SP Lightsaber combat tips? (Minor spoilers)

[scabbo]

Hi folks.

 

I'm not sure how badly I (to put it bluntly) suck at the game.

 

I'm running at the second difficulty level and am in the third tier of missions.

 

I have done reasonably well so far, and did fine in Jedi Outcast, but the last two missions I did (the first two of the third tier) leave me wondering if it's going to become impossible.

 

* ---Minor spoilers--- *

 

In the tomb mission, the main reason I was successful was that I ended up dropping my oponents into chasms.

 

In the mutant rancor mission, I succeeded by luring my oponents into the path of the rancor until the coast was clear enough for me to work out the next steps.

 

* ---end spoiler section--- *

 

The "moves" are all well and good, but it seems that the combat takes place so fast (and with multiple, dual-wielding enemies) that I wonder how good one can be expected to get at it.

 

For me, combat has been a click-fest with judicious and (somewhat) skilled/well-timed use of Force Powers. I never have time to plan what moves I might use....the enemies are usually all over me so it's a matter of getting free enough to use the Force against them to turn the battle to my favor.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? In single-player mode, do you really and truly use the moves as they are designed, or is it a click-fest for you too (except, as noted above, where Force powers are concerned)?

 

Just curious what others' experiences are. And again, I'm speaking of Single Player mode only.

 

--Scabbo

[{DHU}Screed]

Believe it or not I found the standard saber to be far better than the dual or double bladed sabers. I use medium stance for the regulars (i.e. storm troopers etc.) and strong stance for the saber wielding enemies.

 

The trick is to seperate your opponants than execute them quickly before the others come to his aid. When theres no way of seperating your opponants kata is your best friend. You can kill many enemies surrounding you at once with it (the most i did was 4 Jedi at once with the strong stance Kata.) Singled out enemies are easy as pie. When they are just standing there waiting (even when 2 are just standing there waiting for you) you can take out at least 1 with one rolling stab or a strong stance DFA.

 

When there are troopers helping out the dark jedi, use mind trick lvl 3 and they will get your saber wielding enemies attention so u can roll in and stab em.

 

Absorb was my greatest weapon against other Jedi, they practically supplied me with an unlimited amount of force energy. Force speed will also make saber battling much easier.

[EvilKnick]

And when you fight with a lightsaber, dont click the mouse button repeatedly hoping to make more swings, the trick is to just hold down primary attack, and the using your directional keys to execute different moves, never taking your finger off attack.

 

If your going to be a" button pusher," you should mash the directional keys, not the mouse.

[scabbo]

Both of these were fantastic bits of advice.

 

I've gone back and replayed the first 3 levels of Tier 3. I did go ahead with the single lightsaber and used the suggestions given.

 

I had a great amount of success. Thanks very much.

 

I still threw some of the enemies off cliffs and ledges, but more because it was fun or expedient than because it was the only way to take them out.

 

 

Thanks again.

 

--Scabbo

[Starfire13]

I personally don't like click-fests, and like to plan each move (yes, it is possible, at least most of the time).

 

I normally don't hold down my attack button, nor do I mash it. I prefer to choose when I start swinging, so I can time my attack to coincide with the end of one of their attacks (this is a strategy from real sword-fighting, by the way).

 

For this reason, I usually stick to the single (medium) saber, or the staff. I find the dual sabers far too difficult to control effectively.

 

Since I consider using force-speed in single-player for dueling as a sorta "cheat" (makes things too easy), I don't use that. I normally only use push and pull during duels.

 

The trick is to maneouvre yourself to the side of your opponent, and do a side cut. Most of the time, that will end up catchnig them in the back, so they can't defend against it. Crouching and slicing the legs also works extremely well.

[darth corax]

Starfire13 is right... Dual sabers are very difficult to control. I prefer saber staff or fast stance. I attack in short periodes of time then defend my self, then attack again.

[Sivy]

as EvilKnick said,

 

i find the best way is to hold down the primary attack button (i.e mouse button 1) and then use the different direction keys and also the side-step keys (the < & >)

the side-step method works very well against the acrobatic baddies.

the stab is probably the most affective method and is great for dispatching your enemies quickly. as long as you time your roll right you can kick ass without breaking a sweat.

 

of course if all else fails... fry them with some lightning

[obijonkenobi]

I myself am one who prefers to fight with finesse then blind swinging (holding down the attack and moving about is blind swinging).

 

I like having those pauses when both wait for the other to make their move, only for one to finally take the initiative. It’s very suspenseful. Short bursts of attack-&-defends while gaining and loosing ground. I believe it’s the art of knowing when to make your move and when to wait for theirs is quite fun. I find just holding down attack and doing constant moves (randomly changing directions) to be quite dull and not how light sabre combat was intended (i.e. how its done in the movies).

 

Using the acrobatic moves to gain advantage is also fun. After backing against a wall, only to run up and leap over and thus now having your FOE against a wall is a nice touch which can turn the tide. Also I love the long-jump move to quickly get some distance. It’s kind of hard to time right (as if you don't press them exactly right you just jump normally and turn on speed) but it’s good when you get to master it.

