Although this course is not focused on tactics, a beginner needs to know a few things before they can learn the more advanced tricks discussed in the Advanced Multiplayer (AMP) and Basic Flight Maneuvers (BFM) courses.
These basic tactics cover 1v1 play in ships that are maneuverable (TIE Fighter, TIE Interceptor, etc.). Other game types require different tactics, but since they aren’t played so much in the EH, I won’t address them here. Check the two courses mentioned above or more information.
The first part of every duel is the approach, also known as the head-to-head. From about 1.6km apart (start shooting at 1.7 if you're moving full-speed towards your opponent and he's doing the same), your lasers can reach the opponent, so here is where you need to be alert.
The number one thing a beginner needs to focus on is not to get hit. Without the experience to choose the right spots to attack, being aggressive is a good way to get killed. Instead, work on your dodging skills first. You’ll frustrate your opponent, because you can’t lose if you don’t get hit!
Once you’re good at dodging the enemy’s fire, concentrate on shooting accurate shots at the opponent. Don’t worry about whether you hit your opponents or not, worry about whether your shots were anywhere close. If you are shooting wildly, your opponents will realize that, and won’t have to dodge much to avoid being hit. Instead, make your opponents know that if they aren’t alert, you can be dangerous. Anyway the better you become the more you'll need to mind about accuracy; I've won dozens of matches killing my opponent BEFORE he's even at 1.4km away!
Winning the head-to-head is really determined by making fewer mistakes than your opponent. If you play well and don’t leave yourself open to attack, the best player in the world can’t hit you. At the same time, shooting accurately will make your opponents pay for their mistakes.
When you and your opponent have approached each other to the point where you must start turning, you have entered the turn war. This is where things get complicated. There are many tactics to use here, none of which I will go into, as they are covered very well in the two courses mentioned above. However, one thing to keep in mind: you turn faster when your shield and laser recharge rates are at 0, and your throttle is at 33%. Balancing your laser charge and turn rate is key to mastering the turn war. Don't hesitate to lose laser power (not to mention shields as IMHO they should be ALWAYS at 0% recharge rate) because if you manage to outmaneuver your opponent and get him from behind he's doomed
This isn’t so much tactics, but XWA provides many more options for the game than XvT does. Therefore, it is important to set up the game in a way that gives you maximum multiplayer performance.
First, find the screen resolution that works the best for you. Even though I play single player at the highest resolution I can, I find it easiest to use a screen resolution of 800x600 for multiplayer. (Note from Zósite: I even turn off 3D acceleration! :-D) Using higher resolutions seems to make targets harder to hit, since everything on the screen is physically smaller. Your results may differ, but the point is that screen resolution will probably change your play, so try to find the best resolution for you. Don’t sacrifice kills for image quality!
Second, turn off as many of the extra cockpit displays as you can. When I fly 1v1s, I turn off the cockpit and both the bottom left and bottom right panels. In 2v2s, I leave the score panel up. If I need to know the score in a 1v1, I look at the craft numbers. If I'm in craft #10 and my opponent is in #14, for example, I know I'm winning 13-9. Turning off these extra displays gives you a better view of the screen, so this can really improve your play.
Finally, turn the rudder off in the game controllers section, and instead map the rudder to joystick buttons or use the numpad 1 and 3 on the keyboard. This prevents you from accidentally moving the Z axis a little bit while turning, which slows down your turn.
(Note from Zósite: I suggest you turn the rudder off and forget you even have it available!! It's annoying as it gives you almost "God-mode" on the approach and that isn't funny at all. Many people think the same and have it disabled thus the matches are much more fun I tell you. And if you're worried about your opponent using it against you while you have it disabled: it won't give him any real advantage... Face it: if you're a rudder hard fan people will refuse to play against you, and if they do it will mean they're probably far better than you and even with the rudder you'll lose; it can save you on the approach but you won't kill them either and later they'll get you from behind with a vengeance.)