FAQ:
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DOGFIGHTING AT A DISADVANTAGE
I would imagine all of us are guilty of designing missions where the sole purpose is to give us an easy kill and the thrill of victory. However life, dynamic campaigns and tough missions have all taught us that there are times we will be at a disadvantage to the enemy - this is where good fighter pilot qualities will really show. The article relates to guns combat only, predominantly but not exclusively from the Second World War.
The subject will be examined in two parts - individual tactics and team tactics. Individual tactics are very dependent on the relative strengths and positions of the aircraft and are unlikely to make too much of a difference: after all, if you are at enough of a disadvantage you will lose against a competent opponent. Team tactics are where the disadvantaged fighter can really look to even the odds.
Individual Tactics
It is generally true that one aircraft will hold the advantage over another if faced with an equal situation. However please bear in mind that a Messerschmidt 109 at 200 knots will turn more tightly than a Hurricane at 400, and that a Zero at 20,000' will hold an initial top speed advantage over the Hellcat at 1000'. The following tactics discuss not only the relative advantages of aircraft but also of situation.
So what disadvantages can we face and what can we do about them?
Surprise - it doesn't matter how good our fighter is if we are bounced by the enemy. True surprise (i.e. not knowing the enemy is even in the area) is rare in flight simulations (though it happens to me sometimes in Falcon 4), but there are other forms of surprise we should consider. For example, we may be slowly gaining on the trio of Stukas in our Hurricane, our gaze fixed on the target, when we are struck by cannon shells from the escorting Messerschmidts. Even if we have noticed the Messerschmidts in the area, we lost sight and dismissed them for the vital seconds. Ways of increasing our situational awareness include checking with our wingman whether or not we are clear (as in Mig Alley), asking the wingman to perform an active check (as in Falcon 4) or frequently pressing the Padlock Closest Enemy key (as in EAW) to simulate checking your six yourself. In this instance if you are being targeted by any enemy aircraft your view should soon switch away from your target towards the danger. Be aware however that if you are very close to your target you may still be in the guns envelope of the bandit on your tail without the Padlock Closest Enemy check alerting you.
There is another form of surprise and it relates to the position of an individual aircraft - you may know you have a Spitfire on your tail and you are watching him over your shoulder as you twist and turn away from him at 220 knots or so. Suddenly another Spitfire screams in at some 400 knots and rakes you with his guns, leaving your plane crippled. This is very hard to guard against, especially as the other aircraft is so close, in effect negating the "Padlock Closest" safeguard. As looking around manually (with hat, mouse or keypad) in such situations is rarely practicable you should avoid turning fights where possible, except in true one-on-one combat. This should be emphasised - Soviet doctrine was to avoid turning fights even when the Soviet aircraft could significantly out-turn his adversary: the danger of getting jumped by other aircraft when slow was too high. Some simulations (e.g. Mig Alley) have a momentary Check Six button that will not break you padlock on your target aircraft - use it. Also consider binding a key to the "back and up" view as this is where a bandit may be during a turning fight.
Training - poor training is second only to surprise as a disadvantage. When you first went guns only with an F-15 in Flanker I bet it got you nine times out of the first ten, whereas now you stand a much better chance. When you fly against a new pilot in EAW you can normally kill his Spitfire IX with your Me-110, a feat you will never manage against a practised opponent. Pilots need to practice again and again, in and against different aircraft and in different situations. Are you a turn and burner? Take a CFS2 Corsair up against some Zeros (see Corsair's Glory) and learn to Boom and Zoom. Are you a confident fighter? Then give the other aircraft a 100 knot advantage and a position half a mile to your rear and deal with it. There are any number of tough situations to practice - and experience in dealing with a disadvantage and going on to win the fight is very valuable.
