i have been playing a lot of iron gator lately, and i wanted to share some tips to help any of those new to flying the helis, or even vets that are new to the gator map. i am by no means perfect, and there are a LOT of pilots better than me, but there are a few common tactics to learn that would help make the game better for those who are frustrated with the helis on this map. i'm assuming you are familiar with flying and espcially where the TV missle sight is on the SF heli compared to the vanilla heli. (it's much lower in SF, meaning the pilot has to nose up for a tv shot.) most of this info is in snake's guide, but it seems a refresher course might be good for those who are interested. by the way, snake's guide is REQUIRED reading for successful gator rounds.
apache tips:
1) always be ready to check the mini-map. as soon as someone spots an enemy, you should find out where it is. 90% of the heli battles are won by the team who sees the enemy first.
2) if you are in the apache, and the hind has the altitude advantage, don't try to pull back for very difficult tv shots. your best bet is to try to fly directly underneath the hind, putting you out of danger, and making it difficult for them to re-acquire you. while they are spinning in circles, just keep climbing. most of the time, the hind will be busy looking down for you and losing altitude, which then gives you the altitude advantage.
3) keep an eye on the essex tracers... they are a good indication of where enemy helis are going and what direction they are headed. for the truly leet, send a tv missle towards the tracers, and you will see the heli at the last second. hitting an enemy blind like that will almost always result in a hackusation from the other pilots if the essex is destroyed, a good tactic is to pick a back corner of the ship, almost out of bounds on the left or right. try to get as much height as possible and keep your eyes peeled for the enemy or for a friendly "hostile slick inbound" message.
4) flying past the ship towards the mec uncap is most likely a suicide mission. dont do it! the tv missles can reach all the way to the uncap from behind the ship. no need to put yourself in harm's way when your gunner can take care of business at range.
5) the pilot should always take out jetskis. they are damn near impossible to hit with the chain gun, and you will waste a lot of time trying. one rocket is all it takes to finish off a jetski.
hind tips:
6) when taking off in the hind, always give your gunner a quick shot at the carrier essex. most players do that nowadays, but there is the occasional newbie who might not know. refer to snake's gator guide (this screenie) for more info on the location.
7) master the circle of death with the hind. this will basically render the other team's heli useless, as you can supress both the flight deck and the tower, and you will be extremely difficult to hit with rockets.
8) learn where the reload zones are on the carrier. it only takes one flag to be capped by the MEC to open a reload point. all too often i watch someone fly all the way back to the MEC uncap when they could reload right by the ship. all this does is give the enemy a chance to get their heli up, and you will have to dogfight again for control of the ship's deck.
9) when attacking the hangar bay, always keep the heli moving side to side. sitting still opens you up for too many rockets. remember, it only takes two to put you down.
10) the circle of death is a good way to avoid tv missles, since the hind has virtually no quickness. it's dodging ability is laughable compared to the apache, so circling is definitely the way to go. but with the hind's engine power, you should be able to gain a dominant attack position against the apache fairly quickly, so remember to circle only to dodge missles, and then set up your gunner for his shot as quickly as possible. the only real pilots you have to watch out for are those who follow apache tip #2. then you will have a good dogfight on your hands. it will come down to the apache diving under you and pulling up for quick tv shots, but a good circle of death with a nice smooth line-up for the gunner will make it anyone's fight.
following these tactics will greatly improve your performance with the heli's and all the fun that goes with it. domination with either heli is one of the best ways to have fun in bf2, and you will fill your hard drive with the screenies of kick votes and crying from the helpless enemies... good luck!
apache tips:
1) always be ready to check the mini-map. as soon as someone spots an enemy, you should find out where it is. 90% of the heli battles are won by the team who sees the enemy first.
2) if you are in the apache, and the hind has the altitude advantage, don't try to pull back for very difficult tv shots. your best bet is to try to fly directly underneath the hind, putting you out of danger, and making it difficult for them to re-acquire you. while they are spinning in circles, just keep climbing. most of the time, the hind will be busy looking down for you and losing altitude, which then gives you the altitude advantage.
3) keep an eye on the essex tracers... they are a good indication of where enemy helis are going and what direction they are headed. for the truly leet, send a tv missle towards the tracers, and you will see the heli at the last second. hitting an enemy blind like that will almost always result in a hackusation from the other pilots if the essex is destroyed, a good tactic is to pick a back corner of the ship, almost out of bounds on the left or right. try to get as much height as possible and keep your eyes peeled for the enemy or for a friendly "hostile slick inbound" message.
4) flying past the ship towards the mec uncap is most likely a suicide mission. dont do it! the tv missles can reach all the way to the uncap from behind the ship. no need to put yourself in harm's way when your gunner can take care of business at range.
5) the pilot should always take out jetskis. they are damn near impossible to hit with the chain gun, and you will waste a lot of time trying. one rocket is all it takes to finish off a jetski.
hind tips:
6) when taking off in the hind, always give your gunner a quick shot at the carrier essex. most players do that nowadays, but there is the occasional newbie who might not know. refer to snake's gator guide (this screenie) for more info on the location.
7) master the circle of death with the hind. this will basically render the other team's heli useless, as you can supress both the flight deck and the tower, and you will be extremely difficult to hit with rockets.
8) learn where the reload zones are on the carrier. it only takes one flag to be capped by the MEC to open a reload point. all too often i watch someone fly all the way back to the MEC uncap when they could reload right by the ship. all this does is give the enemy a chance to get their heli up, and you will have to dogfight again for control of the ship's deck.
9) when attacking the hangar bay, always keep the heli moving side to side. sitting still opens you up for too many rockets. remember, it only takes two to put you down.
10) the circle of death is a good way to avoid tv missles, since the hind has virtually no quickness. it's dodging ability is laughable compared to the apache, so circling is definitely the way to go. but with the hind's engine power, you should be able to gain a dominant attack position against the apache fairly quickly, so remember to circle only to dodge missles, and then set up your gunner for his shot as quickly as possible. the only real pilots you have to watch out for are those who follow apache tip #2. then you will have a good dogfight on your hands. it will come down to the apache diving under you and pulling up for quick tv shots, but a good circle of death with a nice smooth line-up for the gunner will make it anyone's fight.
following these tactics will greatly improve your performance with the heli's and all the fun that goes with it. domination with either heli is one of the best ways to have fun in bf2, and you will fill your hard drive with the screenies of kick votes and crying from the helpless enemies... good luck!
Last edited by steelie34 (2008-06-25 11:24:56)
