SamF7

Heh, and I thought the problem might be the new IE7 that "accidently" got installed on my system. Have you ever noticed how things seemingly go wrong JUST AFTER something changes in your system? SamF7

iplaygames2: I don't THINK so. Even with my little pea-brain, for those FEW games where the NME only has 2-3 "draw an extra card" => Even "I" can keep track of 2-3! Once they pull that last card, that seems to be it. SamF7

From what I can tell, this is always accurate: Draw an extra card x#. As he draws an extra card, # is always reduced by one. * EXCEPT * When he spends his last "Draw an Extra Card", the screen will STILL display: "Draw an Extra card". So you can never really tell if he is down to his last card or not! Bug? Dunno. An easy fix would be to ALWAYS have the program display x, even if it is 1 or 0! - Draw an Extra Card x2 - Draw an Extra Card x1 - Draw an Extra Card x0. A little klunky, perhaps, but I would prefer this to trying to REMEMBER how many of his "draw an extra card's" he has actually used! SamF7

Heh; I'm looking at the OOB of the Mediterranean Air Command, and ALL I can think of is what a logistical and maintenance nightmare that must have been. SamF7

My Favorite Skills : Leader ====== 1) Quick Reflexes 2) Marksmanship 3) Redline (great for hi alt's) 4) High Performance 5) Power Dive/Zoom Climb Wingman ======= 1) Teamwork 2) Sweep Tail 3) Leader Advice 4) Anticipation 5) Spoil Aim I've noticed a reoccuring pattern: When the enemy wingie gets to use most of his cards every round against me, I lose. When my wingie gets to use most of his cards against the enemy, I win. I buy the wingie skills to help my wingie/hurt his wingie. BTW - A P-47 with marksmanship is just evil. 6 bursts when you are on his tail.....(insert "Dr. Evil" Diabolical Laugh here...). SamF7

Hi ipg2! I seem to be able to get up to about 100-150xp without a lot of problems against the AI WITHOUT buying any cards or skills. I like to buy Quick Reflexes as my first skill, and I get there quicker without having to buy bloody redraws or Extra Cards. My pilots then usually begin a reign of terror up through about 300-400xp; then I hit a wall. My pilots start getting gunned down. I lose my Escape deaths. I start to get toasted. It's at that point I start buying Extra Cards and Redraws, typically about x4 each for each match! The XP comes slower, but it's the only way I can seem to survive against the 400xp+ AI opponnents. SamF7

ETA?

The Scenario that just KILLS me is the Dunkirk scenario as the Brits. The Germans have one pair of 109's that are crewed by Superman and his brother. They're nigh unstoppable. After REPEATED playings, I finally managed a TIE as the brits, but that was pure luck since I managed to avoid superman every round and pound his bombers until the last turn. Heh, on the last round I got superman and his wingie against four of my best Brits. I figured I FINALLY had em. The Germans shot all four of my boys down, however, garnering the TIE. Tough Scenario that Dunkirk... SamF7

Hurricane II's - I really HATE that plane. It has blown apart most of my hi end aces - a truly evil plane. My Brit pilots obtained "Marksmanship" early....and the top brit has quickly advanced and is currently piloting the Hurri II. Hurri II + Marksmanship = SWEET, sweet revenge. SamF7

I kinda like the 'ol "handful of turn" cards. "Good luck getting on MY tail!", I think. Even a LOOP still leaves me a bunch of cards to stop bullets. Only OTS and/or scissors/ace can stop a bunch of TURN cards. Which, of course, does happen every now and then. It actually happened to the AI the other day. I shot the AI down on the first turn, with the DESTROYED card, and he had EIGHT cards in his hand. Not one "dodge" card. Poor chap. I felt about this ->| |<- bad for him.... SamF7

SO - just out of curiosity, how many redraws and drawcards do you have your top pilots fly into combat with? I know I'm a stingy SOB, so my top boys get a whopping x2 apiece. I still DREAM of another skill or two ! Also, do you ALWAYS fly with a bought ACE card? Those things are EXPENSIVE. I've been trying to get away with a VR.....but VR doesn't really stop a LOOP very well, does it? SamF7

*wow* JUST last game. - V.Hi, 4 cards, I'm dealt all fires, plus my ace, of course. - Enemy ALSO started V.Hi, and went first, - loop-ACE-fire-fire-fire => I'm dead. Just like that. Again. It's getting VERY old.... (can I at least use a ReDraw I purchased for my opening cards????? - SOMETHING!). SamF7

Oh I've tried all that. Redraws, Draw card, ACE, VERY Hi....it just doesn't help when you're dealt ALL fire cards (ONE ACE doesn't save you for long when he's on your tail at VERY hi with ALL fire cards...just prolongs the agony). It's amazing. I've lost EVERY pilot on the opening salvo....everytime with a handful FULL of fire cards. It gets old. SamF7

Hi bartbert! Hopefully you are still checking this thread out. I had one of those "great ideas" the other day, that might be a very nice addition to the game at some point. Let me go cut and paste from a previous post since it cuts to the heart of the matter : Each time I'm shotdown, however, it always seems to follow the SAME pattern : I get dealt ALL fire cards at the start (my record is nine in my starting hand. NINE), and the NME invariably goes first, loops me, then pops me with the DESTROYED card. BOOM. Dead Plane. Turn one. Always. I suggest stealing an idea from Magic the Gathering : Add a button that is only active on the first turn. If you don't like your starting hand, you can request a redeal, but you get one less card on your redeal. You can keep clicking it until you like your hand or are down to one card. I would even suggest adding a modicum of AI to let them do the same. SamF7

"but spends 40-50 on extra cards and redraws every game so is moving up slowly" Interesting comment. My most advanced pilots for all sides are at about 500-600XP. With all nationalities, I've found that the progression goes pretty much like this : * At start, things go "okay". I got shot down every 5-10 missions or so, but usually it's not fatal two times in a row. * I hoard my XP points. I buy NOTHING. No cheap skills, no extra cards, no redraws. My first purchase is ALWAYS one of the biggies, Redline, Quick Reflexes, etc. I figure if I don't buy these early, I'll NEVER get them later. * Once I buy the first skill or two, My pilots generally go on a RAMPAGE. I'm talking the next 400xp or so comes VERY easily. My boys just seem to pwn everything in the sky. * Again, I buy NOTHING but skills during this period - no extra cards, no redraws, etc. * And then.....well.....no matter what nationality, no matter what plane I'm flying, once my guys hit about 500-600XP, I hit a wall. I start to get shot down. A lot. I actually lose a pilot once in a while. * Each time I'm shotdown, however, it always seems to follow the SAME pattern : I get dealt ALL fire cards at the start (my record is nine in my starting hand. NINE), and the NME invariable goes first, loops me, then pops me with the DESTROYED card. BOOM. Dead Plane. Turn one. Always. I'm figuring that once the AI pilots start getting 3-7 extra cards, maybe it's time to start filling my hand with the same. 2-3 redraws, 2-3 redraws. I've even been buying a bloody vertical loop to help with the "first turn - all fire card blues". It's been helping - I haven't lost a pilot in awhile, but boy, the XP sure comes a lot more slowly when you have to buy all that bloody stuff every round. SamF7