OK flyboys, lend me your ears!

[iplaygames2]

Greetings all. I'm a veteran of all of the Combat Mission games, and only recently (read: today) got my copy of DiF in the mail. I'd been playing and enjoying the demo, and figured I'd pick up a copy of WW2 AIR fighting to go with the Ground pounding I've been doing.

Now, on to the questions.

First of all, let me say that while I'm no newb to gaming, especially WW2 gaming, this one has me a bit flustered. I've read the tips for newbies thread here, and it all makes good sense; I'm just having troubles incorporating it into my gameplay.

For example...I've got a few new sets of pilots that are USA, and still in the 'starter' craft. Each set has between 2-5 missions under their belt. Shooting down an enemy (or being shot down, for that matter) is a rare occurence. Even damaging and flipping a plane is 50/50, at best. Is this normal? It seemed in the demo at least 1 guy went down every dogfight.

Next, I was flying a dogfight earlier. I was advantaged, and my leader had 1 burst. I was holding an In my sights 1:1 card, but couldn't play it. After reading the tips for newbs, I was wondering if I had the -1 damage modifier...I didn't look at the time...could that be it?

Finally, why can't my wingman attack sometimes? And is there any way to tell what card he's holding before I pick which enemy to attack? Sometimes I'd like to use him to maneuver on the enemy leader, and he winds up with an attack card, and I wish I could have used it on the wingie. Pretty frustrating.

All in all, I'm enjoying the game. I know I'll improve with time and experience, but just need to knock out the newbie rust first! Thanks for any tips you can give in addition to the questions above...

[Guest Mike]

Originally posted by iplaygames2:

For example...I've got a few new sets of pilots that are USA, and still in the 'starter' craft. Each set has between 2-5 missions under their belt. Shooting down an enemy (or being shot down, for that matter) is a rare occurence. Even damaging and flipping a plane is 50/50, at best. Is this normal? It seemed in the demo at least 1 guy went down every dogfight.

In hte Demo you have more advanced planes with heaps more firepower - you've upgraded now, so you get a dose of "reality" with crappy planes!!

In other words yes - completley normal!

Next, I was flying a dogfight earlier. I was advantaged, and my leader had 1 burst. I was holding an In my sights 1:1 card, but couldn't play it. After reading the tips for newbs, I was wondering if I had the -1 damage modifier...I didn't look at the time...could that be it?

Not only could it be, but it is!!

However those useless 1:1 cards can be useful if you are obliged to discard in a climb or to follow tne eney, so dont' chuck them out unless you need to in order to get your full set of replacements.

Finally, why can't my wingman attack sometimes?

He can't attack as in he has no suitable card to attack with, or he has 0 cards?

If hte former then tough - you drew useless cards.

If the later then either you're damaged and reduced to 0 attack cards, or the enemy has a skill that reduces you to 0 attack cards.

And is there any way to tell what card he's holding before I pick which enemy to attack?

Nope.

"redraw" is a good skill for wingmen to have!

Sometimes I'd like to use him to maneuver on the enemy leader, and he winds up with an attack card, and I wish I could have used it on the wingie. Pretty frustrating.

Yep

Low-card wingmen are mostly useless - they get a lot better when they're drawing 2 or 3 cards tho.

[Sixxkiller]

Welcome to the unfriendly skies Iplaygames! As Stalin has answered all of your questions I wont go over them again.

I will add that the only way to truly learn is by getting shot down multiple times by me! I am online quite a bit and am usually up for a game. So anytime you want to donate to my kill ranking......

And also dont forget to look for the Eastern Front Expansion....

[iplaygames2]

Thanks for the replies, gents. I'm off to fight the evil AI some more!

By the way, at what point do the escort/intercept missions become available? What about more advanced fighters?

Is there a manual for this game or am I supposed to rely on you guys for these types of questions?

[Zanadu]

The escort and intercept missions become available when you get enough xp to access the bomber-type a/c. Don't be in too big a hurry. Getting kills, or even damaged is risky until you have a better a/c, and maybe a skill or two. Better to take the xp's for surviving the mission than get killed by his wingman as the price for a kill.

[bartbert]

There is a PDF manual for the game that should be accessible from the Windows start menu: "All Programs/Battlefront/Down in Flames".

