Combat Flying Tips

[jaa 0]

I am really enjoying this game. Its brilliant but I am pants.

 

I have gone through innumerable pilots, the lucky ones being in captivity for the duration of the war. My max flying time for a pilot is about 3 hours total. I have had a maximum of 7 claims for a pilot, but I have never had a confirmed, even when I went into hospital for 3 weeks. I even follow the downed plane and make sure it crashes into the ground.

 

So I need a bit of advice from all you Aces out there.

 

1. Firstly on my claim form I put the names of my entire 4 man flight. I put down the time, eg 08.31 hours and the location, eg 4 miles NE of Arras. I then give a brief (20 word) summary of spotting the enemy flight, the number in it and any other stuff like 'had to disengage after the kill because i ran out of ammo'. I start the claim bit with 'Craft hit and downed'. I even say 'I watched the enemy crash into the ground'. Any other tips to get a claim accepted?

 

Also what do you write when you are on a lone wolf mission?

 

2. I find killing bombers easy without taking much/any damage myself. I just keep on attack from below, and turn away when i get too close, then go back for some more.

 

However, my fighter v fighter combat is pants. They seem to be going up down, stall turn and showing off galore. My attempts at stall turns are rubbish. By the time I have control of the plane back the enemy is on my tail.

 

How can I do successful stall-turns? I know what to do, eg pull back, watch my speed go down to about 50, put on hard rudder - but then that is where it goes wrong. I stall, and the plane goes opposite to my rudder. This is where it takes me ages to recover control of my plane. What am I doing wrong?

 

Also how can I shake an enemy from my tail?

 

Are there any other combat flying tips any one else can give?

 

JAA

[zoomzoom 2]

Let us know what machines you are driving right now, and we can refine some survival/victory tips for you, as the aircraft are all different, and have unique qualities in combat.

 

ZZ.

[itifonhom 6]

As for the claims, keep it simple. I usually write something like "Engaged at medium altitude, after some short bursts at his engine, caught fire and crashed west of Riencourt". Guess what, I got over 80% of my claims confirmed. For the witnesses just put a flight member and/or Ground Troops, that'll do.

 

itifonhom

[Check Six 2]

I don't know how much it helps, but I like to add "COMPLETELY DESTROYED" to my claims.

[themightysrc 5]

Good advice Al.

 

I'd say read up about the aircraft you fancy flying, as OFF models the flight characteristics rather well. If you have a good sense of the historicl background, you'll find it easier to find the period where you want to start flying....and you're off to the races.

 

Basically, all the usual combat stuff applies, but with additional caveats with regard to the conservation of momentum - no aircraft in OFF is actually any quicker than a Ducati 900! - and diligent due regard for the flimsy makeup of these things.

 

Once you've got all that lot sussed, and realised that the AI is not actually superhuman (even if it seems so to start), then you'll find life easier. Oh, and don't you be too eager to get into scraps. Running away is an honourable occupation, and I commend it to the house.

Edited October 6, 2009 by themightysrc

[Rickitycrate 10]

It does help to pick a plane and be determined to understand how to fly it to advantage. Hopping from crate to crate will hamper your developement IMO. Maybe a quiet sector or 1916 for learnings sake. I don't follow my own advise very well as I have been upgrading my gear on a regular basis. In particular joysticks and each time I change I have to relearn what to do, much like changing planes. Good advise above, best wishes.

[Hellshade 110]

I'm far from the best pilot out there, but as for combat tips I use a few general rules to help me live longer.

 

1. I rarely if ever do stall turns to get the drop on an EA unless I'm sure he's the only one in the sky or nobody else is even close. Lack of speed means no manueverability and that leaves you a sitting duck for the bad guys.

2. In fights against multiple EA, I try to switch targets and damage as many of them as possible first, especially in their wings. 5 damaged EA are easier to fight than 3 fully capable ones because you have turn superiority over them.