Altitude - By far the most influential aspect of positional advantage is altitude. Altitude can be converted into airspeed and gives the initiative to the higher aircraft. Consider these quotes from Soviet Fighter Tactics: "German Me-109 fighters, when facing even greatly inferior airplanes (e.g. Hurricanes) that have altitude advantage, would rarely engage them as they knew their airspeed could not protect them against attacks from above." and "Real experience of our aces shows that Yak-1, La-5, LaGG-3, Kittyhawk, Aerocobra, Hurricane and the like, when engaging the Me-109 and having altitude advantage of several hundred meters, can easily win the fight. During the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, even the Chaikas (I-153s) shot down Me-109s. What really decides the outcome of an air battle is the tactics, most importantly the ability to take an advantageous position above the opponent." We can use altitude to give our inferior aircraft the edge, at least in the opening part of the fight. Altitude allows us to open the fight on our terms and prevent the opponent's faster, better climbing aircraft from evading combat or reducing us to helpless Boom and Zoom targets. Indeed you can often win in a nimble, slow aircraft by diving down on the faster aircraft and forcing him to turn sharply, bringing the fight into your territory and out of his. However let us assume that the enemy has the advantage of altitude - even in similar aircraft we now have a significant disadvantage, so our aim must be to get him to waste his surplus energy by throttling back, deploying an airbrake/divebrake or turning tightly. If we have sufficient horizontal clearance (i.e. if he is not starting the fight close behind our tail) we should turn towards the target, either climbing or diving slightly to get close to corner speed. The aim is not to point our aircraft at the target to shoot him but to frustrate his attack and induce him to slow down and turn. Turning towards him with the intention of passing underneath him gives him less time to line up the attack and steepens his dive, making his aim more difficult, and he may well go inverted, which will make him accelerate. This would appear to be the opposite of getting him to slow down, but the intention is that after the merge we can turn onto his tail at corner speed while his turn radius is much larger due to his higher speed. Of course a good pilot would, in his case, simply extend, in which case we have simply frustrated his aim and given ourselves more time to pick up speed and altitude. Most human pilots and pretty much every AI pilot will be rattled by having you behind them and will try to turn sharply, haemorrhaging energy in a bid to keep you off their six, even though they will likely be a few thousand feet off. Some will pull up sharply, regaining altitude but losing some energy in the process - do not follow them, as their energy should still be higher than yours and go risk being pulled up till you stall. Some pilots will even pick up so much speed that they will fail to pull up in time and crash or will be forced to pull up so sharply they black out or even suffer catastrophic structural failure to their aircraft. This will work especially well in European Air War, where the respawn point is several thousand feet above the location of most victories: an inexperienced pilot will often dive down and be unable to pull up or Split-S in time. It will only work once but it's quite amusing and may lead to him voluntarily giving away energy by slowing down or deploying brakes/gear next time. It is important to use the speed disparity between you and the attacker to your advantage. If they are fast, then you should be at corner. Use their high speed to easily dodge out of their way. If they slow down, then you have them playing into your hand; since you need to generally achieve energy parity in order to go on the offensive.
Altitude 2 - If you yourself are travelling too fast at a merge with a higher opponent pull up towards him but without risking a head on shot or collision and loop or chandelle. Your speed at the top of the loop or chandelle will be nearer corner velocity than his as he is going fast at the bottom of the loop. You now have altitude and angles advantage, at which point he should use his energy advantage contained in his high speed to extend. Any other option should result in a victory for you.
Altitude 3 - If you are faced with an enemy close behind you with a slight altitude advantage (let's say a 20-40 knot energy advantage) you should be dead already, but let's say you have just shot down an aircraft when tracers streak past your wing. Forcing an overshoot is very risky and the throttle/flaps/gear or barrel roll will burn off a lot of your energy that is hard to regain. There are two options here - Scissors or a Split-S. Scissors offers him a snapshot on you while you reverse direction (initially) in front of him but has the advantage that it is a progressive tactic (i.e. one not relying on one quick trick) that should see the slower aircraft (i.e. you) gradually come behind the faster one. A Split-S, if he follows you well in a manoeuvrable aircraft, may offer him the killing tracking shot, but the purpose is to frustrate the enemy's aim and to force him into a wider turn than you (because his altitude advantage will be converted into speed). This wider turn may lead to a crash or avoidance manoeuvre on his part if you are close enough to the ground or at least make a lead turn tracking shot that much harder if you are not. It is tough to survive from this position - you should only manage it against a hesitant opponent or one with a significant roll rate disadvantage.
