Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: jaxxo on March 04, 2005, 03:32:32 PM
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Seems to me to be a huge gap in the skill level between pilots. Either u kill them or at least have them owned within the first 2 merges or you know your in the chit. I cant remember the last time i had a great fight with an even skilled pilot. That is to say one on one with similair alt.. speed ..etc.I generally have no problem against most of the players i run into given these conditions...but when i get a superior skilled guy on me its over pretty quick. Im too proud myself to admit someone is better than me and ask for help so im gonna be stuck at this level it seems. That sounds bad but confidence is huge in this game and gettin spanked in the da by certain individuals does not do wonders for my confidence :P..... at any rate I find myself doing dumb things like fighting hopeless causes as my alter ego "captain save a base" to get some adrenalin goin. Anyway i officially am taking a step forward and asking for help from anyone who wants to teach advanced acm's. I am your humble servant.
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Well Sir, I am the man!
You can give me training lessions in the TA or DA anytime you want to.
Just be gentle with me, I really suck :)
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Buy rudder pedals and learn to use them. Map your elevator trim to your joystick hat.
Ok, I'm done. That'll be $200 please.
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Originally posted by jaxxo
....at any rate I find myself doing dumb things like fighting hopeless causes as my alter ego "captain save a base" to get some adrenalin goin...
yup thats me
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not to sound hoity-toity or anything, but sometimes people just have levels they're incapable of going beyond.
i'm not saying that you're incapable of getting any better, tho' but you have been around quite a while now - there aren't any "big secret squirrel" moves or anything. it's just a matter of doing better what you're doing now.
or simply put... there's probably not any more acm you can learn, but perhaps you can learn to use what you already know more effectively.
there are so many little things that (have to) come together, from something as simple as view setup and joystick settings, to something more complicated and hard to quantify as "SA" and ensuing decision making in a chaotic environment.
here are things you can do:
views: i have almost 100% coverage in both "level" and "up" views (i also use instant view mode) for a total of 17 views. are you comfortable with the way you have your views and head positions set up?
plane performance: it never hurts to ask someone you know is either better than you, or of comparable skill, to the DA for some 1 v 1, or even 1 v 2 or 3 practice using a varity of set ups from mismatched planes to mismatched alts, etc etc.
use /.join in the MA and ride along with some people you know are very good at what they do and try and see and understand why they choose to do what they do in engagements.
just keep at it, being as aggressive as possible, nothing can compete with actual experience even tho' you get your arse handed to you over and over. eventually it'll just all come together... or not.
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If someone is spanking and only spanking in the dueling arena or anywhere for that matter, they aren't doing the spankee any favors. It's a wasted effort to endlessly spank (read that how you like ;)).
As to the talent gap of which you speak, I think you're right. And as it has been discussed several times in the past; the blame rests on the vets.
Only a few tight-nit long time players frequent the arenas. Many oldtimers have 3rd degree burnout scars and have trouble recovering. New players are developing tactics and adapting to what the arena offers.
Just what the arena offers is another huge can of worms... the actual object of the main arena...
As with many other areas these days, entropy takes over. Things flow downward, taking the path of least resistance. The new form their own squads and share and embrace whatever they've discovered, whatever they've found to be fun in this game. Dive bombing formations, suiciders, runners, blah blah blah - this probably encompasses EVERY aspect of gameplay, since "bad" is entirely relative to the diverse playerbase; just as EVERY aspect of gameplay is "good" for the same reason.
Things I enjoyed back in the day:
-Nights of 30 players per country,
-busy evenings broke 100 on the roster,
-'s and discussions of fights ensued on channel 1,
-fear of one particular pilot or squadron annihilating entire sector,
-base capture was 'cool' ;), and sneak captures consisted of 1 deacker and a goon. :cool:
-Only one or two well-known tuckfards started verbal wars on the open channel for fun. The community squashed them instead of fueling their attention deficit.
The system becomes unbalanced and equilibrium shifts. The l33t furballers are merely a reaction to a silent and creeping toolshed underground. It becomes polarized and friction develops between the poles. animosity and laziness to train players, and NOT in the literal sense of the word. That best comes from experience. But for squads and fellow vets to actually take them under their wing so they can observe "the right way" to go about things; be it in a dogfight, etiquette (or lack of.. FDBs), or open channel behavior. I agree there are dedicated individuals who take it upon themselves to adopting and taking the naive under their wing, and I thank them for their efforts (AH Trainers and other individuals), but it is not common practice.
