Not sure if this is the right place for this post - please move it if I have made a mistake (sorry)
Just thought I'd see if anyone was still interested in this ... Zenmaster's guide is pretty much the shit but just thought it might be nice to reactive a thread where aviators of all skill levels can share their tactical wisdom
A Note for Aviators: Post 1.2
As any dedicated or serious BF2 pilot will know, the new patch has made life extremely taxing. Surface-to-Air missiles now pose a serious hazard although the (erratic) performance of Air-to-Air missiles is the much deadlier threat. Consequently, I felt it was important that BF2 aviators had a thread to share tactical ideas and developments with other flyers. Whilst I have only played a few rounds since the new patch I have already developed a tactical approach which I have found to be reasonably successful (but by no means foolproof or original).
A massive thank you to Sarge for points 9 - 20 (you know, all the good advice) and all of the other aviators who have shared their tactical wisdom throughout this thread.
1. Prior to take-off make sure that you are familiar with the location of ground based Air defence sites. Whilst this advice was valid pre-1.2, the improvement in SAM performance means that such sites need to be avoided or, ideally, suppressed. The suppression of SAM sites is an ongoing operation during a round and so a familiarity with AA hot-spots is vital.
2. The key to surviving in the post 1.2 skies is altitude and what is known as the ‘Hi-Lo-Hi’ method. When taking off from an airfield, (presuming you have managed to manoeuvre your way through a barrage of plane blockers and friendly M-95 fire) a vertical climb to an altitude of 400 - 500 metres is advised. This should place you in a favourable position regarding enemy Anti-Aircraft positions, which rarely scan such heights, and other aviators, who tend to operate at lower altitudes. This forms the first ‘Hi’ part of the sortie and you should cruise above the battlefield looking for targets from this height. Obviously, the ability to search for ground targets at this altitude is more difficult owing to fogging and viewing distance limitations. This means that the significance of the mini-map increases to a large extent. In addition, the ability of your commander and comrades to spot targets for you (again nothing new) is crucial.
3. Once you have located a cluster of hostile infantry / vehicles make a sharp ‘near vertical’ dive toward their position and realise your bombs (or make your strafing run). The diving method, which was one of several approaches practised pre-1.2, gives a high level of ordinance accuracy. Now, however, the most significant factor relating to a diving attack is that it provides ground based AA sites with very little opportunity to spot your incoming flight plan and thus engage you. The diving attack forms the ‘Lo’ component of the sortie.
4. Immediately after you have made your attack (and with the speed gained in the dive) you should rapidly ascend back to 400 - 500 metres and begin your flight back to a friendly airfield. This rapid ascent back to altitude forms the final ‘Hi’ component of the sortie and gives the same advantages as were present during the opening ‘Hi’ section.
5. Once over your own airfield, a swift diving pass to re-arm and repair is advised before returning to altitude and beginning your next sortie.
6. The above method can be repeated endlessly although it is vital to vary your flight plan when attacking the same target on more than one occasion. This is especially true when suppressing SAM sites as AA operators WILL catch on if you use the same flight plan and WILL be waiting to down your (paper) plane.
7. If you are fired upon by SAM sites then the dropping of flares makes very little difference to whether the missiles will impact upon you or not. However, if you are sure you are being locked up by a SAM site then an early dropping of flares may just provide you with enough time to streak out of view before the enemy operator gets a chance to ‘unleash hell’.
8. My experience flying against enemy pilots with 1.2 in place is limited although it is worth offering a few pointers. Some may criticise me for this statement but - unless you are positive that you can out manoeuvre your adversary DO NOT attempt to engage any enemy aircraft in aerial combat. The highly erratic performance of Air-to-Air missiles means that if you find an enemy plane on your tail you are likely to be shot down quite soon after you here the lock-up tone. Flares, which may deal with the first couple of incoming missiles, will not protect you from the remainder. Sharp lateral or vertical manoeuvres, which I am sure are covered in the aviator guides on these forums, can, if one is lucky, allow you to avoid further missiles. Of course, the stealthy approach of stalking and using your cannons to down an opponent is still an option although you should terminate any encounter that drops to a low altitude or passes over any AA hot-spots (for the above reasons). I am, however, yet to discover a satisfactory manner in which to engage enemy aircraft on 1.2 and would appreciate the thoughts of other, superior pilots.