Altitude 4 - If you are jumped by a higher bandit but you are at several thousand feet yourself you could try diving away. His maximum speed is not infinite and gradually your speeds and energy states will converge. There are other factors to be aware of though - risk of damage or blackout when pulling up and the fact that some aircraft dive better than others (Sabre, P-47 Thunderbolt etc.) I would only use this if his energy advantage was enormous, for example if he was racing in while I was slow at the top of a loop. Generally it is a very bad idea to give altitude away so freely and should never be done in multi-aircraft combat. It is very risky anyway, as he will be pulling closer at high speeds that make it hard for you to manoeuvre. I would be looking to break away once I had achieved corner speed.
Position - If you are at similar altitude and speed and have an enemy on your close six it will be very hard to shake him as you cannot use his energy against him. As Redshift's Su-27 Flanker Unofficial FAQ puts it: "When you see tracers flying by you, break immediately. When you do break, make sure you break in a single direction (and never break up unless you have tons of speed!) since that is the most efficient break. Also make sure that if your energy is low, you don't pull too hard or you will end up a sitting duck - and don't forget rudders! After the tracers have stopped, keep pulling for 2-4 seconds, and then unload to 0G's which will allow you maximum acceleration in order to gain separation. Keep evading and unloading until you have gained enough separation to be out of the bandit's gun range."
Position 2 - If you are at similar altitude and you have a much faster enemy on your close six break then reverse. Use his speed against him by initiating horizontal scissors and gradually getting in behind him. This should not be done if your aircraft has a noticeably inferior roll rate.
Position 3 - If you are at similar altitude but you have a slow enemy on your close six (e.g. he just turned after the merge to get on your tail but you kept going straight) then start climbing to bleed your speed of to corner speed and his off towards stall speed. As you both slow down start a gentle climbing turn - this will get him to spin or stall or turn away. Tighten your turn and drop onto his six with a energy advantage. For more details see "Pulling the Sucker Up" in MarkShot's Shoot to Kill. You need to make sure you have at least 70 knot energy advantage to make this work. Otherwise, you will simply get shot in the back.
Turn Rate - when faced by an aircraft with a higher turn rate you will be hard pushed to get a quick kill. He can evade you pretty much at will and you will have to settle for doing incremental damage to high aircraft in repeated passes. If you have a significant speed or climb advantage (e.g. Me-109 over I-16) you can hold the initiative and wear your opponent down, as you can choose when to attack and use your speed to extend away from his guns (i.e. Boom and Zoom).
Turn Rate 2 - If the enemy has a higher turn rate and similar top speed (e.g. A6M2 Zero over F4F Wildcat) you are in serious trouble one on one and unless you have good team tactics you've probably had it against a competent opponent. In the words of Major John L Smith, a Guadalcanal ace: "They had much more performance than we had. I think they did because we just couldn't stay with them at all, and dogfight at any altitude. The only thing we ever tried to do, if they saw us before we saw them, was to turn into them and take advantage of our six guns." The only way out here is to lighten your aircraft as much as possible by dumping fuel tanks, bombs etc. and to fight aggressively and take every snap shot and every opportunity, using terrain (manoeuvre kills) and other resources (friendly AA, clouds etc.) to your best advantage. The situation is dire - in the words of Major Renner, USMC: "The Zero could outmanoeuvre, outclimb, outspeed us. One Zero against one Grumman is not an even fight." It is especially important in such cases to keep your speed up and wait for good opportunities - once you are slow the better turner will gun you sooner or later.
