Basic Lasers and a Small Bomb. It's ideal to have a Burst Laser or some other heavy hitter, but it's not essential. And when you do get that better weapon you're likely to keep using at least one Basic Laser to fill out your available energy. They're not quite Dual Lasers, but they're very good, very fast, very reliable weapons.

Kestrel B is probably the easiest ship to win with. The Rock B is solid, and I hear good things about the Crystal B that I can't manage to unlock, but a stock Red-Wing has no real weaknesses and plenty of strengths.

(You left out med-bay right next to the teleporter, the fact that you're halfway to a mantis boarding party at the beginning, a full starting crew, and the compact layout that puts everyone but the pilot in close proximity. The only things missing are the second mantis and an engi.)
Maupin
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:05 pm

Re: The Red Tail

Postby Maupin » Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:58 pm

I have to agree that it's one of the best ships in the game. I found a fire beam early in the first sector and went on a burning spree, punching through enemy shields and lighting fires on every ship I encountered (except AI scouts). Completely evil and totally fun tactic. Enemy crew always focuses on repairing weapons and shields so if you can start a fire there AND in their life support, they'll often end up letting their oxygen go offline and will suffocate under press of a continuous attack. I got lots of extra scrap before I found a crew teleporter, a few sectors in.

Those four starting lasers allow you to precisely plan and time your attacks. Excellent ship.
samjones
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 3:56 pm

Re: The Red Tail

Postby samjones » Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:36 pm

Someone should go through and calculate ships on damage per second. The red-tail will outpace most everything with its .4. Voltan A, which is a great ship, has only about .23 or so, and it's almost completely sunk by level 2 shields. I think normal with the red tail is easier than easy with the rock, the engi b or a few other of the starting ships.
Trapspringer
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2012 6:53 pm

Re: The Red Tail

Postby Trapspringer » Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:44 pm

Great advice, thanks all. Especially the comparison to the X-Wing, because if i replaced the lasers with something else it really isn't an X-wing anymore is it?
Neoviper
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:38 pm

Re: The Red Tail

Postby Neoviper » Wed Oct 17, 2012 12:03 am

Red Tail is quite honestly an amazing ship, as mentioned before the venting and room placement are quite optimal, nice starting crew, and four basic lasers are enough to keep you dominant through sector three without much trouble. Eventually you'll need upgraded weapons or a teleporter, but since you have to invest so little into it to keep it competitive usually you can buy something at a store.
afedyuki
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2012 7:22 pm

Re: The Red Tail

Postby afedyuki » Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:39 pm

Trapspringer wrote:Great advice, thanks all. Especially the comparison to the X-Wing, because if i replaced the lasers with something else it really isn't an X-wing anymore is it?


I don't see what's wrong with fitting X-wing with other weapons -- it's supposed to be really versatile, right?
Number43
Posts: 177
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:40 pm

Re: The Red Tail

Postby Number43 » Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:40 am

samjones wrote:Someone should go through and calculate ships on damage per second. The red-tail will outpace most everything with its .4. Voltan A, which is a great ship, has only about .23 or so, and it's almost completely sunk by level 2 shields. I think normal with the red tail is easier than easy with the rock, the engi b or a few other of the starting ships.


Damage per second is meaningless. Due to the presence of shields, what's very important is damage per volley. Recharge rate is also important, but you can't straightforwardly compare the effectiveness of two different weapon setups by looking at a single number. Especially when you consider the differing effects of different kinds of weapons.