"9: Learn how to land a jet! Something every pilot must be capable of - especially in the days of 1.21 when a missle can (still, although it's less likely :p) slam into your rear end at any time. Don't do what most players do, flying over an airfield 5 times, slowly, putting themselves at great risk. My advice: In the beginning, approach the airfield from far away, and make sure you're properly lined up. Start braking early, so that you're around 500-600 kp/h and about 1 1/2 height of one those jet hangers when you reach the start of the runway. You must be LOSING speed at this point, instead of just starting to brake. Do not approach the runway from a high angle, but try to fly low and straight instead. The secret to not exploding on contact with the runway is simple - do not let your nose touch it. Therefore, aim your nose upwards, while your jet slows down and loses altitude. keep braking once you've landed, fix your jet, reverse so you have enough room to take off, and fly away again.
Note: The F-35Bs have different ways of landing. My personal favourite is to hit reverse to hover at a speed of around 800, fly low over the water, then pull up just before the carrier . Flying up will slow you down, so if you time this right you'll be hovering right over the main deck, fixed in a sec, and you can fly off again.
10. Vertical bombing - Pesky AA sites? Fly straight up, do a nice 1/2 loop, and fly straight back down again above your target. AA sites are an easy target with guns here, so dont waste bombs. If you really have to, Fly as vertically as you can when dropping the bombs, and you'll get yourself a kill, plus all the other people waiting to whore the AA.
11. Get more out of the flares - Do a barrel roll when you're being targeted by AA and launch your flares whilst doing it. Your flares will be launched upwards and will cover your ass for a much longer time. DO NOT launch your flares when you don't have a missle heading for you yet. If you can't see whether or not that's happening, launch your flares just after the enemies lock-on sequence is complete.
12. Guns - Don't underestimate these. Pilots seem to listen only for the beeping of a missle these days, so get yourself behind the enemy jet, and launch in with a nice volley of bullets. You can do lots of damage with this, and with sufficient practice bring down enemy jets in no time.
13. the Uberloop! Hard to pull off, and you put yourself at some risk, but it does work - Fly very high up, and turn SLOWLY. I usually go up to 900 feet doing this. Your opponent will lose control of his jet, while you go back down again. The trick is to not turn too fast, so you don't lose control. In fact, if you fly high enough you will actually go faster than a missle.
14. A sure way to dodge missles: In the J10, if you've got a missle heading for you and you have no other option left than to dodge, start rollling (read: steer left/right+roll) Using this method I haven't been hit by a missle yet. Doesn't seem to work as well in other jets though.
15. The best way to not get shot down in a jet is to simply not get anyone on your tail. There are a few ways you can actually make it less likely to get someone on your six:
-Fly at higher altitudes. 500-600 feet will basically keep you out of sight for most people.
-Don't fly in straight lines. It's much harder to actually get behind an enemy jet and stay there if they're constantly turning and not letting you stay in their 'tracks'.
-Don't take obvious routes. (eg.: US carrier straight to MEC airfield on Oman) So combine this with the previous tip and you'll be chasing more than dodging.
16. This one is VERY unlikely to be useful in actual online dogfighting, but it has saved my ass once or twice. If you've got no way out of a dogfight, fly up in a straight line. Go up as high as you possibly can - 2000 feet plus (hence: "not very likely to be useful"), deaccelerate, and jump out of your jet. Yes, at 2000 feet. You can 'steer' yourself at these altitudes, and if you get it right you can fall back down to earth along with your jet. Just dont 'fly' into it or you'll just die. Once you've fooled your opponent get back in again. Yes, in midair.
17. Chasing someone around in circles? Getting bored yet? Do a looping. You'll learn to time this right so you end up right on your enemies six.
18. If you notice that the jet you're chasing is slowing down, laugh at the pilot, and just shoot it out of the sky as a slow flying jet is easier to kill than a sitting duck without legs.
19. A note of warning: Rubble is dangerous. If you've shot down an enemy jet/helicopter, always watch out for falling remains (or paratroopers, as these are equally nasty)
20. -IMPORTANT- ALWAYS fly around in bomb mode unless if you want to use missles. Don't alert enemies to your presence untill they don't have a chance to get away."
Now I realise that there is very little original thought in what I am saying but it is certainly worth re-emphasising the above points. The skies of 1.2 are a more dangerous place and pilots who make continuous passes, at low altitude, across the battlefield will find their missions coming to an abrupt end every minute or so. Moreover, the ability of any pilot, no matter how skilled, to shoot down another pilot by simply spamming his missile key is very real.
Anyway, I know this doesn’t really provide a great deal of help but I hope it is some use to newer pilots who find the skies of 1.2 a daunting place. As I have already mentioned, I think it would be extremely useful for the aviators of BF2 to use this thread as a place to discuss tactical innovations and offer their thoughts on how to overcome the new challenges presented by 1.2.
