(originally posted by Vallon)
Beginners
The first thing any new Meta wishing to hunt will have to do is start completing the tasks set by Doctor Phibes at least until you are required to hunt for the Doctor and are granted access to weaponry lessons.
Effective hunting takes practice, take your time - don’t rush and learn from your mistakes.
Likely the first weapon you will purchase is a standard pulse rifle, you will also need to purchase a rifle battery from the Weapons Store.
When you’re all set simply board the train and it will bring you to the Wilderness, which is widely known as “The Green”. The first creatures you will encounter are known as hopfrogs, and these are good practice for beginners. And as a plus one of the early missions for Doctor Phibes will be to collect a hopfrog brain.
Make sure your rifle is loaded and -closed- and ensure that your dial is set appropriately.
(ooc: Commands - open my rifle, close my rifle, turn dial ‘##’. Batteries need to be -put- into the rifle.)
For starters just set the dial on your rifle to full power (100) and it’s ready to be used.
You should of gotten the basics of aiming from Instructor Smith in the weaponry building as per Doctor Phibes request. So when you come up against a creature it’s simple, aim and pull the trigger.
(ooc: Commands - shoot hopfrog, if there are multiple animals you will need to individually target one by being more specific ‘shoot first hopfrog’)
You’re bound to be attacked by the creature, but just keep firing and you’ll eventually bring it down. Once it passes out it’s safe to pick up.
Thats the basics of hunting for beginners.
Equipment
Pulse Rifle - The first weapon any aspiring hunter should purchase, accurate and carries a large amount of pulse rounds, cheaply priced at 500 credits. Purchase at Weapons Depot.
(Commands: Wield my Rifle, Open my rifle, Close my rifle, Shoot ‘target’, Turn Dial ‘1-100’)
Pulse Pistol - A one-handed pulse weapon, holds less pulse rounds than the standard rifle but is effective in shield-flipping as you still have a free hand. Prices vary from 1000 - 1500 credits depending on color. Purchase at Weapons Depot.
(Commands: Wield my pistol, Open my pistol, Close my pistol, Shoot ‘target’, Turn dial '1-100)
Shields - A standard shield device that can be turned from 1-100. The higher you set the shields power level the more defense you gain. But it also makes your own weaponry less effective. See ‘shield-flipping’ for more tactics. Priced at 450 credits. Purchase at Weapons Depot.
(Command: turn my shield ‘1-100’, needs to be worn.)
Padded Armors - Fairly simple protection against attacks, priced at 850 credits for armor, 400 credits for helmets, and 250 credits for gloves. Useful but not required. Purchase at Weapons Depot.
(Just needs to be worn.)
Batteries - Power source for any pulse weapons, 75 credits for a rifle battery 30 credits for a pistol battery. Purchase at Weapons Depot. Used batteries can also be sold to the merchant.
(Batteries need to be put inside an open weapon, the weapon then needs to be closed in order to be used.)
Silicone-Projectile Rifle - This rifle shoots a web like round that ensares it’s victim for a short period of time. It doesn’t do any damage can be effective if employed in a hunting party. Not really useful for a solitary hunter unless utilized simply to make an escape. Priced at 650 credits, purchase at Weapons Depot.
(Commands: Wield projectile rifle, Open my projectile rifle, close my projectile rifle, shoot ‘target’.)
Silicone Canister - Standard ammo for Silicone-Projectile Rifle, priced at 5 credits a canister. Purchase at Weapons Depot.
(Several Canisters can be placed inside a projectile rifle at once.)
Animal Preserver - Animal preservers are used to coat the creatures you hunt in a hard plastic. Preserving your kills increases their value. Purchase at Caduceus Medical Supplies for 1000 credits.
(Commands: aim my preserver at ‘target’ only works on unconscious creatures)
Dissection Tool - You can purchase a dissection tool from Caduceus Medical Supplies for 110 credits. Only require for Doctor Phibes Mission.
(Commands: Dissect ‘target’.)
Tactics by Creature
Hopfrogs - Hopfrogs are by far the easiest creature in the green to hunt, they go down easy and don’t deal a lot of damage when they do attack you. Maybe employ shield flipping if you’re skilled at it, but even without it, it won’t take long to bring a frog down. They don’t sell for much. Frogs are found in the marshes right outside of the train stop in the green.
Hares - Hares are possibly the most profitable of the creatures to hunt. They aren’t incredibly tough or threatening. Hunt hares and then preserve them and you will bring in a fair profit. They sell for decent credits. It’s better if you can employ shield-flipping against them. Hares are found in the forest to the east of the marshes within the Green.
Bats - The large cave bats can often be tricky to fight, it’s always best to use shield-flipping against them. And they at times come in pairs as they are found in the upper caves only. Take your time, don’t rush and you’ll be able to successfully bring down bats. For newer hunters it might be best to leave and come back after a short period of time if you encounter more than one bat. Prices for bats are good, especially if they are preserved. But hunting them can often not be cost effective given the amount of ammo you go through killing them and how much you can potentially be wounded.
Giant Crocodiles - Crocodiles should be avoided by anyone with the exception of the most skilled hunters, and hunting parties. They can bring a meta down with only a few swift attacks and can often take quite a bit of time to bring down themselves. Knowing how to Shield-Flip is a must if you intend to fight a crocodile on your own. In groups utilizing projectile rifles and just smart combat is what works. When the Crocodile is focused on one person, that target should leave their shield all the way up. Anyone else in the party should lower their shield to 0 and immediately open up on the crocodile. If the Croc moves for you, simply raise your shield to 100 and wait it out until it moves away. Killing crocs is not really cost effective or a good way of earning credits. More of a right of passage for hunters in Alpha Colony.
Corpse Flowers - These odd creatures are usually only encountered when one is searching for plant life with a harvester. It often stirs up Corpse Flowers and they will attack you with vile acids and poisons. They are fairly tough so don’t underestimate them. If you’re already weak you might want to even consider simply leaving. Keep firing and you’ll take out these creatures, as with most of the tougher creatures the best thing you can do is shield-flip. Good prices if you manage to bring one in.
Octopi - These large water creatures are only found within the cave lake and are often encountered when fishing. They have many tentacles and are actually quite fast and durable. For beginners I would suggest only tackling Octopi in a group but more experienced hunters should have no troubles.
Shield Flipping
Shield Flipping is a tactic employed by advanced hunters. Using a shield at full-power will lower the strength and accuracy of your own weapons. So if you are good enough the idea is to keep your shield at 100% power, when you have an opening quickly lower your shield to 0% power and fire your weapon, once you’ve fired you want to quickly raise your shield back to 100% power before your target can react and attack back. It’s the most effective tactic when hunting. It takes practice and patience to master but is definitely worth taking the time to learn.
I’ll be adding further sections as I write them, including one on hunting within the tunnels under Alpha Colony.
-Vallon