I have no statistics, but I think its safe to say the majority of MA players online at any arbitrary time are "new." (I still consider some of the AW refugees as new. :D) At any given moment when I'm online, I can look at the roster and can only find maybe 5 names, excluding squadmates, that I know or have flown with.
[edit]: Must've been drunk when typing this... sentences made no sense.[/edit]
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Ok, serious now, here's my advice.
Avoid the Spitfire IX if you've been online for a month or more. Its a crutch. Same with the LA-7. Yes, you'll learn things like views and basic game commands and how things work and that's great if you're brand spanking new, but for learning to fly combat, it becomes a crutch. The Spit IX is a very forgiving aircraft and if you don't pay for your mistakes you'll never know that you're making them.
If you want to learn air combat through the school of hard knocks, fly the 109s or the Yak. You'll learn how to manage your speed, manage your ammo, and gunnery (because convergence won't matter and you have a small ammo load). The 109 will teach you how to manage your energy and the Yak will teach you how to maneuver in close to your target. If you can kill with either of those planes, you can kill with just about any plane. Except the P-38.
The P-38 requires a bit more thought. It takes some skill in working trim tabs to break out of compression, flaps to help with lift in a turnfight, and WEP to manage airspeed. The 109 will help you recognize the signs of compression, and the skills you learn with the 109 will be applicable with the P-38 as well.
Ok, that's all I have for now. Its a start.
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what i dont get is some (and just some not all) of the much better vet sticks make the p38 out to sound like a "God mode" plane.
i know there are those out there that do not think is is the best, and it is odd trying to figure these p38 lovers out.
with no offense intended, i hate the p38. it is smurfy, bad views, and just generally distasteful. i am not a super smart man, but i did do well in school, and learned alot. until i came to AH, i had never studied WWII, only what i had ran across in every day life.
i had never heard of the p38 in my life at 29 years old.
i have yet to find in any of the 20 books i have bought a mention of the p38 being so superior to many planes. in fact i have read about it's major inferiorities in some cases.
what is the facination of the p38? (rehtorical question please don't answer i have heard it here on the BBS for 3 years, and i still dont believe 1 stich of it)
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It looks different
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Jaxxo, im nowhere near your level, but heres what got me the skills i have in as short a time as 4 months:
I had the luck to be part of a very good and fun squad from day one. We not only fly together in MA, but we also kill each other in DA. If its one versus one, even fight, uneven planeset, a game we play or just one huge furball FFA. That way we each learn from the other, see different flying styles and find ways to how to counter them.
I remeber one hight vividly. one squadmate got me again and again with a looping maneuver (throttle and flaps at its finest) in spit five. Took me two hours, but in the end i found a way to survive. learned a lot that night.
Its not a matter of going to the DA or TA with someone and be told: this is what you have to do. its more of a 'silent learning', you get better bit by bit, without noticing. just after a few weeks you look back and say: hey, i improved my skills, whoda have thought.
Most important thing to me is: Have fun doing what you do, everything else isnt worth it.
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i fly the P38 because it is hard, if i get a kill with it i feel i earned it.
44MAG
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I have no talent. Therfore I submit , there is NO gap.
Mr. President, we cannot afford , to allow , a Talent Gap !!!!!!!!!!
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lol at "Capt. save-a-base"
seems like something Mars would say:D
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Oct...
Well said. I was burned out long before I came here. I really have no desire to be one of the "best". I could probably be much better than I am....but, frankly, I don't care. I'm good enough to have fun and after all...that really is the point. Heck, fill one hand with skill at AH and the other with dog poop...in the end, the dog poop is the only real thing. :D
As for a 'skill gap', you betcherass there is a skill gap. If I can run a 2 or 3 to 1 K/D in the MA, there has to be one.
Jaxxo...
If you are serious about improving your skill...take Shane's suggestions and put them to use. I do know a fellow that was probably one of the best that ever played AW did many of those same things to get to the top.
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Talent gaps are a fact of life. They exist everywhere and in everything. I'm a good guitar player.. I can play anything Hendrix did. Can I write anything nearly as good? Not a chance. I thinke everyone plateaus after a while.. how high that plateau is depends completely on natural ability. Once you get to a certain level (you may be there now.. if not, duel good sticks as often as you can), everything you learn comes from experience.
