Star Trek: Bridge Crew Group

Understanding Captain

This guide isn't like the others, there are no numbers or stats or mechnics that apply directly to captain, instead having read the two other guides some key stragies fall out for how to fight a battle. All the elements of the other stations and mechanics in the other understanding guides play into how the role works and knowing it all is a good way to conduct things as a captain. Initially I have some quick tips on how to complete the harder episodes and the tactics to use as well as combat tactics and how the stations should be orchestrated to maximise the ship.

Episode Guide

Episode 3

Episode 3 is all about stealth and learning how to do stealth well and sneak in.

Run the ship at a speed of maximum 4000 with shields and torps off until the system is clear.
Get scans of ships enines and disable them to produce holes in the patrols so you can scan and disrupt the enemy bouys.

The very last buoy is the hardest and it requires delaying one ship with disrupted engines several times to create a gap in the patrol you can squeeze in to scan and disrupt.

Episode 4

Episode 4 is also a stealth mission but its mostly about running way. The key top level tactic is to stay in every system as long as possible. You can do that by running the ship at 4000, shields and torps off while the engineer repairs. Run from the targets, get scans of their engines and disrupt to allow you to escape if they may detect you.

A few tips
- Head away from anomolies initially, they just restrict your movement and subtle course corrections can make a difference.
- If you need just a bit more time you can go to maximum engines, ie 7600 and outrun the enemy for a short period.
- Keep a course laid into the helm for the next impulse region so the moment you can't escape you impulse quicker rather than trying to work it out in the moment.
- Ship number 5 most of the time will always appear in front of you while you drag the other 4, that is your cue to leave.
- If an enemy ship is getting close disrupt its engines, but try to keep that available incase you need it when the next ship appears.
- Don't bother scanning shields and weapons
- Don't bother fighting, the key is to just keep running and stay in each system as long as possible until you warp out.

The engineer should ensure the engines are always in good repair and while impulsing if you put 3 engineering crews on it then its condition wont be reduced giving you full engines almost immediately in the new system which helm will need. Warp core is the secondary priority followed by scanners as the further and faster you can scan the better you can disrupt.

Episode 5

Episode 5 brings together all the elements of combat. It requires maximising your shields, disruptions to shields and weapons and the crew working well together knowing how the ships systems function.

Get out of the second fight as soon as you can to maximise how much hull you have for the flagship. Use stealth to approach the flagship and get scans and disrupt its weapons. Disrupting its engines while sounding effective in practice doesn't work all that well and weapons is the best course of action. The flagship is beaten easily with a normal attack against the shields with phaser bursts and torpedos and once his shileds are dropped use a weapon disruption and drop the shields and transport the weapon aboard.

You can kill the flagship if you get into the fight with >70% hull so long as the back and forth on shields and weapon power is being timed perfectly with tactical.


Combat

There are two primary strategies for fighting and a bunch of tips based on the information that comes from the tactical and engineering guides.

Strategy 1 - Shield disruption

The idea with strategy one is that destroying one ship will eliminate the target easily and is useful against a single D5 cruiser or smaller or perhaps a pair of ships to remove one of them quickly.

Move max to shields and engines and keep the target in view. Scan the shields and disrupt the shields once the enemy vessel is close to your ship and about to turn. As the enemy ship turns away move the power to phasers and fire just the phasers on max power to the ships hull. With a full phaser bank this will destroy a D5 and smaller.

This tactic isn't as useful against warbirds and its not useful against the flagship because the Torpedos represent nearly half of the damage of the ship so if you can't destroy it in one burst, its not the fastest way to kill large enemies only smaller ones.

Strategy 2 - Weapon disruption

The second strategy is to reduce the enemies damage output while you focus on killing it or another ship. If engaging two ships disrupt the ship you are not firing at.

Max the power to shields, scan disrupt the weapons of the secondary target and then with the primary target shoot him before or after he has completed his run towards you, make sure the shields are up and maxed when any torpedos hit. Then as the ship turns away max the power to the phasers and fire torpedos and phasers. You can tell the phasers are fully maxed not from the status Window but instead from the local view where its easy to see each reroute going in changing the range. Tell your tactical to recognise this himself from his own console and you wont have to order anything but a prepare to fire and they can time it correctly between them. Once the phasers are out of power move the power back to Shields and engines and wait until at least half of the phaser bank is restored so that you minimise damage and maximise shield potential.

Torpedos can be continuously fired. Once phasers are ready (half full) push power back when the enemies back is turned and fire and keep repeating.

The shields are down

If you loose shields move the power to 5 phasers and 4 engines. Max out the phasers with overrides and engines from the sheilds and keep firing and following the other tactics. There is no point keeping power in shields when they are down so may as well maximise the performance of the ships other systems.

Exploits

I don't consider this intentional but its possible to fire phasers while in stealth mode at targets outside of detection range, it is possible on Ep 3 and Ep 5 to use this to damage opponents without them firing back. I don't consider this anything but a bug but its available.

You can also use the disruption station for every player, which allows you to use far more intrusions than is reasonable by swapping it about the 3 stations. I again don't consider this intentional by the developers.

Combat Strategy

The fundamental point of these two primary strategies is to ensure the best shielding possible while being attacked and the best damage when attacking. Since most enemy ships will do a pass directly towards you firing, then turn away and not fire for a while before doing another pass you can use that timing to your advantage to make the shields go even further. If you ignore the enemies movements then you will most likely be phasers Max, engines 1 and shields 4 and you will take 2-3 times the damage you would otherwise take to the sheilds. Tanking on the shields with maximum power is usually more important than firing earlier in a long fight such as you see in Episode 5 especially after the initial phaser bank has been emptied and you are considering firing again once half charged.

Torpedos represent about 50% of the damage in the long term for a firefight but they can't get through the shields like phasers can with disruptions so choosing when to fire torpedos and at which target is important to get right. If you are shield disrupting a target to kill it quickly with phasers then fire the torpedos at a different target.

I hope this quick guide to the captain role and how to orchestrate the roles and power and fight effectively helps you complete those episodes and win more fights.