Author Topic: N1K Tips (Read 931 times)

zelo13 · « **on:** April 14, 2006, 05:18:18 PM »

The advice and tips I've read on here have been great. Thanks to all for sharing the 411.

Anyone have any pointers they can share about flying the N1K? I used to fly the 190 D9 most of the time but got a little tired of the BnZ lifestyle and after reading Soda's review on the N1K I decided to take it up for a spin.

I've been able to score about 70 kills with it this tour but I feel like I'm not getting the most out of the plane in the MA.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

SAS_KID · « **Reply #1 on:** April 14, 2006, 08:30:02 PM »

turn against all German and American planes except F4F-4 and Fm2 and Russian Planes
Run from everything else

Or you can dive into a furball with those chainsaws and rack kill after kill.

zelo13 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 14, 2006, 09:34:47 PM »

SAS...thanks. and yeah, the guns and ammo load-out are very sporty in the N1K.

i've used the a/c to good effect when flying out of a field that has been cap'd. almost like the reverse of vulching..sit over your own field. wait for the bad guys to fly over. and then kill them.

the climb and the turn are nice although the roll response is a bit sluggish. the ballistics on the guns take some getting used to. i usually set the convergence to d500 and work my way into nice tracking shots. lead turns seem to work well when setting up on fast-movers.

and with all of that ammo you can get lots of practice.

Saxman · « **Reply #3 on:** April 15, 2006, 02:29:24 AM »

Yeah, from what I remember those Japanese guns weren't known for having great ballistics. Then again, I don't care much for cannon in general (except those 4x40mm plane shredders on the carriers). I'm just too in love with Ma Deuce.

bkbandit · « **Reply #4 on:** April 19, 2006, 03:48:49 PM »

i have turned on niks with other us planes. Done it in a p51 the other day. Came in on the first turn and gunned him up.

Saxman · « **Reply #5 on:** April 20, 2006, 02:49:40 AM »

At the right airspeeds the Corsair can, too: A couple months ago I got into a pretty much stalemated stallfight in an F4U vs an N1K. The race wasn't to see who got a shot first, but whose nearby friendlies would get there and cherry-pick first. Mine won.

Ghosth · « **Reply #6 on:** April 20, 2006, 08:08:43 AM »

Nik & F4u-1d are just about a toss up in turn on the deck.

Widewing & I were playing a bit the other night. He'd get a few scattered hits, then I'd manage to get enough speed to go up & over once. Then I'd be on him and get some hits. Then he'd pull a low speed manuver off and he'd be on me again.

Like you said partly depends on who's friends show up first. Or who gets a lucky shot off that does damage.

WMLute · « **Reply #7 on:** April 20, 2006, 08:19:11 AM »

I probably average a 6-7 to 1 k/d ration in my niki most tours.

Key to a niki vs. fast planes is setup and position. You for darn sure are not gonna catch 'em. I tend to be patient and kill 'em when they get frustrated at not being able to hit me and become aggressive. Just be patient. Typically after the 3rd or 4th attack, they will do something dumb. Just bide your time, and keep your E up and be ready for when they screw up.

Key to a niki vs. turn and burn planes is Flaps Flaps Flaps and Flaps. If you fighting one of the spit's, get slow faster than they do, and try to keep the fight more in ther verticle, i.e. yoyo's, verticle scissors etc.
When I see that the spit driver is gonna knife fight me, I go zero throttle during 'bout the 1st 1/2 of a verticle move until I hear the flaps deploy. Then i'm constantly tappin' flaps, and fighting like crazy for position. Wep on the way up, chop throttle on the way down during moves. The key is to get in position on 'em before the spit reaches stall speed, as then they gonna have an edge on ya'.

(and ghosth, saxman, i'll turn/burn vs. a F4U any day of the week. A well flown corsair can give a niki fit's with rolling scissors, but the niki can hold it's own, and once down slow should eat the F4U for lunch)

Furball · « **Reply #8 on:** April 20, 2006, 10:56:17 AM »

I AM THE NIKI KING!!!1!

zelo13 · « **Reply #9 on:** April 21, 2006, 12:51:09 PM »

WM, Ghosth and Sax...thanks for the tips, most appreciated. WM's post was especially interesting, picked up some good pointers from that one. Nothing like the voice of experience.

Maybe it's because I was so used to flying the 190 D9, I tend to feel the N1k's lack of speed a little more. Makes me always think I need to pick up some airspeed but I'll try not to pay as much attention to that now. Low-speed handling in the N1K is a plus so I'll look to maximze that advantage in the future.

I've definitely been using the vertical and gotten good results with that technique. Back in the day, when I played AW I used to fly the 109 F4 and used similiar tactics to good effect. Next time I'm mixing it up with Spits or other TnB rides, I'll use WM's suggestions on managing the throttle more effectively.

The tip about being patient and waiting for the other guy to do something foolish is great advice and it's uncanny how well that can work.

Thanks again!

Widewing · « **Reply #10 on:** April 21, 2006, 01:41:21 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by WMLute

but the niki can hold it's own, and once down slow should eat the F4U for lunch

Not anymore...

How do you think the F4U would do against a Spit16 in a low-speed fight? What if the Spitfire was flown by one of the game's better pilots?

The Niki is better in the vertical than the F4U-1 series, but should not attempt flat turns with an F4U at low speed, especially if the F4U pilot seems eager to stall-fight. If the Niki gets below 100 mph, it's in trouble.

That last update made the F4Us even better at stall fighting... 85 mph circles.. hardly a twitch either.

To beat the F4U-1s, you'll need to work the vertical to gain angles.

One other thing... Few planes can transition from a high speed merge to flaps-out stall fighting faster or easier than the F4Us.

My regards,

Widewing

zelo13 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 21, 2006, 02:21:27 PM »

widewing...very interesting stuff. i never really thought about the F-4U as a stallfighter but what yer saying makes sense based on a recent experience.

the other night i was flying an N1K and had a hog on my six at about D200. we were both down on the deck over the water and we played follow-the-leader for quite a while. i threw out the flaps and tried just about everything short of dropping my gear to ditch him or force an overshoot but wasn't able to. he was all over me like a cheap suit.

i was lucky--he must have been a recent graduate of the helen keller school of gunnery because despite the close range all he ended up hitting was the water. eventually one of my homies noticed my plight and dropped down and blasted him.

but it definitely made me think about changing my approach with hogs when low and slow.