Best,
Viper38
Just thought I'd see if anyone was still interested in this ... Zenmaster's guide is pretty much the shit but just thought it might be nice to reactive a thread where aviators of all skill levels can share their tactical wisdom
A Note for Aviators: Post 1.2
As any dedicated or serious BF2 pilot will know, the new patch has made life extremely taxing. Surface-to-Air missiles now pose a serious hazard although the (erratic) performance of Air-to-Air missiles is the much deadlier threat. Consequently, I felt it was important that BF2 aviators had a thread to share tactical ideas and developments with other flyers. Whilst I have only played a few rounds since the new patch I have already developed a tactical approach which I have found to be reasonably successful (but by no means foolproof or original).
A massive thank you to Sarge for points 9 - 20 (you know, all the good advice) and all of the other aviators who have shared their tactical wisdom throughout this thread.
1. Prior to take-off make sure that you are familiar with the location of ground based Air defence sites. Whilst this advice was valid pre-1.2, the improvement in SAM performance means that such sites need to be avoided or, ideally, suppressed. The suppression of SAM sites is an ongoing operation during a round and so a familiarity with AA hot-spots is vital.
2. The key to surviving in the post 1.2 skies is altitude and what is known as the ‘Hi-Lo-Hi’ method. When taking off from an airfield, (presuming you have managed to manoeuvre your way through a barrage of plane blockers and friendly M-95 fire) a vertical climb to an altitude of 400 - 500 metres is advised. This should place you in a favourable position regarding enemy Anti-Aircraft positions, which rarely scan such heights, and other aviators, who tend to operate at lower altitudes. This forms the first ‘Hi’ part of the sortie and you should cruise above the battlefield looking for targets from this height. Obviously, the ability to search for ground targets at this altitude is more difficult owing to fogging and viewing distance limitations. This means that the significance of the mini-map increases to a large extent. In addition, the ability of your commander and comrades to spot targets for you (again nothing new) is crucial.
3. Once you have located a cluster of hostile infantry / vehicles make a sharp ‘near vertical’ dive toward their position and realise your bombs (or make your strafing run). The diving method, which was one of several approaches practised pre-1.2, gives a high level of ordinance accuracy. Now, however, the most significant factor relating to a diving attack is that it provides ground based AA sites with very little opportunity to spot your incoming flight plan and thus engage you. The diving attack forms the ‘Lo’ component of the sortie.
4. Immediately after you have made your attack (and with the speed gained in the dive) you should rapidly ascend back to 400 - 500 metres and begin your flight back to a friendly airfield. This rapid ascent back to altitude forms the final ‘Hi’ component of the sortie and gives the same advantages as were present during the opening ‘Hi’ section.
5. Once over your own airfield, a swift diving pass to re-arm and repair is advised before returning to altitude and beginning your next sortie.
6. The above method can be repeated endlessly although it is vital to vary your flight plan when attacking the same target on more than one occasion. This is especially true when suppressing SAM sites as AA operators WILL catch on if you use the same flight plan and WILL be waiting to down your (paper) plane.
7. If you are fired upon by SAM sites then the dropping of flares makes very little difference to whether the missiles will impact upon you or not. However, if you are sure you are being locked up by a SAM site then an early dropping of flares may just provide you with enough time to streak out of view before the enemy operator gets a chance to ‘unleash hell’.
8. My experience flying against enemy pilots with 1.2 in place is limited although it is worth offering a few pointers. Some may criticise me for this statement but - unless you are positive that you can out manoeuvre your adversary DO NOT attempt to engage any enemy aircraft in aerial combat. The highly erratic performance of Air-to-Air missiles means that if you find an enemy plane on your tail you are likely to be shot down quite soon after you here the lock-up tone. Flares, which may deal with the first couple of incoming missiles, will not protect you from the remainder. Sharp lateral or vertical manoeuvres, which I am sure are covered in the aviator guides on these forums, can, if one is lucky, allow you to avoid further missiles. Of course, the stealthy approach of stalking and using your cannons to down an opponent is still an option although you should terminate any encounter that drops to a low altitude or passes over any AA hot-spots (for the above reasons). I am, however, yet to discover a satisfactory manner in which to engage enemy aircraft on 1.2 and would appreciate the thoughts of other, superior pilots.