There is no way to teach someone how to fight in a 1vs3... there are too many variables. Most "ACM" (I use that term loosely, since rolling scissors seem to be "advanced" to most when they fall under BCM) can be learned through mimicking. If you bounce some guy expecting an easy kill, and consequently get slaughtered, watch your film. There's probably something to be learned. If you want someone to "teach" you ACM, my advice to you is to buy the book "Fighter Combat" by Robert Shaw. When I got the book, just about everything in it was things I was already doing, but it helped me understand what I was doing a bit better, and helped me figure out how to do it better.
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Originally posted by NoBaddy
Heck, fill one hand with skill at AH and the other with dog poop...in the end, the dog poop is the only real thing. :D
You sure have a unique way of putting things NB.
:D
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Have fun. Relax. That`s what it`s for.
If it becomes and all consuming job to become a pixelated pounder, then dump it and find something that puts cash in your pocket.
To go back a few years..." It don`t mean nothing".
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Originally posted by nopoop
You sure have a unique way of putting things NB.
:D
Poopster...
At least I dint say "fill a hand with nopoop...". :)
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<----Shakes Head>
I have tried.....I really have.
Out.... Dave
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Seem to be missing an essential point here. There are guys who are flying all the time. No matter when you come into the arena they are there.
Nothing like a bit of time in, to make you that much better.
Throw in the guys who have a certain knack for the game, and it's even better.
Just flying one plane has made a difference for me. Since I moved into the 38G and refused to get out, I feel like I'm a better 'pilot' as I'm learning what it does well and what it doesn't do well.
I still die at an alarming rate, but I'm making folks work for it more. And I'm online flying more lately too.
But lots of us have lives, families, jobs etc that demand a certain amount of time as well. If I get an hour in a night or even every other, I feel pretty good.
Is that enough to ever get me to match some of the hot sticks in here? Nope.
So I give it everything I have when I fly and try and win the ones I can and get the other guy to work on the ones I end up losing.
Bottom line though is it has to remain fun. I've had stretches going back to my AW days, where it became 'work' and I won't let that happen again.
Dan
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Originally posted by Guppy35
Seem to be missing an essential point here. There are guys who are flying all the time. No matter when you come into the arena they are there.
There's also fellows who fly all the time and still stink.
Nomak - don't get down on yourself, you can only plant the seeds, up to time and opportunity to sprout the crops.
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Originally posted by JB73
what i dont get is some (and just some not all) of the much better vet sticks make the p38 out to sound like a "God mode" plane.
i know there are those out there that do not think is is the best, and it is odd trying to figure these p38 lovers out.
with no offense intended, i hate the p38. it is smurfy, bad views, and just generally distasteful. i am not a super smart man, but i did do well in school, and learned alot. until i came to AH, i had never studied WWII, only what i had ran across in every day life.
i had never heard of the p38 in my life at 29 years old.
i have yet to find in any of the 20 books i have bought a mention of the p38 being so superior to many planes. in fact i have read about it's major inferiorities in some cases.
what is the facination of the p38? (rehtorical question please don't answer i have heard it here on the BBS for 3 years, and i still dont believe 1 stich of it)
I saw my first P-38 in 1959. I was 6 years old and recognized it instantly.
One aspect of the P-38 was that it was the first high-performance Army fighter that could exceed 400 mph. It was extremely advanced when the prototype flew. It was also the first American fighter than could meet the Luftwaffe on equal terms, and utterly overwhelmed Japanese opposition. It was the aircraft flown by America's two top aces. The first American ace (flying an American aircraft) against Germany flew the P-38F (Jack Ilfrey). Before the P-51 arrived in big numbers, the P-38 was the only escort fighter able to take bombers all the way into eastern Germany. It was the first escort fighter to reach Berlin.
Performance was very good (see below). It was ruggedly built, packed a heavy punch and offered twin-engine safety. It filled more roles than any other American fighter during the war.
It had its faults. But its strengths exceeded its weaknesses. According to most pilots who flew both the P-38 and P-51 in combat, virtually all would tell you that below 10,000 feet, the P-38 was the ride of choice. Down in the weeds, flying on the edge of a stall, no other American fighter is better.
I like how it looks. The new AH2 P-38 has better outside vision than the AH1 model. It is easily the best of the USAAF fighters at pure dogfighting.
It's purely a matter of personal taste. I fly everything to some extent. I have no true favorite, but if I had to select only one aircraft for everything, it would be the P-38. It's a well balanced aircraft, capable of defeating anything that comes its way. It's not the best fighter in the game. I think the F4U-4 holds that honor. But, P-38 is still very capable.