Top Speed - It is very hard to fight a good human pilot in an aircraft with a higher top speed than you but most human and AI pilots will choose to Turn and Burn, negating their speed advantage. Generally the aircraft with the higher top speed can choose when to fight and can exit tough situations with relative ease. The trick is to get a high speed fighter to have to turn to evade fire, keeping the pressure on. AI pilots will generally try to turn anyway, notable exceptions being Mig Alley, Battle of Britain and Flanker, where the AI keeps energy high. One advantage of fighting a high speed fighter is that it is relatively easy to avoid getting hit if you keep your turn rate advantage high - your problem is that you will not be able to exit the fight until permitted to do so by the other aircraft. Sometimes you can get the enemy to commit to a turning fight when he shouldn't by offering him what appears to be an easy kill if he turns. It is very risky, but until if he is flying a fast Boom and Zoom aircraft you aren't going to kill him until he decides to turn, so you may have to take some risks if you are alone.
Climb Rate - An aircraft with a powerful climb rate will enjoy much of the initiative in combat where other conditions are equal. In the opening stages of Mig Alley one on one dogfights I would use the excellent climb rate of the Mig-15 to leave the F-86 Sabre in my wake, either approaching stall speed through trying to climb after me or with sufficient vertical and horizontal separation to allow me to take the upper hand in the subsequent combat. Yet what should the Sabre do? If the Mig is to shoot us down he will have to come back down to our level, so we should fly a fast wide horizontal curve that will keep our keep high and both frustrate the descending Mig's chances of a successful shot and, ideally, keep us behind the Mig's 3-9 line. If the Mig climbs away from us completely then see Altitude above. Similar issues are found in the Flanker series, where the AI aircraft appear to have a slight edge (Flanker 1.5) or significant edge (Flanker 2) in the vertical. Equally, European Air War and just about every other sim will often contain a similar issue when different aircraft or aircraft with different energy states meet. If you are going to be significantly outclimbed then don't be suckered up into it - be patient and get them as they come back down, using the time to build up energy yourself.
Damage - We may be flying the best aircraft but that's not much help when you are suffering engine problems or loss of lift in a wing due to damage. Keep your speed up in both cases and fly very smoothly. You are winged and your opponent may well realise it and finish you off. Your only ally is his complacency, but you've probably had it. There are a few things you can do to help, but it varies depending on the simulation - in Mig Alley for example, if you have been holed in one wing be aware that the wing will produce less lift. This means that you will turn slower if it is the outer wing in a turn and you will stall/spin at much higher speeds if it is the inside wing in a turn. In a slow turning fight it is generally best to turn away from the damaged wing, i.e. to the right if your left wing is damaged (see the Mig Alley Strategy & Tactics Guide).
Armament - It is likely that any two aircraft will each have advantages over the other in terms of armament. The Tempest's 4 20mm cannon pack a heavy punch but are less likely to actually score hits, especially in a turning fight, than the Hurricane I's weak .303 machineguns. The best approach seems to be a happy medium like the US Wildcat's six .50 guns or a mix like the Zero's/MiG-3's/Messerschmidt-109E's blend of machineguns and cannon. If the enemy aircraft has a higher rate of fire than you and you have cannon you should use Boom and Zoom tactics to get a few telling shots on him as you pass. However if the enemy is cannon armed you will want to turn tightly to make it much harder for him to place his low velocity, low rate of fire shells on target. The very heavy armament such as the 37mm cannon found in the P-39 Airacobra or Mig-17 is so dangerous that flying straight for any period of time should be viewed as very risky, as it only takes a shot or two to knock out your aircraft. These aircraft should also be avoided in head to head merges, as in your face low deflection shots can end the combat very early indeed. The Me-110 is especially to be avoided - it is better armed and armoured in the front than anything else out there, but weak from other directions. Why risk it? Having said that - there are times when you should go head on: not only when flying the 110 (obviously) but when flying any aircraft at a severe manoeuvrability disadvantage. Firstly, it may be the only time you see the enemy aircraft in front of you at all. Secondly, his manoeuvrability likely comes as a result of thinner armour and lighter weapons, as with the Zero vs. the Wildcat, giving you the upper hand.
