There are a lot of Shaker Pilots who have no idea how to Dog Fight.  Possibility when they were a newbie they made the mistake of trying out a Minerva game before they were ready.   For the newbie a Minerva game with good Dog Fighters can bring death as fast as a shaker.  I spent my time in Minerva, a lot of time, and feel that I'm a passable Dog Fighter.  Anyway, a good Dog Fighter in a Gig Game will rule the roost, because he has good flying skills and another weapon which he knows how to use effectively.

In Gig 2 you have most of the primary weapons provided by the game Descent2: Level 6 quad lasers, Plasma, Phoenix,  and of course the Gauss. When I was a full time Dog Fighter I cleaned and polished my Gauss every night, and I still prefer and use it in Gig 2.

The Gauss:  Not D3 The advantage of the Gauss is it can't be dodged and your victim can't easily tell where the shells hitting his Ship are coming from.  All he knows is, his shields are dropping fast and his ship is being knocked around.  This can be  most unnerving to a Pilot.  I will not mention any names, but some pilots just plain can't stand a Gauss and will run to beat hell.   I actually ran off a pilot carrying 4 shakers just using my Gauss, heh heh. :)  However the Gauss is all but worthless unless the game is set on Ace or higher.  If the game is set on Trainee you can almost go up and kiss the SOB as he fires at you.

The Phoenix:  Not D3 Now this is a weapon you do not want to catch a face full of. It is extremely deadly in the hands of a pilot who knows how to us it.  In open rooms it is not much good, very easy to dodge; but it does keep the other pilot away.  I like to use it in tunnels where its very effective.  Remember when using this weapon everyone will know exactly where you are located so you should expect some shakers & megas flying at you.  Never try and use this weapon for close in fighting.  It will kill you just as easily as the other pilot.  Definitely don't fire the Phoenix while using the afterburner.  The Phoenix also runs down your power very quickly.  So be careful.  Sometimes its better to run than have no afterburner.

The Plasma:  The absolute best close in fighting weapon in Descent 2, nuff said.

Level 6 Lasers:  Old faithful, if you do get a solid hit or 2 it will kill the other guy and its a damn sight better than level 1.  Some pilots call level 6 lasers 'White Death'.

Descent 2 has an interesting feature in that all of the weapons travel at their preset speed regardless of how fast you are flying.  This has a useful function to you, the pilot, when you are shooting some of them.  You can bunch up many of the energy weapons so that they form an impenetrable wall of deadly fire. {This holds true in D3 as well} When you see another pilot, you can fly directly at them, on afterburner, with either Plasma or Level 6 firing.  If they are not ready for you, you will greet them with a punch which will surprise them and, fortunately for you, kill them.  This tactic works best in confined spaces, or, for those shaker pilots who have been paying attention, as you dodge a shaker all the while pouring out weapon fire.  Imagine the surprise of the other pilot, thinking that they just killed you with a shaker, upon seeing you flying directly at them with Plasma or Level 6 lasers blazing.

Bottom line: There other weapons besides Shakers & Megas in Gig 2.  Learn to use them.  You will need them.