Originally posted by _Schadenfreude_
If it's a fair fight you've done something wrong...
Hehe, that about says it all. Im new to AHII as well, although not at all new to flight sims in general, but i feel youre pain lol. Soon as you get used to the diffrences in flight models though its all gravy. All these guys have put up great hints and tips to get you up and running, but when it comes to actual combat Schaden hit the nail on the head. Getting into a fight with another plane when your both level pegging is all very honourable, but getting into a fight when your 5000 feet above your prey is where the meal ticket comes from.
Must admit AHII is the only flight sim ive ever been in where ive seen players complaining about the enemy being 'alt-monkeys' and basically ridiculing someone entering a furball from 15k, however dont be put off by this, and dont be tempted to go swanning about at ground level. In flight sims and in real life, altitude is something you can rarely have too much of, and as a new pilot, make damn sure your the highest plane in the sky. If your new to sims in general your gunnery will be probably be awful to begin with anyway, so diving down on a sleeping enemy, spraying at a range of less than 200, and then climbing back up to the safety of the blue yonder is by far your best bet. Dont be tempted to get into a turning dogfight unless someone is onto you with more energy (catching up), by entering a knife-fight your lowering yourself to their level, and 99% of the time, regardess of what plane you/they are flying, it will be the best pilot that wins the day. If your a noob, it aint going to be you.
Also, while bombers often seem like big heavy easy pickings for fighter jocks, they have a major sting in the tail, especially with the drones in AHII. Attempting to waltz in on a B17s six and sit there for 30seconds while you calmly shoot them down one by one simply isnt going to happen. The same rules as fighters apply, and you need to get up high, dive in, shoot, and get back out again, with any luck while the pilots/gunners asleep. If you dont get them on the first pass, you can bet your last dollar that theyre going to be waiting for you if you try another pass as well, so even more speed, caution and 'slicing' is needed. As i said, they may seem pretty vulnerable and easy tgt's since they need escorts, but remem a B17 has 13 different gun positions to your one, and in a formation you could have up to 9-12 of them shooting at you at once. Thats an awful lot of lead coming in your direction.
All that junk above means simply make sure you are the higher plane, if your not, dont be ashamed to turn away and run until you are. Try and fly in groups, where theyres ten of your team and two of theirs, thatll give you plenty of oppertunitys to practice diving and bouncing. All this may sound like 'cheating', but its how combat is won, and as i pointed out, while a one-on-one at level alt is all very honourable when you walk away the victor, your majority of kills will come from when you were the plane with more energy (speed/alt), or your tgt was concentrating on someone else. And dont listen to anyone who calls you a wuss or a rookie cos youre 10k above them, mooning at them out your back window.
Last point, all sims have their 'nasty' fighters, in IL2 it was the Yak, (actually the I-16 before it was fixed), WWIIOL its the 109F, and in AHII it seems to be the N1K, (bearing in mind im a noob as well, so this is just what ive seen). If you see one, and have the oppertunity, run your bellybutton away and leave him to the more experianced boys and girls. He'll truss you up good and proper if you give him the chance.
Originally posted by _Schadenfreude_
If it's a fair fight you've done something wrong...