Armament 2 - Consider the following from the Mig Alley Strategy & Tactics Guide "Be wary of the Mig in a turning fight who suddenly levels out. You are very hard to hit while you are turning as your opponent has low muzzle velocity weapons and finds it hard to pull a lead turn for the shot. But as you follow your 'easy' target out of a turn and into level flight you are setting yourself up for the Mig behind you. In a non-deflection shot a short burst from the Mig will rip your wings off. Check six."
Optimum Altitude - You can often negate or reduce disadvantages by choosing the altitude of the fight well. In effect, as you are the "target" the other fighter will have to come to you. If you are flying an IL-2 against a Messerschmidt 109 then fly at 1000'. If you are flying the solo Messerschmidt when ten IL-2s come round the corner then climb to 20,000' and see if they still want to play.
Manoeuvre Kills - If you are just not going to make it round behind you opponent and he is climbing all over you then desperate measures are called for. Whether, as described above, this means steepening your opponents dive such that he cannot pull out or whether it means a sharp turn around a prominent radio mast, look out for opportunities to kill your opponent through manoeuvres or to make him break off his pursuit. Some pilots will deliberately hold a dogfight at under 100' over the sea in the knowledge that they have practised it to exhaustion and that their opponent may well be unnerved enough to avoid the tightest of turns - this can apply to AI as well as human pilots. Manoeuvre kills can also exploit damage to an enemy aircraft - a sharp break to the left could force the damaged Mig behind you to go into a spin as the holed wing fails to lift as much as expected. I have done this and it is satisfying!
Manoeuvre Kills 2 - In simulations such as EAW that cause flap damage if they remain deployed at too high a speed, you may be able to get your opponent to cripple himself by leaving his flaps down when you switch from a tight turn into a dive. Needless to say, the AI won't get caught that easily.
Torque/Carburettors - single-engined propellor aircraft will roll in one direction better than the other, especially at low speeds and full throttle. Learn which way yours turns and exploit it by turning against the enemy where possible. As Soviet Fighter Tactics explains: "If for any reason you are engaged in a horizontal fight, it would make more sense to turn to the right as most of our airplanes turn to the right better and many German pilots, especially the less experienced ones, cannot turn to the right well." Another mechanical feature worth noting is the famous early Spitfire and Hurricane fuel pump problem - the fuel pump would not work under negative G, so the target Me-109 could just push forward on the stick and disappear under the nose of the pursuing fighter, which would have to roll inverted to follow. Even though you can be followed it should give you those extra fractions of a second to start another manoeuvre or gain separation.
Snapshots/Mistakes - However much of an advantage the enemy may have he will sooner or later make a mistake, unable to slow down enough in the scissors or misjudging the tightness of a turn. As the fighter at the disadvantage you must be ready to exploit these mistakes, if only with a quick burst of fire that may intimidate or damage the opponent if you are lucky. Be wary of overdoing this if ammunition is an issue (e.g. using cannon in the Zero) but it may be the only chance you get. You may be able to get your enemy to make mistakes by disorientating him with enough manoeuvres and angle grabs that a single lapse in judgement or concentration puts him at a disadvantage.
Other Resources - You may be engaged in an individual combat in the skies but consider what else is to hand. In this CFS2 mission (3kb) you are badly outnumbered but if you can drag the fight over the nearby cruiser you stand a good chance of getting out alive, as your aircraft will withstand the flak damage better than the enemies'. And of course you hope the cruiser gunners are not shooting at you; much comfort that ever gave anyone. How to Stay Alive Flying Combat suggests: "If you are latched badly while on escort drag the [Japanese plane] across close to the bomber formation and let their guns brush him off", another example of the same point. Even the sun and clouds can be used for defensive purposes against human pilots - though no sim to date appears to allow AI pilots to be much put off by not being able to see you.
