Player-Versus-Player Strategy Guide

[Shiver]

The Chmmr Avatar



Here we have the first of three 30 point heavyweights, and it's a doozy. The Chmmr is not very fast, but it has astronomical firepower and a solid defensive screen. Even casual use of this ship should make it clear to anyone that the Chmmr is an absolute murder machine. A melee newbie will likely think the ship is unbeatable -- not true. There is one definite hard counter, one soft counter and several weaker ships that can inflict respectable damage upon Chmmr. So is the ship still worth all the points? Very much so, especially if you learn how to win some of the trickier matches. At the same time, I wouldn't really call Chmmr a "must have" simply because multiple smaller craft can give you more flexibility.



Primary Function: Terawatt Laser



This weapon's rate of damage is ridiculous so long as you keep the beam on your target for more than an instant. An Androsynth comet lodged into a ship does more damage per frame, but for general purposes the Chmmr's terawatt laser is considered the most powerful weapon in Star Control. Watch those blind spots, however, for it's very easy to charge right into an opponent and then be unable to point your beam directly at them.



Secondary Function: Tractor Beam



The tractor exerts a gravitational pull on the other ship, dragging it towards the Chmmr. Each ship in Star Control has their own ship mass, turning rate, acceleration and top speed so the effectiveness of the tractor beam will vary depending on what you're fighting against. Both the Terrawatt Laser and the Tractor Beam eat up considerable amounts of power. Use these abilities with restraint. At the very least, make a habit of never activating both at the same time. The tractor beam can screw up your opponent's gravity whip, pull them out of orbit or drag them smack into the planet itself. The planet is particularly beneficial to Chmmr and an obstacle to anything fighting against it because of this. Take advantage of the planet whenever possible.



Bonus Feature: Protective Satellite Array



These nifty little things intercept incoming projectiles and provide fire support at close range. A satellite has ten hitpoints. If the entire satellite ring is destroyed, Chmmr becomes vulnerable to many different ships it would otherwise be able to shrug off effortlessly.



Chmmr in Orbit

A few match-ups require Chmmr to rely heavily on the planet to win. Orz is above all the most significant threat which can be beaten by proper orbiting technique. Supox and Spathi can be problematic as well if you are missing satellites. Try to focus on the planet as carefully as your opponent. The planet hits harder than any vessel you would need to fight in orbit against, so avoiding planetary collision should be your highest priority. Chmmr is not the most manueverable ship so this may seem difficult at first. Be willing to turn your ship's front away from your opponent to stop yourself from ramming the planet. Once you've achieved orbit, wait for the other player to move against you. Activate your tractor beam and accelerate towards the opposing craft when they close in to attack you. You will likely fail to catch them on your first attempt. Return to the planet and keep trying.



Ideal Purpose

You can use Chmmr against almost anything and come out on top. My personal recommendation is to send your Chmmr to get rid of Mmrnmhrm or Slylandro. Both ships can be ridiculously hard to stop in the hands of a skilled player, but Chmmr steamrolls right over them.

Chmmr vs. Slylandro: Pillbox and shred Slylandro with your beam. This is a mindlessly easy fight, but not to the point where you can count on your satellites to do the work for you.

Chmmr vs. Mmrnmhrm: Don't use the tractor beam. Doing so will send the X-Form careening around the arena and make it possible for the other player to inflict more damage on you before you take them out. Instead you should meander towards Mmrnmhrm the conventional way and attack. Chmmr's beam has a slightly longer range, but the ship is not maneuverable enough to hit Mmrnmhrm without them hitting you back.



Counters

Utwig vs. Chmmr: The Chmmr's satellite ring works against itself by firing constantly and indiscriminately on Utwig whenever it moves within their range. This gives the Utwig endless battery refills, which in turn leads to almost total invulnerability against Chmmr. The Utwig guns have a longer reach than the Chmmr laser, so you should be able to sneak in some hits here and there. This is the most reliable Chmmr counter. I personally opt to save Utwig for something different, but deploying Utwig against Chmmr is not a bad decision in the least bit.

