SWG Basic Combat Training: TKO Hunting Group Methods and Tactics

§ II Introduction: Prehunt Checklist

Objectives:
- Learn to be battle-ready before you meet the group.
- Prepare in such a way as to minimize group downtime.
- Practice good communication with Group Leader.

1. Assess Item Condition
   Any items that deteriorate over time or with use should be checked for condition by using the 'Examine' item from the radial menu. Any items in poor condition need to be replaced or repaired. Group members may have the items you need which they can loan, rent or sell, or have crafting or repair skills.
2. Take Only what you Need
   Carry only those items you need or don't mind losing should you die and be forced to choose between making a corpse run (corpse runs are disabled) to retrieve those items, or having those items damaged upon cloning.
   1. Safety Deposit Box
      Your Safety Deposit Box is accessed through a bank terminal in the city where you have joined the bank. To change banks, you must quit the bank at a bank terminal in the city where you are currently a member. If you can access your bank before setting out on a group hunt, drop off any items and cash you won't need, and pick up those items you want to bring along.
   2. House
      If you own a house or have administrator permissions in a building, you can drop and pick up items inside the structure. Credits can be deposited and withdrawn from the building's maintenance account through the building maintenance terminal.
3. Craft or Buy Stims (optional)
   Anyone with even Novice Medic skills should carry stims to heal themselves or others during or between combat. It is especially important to carry lots of stims or resources to make stims if you are trying to gain Medic XP. Stims can often be purchased in bulk from city Bazaar Terminals, but may not be available. Novice Medic skills allow you to use and make A stims, and use B stims (B stims being more effective), but you cannot craft B stims until reaching Organic Chemistry III.
   1. Hotkey Stims
      Hotkey your stims by dragging a stack of stims to an open slot in your hotkey bar.
   2. Healing Yourself in Combat
      To heal yourself during combat, you need only hit the hotkey with the MOB (a Mobile or Mobile Object - a monster, creature or humanoid which is part of the program environment and not run by a player) you are fighting targeted. This automatically applies the stim to you and take one battle round to apply. The action is queued and will take effect in the order in which it was queued
   3. Healing Group Members in Combat
      To heal a group member you must target that member. To target, either click on the group member or type /target <name>.
   4. Healing Errors
      If you get an error message saying your target is invalid, you can use ctrl+1 to target yourself, or click on a group member to select that member as target, then try the action again.
4. Craft or Buy Buffs (optional)
   Perhaps not critical, but an edge in the field, buffs can be applied to weapons and self before and during the hunt.
   1. Weapon Buffs
      Crafted items sometimes found for sale on the Bazaar. Generic Melee buffs and a variety of ranged weapon buffs can be made with a few resources. These are best made at a crafting station since without experimentation they are near useless. A weapon buff is dropped on a weapon in inventory, lasts for about 100 attacks and may be removed the weapon (which destroys the buff). 5-7 weapon buffs per hunt is a good estimate.
   2. Personal Stat Buffs
      Personal stat buffs enhance, and sometimes reduce, stats (both HAM and supporting stats) for a limited amount of time.
      1. Foraged Foods
         Foraged items tend to be very short-term, low bonus buffs. They can be foraged during camp and downtime, but are usually useful for only one fight.
      2. Crafted Foods
         Chefs make the top of the line food buffs. They typically last minutes instead of seconds, and have no post-use trauma. Only a limited amount of food and drink can be consumed over a given period of time. You can monitor how 'full' you are by looking at the 'Character' section of the Character Sheet.
      3. Crafted Spices
         Essentially drugs, these buffs cause post-use trauma to stats and vomiting. Crafted by smugglers, spices are sometimes found on bazaar terminals.
      4. Doctor and Entertainer Buffs
         Elite profession Entertainers and Medics can buff stats without post-use trauma. Doctors's buffs improve Health- and Action-related stats, while Entertainers buff Mind-related stats. These buffs tend to be long-term. Check the Medical Center or Cantina for people who can apply these buffs.
   3. Skill Enhancement Attachments
      Although not usually a prehunt preparation item, you may run across skill enhancements which add bonuses, and sometimes penalties, to your various skills while you are looking through the bazaar. Examine the 'Details' of the enhancements in the Bazaar window to see what they do. Skill enhancements are attached to items and are permanent so long as the item they are attached to is above 0 in condition. Skill enhancements can increase skills such as Pistol Aiming While Standing, Defense vs. Intimidate, Structure Complexity, Polearm Damage, Ranged Medicine Use, and so forth. The skill enhancing effects are only apparent when wearing the item to which a skill enhancement is attached.
      1. Attachments for Slotted Items
         Some skill enhancements can be immediately dropped onto items (clothing made by tailors) which have Slots. Slotted items appear with green names. Examine a green-name item in inventory to see how many slots the item has. One skill enhancement can be attached to the item per slot. However, only the attachments which look like a roll of tape can be applied to an item once created. Note: Some containers including backpacks may be slotted items, but a long-standing bug does not allow enhancements to be attached to the container, instead dropping the skill enhancement into the container.
      2. Attachments for Items During Crafting
         For the sake of completeness, skill enhancement attachments which look like a metal rectangle are used as optional components during crafting and cannot be applied to an item once it is crafted.
5. Keep Your Group Leader Up to Date
   The group leader (GL) decides when to move and when to wait. It is a GL's dream to have group members who are conscientious enough to notify him or her of about how long (realistically) it will take the group members to join the group, and it is better to overestimate your ETA than underestimate. Let the GL know as briefly as possible Where you are, What you are and will be doing, and When you will be arriving at or near the group's location. Times to let the GL know:
   1. Travel Plans
      1. Shuttles and Interplanetary Travel
         Let the GL know what city you are in or how far you are from nearest city with a Shuttle or Space Port. Let the GL know what your travel plans will be. For example, "I'm about 1.5km from Kaadara ATM. I'll catch the flight in Kaadara to Corellia then to Dath." That tells the GL that it could be anywhere from 10-30 minutes before you can join the group and give him or her the information needed to decide whether to head out with the group or allow extra time for prehunt prep.
      2. Meeting Group in Wilderness
         Once you are at the nearest city to the group's location, waypoint and set it using /way <value> <value> in the chat window text entry field (for example: /way 500 -3200). Use the Waypoint Monitor or examine the waypoint in the datapad to see how far you are from the location of the group and report the distance to the the GL. Avoid asking the GL to figure out your distance based on a waypoint you send to the GL.
   2. Shuttle Delays
      Inform the GL of wait times for shuttles and transports. For example, "I'm in Kaadara. Shuttle in 5 mins."
   3. Prehunt Preparation Delays
      Inform the GL either approximately how long it will take for you to finish prehunt preparations such as healing and crafting, or exactly what you will be doing before joining the group if you can't estimate the time it will take you. The GL will understand that you can give only an estimate.
   4. Personal Delays
      Food! You forgot food! If you're going to be AFK (away from keyboard), let the GL know about how long. For example, "5 mins to shuttle to Dath, I'm AFK for a break."
   5. Arrival
      Let the GL know when you have arrived at the city in which you are meeting, or at the city nearest the location of the group.