[iplaygames2]

Thanks bart, found it.

As far as skills for new pilots, what is the typical purchasing order? It's great to get a bonus card or 'draw extra' card...but I mean the permanent skills? Should I just save up for the big ones or buy them as they become available?

[Rastakyle]

Originally posted by iplaygames2:

Thanks bart, found it.

As far as skills for new pilots, what is the typical purchasing order? It's great to get a bonus card or 'draw extra' card...but I mean the permanent skills? Should I just save up for the big ones or buy them as they become available?

I like marksman myself....I will generally save up for it because that +1 burst is invaluable.

[Sixxkiller]

All skills are good!

[Guest Mike]

Skill order is a matter of opinion. Some people like going for hte expensive ones forst - I prefer to grab 1 relatively cheap one first to give my pilots a bit of an advantage while they're still new-ish - typically I get zoom climb or power dive as they're both good to play against low level AI pilots - they either make them lose cards, or give you more cards than they get.

But from then on I pretty much go the route of purchasing the expensive ones first...except eagle eyes - it's way overpriced for what you get - ignore it!

[iplaygames2]

Let's see...eagle eyes, no haven't been saving for that. I've been saving for Marksman, though. I figure dthe +1 burst could garner me some extra kills.

Also, one of my pilots has both aggressive/evasive, so he gets an extra card as long as he's not neutral. That helps.

What about wingie skills? I've got the one where you drop the enemy leader performance by 1...does that mean he draws 1 less card? Still not quite sure how performance/horsepower work.

Finally, the wingie skill to make the enemy leader discard 1 card. Would that be more useful versus a human opponent? It seems like when the AI really beats me, they have every single card just fall perfectly in their hands....not sure if making him discard 1 "randomly" would be worth it.

Any thoughts?

[Guest Mike]

Droping performance by 1 lowers the maximum number of cards that can be held - so he can still draw the same number if he's holding few enough, but it is a pain when your opponent has it. Simlarly the one that deducts a randm card from your opponent's leaders hand.

The rules are simple - for you more cards = good, fewer cards = bad, and from your pov it's the opposite with your opponent - the fewer cards he has hte better!

And yes the AI will shoot you down when the cards fall its way - and those are the ones you notce. You probably dont' notice it as much when you blast him out of htesky easily, 'cos after a while you get used to it!

[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

[Guest Mike]

Damage modifier are more important than bursts tho - the Jug with 6 bursts inflicts 6 points of damage with 1:1's. Something with +1 modifier inflicts that much with 3 x 1:1's - a Spit XIV will get 4 bursts when tailing - 5 with marksmanship - and can shoot down any aircraft in 1 turn.

the various +2 modifier a/c are even more brutal - but at least only get 3 bursts when tailing - 4 with marksmanship!

[iplaygames2]

Couple of more newbie questions.

What exactly is horsepower and what does it affect?

Do different planes have different "sweet" altitudes? i.e. do you get more cards in different planes at different heights? If so, how do you know which ones give the bonus?

Thanks again!

[bartbert]

Horsepower determines the maximum number of cards your leader can draw at the end of his turn. Notice that I said "maximum", because you could draw fewer depending on circumstances.

The number of cards that your leader can draw depends on performance, horsepower, and the number of cards your leader currently holds.

Suppose you have an aircraft with a performance of 7, a horsepower of 2 and you currently hold 6 cards in your hand. Even though your horsepower is 2, you can only draw 1 card because your performance limits your hand size to 7 cards. During the discard phase, you typically want to discard as many cards as you can such that your horsepower brings you back up to your maximum hand size. So in the example above, it would have been smart to discard 1 card during the discard phase to get your hand size down to 5. Then in the draw phase you get to draw 2 cards instead of 1.

Horsepower is affected by altitude. At Low and Very Low, all aircraft get a +1 Horsepower. At High, most aircraft get a -1 Horsepower and at Very High most get another -1 Horsepower. However, aircraft with a Turbocharger reduce the penalty by 1 (i.e., no change at High and -1 Horsepower at Very High).

So, aircraft are not individually rated to perform differently at different altitudes. However, the different combinations of Performance, Horsepower and Turbochargers does result in noticeable differences in the way they behave at different altitudes.