Druuge vs. Chmmr: A complicated match for both sides. See the Druuge section for a detailed explanation of how to play this right.

Orz vs. Chmmr: Orz can put up a fight against Chmmr, particularly if the other player isn't very experienced. The Orz cannon can shoot right past the Chmmr's satellite ring and has long enough reach to pummel them from a safe distance. Unfortunately, Chmmr is difficult to beat when it keeps the fight in the planet's orbit. This is not a smart counter, but it can see a degree of success.

Shofixti can destroy Chmmr satellites by suicide bombing in close proximity to the Chmmr itself. Removing two satellites is simple enough, but some players risk moving in even closer to clear out all three.

A Chmmr that has sustained significant damage can be finished off by Chenjesu and sometimes even VUX.

[Shiver]

The Druuge Mauler



Going by point value, Druuge has to be the second most useful ship in Star Control. It would be first if not for the grossly underpriced Androsynth. The Druuge's top speed is low, maneuverability below average and rate of energy recovery quite embarrassing. These faults make the Druuge difficult to use at first, but the ship's insane primary weapon makes up for all of them. This is the classic sharpshooter's vessel, so you will need to be able to aim well over long distances to get the most out of it. Once you master this ship you will find yourself including it in every fleet you use automatically. If you aren't at that point, the Druuge is still an easy win against many of the more frustrating vessels to play against.



Primary Function: Mass Driver



The Druuge cannon has obscenely long range, high velocity and respectable damage. Cannon shells also have a significant knockback effect to them, which helps maintain a good distance between Druuge and adversary. Even better than knockback is the cannon's recoil, which throws the Druuge backwards whenever it shoots. The two of these effects together allow the Druuge to succeed where other space-borne artillery fails; it can hold attackers back at a comfortable distance and destroy them.

Whenever you are flying around above your default top speed, the accelerate button functions as a brake. Druuge can very easily throw itself out of control with its cannon, so you will need to slow yourself down often. "Thrust = Brakes" may be the one of the dumbest things you've ever heard, but it's essential to remember this if you want to play Druuge in any useful capacity.



Secondary Function: Furnace



When running low on battery power, the Druuge can throw its own staff into a furnace which turns them into usable energy instantly. If you're fighting anything particularly difficult, you will have to make liberal use of this function so as to not be caught without ammunition. Don't be shy with the furnace unless you're up against something easy for Druuge to beat, such as Syreen.



The Blitzkrieg

While Druuge outclasses the other long range warships for various reasons, it tends to fall flat against those same ships. For this particular section, I am referring to Earthling, Mycon and Orz. If one of these comes after your Druuge, your best bet is to turn your ship away from the opposing craft and launch yourself right past them by firing off your cannon many times. You want to pass within a relatively short distance of the other ship, but do not set yourself on a direct collision course. As you go screaming past, you might be able to tag the other ship with a lucky shot. Continue to adjust your course and press the attack if you want to keep your Druuge alive. This aggressive style is useful against only the aforementioned handful of ships. Do not blitzkrieg against anything else, it will only make the game more difficult.



Ideal Purpose

Druuge is most often used as a Chmmr counter. It is not the most reliable at this task, but for most purposes Druuge is the first thing worth throwing into the lion's jaws. Because this is one of the most critical matches in PVP, I will attempt to cover it in depth in the section below. The great thing about Druuge is that even if your opponent brings no Chmmr along at all, you aren't at a disadvantage. Druuge is powerful in general and relatively cheap for what it does. Here are some other victims ripe for the killing, many of which are relatively simple to put down:

• Ilwrath
• Melnorme
• Mmrnmhrm
• Shofixti
• Spathi
• Supox
• Syreen
• Thraddash
• Ur-Quan
• Utwig
• VUX
• Zoq-Fot-Pik



