Originally posted by DVDA
Well i was a BnZ pilot (yes the annoying ones lol) i flew my FW190 but on occasion i flew the P-38J
Are those planes still good or is the Spitfire IX still the number one plane for most?
The P-38 and 190 modelled in Air Warrior are a lot different than the ones in Aces High. The 38 isn't quite the looper it was in AW, and the flaps are used a little differently, too. You may want to get some stick time in one of the less challenging airplanes just to get used to the flight model, compression, and ballistics of the guns.
If you're going to do a simple BnZ attack, the FW190A8 with four 20mms is the package to use (select it in the hangar as an option) so long as you are willing to climb up to 20k before engaging anything lower than you. The 190D is the fastest non-perked FW190 and is good for high-speed attacks. The other 190A is good for moderate dogfighting where you need a combination of speed and turn (just get the two 20mm package rather than the four 20mm option).
If you're just starting out, you should probably favor the planes that other new guys favor: the Spitfire IX (or the Seafire or Spitfire V if you want to earn perk points), the N1k2, and FM2 for stall-free flying, or the LA-7 if you want to fly fast and can get in close. The Spitfire and LA-7 are probably the most dominating aircraft in Aces High as far as dogfighting goes. The Spitfire is a good choice if you're going to do some limited ground bombing and want to spend most of your flight dogfighting.
You should also try the P-51D but be warned that it can stall on you pretty bad if you horse it around the sky too much.
My personal favorite is the Yak9U, an undiscovered gem of a plane if you have good aim and can get in close before firing.
After leaving Air Warrior, one of the first lessons I learned in Aces High (right after discovering the stall characteristics of a Mustang at high altitude) was to abandon my concept of not being shot down in a head-on attack - if I got in trouble, I'd just force my attacker to come at me from in front, knowing that the Air Warrior damage model gave better protection to the front quarter. In AW I used this maneuver as a defensive tactic to keep a guy from killing me from behind. In Aces High the HO is guaranteed to result in either you or your attacker going down in flames.
The second lesson I learned was to avoid colliding with enemy planes. Chances are, you'll be the one missing a wing or a stabilizer while the other guy just keeps flying along.
The third lesson I learned was that the Corsair isn't as fightable in Aces High as it was in Air Warrior. The Mustang is faster and has better visability, although the Corsair is slightly more durable and can carry 2 more rockets on its wings for ground attack. 8 rockets on a Corsair is enough to take down a vehicle hangar. The Corsair may have more ammo than a Mustang, but I'm not really sure. The Corsair is also capable of really nasty landings if you don't use rudder correction for the prop torque.
I also learned that the P-47D isn't the pig it was in Air Warrior. In Aces High, the P-47 is a respectable fighter plane, particularly at higher altitudes.
Main Arena will hold 700 and usually there's anywhere from 200 during the US daytime to 600+ in the US night. Lag will vary depending on your connection.
The best team to be on is the Rooks for two key reasons (a) Rooks are usually outnumbered, so you'll earn more perks per kill and the perk planes will cost less and (b) there's this really awesome uber squadron called the Shillelagh that fly as Rooks and I hear that they're all really great pilots (but way, way exclusive in recruiting). Also, the Rook emblem looks like a castle, which is much cooler than the other teams' emblems that look like mules and "marital aids".