"9: Learn how to land a jet! Something every pilot must be capable of - especially in the days of 1.21 when a missle can (still, although it's less likely :p) slam into your rear end at any time. Don't do what most players do, flying over an airfield 5 times, slowly, putting themselves at great risk. My advice: In the beginning, approach the airfield from far away, and make sure you're properly lined up. Start braking early, so that you're around 500-600 kp/h and about 1 1/2 height of one those jet hangers when you reach the start of the runway. You must be LOSING speed at this point, instead of just starting to brake. Do not approach the runway from a high angle, but try to fly low and straight instead. The secret to not exploding on contact with the runway is simple - do not let your nose touch it. Therefore, aim your nose upwards, while your jet slows down and loses altitude. keep braking once you've landed, fix your jet, reverse so you have enough room to take off, and fly away again.
Note: The F-35Bs have different ways of landing. My personal favourite is to hit reverse to hover at a speed of around 800, fly low over the water, then pull up just before the carrier . Flying up will slow you down, so if you time this right you'll be hovering right over the main deck, fixed in a sec, and you can fly off again.
10. Vertical bombing - Pesky AA sites? Fly straight up, do a nice 1/2 loop, and fly straight back down again above your target. AA sites are an easy target with guns here, so dont waste bombs. If you really have to, Fly as vertically as you can when dropping the bombs, and you'll get yourself a kill, plus all the other people waiting to whore the AA.
11. Get more out of the flares - Do a barrel roll when you're being targeted by AA and launch your flares whilst doing it. Your flares will be launched upwards and will cover your ass for a much longer time. DO NOT launch your flares when you don't have a missle heading for you yet. If you can't see whether or not that's happening, launch your flares just after the enemies lock-on sequence is complete.
12. Guns - Don't underestimate these. Pilots seem to listen only for the beeping of a missle these days, so get yourself behind the enemy jet, and launch in with a nice volley of bullets. You can do lots of damage with this, and with sufficient practice bring down enemy jets in no time.
13. the Uberloop! Hard to pull off, and you put yourself at some risk, but it does work - Fly very high up, and turn SLOWLY. I usually go up to 900 feet doing this. Your opponent will lose control of his jet, while you go back down again. The trick is to not turn too fast, so you don't lose control. In fact, if you fly high enough you will actually go faster than a missle.
14. A sure way to dodge missles: In the J10, if you've got a missle heading for you and you have no other option left than to dodge, start rollling (read: steer left/right+roll) Using this method I haven't been hit by a missle yet. Doesn't seem to work as well in other jets though.
15. The best way to not get shot down in a jet is to simply not get anyone on your tail. There are a few ways you can actually make it less likely to get someone on your six:
-Fly at higher altitudes. 500-600 feet will basically keep you out of sight for most people.
-Don't fly in straight lines. It's much harder to actually get behind an enemy jet and stay there if they're constantly turning and not letting you stay in their 'tracks'.
-Don't take obvious routes. (eg.: US carrier straight to MEC airfield on Oman) So combine this with the previous tip and you'll be chasing more than dodging.
16. This one is VERY unlikely to be useful in actual online dogfighting, but it has saved my ass once or twice. If you've got no way out of a dogfight, fly up in a straight line. Go up as high as you possibly can - 2000 feet plus (hence: "not very likely to be useful"), deaccelerate, and jump out of your jet. Yes, at 2000 feet. You can 'steer' yourself at these altitudes, and if you get it right you can fall back down to earth along with your jet. Just dont 'fly' into it or you'll just die. Once you've fooled your opponent get back in again. Yes, in midair.
17. Chasing someone around in circles? Getting bored yet? Do a looping. You'll learn to time this right so you end up right on your enemies six.
18. If you notice that the jet you're chasing is slowing down, laugh at the pilot, and just shoot it out of the sky as a slow flying jet is easier to kill than a sitting duck without legs.
19. A note of warning: Rubble is dangerous. If you've shot down an enemy jet/helicopter, always watch out for falling remains (or paratroopers, as these are equally nasty)
20. -IMPORTANT- ALWAYS fly around in bomb mode unless if you want to use missles. Don't alert enemies to your presence untill they don't have a chance to get away."
Now I realise that there is very little original thought in what I am saying but it is certainly worth re-emphasising the above points. The skies of 1.2 are a more dangerous place and pilots who make continuous passes, at low altitude, across the battlefield will find their missions coming to an abrupt end every minute or so. Moreover, the ability of any pilot, no matter how skilled, to shoot down another pilot by simply spamming his missile key is very real.
Anyway, I know this doesn’t really provide a great deal of help but I hope it is some use to newer pilots who find the skies of 1.2 a daunting place. As I have already mentioned, I think it would be extremely useful for the aviators of BF2 to use this thread as a place to discuss tactical innovations and offer their thoughts on how to overcome the new challenges presented by 1.2.
Best,
Viper38
Last edited by Viper38 (2006-05-13 18:30:58)