Druuge vs. Chmmr in detail

Above all, recoil and knockback from your primary weapon are your friends. The Chmmr itself is not fast, but that awful tractor beam artificially increases its effective speed significantly. By the simplest metric, Druuge destroys Chmmr every time. If a Chmmr flies straight into a Druuge with its tractor beam on, the Druuge can repel and destroy the Chmmr without sustaining direct damage by spamming its primary while recharging frequently with the secondary. This does not take into account asteroids, the planet, blind spots, screen crossing or point blank arrival into the arena, all of which work in the Chmmr's favor. When playing from the Druuge side, you are most definitely on defense. It's possible to eventually sneak in a hit on a Chmmr that doesn't want to commit to attacking, but for the most part you should focus on reacting to what the other player does and working in shots when the opportunity presents itself. Now that it's been established that Druuge against Chmmr is all about counterattacking, here are the four most threatening Chmmr tactics:

1) The Chmmr may try to run up one of your blind spots.

2) The Chmmr may cross the screen in a hurry, then bear down you as fast as possible while you aren't facing towards them with your cannon.

3) The Chmmr may perform a gravity whip in your direction.

4) The Chmmr may attempt to drag you into the planet with its tractor beam.

The solution to the first three approaches is exactly the same. Fire your primary weapon many times while facing roughly 90 degrees to the left or right away from the Chmmr. Shooting sideways like this is a great escape mechanism, much better than firing straight at the Chmmr when you are unable to hit it. As long as your back isn't pointing directly into them, you can potentially save yourself from an advancing Chmmr regardless of what they're doing. After you do this, judge the situation as best as you can and decide whether you should apply brakes, continue soaring, or launch yourself in a different direction. The fourth listed Chmmr tactic is not as immediately dangerous as the other three, and is usually done to throw you off so that the Chmmr can get the drop on you. If you can manage to avoid the planet without firing a shot, that's great, but it's better that you do waste some battery power shooting yourself away rather than crash into it.



Counters

As I mentioned previously, Druuge is most often deployed against Chmmr. If your Chmmr game is good enough, you may not need to counter Druuge at all. There isn't a sure-fire way to win as Chmmr against Druuge, you will simply have to practice against other players until you get a feel for it. If Druuge does win against your Chmmr, the Druuge has already accomplished its mission. You could kill it with a Zoq-Fot-Pik afterwards and it would not matter much. Regardless of whether the Druuge you're attacking was used against Chmmr or not, the best candidates for taking it down are Earthling, Androsynth and Arilou. For more specifics, keep reading...

Earthling vs. Druuge: Keep your narrow end facing the Druuge any time your Earthling is in their sights. If you give them even one good opportunity to fire on your broad side, that is usually enough to skew the match in the Druuge's favor. The best time to sling your nukes is when the Druuge is moving towards you, though you should be firing at all times rather than waiting for just the right moment.

Androsynth vs. Druuge: Your comet form has a very small outline, making you difficult to hit. Charge at the Druuge to force them to launch themselves backwards with recoil, then come around from the opposite direction and nail them. You don't absolutely need to force Druuge to throw themselves out of control to win the fight, but it helps.

Arilou vs. Druuge: Chain teleport until you end up where you need to be, then fly in and blast away. It may take a couple attack runs depending on how much crew the Druuge has. Never stay in the Druuge's line of fire for more than a fraction of a second.

More expensive ships that have an easy time with Druuge: Mycon, Orz, Chenjesu, Kohr-Ah. Try one of these if a cheap counter is not available.

[Bleeding Star]

Nice. I loves me the Mauler even if I'm shite with it. I didn't realize it's actually a good ship. Would the X-form also qualify as "more expensive ship that has an easy time vs Mauler"?

P.S. Grammar Nazi. Breaks -> brakes?

[Shiver]

Nice. I loves me the Mauler even if I'm shite with it. I didn't realize it's actually a good ship. Would the X-form also qualify as "more expensive ship that has an easy time vs Mauler"?

That's a grey area fight between good players, although I haven't tested it extensively.

P.S. Grammar Nazi. Breaks -> brakes?

Crap. Did I do that? I'll go find that and get it fixed. Firefox's spellcheck feature lulls me into a sense of complacency.

