Turrets

Turrets are used to defend the ship carrying the turrets and all surrounding friendly ships as well. Their job is to destroy enemy ships, it's that simple. Even though turreting seems like a simple task that is mostly useful to train new players, it still proves to be quite a challenge, both practically and strategically. When a bomber has been bought, you can board it using the Station Transfer Point (F8 inside stations). When you are in, ask for Nans if the pilot fails to do so. All you have to do then is wait for the launch, and analyze the flight path, if there is one, to see where you will be most useful, and where stealth will be key. Upon launch, verify that the bomber has not been spotted yet. If you are planning a direct, massive assault, where you don`t mind being spotted, then there is no problem here. If you wish to remain unseen, which is the common tactic, indicate to the team that you have been spotted by saying: "eye". If you are not seen, hold your fire. Firing will only increase the bomber`s signature, making you easier to be spotted. There is nothing like a massive surprise attack to destroy even the most important targets.

Traveling

When traveling, you should always hold your fire to remain undetected. If a probe comes in range, and you are eyed, then destroy the probe. If a probe is in range but you have not been spotted, hold your fire, let a Nan handle it. If a probe is out of range, the bomber will stop and wait for a teammate to destroy it before the bomber resumes its course. If a miner comes by, he will detect you and you can fire at it. If you see that it is quickly flying away and that you cannot destroy it, stop firing, don't waste your ammo. The same applies for ships in range but flying in such a way that you can't inflict significant damage.

Attacked

When you are being attacked, here are the important directions that you must follow. First, target the closest enemy ship, by pressing X, and destroy it. If both turrets do this, the enemy ships will not last long. Do so constantly, so that you take out the closest (therefore most dangerous) targets quickly, having both turrets working together. However, if some ships are clearly greater threats than others, target them instead, using your "target center" key. However, not all turret gunners know this, and so don't necessarily expect your partner to do the same.

Note: If there are more than two turrets, like in a capital ship, working together will be very effective. If the closest target is clearly not dangerous, like a scout flying behind the ship, you may target another, more dangerous ship, like a heavy interceptor. But be advised that the other gunner might not do the same, and you might have to work alone on this one. You can also both fire on the scout, which will be destroyed after a few seconds, and immediately proceed to the more dangerous targets.

If your bomber succeeds in destroying the enemy base, but is still under massive attack, the pilot should start ripcording. If he does so, advise the Nans that the bomber is leaving (the pilot should do the same) by pressing `yr: "Ripcording!"

A common strategy used by veteran pilots is to quickly fly by the bomber, becoming the closest target and therefore being under the gunners' fire, and then fly away, remaining barely in range, so that the gunners waste their time and ammo trying to hit him, leaving the other defending ships clear of turret fire. If a target does a similar maneuver, simply press X again. You will attack another ship that is possibly harming you, and the pilot who flew away will not be able to do anything. Don't waste time on harmless targets. Your priority is to attack the attackers.

If the closest enemy is far, yet in range, zoom in and out ( + and -) accordingly to increase your accuracy. The more you are zoomed in, the better is your accuracy, but remain fairly zoomed out as well when you need to move around. When you are zoomed in, the turret's cannon will move around much slower. Zooming in and out properly is an art that, when mastered, makes you a great turret gunner. Also, make good use of the lead indicator. This dot, red when target is out of range, green when it is in range, indicates where the ship will be when your bullet reaches it. You must fire on the lead indicator for your bullets to intercept the moving ship.

Camped Alephs

When the aleph is camped and your team knows about it, the bomber will have to slowly enter the sector to minimize mine damage, being a big, slow target for the enemy. You will rely on your Nans to survive. As usual, press the X button to target the closest target. In this particular case, the enemy ships will be barely moving, because they were camping. You can therefore take your best shots upon entrance in the sector, make them count. You should have time to take out two or three ships before everything starts moving again. There can often be drones in a camped alephs. Take them out first, for they inflict great damage and don't move. Also, taking them out destroys them forever as the enemy must pay 1 500 credits to build another.

When passing through a minefield, you won't see much. There are so many explosions in all directions that you'll have to rely solely on HUD information to guide you to your targets. This situation is not unique to turret gunning, so practice that skill.

Friendly Fire

When friendly fire is activated for a game, you represent a danger to your Nans. Often, attackers will place themselves behind Nans If you try and fire at them, you might take out your Nans, and since they are in scouts, they go down in seconds. Also, in order to avoid enemy fire, Nans have to fly all around the bomber in different directions. Always avoid shooting them, because they are the ones you are protecting in first priority. Never destroy a Nan in order to destroy the enemy ship behind it. You would only make the ship's attempt to destroy Nans successful. Hold your fire when Nans are close to your aiming cursor.

Note that the same applies when friendly fire is turned off. A ship behind a friendly scout, an asteroid, an aleph or a station can't be harmed, your bullets will be wasted on your teammate. Wait for the ship to become in range again. When ships are far, you can't visually see them. You must rely on the icon to see the ship, and so you'll have to calculate distances to figure out if a ship can be hit or not when it's near an obstacle. If the distance between you and the ship is smaller than the distance between you and the obstacle, you can fire.