3. If I have a target in front of me and a pursuer closing in from behind, it's better to break off and turn towards your attacker to put him on the defensive. The first few minutes of combat for me is usually defensive and aimed at damaging planes as opportunity presents.

4. If I'm outnumbered and being out flown, I head for the deck. They aren't quite as aggressive just above the trees, but you also have the added danger of groundfire and less room for error, so don't let yourself stall out.

5. Don't waste ammo shooting at EA doing spinning dives towards the earth as they try to escape you. They are very hard to hit and you waste ammo. Besides, they HAVE to pull up eventually, providing you with a better target. If they don't, problem solved anyways.

6. Learn your effective gun range. Sniping EA from a distance is usually a waste of ammo. Have patience, check your 6 and close in for the kill shots when you can't see any clear attackers lining you up.

7. If you don't have it and can afford it, get TrackIR Pro. The ability to look around at will is a HUGE advantage to staying alive in the air and finding suitable targets.

 

Check out some of the user made videos on the web page to see some nice combat action and maybe pick up some tips. I did some risky flying in a few of mine to make for more exciting video footage, but I wouldn't last long in a campaign if I kept flying that way all the time.

 

But no matter what, it's just plain damn dangerous up there. Good luck.

 

Hellshade

[Baldric 42]

I'm still relatively pants at dogfighting other fighters, but I've learned to be very selective about whether to engage or not and thats the hard part (for me anyway). If my flight has Advantage (numbers, height, and possibly cover-- like diving out of the sun/clouds) I may give it a go and launch an attack. My other rule is never to stay engaged in a protracted fight. This sim is awsome in that scraps tend to be aeroplane magnets and mostly never your side, so if you fear being outnumbered, hit the enemy hard fast and furiously but then get the heck out of there.

 

Never let the enemy draw you down to the deck or your pilot is likely going to end up in a casket. When scanning for enemy machines watch for flak bursts- if you are on your side of the lines flak indicates enemies and either scout that out or avoid depending on your mission. There is an aircraft recognition chart in one of the pdfs on the disk and I highly recommend you use that if you don't know the machines, and even if you use the TAC/Labels combo to ID machines, because it might give you that split second ability to identify the enemy before the TAC/Labels go red. Note that a bogey that turns red from white may be too close, especially if they have height on you (height = dive speed= on your tail faster) and if you think/know they're fighters and you have no advantage, make a tactical withdrawal and save your pilots. Even though its an immersion breaker, the Pause Key is your friend while learning, as you can also go into various other views while paused and have a look around.

 

Up close and personal gunnery is huge. Regardless if you have twin machine guns, or a single poxy Lewis Gun, controlling the trigger finger is important to maintain fire discipline. A decent one second burst in the right spot (engine, cockpit) seems to be a viable way of, at the very least, removing speed/control from your enemy and makes it a bit easier to take them down. A long three-second burst up close into the engine/cockpit ought to end your foe's existence. So short bursts (1-3 sec) are good for extending your ammo supply and also avoiding gun jams.

 

Anyway, take what you will from my blathering as I'm still learning too

 

 

edit-- Oh and read Dicta Boelke as his rules are golden

Edited October 6, 2009 by Baldric

[Olham 164]

One short advice for claims: DON'T USE SEMICOLONS!

For the "sim's inner eye", they stop the report at that point - and it will never get confirmed.

[jaa 0]

Thanks for the tips guys, I will try all these out. I'll let you know how I get on.

[Duce Lewis 3]

Glad you're enjoying the sim jaa

 

Best advice is to stay high in the fight

Tunnel Vision is a killer

If you opponent dives ...let him go

Turn and go after the next highest target

IF hostiles are above you, don't engage immediately

Stay in visual range and climb till the advantage is yours

 

This strategy has many advantages

1. You damage many aircraft and reduce their effectiveness (as Hellshade said)

2. Driving the hostiles down to the deck helps your wingies out too

The longer they stay aloft, the less pressure there is on you

3. Height advantage leads to success most often

 

HTH,