Team Tactics
Many simulation pilots are fairly competent at individual tactics, but tend to view larger engagements as a series of one on one dogfights. If our aircraft are at a significant disadvantage to the enemy it will follow that this approach will see us all wiped out at little or no loss to the opposition. We need to think differently.
When fighting as a team we may individually face any or all of the disadvantages listed above. However they make considerably less difference in multi-aircraft engagements for one simple reason - there is no need to get behind the nimble fighter in your six when you can gun the other fighter to your front, especially if he is low and slow in a turning match with someone else. There are just two rules:
1) Stick close to your mates
2) Take the easy shots first
When first playing Mig Alley I was winning about 40% of the one on ones when flying the Sabre, but was winning over 80% of the multi-aircraft engagements. That is the difference a single human can make to the battle by using good team tactics (that, and the mixed AI ability in larger battles). Rather than spend my whole time chasing the Mig on my tail I would hit anything that came by, according to the old rule "Always from above, rarely at the same level and never from below". By gradually clearing the air of a few Migs it allowed us to get the upper hand, say 12 blue to 10 red fully functioning aircraft. Even a couple of smoking Migs with low engine power would be enough to tip the balance in our favour. Bit by bit the surviving Sabres would gang up on the remaining Migs and sweep the skies. That's not to say I could ever ignore the Mig on my tail - it was just that the best way of getting rid of this faster, lighter, tighter-turning aircraft chasing me was to free up a couple of my guys to help me take him on.
I make no apology for attaching several quotes from different sources that explain this concept better than I can:
Against the Zero, because of its maneuverability and climb, the Grummans stuck together, and each pilot paid less attention to the man on his tail than to the Zero on somebody else's tail. The Grumman fighters tried to stay in the same air, as we called it; once the dogfight started, we all revolved about in the same area. If a Zero dived out from the dogfight, our instructions were not to follow him but to swing back into the middle of the merry-go-round. In swinging back, you look for a Zero on some other Grumman's tail. This tactic worked out because a Zero can't take two seconds' fire from a Grumman and a Grumman can take sometimes as high as fifteen minutes' fire from a Zero. If you can summon up the courage in yourself to quit worrying about the guy peppering at you from behind end go after the Zero peppering your wing man from behind, gradually the Zeros all disappear from the fight; and only the Grummans are left. Now it's damn hard to instill in a pilot the idea that even though there is somebody on his tail he's got to work on the guy that's on another's tail. That's exactly what we did, however, and it worked out very successfully. - Major Renner, USMC.
The only way we can ever bring our guns to bear on the Zero fighter is to do it when they are preoccupied shooting another one of our planes, or else trick the Zero into recovering in front of us. - Lt Cmdr John Thach.
It was always every man pretty much for himself, except that he should remain in the locality of his own planes so they could give him help if they got a chance. - Major John L Smith
The plane you should choose for your attack is the one attacking your comrade. Every fighter pilot can find himself in a very advantageous position over an enemy plane, but then see a friend being attacked by an enemy plane about to open fire. What should you do in this situation? Go on with your attack, score a kill and leave your comrade in danger, of forfeit a certain victory and try to save him? A true fighter pilot should have no doubts about this: leaving everything behind to save your comrade is the only right answer. - Soviet Fighter Tactics
I-16s and I-153 have also been using the so-called ?bee hive? tactic in battle. This tactic calls for all I-16 and I-153 fighters to hold in one unorganized group and maneuver in different directions all at the same time, usually horizontally. In this ?mass? I-16s and I-153s are much less vulnerable to enemy attacks as any enemy attack on any one fighter will be met by strong fire from several other friendly planes. This tactic also takes any threat off the enemy and leaves initiative completely up to him. Any plane accidentally leaving the ?bee formation? becomes an immediate prey of the awaiting enemy fighters. - Soviet Fighter Tactics
If you are in a big furball it is seldom best to follow each Mig down to the kill. It is much better to seriously damage a Mig then move on to the next target. Smoking Migs and those losing fuel can pretty much be left to mop up at the end - otherwise the time you waste putting those last rounds into the target and the time you take climbing back to combat altitude may be the time it takes for the other Migs to gain the upper hand over your team mates. - Mig Alley Strategy & Tactics
I think the two crucial phrases to keep in mind are "staying in the same air" and "the bee-hive tactic". In an engagement don't just keep an eye on bandits to your rear, keep a look out for wingmen in trouble and bandits below you to your front that you can pounce on. Stay close to other aircraft and shoot whatever comes along. After all, "a fighter plane that cannot shoot enemy fighters is nothing but a target." When at a disadvantage the truth is that most of the time you will not be able to attack the aircraft attacking you, so go for what you can. Try this CFS2 mission (3kb) where you hold an altitude and armament advantage over a Japanese formation of superior numbers and manoeuvrability. If you don't keep your wingmen safe sooner or later you may well have a three to one fight on your hands.