75% fuel at takeoff, fuel burn set at 2.0 per the MA.
Acceleration: Altitude, 25 feet. Adjust power to steady at 200 mph. Go to max power (with WEP where available). Time needed to attain 300 mph.
Results in seconds, no rounding.
Tempest: 26.16
F4U-4: 28.57
SpitXIV: 28.72
La-7: 28.78
109G-10: 28.97
190D-9: 30.83
Ki-84: 35.96
P-38J\L: 36.57
Yak-9U: 37.40
109G-2: 37.62
109G-2: 43.94 w/gondolos
Climb from sea level. Start altitude, 25 feet. Adjust power to steady 300 mph. Go to max power, engage auto-climb. Time needed to reach 10,000 feet.
Results in minutes and seconds, no rounding.
109G-10: 1:46.18
SpitXIV: 1:47.13
109G-2: 1:54.06
F4U-4: 1:55.67
P-38J/L: 2:03.55
109G-2: 2:04.00 w/gondolas
Ki-84: 2:04.09
190D-9: 2:04.35
Tempest: 2:05.38
La-7: 2:06.91
Yak-9U: 2:13.94
My regards,
Widewing
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sometimes your the bug
sometimes your the windshield
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Originally posted by Vudak
There's also fellows who fly all the time and still stink.
Dang, Vudak. Why didn't you just say...like Skeeter0. :D
I have never mastered the ACM's. I really gotta spend some time on that. Also, my gunnery is all over the place. I'm beginning to think I zoom in too close. It seems I do better about half way.
I am SLOWLY getting better. Flying with other squads on missions has helped a lot (thanks JB's :). But I do plan to get with someone to learn some things.
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I fly it for 2 reasons.
1. It looks badass when flying through your victims fireball
2. No other ride I can put so many rockets into a formation get hits and ruin the buff drivers day before he's in range of my butt.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/ah_204_1075854840.jpg)
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OK I fly it cause it looks good :)
Dan/CorkyJr
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/810_1109843352_hhatdusk.jpg)
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It just feels very cozy between those engines. :aok
I always feel worse in other planes maybe that because i fly it since 1.02/03.
I like this J skin btw
:aok :aok
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/277_1110016029_ahss30.jpg)
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nice responses guys
. I havent even got bashed yet. Someone insert a derragatory remark so i will feel at home :P
I dont think ive plateaued at all, I think with a little more advanced lessons I can get better. Send me a message anytime to go to da if you know your more of a pilot than me, (this is not a challenge) I am sincerely interested in learning a bit more.
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Originally posted by jaxxo
nice responses guys . I havent even got bashed yet. Someone insert a derragatory remark so i will feel at home :P
I dont think ive plateaued at all, I think with a little more advanced lessons I can get better. Send me a message anytime to go to da if you know your more of a pilot than me, (this is not a challenge) I am sincerely interested in learning a bit more.
OK ... jaxxo .. u suck and you do really need help ... :D
P-38 is by far the sweetest looking plane out there .... beside the Blue Spit V ... ;)
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Originally posted by SlapShot
.... beside the Blue Spit V ... ;)
That blue spit is fuuugly :p
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Jaxxo, next time you see me online lets go DA just for fun.
we could both learn something from killing eachother no doubt.
more fun than horde invaders in MA.
Also, check out http://www.furnallunderground.com for your old style fighting fix. we all suck and die repeatedly for fun here.
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Here's another reason to fly the P-38:
Acceleration, medium altitude - 20,000 feet. Adjust speed until steady at 200 mph, apply full available power. Time required to accelerate to 300 mph.
Time is seconds:
P-38J/L: 27.47
F4U-4: 28.59
SpitXIV: 28.90
109G-10: 29.28
190D-9: 30.78
P-47D-40: 31.42
109G-6: 32.35
P-51D: 34.01
SpitIX: 34.41
P-38G: 38.78
Tempest: 39.63
La-7: 40.10
Ki-84: 41.97
This is quite a turn around from the acceleration performance at sea level. At 20,000 feet the P-38J/L simply leaves every other prop fighter in the game in its exhaust fumes. Even the big Jug is beginning to show its higher altitude strength. We can also see how balanced the F4U-4 is. It's acceleration time from 200 mph to 300 mph at 20,000 feet is the same as its time at sea level (actually .01 seconds difference). This only reinforces my opinion that the F4U-4 is the game's best fighter. At 20k, the SpitXIV, 109G-10 and Dora show their potency. All have excellent performance at this altitude.
