Here goes. . .
Starhawk BETA Primer
Before you spawn you can choose where on the map you want to be dropped, you can use the left stick to finagle it so you spawn well out of the range of your rift spawn location. As your pod is rocketing to the planet press the stick in the direction you want to head.
You can get an Incoming kill bonus if you drop your pod on an enemy on foot, in a hawk, or in a jeep. Even in a jetpack if youre that damn good.
You pop out of the pod with a machine gun and three grenades. Not much of a change, but a fighting chance if you choose. Machine gun loses accuracy crazy fast. As it is in Aliens, fire with short controlled bursts to maintain accuracy best.
X jumps
Hold down R2 to sprint
R1 fires the equipped weapon, L1 lobs grenades.
R3 is the melee attack which is presently one hit, one kill. This can be used on hawks if you land on top of them and stab the pilot or against a non-moving jeep passengers.
Three grenades and some machine gun fire is enough to stop a jeep or a Hawk if need be.
Weapons found on the Map:
Weapons on the map are spread out on the map on what look like futuristic manhole covers. On the maps you will find:
- Repair Tool near both faction bases. The repair tool can be used to fix your Build & Battle (B&B) structures and vehicles, or damage enemy structures and vehicles.
On the space map it is to the left of the rift energy generator on the other side of the map, run under the little bridge and you will find it there. On the Acid Sea it is on the right side of the dirt road closest to the actual sea, if you pass the two rift energy (RE) barrels to your right, you have gone past it.
- Land Mines. Land Mines currently always spawn near the Outcast side of the map and they look like a bundle of dynamite.
On the acid sea they are on the protrusion with the ladder leading up on the Outcast base in the dead center of the map. On the Space map the mines can be found to the left of the top of the ramp leading to the center, on the right if youre approaching from the Rifter base.
- Ammo Packs, these look like metal rectangles. They contain limited ammo for all weapons (except repair tool, I need to confirm this) and one grenade. There are several of these strewn about both maps and theyre seemingly useless if you have no good weapons.
Weapons in the B&B Supply Bunker:
- Shotgun
- Rocket Launcher (x4), dumb fire with R1, hold down L1 to aim and lock on to jetpacks or hawks.
- Grenades (x1 per respawn within the bunker IIRC)
Vehicles
There are three vehicles in the beta which are obtained from the various pads / garages. Each vehicle cost TWO RE to spawn. You do not need to spawn a new pad/garage to obtain a new vehicle! Every B&B structure has a small yellow access panel. For vehicles you approach this, press SQUARE and a vehicle will spawn for you.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT HOLD DOWN SQUARE WHEN SPAWNING A VEHICLE! This will reclaim the bunker and send the rift energy (I dont believe its 1:1) back to the person who spawned it. Holding down square is screwing your teammates.
When you spawn a vehicle pad / garage the first vehicle comes free. If you spawn a Jetpack pad, make sure you run up and grab your jetpack before somebody else or it will then cost you TWO RE to obtain a jetpack. Hawks and jeeps just sit there until you use them.
- Jeep, this is a three seater. Driver, Passenger, and gunner. The passenger can fire whichever normal weapon they have equipped drive by style, or use the repair tool on the jeep while driving.
Controls: R2 gas, L2 brake, press both and you E Brake for tight turns. L3 is the horn. You can hold down X and use the left stick to change seats in the jeep while youre still in it.
- Hawk, one pilot no passenger. Be careful - unlike warhawk you are exposed here and in mech form you can be knifed by jetpack users or head shot by a sniper.
Mech Controls: X jumps, O transforms. R3 or L3 is the mech stomp to squish humans under foot. L1 dumb fires weapon pickups, and R1 is machine gun.
Flight Controls: R3 is chaff to get rid of missiles or mines attached to you. Chaff regenerates over time. L2 is brake, R2 is thrust when held down, double tap R2 to boost or double tap and hold to boost until you run out of boost. I believe you can still E Brake in a hawk by pressing both brake and thrust. All modes IIRC have canned missile scrubbing by pressing the left stick in a direction and pressing X, this can be changed in the options.
L1 fires weapon pickups, and R1 fires machine gun.
Jetpack - Jump and hold R2 to fly. Feather R2 to float around. holding down L1 to aim while hovering will lock you into position until you deplete the energy or get your shot. Pressing X while flying will boost you vertical and deploy chaff to lose a missile / rocket launch. Pressing O will boost you down and deploy chaff to lose a missile / rocket launch.
Your team starts with nothing at the start of the game. You will need to gather RE by waiting for dole like a 99%er at the rift generator, or you can be a Starhawk 1%er and mine RE by shooting the green barrels on the map.
The space map has 24 barrels, the Acid Sea has 16 barrels. Mining RE allows you to build fortifications faster for your team.
The six crucial structures for a forward base are:
- Pod Beacon so your team mates can spawn there. This will also spew RE.
- Vehicle pad (I prefer jetpack or Hawk for greater mobility).
- Supply Bunker
- Sentry Guns x3 on top of the Supply Bunker. You can mount these on top of the supply bunker for defense of the bunker against attacks. Its better to put them there as foot soldiers have limited options of approach against them.
It is better to repair a structure than to lose it and need to farm the RE required to spawn it again. Always have a repair tool handy!
Spawn forward! Defend your base and structures. Be mindful of the 32 B&B limit (e.g. on space map you only need three walls in a linked triangle to protect the flag).
Be aware of what is around you when you spawn! You do not need redundant structures in an area. See what is NOT there and build it.
Destroy the enemy structures. Always be destroying the enemy structures. Damn your KDR, get in there and blow their shit up! Do not let these godless sons of whores have anything they can use against you! Prioritize your attack. Take down their vehicle pads first, in order of priority:
- Hawk Pad
- Jetpack Pad
- Garage
Then take down their automated artillery! Beam cannons and Sentry Guns CAN be damaged by a machine gun. Do not forget this. You can take them out at a distance and approach safely. Sentry guns on the ground near you can be one hit killed with a melee attack (R3). Sentry guns can also be shot in the red dot in the front between the guns with a sniper rifle for a one shot kill.
Once youve crippled their vehicles and automated defenses, take out their supply bunkers and sniper towers. Never stop kicking your enemies in the balls and teeth! </ePatton>
Looks fun though!