Altitude and speed are even more important during team combat than in individual combat, where both are often traded for the tight turn. In a team game the slower aircraft will become the prey, so keep up speed and altitude (i.e. energy) to keep the initiative and give yourself as many options as possible - if it was really about your life, would you risk it so easily by slowing down?
One of these options is the "two style fight", in which you order your wingman to engage an aircraft, then as those two aircraft slow down into their fight you can use your retained energy advantage to pounce on the lower, slower adversary, even if that aircraft would normally hold a number of advantages over you. Try playing this CFS 2 mission (716kb) - after destroying the two Japanese spotter planes your three P-40 Kittyhawks will be engaged by five Oscars who initially hold a large energy advantage. Indeed the Oscars hold just about all the advantages save armament, so you are unlikely to win by viewing the battle as a series of one on one dogfights. Instead you have to clear the Oscars off the tails of your wingmen in order to even the odds. Note that in Soviet Fighter Tactics the author said "Germans will often begin a turning fight to constrain our fighters, only to have other enemy fighters engage them from above."
I don't hold much with all the talk of formations - they are unlikely to matter much once the dogfight has started and I prefer something looser and less predictable. If the enemy is in a tight formation then try to split it and concentrate your forces quicker than your opponent, giving you local superiority. Whether you do this simply by ordering your wingman to attack your target or whether you ask a whole flight to cover you, the more aircraft you have around you the quicker you will win.
Lastly, don't expect the impossible. Remember that you are at a disadvantage and that all things being equal you will lose. Oleg Maddox wrote recently that he would feel pleased if he could shoot down an Me-109G6 one time in ten while flying an I-16. This article isn't about winning every time, it's just about getting that one time. And perhaps increasing it to two.
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When is IL-2 Sturmovik scheduled for release?
IL-2 Sturmovik will be available worldwide November 29, 2001.
Why has the game been called IL-2 Sturmovik?
In collaboration with the veteran Russian developer Oleg Maddox and a number of other respected aviation sources, Ubi Soft decided to name the game IL-2 Sturmovik in order to use a word that would be understood internationally, by gamers all around the world. The word "Sturmovik" can be understood and pronounced by people from Eastern Europe to America, Australia to Africa, and lucky people from all of those places will be playing IL-2 Sturmovik! We understand and accept that the name is a derivative of the correct translation, but we wanted to ensure everybody who wanted to say its name could do so comfortably.
Who created Maddox Games? Where do they come from?
Oleg Maddox founded Russia based Maddox Games in 1992 as a specialist developer of simulation games. Recently, Maddox Games joined with Moscow based 1C Company, founded in 1991, as the developer 1C:Maddox Games for IL-2 Sturmovik. Oleg Maddox is the head of the 1C:Maddox Games and the IL-2 Sturmovik project.
What is the minimum PC configuration required to run the game?
Minimum system requirements:
PII 400, 128 MB RAM, 3D Accelerator with 16 MB RAM (voodoo3 at least or equal)
Recommended system:
PIII 600 or better, 256 MB RAM, 32-bit 3D accelerator with 32 MB RAM or better.