We see the P-51D and SpitIX close together, trailing the 109G-6.
The low level monsters did poorly. Of these, the Tempest accelerates best, followed by the La-7 and the Ki-84 bringing up the rear. If you take either of these up this high, virtually every other fighter tested here has the performance to eat you up. Even the P-38G accelerates and climbs better at 20k than these fighters.
My regards,
Widewing
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Originally posted by gofaster
The P-38 requires a bit more thought. It takes some skill in working trim tabs to break out of compression.
No it doesn't. If you've entered compressability in the P-38, you've seriously screwed up. It is very easy to avoid entering into compressability, in fact it is far easier to avoid than to enter into such a state. And for the high buffeting (sp?) you reach at lower altitudes due to speed is again quite easy to control without needing to "trim up" and the experienced P-38 pilots can ride the edge of the "buffet" and maintain positive control as their planes reach the 475-500mph IAS mark.
Key to avoiding compressability in the P-38:
1) Do not start dives above 20,000ft.
2) Use throttle to maintain speed in dive
3) If you start to get a little too fast, use some rudder to create drag and slow you down. Rudders are your friend in a dive, use them.
Just follow those three very basic steps and kiss compressability goodbye. Steps #2 and #3 can be used to ride the edge of the high speed buffet at lower altitudes when your plane starts to buffet from the high speed dive.
Notice that there is a difference between high speed buffets and compressability. If you plan on flying the P-38, it's a must to know the difference between these two different aerodynamic phenomena.
ack-ack
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back to the original thread....:D
I look at learning as a series of plateau's. You learn something and get up and fly and do ok. Then you reach a point where you kinda stop. You've just reached a plateau. It's no big deal. You just need a nudge over it and you will go again until you reach another plateau. This will continue as long as you fly here.
A good teacher will teach you a bit then let you go until you find that plateau. Then help you over it and on to the next one. The reason you want to follow this course of action is you can get too much information. That overload will cause you to lock up and not progress.
Sure we all want to get good, right this second. I wish you could too. But take yer time and learn it once and learn it right and you will enjoy the game alot more.
Ren
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jaxxo, you're still better than most!:aok
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Originally posted by SuperDud
jaxxo, you're still better than most!:aok
Yeah... no kidding... A squaddie and I were going at him 2v1 for a good 5+ minutes and couldn't so much as land a ping on his zeke!
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I wish my gap had talent....
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Yea Vudak, same thing happened to me, only we was in spits dogfighting his La7 lol. He still got me!
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hehe..me likey the zekey :) that was a fun in that zeke, hard to land a good shot though.
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jaxxo, from my short time here I find that going to DA with someone of about equal skill level really helps. It makes you push yourself really hard each round but at the same time you ain't getting slaughtered every round. I'm not sure how I stack up against ya, but if ya want to, I'll give it a whirl:D
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Jaxxo, when you want to move to DA to duel 2 or 3 other pilots, tell me. I am not that great but i have some chance at killing you in 2 or 3 on one.
1 on 1 duels are fun, but do not always represent the problems in ma.
About the skill level, yes its true. A lot of people will shoot me down in a 1 on 1. When outnumberd i die pretty fast if i dont run. But when it is a 2 on one or 2 on 2 i can hold out pretty good. What i want to say is, it might be that a lot of pilots cant hold their own in one on one against you, but if they are smart they wing up with someone else and try to fight 2 on 1 or better 2 on 2.
So maybe not only top of the line 1 on 1 training, but also some training against 2 enemys is a good idea.
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Schutts hit some nail on the head. 1vs1 in DA doesnt represent MA at all.
Sure it helps to get acm and single dogfights (rare in MA) down better, but my experience is: MA usually means 2 vs 2 at least, ive been outnumbered half the fights last tour.
It might be good to practice team vs team furball or FFA as well. maybe even outnumbered.
If you need volunteers for DA, im game anytime im online. Just holler.
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Jaxxo ask to fly with Yucca in DA.
He is probably one of the most helpful and willing individuals
in here and you will definately get lots outta it.
As shane said you probably just need to hone the skills that you have developed and that is a matter of fine tunin you and ur machine.
Shane also a good pick to fly with but he too fat to ride tandem with :-P !
