"He cut over the top and dove under me. I broke left and started to come around to get on him. That's when I saw those damn Zeros commin' head on!!" Flight leader after an engagement with 37 Japanese aircraft. Describing the fight to a few friends. Tactics can make or break a unit. Even one well thought out plan can hurt the enemy in ways you won't believe. Below are some of the better tactics I've seen or heard of. Once in a while I'll update this page with a few new tactics as I get or develop them. Note that these tactics won't work in the Free For All areas. At least not well. © Delta6
Blocking Forces
Texas Two Strike
Hit and Fade
Sun Tzu
Thinking in a tactful way takes a bit of practice. I started out rather simply by figuring out how many different ways I could take down an airfield. You can pound it flat with bombers, nip and slash with jabos, gun down the triple-a guns and swoop in with troops. It can really go any which way you want, as long as you think things through. Take, for example, blasting a single forward airfield. It isn't all that hard, even with the guns asking Ms Cleo to give aiming instructions. First things first: look at the layout of every forward field to get your bearings. In Aces High it's a fairly straight-forward layout: Field in the center, vehicle hangar either 500 yards east or west, town somewhere within three miles, resupply center within half a grid. Opposition-wise you're looking at nine guns, six hangars, one runway, one radar station, and almost certainly a flak-track horde. So how can you plan out a field invasion? Watch, and learn.
On the field itself there's six automated guns, and two manable guns. The VH has one gun, while the town has two. Taking out the automated guns is top priority because they can do more damage faster than any manned triple-a gun. Since they're so spread out, taking on the VH gun first makes good sense. If you draw an outline around the defensive perimeter of a base there's a bulge near the VH. Knock that out and you've got free reign. What about the town guns, they're certainly out a ways from the field. Those things you take out last, just before the drunks arrive. That way you don't end up with calls for a jabo at the last minute when they respawn. An easy way to make sure you leave the town guns for last is to set up a pattern. Start with the VH gun and make your way around the field, hitting every gun in turn before you level the town and take the joint. Just make sure there's a C-47 on the way, or those guns will probably pop back up before the goon gets there.
My personal habit is to make a series of oval-shaped gun runs that don't leave me in the firing line for too long. Some other pilots prefer a straight gun run right down the line, nailing every gun on a line before pulling out. A good way to get started is to hit one gun, then pull off in a safe direction. Start on the corner guns since there's more room to maneuver. Gradually build up, hitting more guns per pass, so you can eventually hit all of them in one pass.