Best configurations for full graphics options:
Processor 800 MHz -1,0 GHz or better, 256 MB RAM, GeForce 2 3D accelerator or better.
How many planes can we pilot in IL-2 Sturmovik?
There are 31 planes that can be controlled by the player, including nine versions of the IL-2 and five versions of the Messerschmitt Bf-109. Furthermore, you will encounter more than 40 different AI controlled planes! Every version of each aircraft is modeled so carefully that you can find many differences between the flight model and performance of each model.
If you are flying a two-seater, can you switch between controlling the pilot and the rear-gunner?
Yes, you can. In single play the other position will be controlled by the computer AI. In multiplay cooperative mode you also may play for the rear gunner position, but in this case you can't switch your position to pilot. So you may start cooperative mission only as pilot or only as gunner.
Will it be possible for two people to share one plane in multiplayer games?
Yes, if you choose a two-seater in multiplayer games you may share it with another player as a pilot and rear-gunner team.
Will it be possible not to fly the aircraft but to develop a career as a rear gunner, yet still feel involved in the campaign?
It's not possible to conduct an entire career as a rear gunner but you can fly full missions as a rear gunner with the AI piloting and attacking your targets.
Will it be possible to configure the loadout of your aircraft?
Yes, it is possible for each flyable plane. In additional there is a feature to configure almost all AI units using our Quick Mission Builder and Full Mission Builder.
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Will there be a padlock feature?
Yes there will, but of course if you don't like it you can switch it off.
Will gameplay be set across whole campaigns, or will it be divided into short missions?
There will be single missions as well as Pilot Career mode across six well-known campaigns from early battles on the Eastern Front in 1941 to the last days in 1945.
Is it possible to make new missions and campaign scenarios?
Yes. There will be an easy-to-use and very powerful Mission Builder based on the game's engine itself included.
How many players can play IL-2 Sturmovik online?
Up to 32 players can compete in deathmatch/dog-fighting mode, and 16 can fly together in cooperative mode.
Will I have to pay a monthly fee to play the game in multiplay on the Ubi.com servers?
No, you only need to buy the game and the rest is free.
Can I make my own squad insignia for my plane?
Yes you can.
Can I make my own skins for my plane?
Yes you can. This feature is available for each flyable aircraft, but only for multiplay. Each single plane online may have its own camo(skin) and all other players will see your plane with your own skin.
Does the game support voice chat?
Yes.
Will there be rain, snow and other weather effects?
Yes.
Do the tanks have positional armor?
Yes, all planes and other vehicles will have individual damage models, which take this into account.
Do the Soviet aircraft get to upgrade their gun, bomb and rocket calibers to any degree as the war advances?
Those features were upgraded for aircraft throughout the war and so that model WILL be given more loadout options as time pass and newer types are introduced.
Can you record your missions?
Yes, you can do this and watch your best single-play flights again! You also can edit these for the best cinematic view.
Will IL-2 Sturmovik be a hardcore simulation or more of an out-and-out action game?
Our sim will be an authentic and accurate simulation, as well as a game for players that like instant action and an easy-to-use flight model! Less experienced gamers can switch off features such as stalls, spins and blackouts, but hardcore gamers can leave them in. There will also be an easy-to-use mission builder with which you can create your own missions and even simple sightseeing flights.
Why aren't there swastikas on the German planes in IL-2 STURMOVIK?
The widespread enthusiasm for flight simulators like IL-2 STURMOVIK is based on a passion for flying, its historical roots and the technology and tradition associated with it, rather than the political background of the game's scenario.
We are aware of the claim that is occasionally made that depicting symbols of Germany's political system during the Third Reich is a documentary necessity in certain contexts. Nevertheless, symbols can also articulate political opinions. Conscious of the historical events of this period, we would like to ensure that IL-2 STURMOVIK does not become a focus for political or ideological discussion. We also want to make it perfectly clear that we have no sympathy whatsoever with the ideology of the Third Reich.