[Paul]

I have a question on Airframe under Aircraft Statistics. I know that airframe means how much damage a plane can take. But, what I don't understand is the numbers under O.K. and Dam. For example for F4F Wildcat it lists as 0-2 under O.K. and 3-5 under Dam.

[iplaygames2]

Originally posted by Paul:

I have a question on Airframe under Aircraft Statistics. I know that airframe means how much damage a plane can take. But, what I don't understand is the numbers under O.K. and Dam. For example for F4F Wildcat it lists as 0-2 under O.K. and 3-5 under Dam.

OOO OOO I can answer that one! I feel like a grizzled vet..

Paul, the Airframe ranges you mention (0-2 OK and 3-5 damaged) represent the aircraft values for those 2 columns. So, the Wildcat has 0-2 points of airframe in the 'OK' or green column (where it's performance and horsepower are maximized).

After it absorbs those 0-2 points of damage, it "flips" into the 'damaged' column where it can take another 3-5 points. When an aircraft is 'flipped', it's stats take a hit, and the performance and horsepower are reduced.

If that same wildcat gets hit another 3-5 points, it will be destroyed.

[Guest Mike]

It took me ages to figure that out, and I still find it counter intuitive!! :mad: :mad:

I suggested long ago that they do it "normally" - ie the aircraft has 5 points, and is damaged when it gets to 3 or less!

[bartbert]

Right. Just to clarify, the numbers represent how many "hits" your aircraft has taken. So in the example above, if you have taken 0, 1 or 2 hits, your aircraft is "Ok". When you take the 3rd hit, your aircraft "flips" to the "Damaged" side. The aircraft can then take a 4th and 5th hit, but on the 6th hit it will be destroyed.

The game originally was a card game, so you can imagine an aircraft card that represent your pilot's aircraft with a undamaged and damaged side to the card. When the number of hits exceeds the number on the undamaged side, the card is flipped over to its damaged side.

[jakeleg]

Just wanted to say I picked up the game this week and haven't played much of anything else despite being a pretty hardcore strategy gamer and ALWAYS having multiple games going at one time. DiF is pretty darn addictive. Thanks for the new guy question threads - these have been a big help.

My question is I have started some online pilots and been slowly moving them along while learning the game. Is there any advantage to starting in 1939 vs. 1940 or 41? I've got a stable of 1940 Brits who have done okay, but I can't seem to beat the German AI in the Emils and the +1 damage modifier -even when using the Spit I. I might get the leader but invariably the wingman will immediately send my leader down. I suspect I need to leave more cards for my leader to respond to the wingie's counterattack instead of going all out for the kill. Is it better strategy to start out with 1939 pilots and pay my dues with the Glad or older a/c before going to the better aircraft. Do the quality of opponent aircraft also adjust along the same timeline?

[Guest Mike]

Starting in 1939 means you get a 1.1 experience multiplier, but as you say you start with the Gladiator - which is...character-forming!

Opponents depend upon the aircraft you are flying and your own skills, not on the "date" per se - so starting with teh Gladiator will see you "matched" against lower ability opponents - although some of them can be very tough for a biplane!!

The phenomena of the wingie shooting down your leader just after you've killed his is well known!! Try shooting down his wingman first and see what happens.

Another strategy is to avoid getting into a "pissing" match with defensive cards - don't try to counter the other guy's defences with your own - keep them until you are attacked.

Also if you're both losing your leader then you aren't really being defeated - it's mroe a draw!

[Sixxkiller]

Hi Jake,

There really isnt any huge advantage except that you are able to avoid the lesser planes until you get higher in the experience sphere. Then a pilot that has a 1.1 experience modifier will obviously get more experience faster.

I am happy you are being downinflameafied. Now that you are assimilated, welcome to the community. The more people who buy the game, the more people I get to shoot down!!!

PS MOST IMPORTANT TIP: Always remember to hide your sheep from Stalin. He just has impulses that give away his being from New Zealand.

[Guest Mike]

You'll have to forgive Six - his fantasy life consists of imagining me doing strange things to sheep. I think he was a woolly jumper in a previous life!

Fortunately playing DiF mostly keeps him out of the paddocks so he's not actually dangerous.