Overview
Guide For Newer Players. Copied over from original forums. Author: Sarah Palin
Introduction
Hi newbies! We were all new once. This guide will help you get up to speed fast.
There are many game modes! What should I play?
The two most popular game modes are Ball (BALL) and Team Base Destruction (TBD). The other modes are much, much less widely played.
Any number of players can take part in each type of game, although older players usually prefer 5v5 TBD and 6v6 Ball.
In TBD, the goal is to carry a Bomb to the enemy side of the map and drop it on their Base. The team that destroys the enemy’s base first wins.
In Ball, the goal is to carry or pass a Ball across the map and into the enemy’s Goal. The first team to score 6 Goals wins.
What server should I join?
Look for Ball or TBD servers that have no more than max 20 players.
MOST older players prefer to play on “hard wall” servers – on these servers, crashing into obstacles will damage you a lot, compared to the “bouncy” servers which are more newbie friendly.
Hard wall servers are marked with an “X” in the column between “Map” and “Ping.”
Where do veteran players play?
Many older players spend lots of time on private servers such as “Ladder,” “Captain’s Games,” and “Skyleague.”
You can also find them on public servers, especially the ones marked “Official #3” (and other numbers).
You can press Tab to look at the list of players in your server. The players with simple light blue symbols to the left of their names are new players – the ones with more gaudy green and gold badges are players who have been around longer.
How and why should I befriend older players?
Friending older players is generally how you earn the passwords to the private servers where games are much more competitive (and fun!).
Just hang out with older players for a few games or a few days, and once you know each other you can offer a friend request. In chat, type “/addFriend” and a list of the players in the server will pop up.
Don’t try to friend people you’ve just met as many players – especially older players – have long friendlists already. Wait until you’ve proven your value as a player, for example asking to friend people after you’ve just scored a crucial goal or base hit that won the game.
When a player compliments your good play in chat it’s usually a safe bet to friend them.
How do I quickly become better at BALL?
Keep an eye at all times on the “BALL icon” that shows where the ball is, even if it’s off screen.
The BALL icon shows a colored border if a player is carrying the ball, and a blank border if the ball is loose in the air. Additionally, the color of the ball itself tells you which team last had possession. Finally, the SIZE of the ball icon shows how close the ball is offscreen.
If the ball is between you and your team’s goal, and it is either being carried by an enemy or is loose but enemy-colored, then your team is in trouble! You should turn around and help defend.
If the ball is loose in the air then many planes will be racing to that position – you can strafe that area with your weapons and hopefully take out enemy planes.
Passing is MUCH faster than flying – the team that passes more often wins.
By watching the Ball Icon above all, you will develop a game sense that tells you how you can be most helpful to get the ball in the goal.
How do I quickly become better at TBD?
Like Ball, playing TBD requires developing a “game sense” – judging how many planes of your team and the enemy team are currently on the map and where they are based on where you last saw them.
Do not circle the spawn waiting for the bomb to spawn – let a more experienced player carry the bomb. You can watch and learn how bomb-carrying works, but it’s one of the toughest roles in TBD.
Generally your team will either be on offense – trying to score a base hit – or on defense, trying to prevent the enemy from scoring a hit.
On offense, you need to protect the bomb carrier with shields, walls, or just by flying in front and absorbing damage. Killing enemy planes is helpful but only if it clears the way for the bomber.
On defense, you need to stop the bomber at all costs. Even if the bomber gets through, you can try to collide with the bomb before it hits the base; this will stop the base from being damaged. Your base is far more valuable than a plane!