The Close Combat Guide is a guide created by JoshTigerheart that explains in detail all possible aspects of close combat, ranging from ships to weapons to tactics. It was written and released in 2005. The guide is very long, highly detailed and comprehensive. It is also entirely non-technical containing no raw statistics whatsoever. This is to appeal to players that are not interested in exact details or may be overwhelmed by them.
Coverage[]
The guide covers four major areas: ships, weapons, outfits and techniques.
Ships[]
Firstly, ships are covered by government. Their usefulness in close combat is explained and noteworthy variants mentioned. It also hints how to deal ships under A.I. control. Even alien ships such as the Wraith are included.
Weapons[]
Weapons are covered by government. It makes some general comments on the given weapon and examines its usefulness in close-ranged fighting. It also explains how to deal with each weapon should it be used against you. There is a system for stating what weapons are good against what protection type. For example, the Light Blaster would say Shields > Armor
Outfits[]
The outfits section covers every single non-weapon outfit, even things such as the Map and Drop Bear Repellent that have no effect on fighting. It explains each outfit, suggesting the use of some while recommending abstaining from others.
Techniques[]
Finally, the techniques section explains specific flying tactics and how to employ them. It gives in detail necessary steps and flight patterns to follow. Then it goes on to explain on what size groups of ships you should employ them upon.