Air Combat Maneuvers, Pilot Skill

[Ketsa]

After playing the game for a little while I have come to the conclusion that the air combat in this game is really underwhelming. The pilot skills seem way too subdued and the combat itself is seemingly simplified.

Aircraft are only using the most basic of combat maneuvers. When they want to climb or descend they often do so in a spiral maneuver. When they engage an enemy they do so in a spiral maneuver. All of the air combat consists of spirals. It's extremely frustrating when you realize this. Aircraft almost never dives or performs advanced maneuvers in a dogfight.

This leads to situations where pilots don't act as they should our could given the circumstances. If my aircraft are 500m above the enemy aircraft who are above the deck engaged in a torpedo run, then I would expect my aircraft to dive down and intercept the enemy. But that's not what happens in game. Instead the friendly aircraft descend in a spiral maneuver, circling around the enemy, trying to get behind them wasting precious time.

When you have superior numbers then your friendly aircraft consistently try to get behind the same enemy, all trying to line up a perfect shot and get within the perfect distance. It's not often that I see a pilot attempting to shoot at an enemy as they pass by their sights or just out of their range. They are obsessive about getting a perfect shot when you need to also be taking risks.

Too many times, I see friendly and enemy aircraft basically flying side by side with each other, in their haste to get behind one another, they react with spirals. If you're chasing someone in a dogfight and they spiral right, why would you spiral left if you could feasibly keep them in your gun sight by following their turn? Nope, the ai turns left and decides to lose altitude and gives up on the chase. This goes on for minutes at a time until someone finally, finally, gets a lucky shot.

My suggestion is to add more advanced maneuvers for aircraft and increase the skill and intuition of pilots. Right now it's kind of like watching a flying circus. You expect your air assets to help you but they're acting like they've never even trained for combat.

[Gelfrat]

Wait till you find out bombers are the best fighters in the game!