 

I use the Sabre-staff myself. Not because it’s better, but just because it’s the "style" I am interested for pure vanity reasons. Personally I don't know which style is best, nor do I think there even IS a best as all have great features and weaker areas to fighting with any of the sabre styles.

 

But that’s just me and as such it’s only "right" for me, no necessarily anyone else so if you don't feel that way, I'm not saying to change. I'm just saying what I personally feel is best for myself.

[Sivy]

oh yes, i like the more controlled duel with style and finesse myself, when its one on one or two on one even. but when its three or four on one it's time to just hack away and hope for the best :D

[Doug Thompson]

"Absorb was my greatest weapon against other Jedi, they practically supplied me with an unlimited amount of force energy. Force speed will also make saber battling much easier."

 

That's exactly what I've found regarding absorb.

 

Dark jedi are often "teamed," with one using a saber and another using dark force power. Fully developed "absorb" is so effective, I ignore the "force" jedi and kill the one with the saber first.

 

Using force speed and absorb together takes 70 percent force power, while using absorb prevents your own force from recharging. Killing off the "force" villian first leaves little in reserve for fighting the guy with the saber.

All the comments about the difficulty of control of dual sabers are true. However, the ability to throw a saber and keep one for defense against conventional weapons is too effective against "conventional" troopers to ignore. JA's just a game, but getting the mission accomplished as quickly as possible has to figure in there somewhere.

[yoda_alex]

I also agree that force spped in SP is "cheating". It makes the game far too easy. I've found that a good tactic for most of the time is to turn on level 3 protect and use either the strong or medium attack katas.

 

I personally think that dual sabres and the sabrestaff are worse than the single sabre. The staff's style is too acrobatic - it has too many special moves and not enough basic ones. The dual sabres are to difficult to control.

 

You can be very successful against most foes just by using standard medium strokes. When you add in the special moves from ALL THREE stances (including the excellent pull impale, fast lunge, medium DFA, strong DFA, and the three katas) you end up with an arsenal of attacks that surpasses the dual sabres or the staff.

 

IMHO

[Doug Thompson]

Force speed is cheating but katas aren't?

 

More like the other way around.

 

============

 

On second thought, I'm not all that convinced that dual sabers are that hard to control, but will defer to people who have hard-core multiplayer experience. The control is more than good enough for single-player with a little practice. At least I'm getting the hang of it.

[scabbo]

The continued discussion from my first post is interesting.

 

Of course a controlled, fight-and-parry combat is most interesting but that's just not possible with multiple foes. In those situations, except for at the very beginning, there ARE no times when everyone is standing there looking at each other.

 

I'm bothered when people call using available powers as cheating. Using that word in that context really seems like an attempt to make others feel low or unskilled if they use it, and yet it is something that the designers not only put in the game, but left IN the game from the previous one -- so it's clearly a design decision they really like.

 

I disagree that Force Speed is cheating. I don't think it's "cheating" any more than any other Force Power in the game. The trade-off is you lose a lot of Force energy, so it's not immediately available for other powers. And I've noticed that the AI is smart enough to speed up too, if they have the available power.

 

It sure makes the game easier. But so does level 3 Mind Trick against a room full of troopers. You go in and turn 2 of them, then watch the whole room duke it out. That strikes me as even more of an ... ease-maker ... than Force Speed in sword combat. There are times, in fact, when I go in and think "I'm explicitly NOT going to turn guys against each other" just so I don't have too easy a time of it. But I still don't count that Mind Trick as cheating.

 

--Scabbo

[Starfire13]

WHen I said above that I considered force-speed as a kinda cheat, I was only referring to my own personal playing style. I have found that force-speed makes things too easy for me, so I classify it as a cheat, but only personally. I don't expect anyone else to feel that way.

 

Oh, by the way. I don't usually use mind-trick either. I restrict my force-use in the game to push, pull, grip, and heal. This is, as I said, a personal preference. I do it to make the game last longer for myself.

[doublehelix111]

Obviosly in a SP game there is no cheating like there is in a MP game. But to my eyes, "cheating" (note the inverted commas) is doing something that makes the game very much easier. That's why I consider force speed "cheating" because it's far too easy to just walk up to an eneny and land a strong stance blow on him from behind. I feel that speed takes a lot of the fun out of the game.

 

Also, I take the point about katas, but I feel they require a lot more skill to use effectively than speed. If you mistime or misuse a kata you end up wasting froce power and leaving yourself vulnerable. The same is not true for force speed.

[Doug Thompson]

Originally posted by doublehelix111

Obviosly in a SP game there is no cheating like there is in a MP game. But to my eyes, "cheating" (note the inverted commas) is doing something that makes the game very much easier.

 

Fair enough, but that definition rules out force sense.

 

If there's any single power that makes this game "too easy," it's force sense, not force speed.