I have been playin for a year now and have learned so much from
joinin airplanes, experimentin', advice, and hands on! Take films of your deaths and victories for times when you are bored and review them. Also while flyin' its good to have your attack plan, counterstrike, and initial maneauver planned before any merge.
Have a game plan and stick to it!
I can make a 3-1 turn into a 1-0 simply by making all 3 auger. I have won many 2-1 battles this way and several 3-1 battles. This usually happens when they attackin' from high and fast but not always. Know your airpane MINIMUM celing to SPLIT-S and that can work wonders for u. Learn MINIMUM ceiling for a particular airplane for split-s idle power and split-s max power.
Set a fixed distance for each airplne as min firing distance and dont fire until within that.
Watch how some players evade ur attack and how they maneauver to evade and practice EXACTLY that. Learn from your opponenets and the fights you get in. You can learn lots from how your nme flies (if he good).
WMsharp
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Motivation + Aptitude = Success.
Gotta have both.
Imbalance in either = Parachute.
And there is simply the law of averages. Compete in anything long enough and eventually comes loss.
Best way to improve is keep an open mind and figure out what your opponent is doing to you. Everything has a countermeasure.
I learn the most from first just wringing out a ride on my own, finding all the nuances. Then go one on one with a better pilot, talking to each other throughout the fight and not shooting. Just working through moves and countermoves.
After the moves are better understood, then practice the shots from various angles and ranges.
Then air to ground with various loads. Then mission management including optimum profile, fuel, and armament.
Best thing here is we can afford to take chances over and over again. In real life, some things are indeed life and death and cannot be totally simulated.
Remember too that the only fight that truly means anything is the next one. Learn from the past and live for the next adventure. You just might knock off the reigning ace.
Prosper and enjoy in the safe world of cyber!
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Having good SA and knowing E-management are the two most important aspects of MA air combat. Be aggressive, but always look for a way out if need be.
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JAXXO,
I think I know what your problem is. It is derfinetly not skill. Your broblem may be upping from bases under attack where everyone comes in 1K may be 2K higher (does not look that bad) but very fast. You problem may also be that you don't start your attacks after reaching 10K or 15K and after all your friends have made a mess out the bad guys SA. Your problem may also be that you start fighting as soon as you see the bad guys instead of waiting to see how many are following.
In short, yes I am sure you could improve your combat skills (every one can) but if you are looking to go out and come back with 10 kills, learning how to fly is not going to help you.
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call me anytime to go to da superdud..if im not in squad mission ill go with ya. I would really like to just get in different p[lanes and see some new perspectives
As for engaging too many cons thats correct..i get bored with grabbing 12k and using "sa" all the time..thats purely my fault. Really i think fighting guys who you know are better than you is the key. sometimes it takes 2 or 3 on one to get that accomplished.
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Originally posted by JB73
what i dont get is some (and just some not all) of the much better vet sticks make the p38 out to sound like a "God mode" plane.
i know there are those out there that do not think is is the best, and it is odd trying to figure these p38 lovers out.
with no offense intended, i hate the p38. it is smurfy, bad views, and just generally distasteful. i am not a super smart man, but i did do well in school, and learned alot. until i came to AH, i had never studied WWII, only what i had ran across in every day life.
i had never heard of the p38 in my life at 29 years old.
i have yet to find in any of the 20 books i have bought a mention of the p38 being so superior to many planes. in fact i have read about it's major inferiorities in some cases.
what is the facination of the p38? (rehtorical question please don't answer i have heard it here on the BBS for 3 years, and i still dont believe 1 stich of it)
JB its simple.
Performance wise (accel, speed at alts,firepower/ordenance, climb, dive, turn, roll, zoom, range, e-retention) the P-38 is as good or *almost* as good as all other planes in the set. In all categories.
Its a plane of 'almost as good'. Which means that no matter what plane it faces, it can pull manouvers using those 'almost' abilities against the other plane's weakness to defeat it.
All other fighters have easily known and exploitable advantages and weaknessess.. for example the 109g10 turns for crap and the zero is crap for speed. The P-38 has almost the best performance that all other planes have as their best advantage and has some features unique to the 38 (counter-rotating props and huge arse fowler flaps).
So when you in plane X and meet a 38, you're really meeting the best performance of almost all planes in the set... the only defining element is the pilot IN the 38.
OTH, when you meet any other plane in the arena, you can easily tell what the enemy plane is bad at (speed, turning, etc) and fight accordingly.. a 38 however, can go from being a good turner to being a good energy fighter in the same engagement.
And at almost any altitude.