Last second movement
Last second movement, often abbreviated as "LSM," means placing the tokens in a sea battle just before the vessels move. This tactic is seen quite often in PvPs and blockades as well as against brigands.
Execution
While in a sea battle, each ship involved displays a movement meter, showing how many moves the navigator has currently placed. Because it can give the opposing ship's navigator an approximate idea of where their enemy is going to move, navigators often wish to disguise the true numbers of moves that they are going to place. Last Second Movement is one strategy used to disguise the navigator's true intentions.
To execute a Last Second Move, wait until the timer for each round has only a few seconds left. (More experienced navigators will be able to execute later Last Second Moves.) Then, as quickly as possible, place all the moves for that turn. Usually, mouseclicks, as opposed to drag-and-dropping, are used to execute a Last Second Move. A variant on the Last Second Move is to place a certain number of moves at the beginning of the turn, and then use a Last Second Move to change the number of moves.
Reasons for Usage
The reasons for using a Last Second Move vary depending on the situation that it used in. In PvP, Last Second Moves are used to fool the opposing ship into believing that they are facing an enemy who is either dead in the water, or not planning to move. However, Last Second Moves have become so prevalent in PvP that many navigators often take their usage for granted, expecting their opponent to utilize them no matter what. This has led to calls by some high-profile navigators for the community at large to stop using Last Second Moves, as, in more elite PvPs, their usage has become ineffectual [needs citation].
In blockades, Last Second Moves are used for similar purposes as in PvPs, as the Person vs. Person aspect of the combat remains the same.
Against brigands, Last Second Moves are a controversial topic. Many navigators use them to attempt to fool the brigand into thinking that the navigator is not going to move, and then moving into a position to shoot or flee the brigand. However, many believe that repeated use of Last Second Moves against brigands leads to the brigands using Last Second Moves in that battle as well, making it more difficult for the navigator to judge the brigand's movement. Despite this, many navigators will use Last Second Moves at least once a battle, normally when the navigator can get the greatest advantage out of them.
Zero Second Moves
The Zero Second Move is a variant of the Last Second Move that cannot be executed by a human player. Instead, it is performed solely by brigands. A brigand will not usually use Zero Second Moves unless the human navigator has used Last Second Moves earlier in the battle. When a brigand uses a Zero Second Move, it is similar to a Last Second Move, but the change of the movement bar takes place immediately after the turn clock has ran out, thus making it impossible for the navigator to respond to the brigand's choice of movement.