[Eth]

Nice work, as usual.

You might want to mention the Earthling's "point-defense coup de grace," which can be used against a blitzing Mauler. 

[Shiver]

You might want to mention the Earthling's "point-defense coup de grace," which can be used against a blitzing Mauler. 

Well, no. PDL kills are a freak accident. 200 point battles are fairly long, so you will occasionally see combat results that defy convention. Those are not what you base a strategy guide around. Also, Druuge blitzes aren't supposed crash right into the other ship. I will add a clarifying sentence to this section.

[Happy Camper]

This section was a sweet read. The break down was nice and crisp and the pictures also added a bit of flavour to the whole presentation. I also like how you added the counter section for the ship. Im going to have to try some of these tips when I get home.

Thanks for the hard work and good job.

[chenjesuwizard]

I found the druuge bit realy useful!
I thought the ship was rubbish!

[Shiver]

Well, it turns out Druuge is better than I thought. Curiosity got the better of me, so I played a battery of tests against Elvish Pillager. The tests were Druuge vs Mmrnmhrm and then Shofixti + Spathi vs Chmmr. Druuge won most of the bouts, regardless of player. It turns out that a blitzing Druuge is superior to Mmrnmhrm if the Druuge player has their shit together. Therefore I'm going to have to give Mmrnmhrm's honorary second place title to Druuge instead. This means I have some revisions to make.

The second test showed that Shofixti is not reliable at knocking out Chmmr satellites. It can do it, but not with consistency. I'm going to have to remove that tactic altogether from the Chmmr section. I think I'll put Orz vs Chmmr in there instead, although that counter isn't much better.


Update: Went through and made minor adjustments to several articles, did a re-haul of Druuge.

[Rider]

I think I'll put Orz vs Chmmr in there instead, although that counter isn't much better.

Really? I can consistently beat an AI Chmmr with an Orz... not sure how different a PVP match would go, but I imagine it'll be similar in results...

[Happy Camper]

 To be honest I find the Spathi to be the best against the Chmmr. They can beat the gravity pull and distroy the defensive satellites with controlled BUTT missles. After that I just swoop around and take them head on with their bullet gun.

[Shiver]

Really? I can consistently beat an AI Chmmr with an Orz... not sure how different a PVP match would go, but I imagine it'll be similar in results...

To be honest I find the Spathi to be the best against the Chmmr. They can beat the gravity pull and distroy the defensive satellites with controlled BUTT missles. After that I just swoop around and take them head on with their bullet gun.

I thought it was well established that the cyborg and the player were two different critters. Why anyone decide to use their experience against the cyborg as an argument in here, I have no idea. But since two people just did, I guess I have to give a serious response.

Happy Camper: It would be much easier to knock down those satellites with the Spathi's minigun rather than torpedoes. Actually, I'm doubtful that you were able to knock down sats with torpedoes at all. Those things move too slowly and have only 1 hitpoint. Maybe it's possible, but I doubt it and don't feel the inclination to load up the game and test it thoroughly. With a player controlled Chmmr that has 2 or 3 satellites, Spathi is effectively useless.

Rider: Nope. I used to play that counter in PVP too until the good players started orbiting with Chmmr in response. Chmmr is nearly impossible to beat with Orz if they fight in orbit. It was difficult to begin with, actually, since even the bad players would become evasive rather than chase Orz endlessly like the cyborg does.

[Happy Camper]

You found me out! I was just messing with you Spathi are so painfully outmatched by Chmmr.

[Cedric6014]

Hahahahahhaa

Shiver is way to used to to dealing with genuinely stupid assertions that he can no longer notice the fake ones. He needs a holiday me thinks - or at least time away from UQM/SC stuff.

Shiver I recommend a long road trip with plenty of camping, hiking and mountain air.

[Happy Camper]

Just trying to keep things light  Actually I can sympathize with Shiver... I suffer from the same thing at my work place. Someone makes an obvious joke and Im like, "Really?" Then I have to further explain that I know people that are actually that dumb.