Air combat, do you autoengage?

[Todd]

I seem to get better results when I autoengage, though I dont manual often.

What kinds of tactics do you use? What do you do when there is a corvette and 2 fighter escort and you have 1 condor and 2 foxtrot?

[Zerodaimaru]

I don't have enough info to say for sure but I'm pretty sure the autoresolve doesn't take into account fuel time. So when I was first learning to play and my interceptors would catch the UFO but have 0 seconds of engage time I would autoresolve just to get me past that point. I don't do that any more however as it feels way to cheaty.

As far as tactics go for a lot of the earlier fights I just send my planes right into the teeth of the enemy, most times they can get away without even a scratch, occasionally having a plane take a few hits before its over. If this isn't such a good idea (say 2 condors vs 1 corvette) I use whichever plane my current target happens to be tailing as bait while my other planes come in from the sides or rear to finish him off. I can't really comment past the point where bombers show up however as I haven't gotten any further in the game then that yet.

~Zero~

[Irishguy117]

The basic tactic that will carry you through the game is immediately sent your interceptors out in multiple directions, the UFO will follow one of them, and have the other one slide in behind and kill the UFO. This will allow you to achieve much more than autoresolve thinks you can, although sometimes its just easier on one's sanity to autoresolve and save time.

[Ogaburan]

I auto engage, i used to do them manually... but i just didn't enjoy them, and stopped.

Its a solid game feature, just not for me it seems...

[silencer]

I auto engage only if the fuel levels are so low that manual combat will not succeed.

[StellarRat]

Sometimes auto is better sometimes it's much worse. You'd have to play enough manual to understand when to use each mode.

[ViniJones]

I auto engage only if the fuel levels are so low that manual combat will not succeed.

Yes. +1

What do you do when there is a corvette and 2 fighter escort and you have 1 condor and 2 foxtrot?

Slow down the Foxes. Speed up the Condor. That way the enemy escorts shoot their rockets (2 rockets each) against your dogfighter and you barrel roll dodge them. You can then outrange and anihilate them with your laser/basic cannon. Once the fighters are down your Foxes can easily get the Corvette.

Only problem is, when the corvette targets the condor aswell, in that case you need to disengage a bit since its slower. Mind you this takes a lot of fuel.

EDIT: You might find this video helpful too, its a bit outdated, but I think the idea is the same.

Edited July 9, 2014 by ViniJones

[Pappystein]

I seem to get better results when I autoengage, though I dont manual often.

What kinds of tactics do you use? What do you do when there is a corvette and 2 fighter escort and you have 1 condor and 2 foxtrot?

First off, I always pay attention to target(S) as they are listed when they first pop up. Theirfor I would never end up with two Foxtrots and one Condor vice two enemy fighters + the corvette.

Others have already mentioned the tactics to best use once you are engaged in such a situation (I get it mistakes happen, I have been known to have a few per engagement myself...) It really depends on orientation to me. A trick I do is, Follow the UFO, wait 5 seconds, Click on my squadron, Select the squadron and then click the engage button. It almost always puts me BEHIND the Corvette. Then slowing down the foxes and letting the condor ahead gives me a bit of a safety net. If you NEED to put down the Corvette, do this tactic, and once you are behind the corvette, Engage afterburners on all three birds. As soon as the Foxes launch, kick off their afterburners so you can turn faster and EGRESS! The Condor can do OK by itself vice the two fighters.

Hope this helps. I won't say you wont loose one or two foxes in this situation but you will have successfully shot down the Corvette, and lets face it that is sometimes more important than 2 foxes.

[Chthon]

I seem to get better results when I autoengage, though I dont manual often.

What kinds of tactics do you use? What do you do when there is a corvette and 2 fighter escort and you have 1 condor and 2 foxtrot?

I try to distract them with the condor, while the foxtrots move into range of the corvette and shoot it down. Shooting down all 3 isn't necessary, so once I've done that, I escape. The escorts will escape into space allowing me to take or airstrike the mission craft.

[Todd]

I did not know the escorts don't have to be destroyed

[Chthon]

I did not know the escorts don't have to be destroyed

I found that out the hard way once, when I engaged one. I had no chance to deal with the suddenly upgraded escorts, but I was determined to at least knock the big man down.

They also persist in damage from one engagement to the next. I've taken many down through multiple engagements, and am very careful with noting when my planes are rearmed during waves.

You still have to escape with your skin however or you lose your planes. However it still leaves the mission even if you get all shot down.

[FireStorm1010]

I autoresolve only. For some reason, despite liking what i saw on videos of air combat, once i started playing i o kept autoresolving.Maybe when i finish once the game and want to excel , will dig into air combat.

[Chthon]

I autoresolve only. For some reason, despite liking what i saw on videos of air combat, once i started playing i o kept autoresolving.Maybe when i finish once the game and want to excel , will dig into air combat.

I do a lot of autoresolves, but if I feel that I could down a UFO and the game gives me a 6% chance, I say BS and down it myself. Autoresolve has it's uses, saving time and what not, but is not a replacement for true skill in the air

One of my teachers way back in high school taught us about vectors using a pen and paper game where we would use vectors to "dog fight." Each turn you could increase or decrease the size of your vector, or you could turn your vector, both up to a certain degree. The object was to get into a tailing firing position on the opponent.

I feel the air combat minigame resembles that a lot.

[Kiel]

I always autoresolve.

Sometimes I can lose 1~2 crafts even with 100% chance.

[Dranak]

It depends on the fight, but I use autoresolve a lot because I'm lazy. And also because I abuse its mechanics by killing escorted craft with Foxtrots.

[Pappystein]

I did not know the escorts don't have to be destroyed

Sometimes it is best to not even worry about them. Honestly is it worth not having coverage of your lost fighters for the possibility of 1 allenium and 1 alloy per escort? The numbers just don't add up for that to be a worthwhile trade. Blow the Primary and the escorts become a non issue

[ViniJones]

It depends on the fight, but I use autoresolve a lot because I'm lazy. And also because I abuse its mechanics by killing escorted craft with Foxtrots.

Does that even work? Do you load the migs with light rockets to get a better percentage? Although the big UFO+torpedoes should get a nice enough chance... its the air superiority squadrons that are a pain.

[Huntota]

As long as i'm not feeling lazy, i don't autoresolve even mig vs scout, because even while game says 96% or 100%, plane sometimes get damaged a bit. And that's not exactly what i expect out of the "go in, shoot missiles, you won" situation.

[Dranak]

Does that even work? Do you load the migs with light rockets to get a better percentage? Although the big UFO+torpedoes should get a nice enough chance... its the air superiority squadrons that are a pain.

The auto resolve is a very simple system. It doesn't actually simulate combat, just compares strength scores. One of the features of that system is that if any craft can not roll, the opposing side uses their No Roll weapon values, so torpedoes are always fully effective against anything other than pure fighter/light scout squads.

[Todd]

I always autoengage. I tried fighting and I never do well. Not sure what to do on a tactical basis. Once you shoot 4 foxtrot missiles at the corvette, the 2 heavy fighters make short work of my condor.

[ViniJones]

Heavy fighters dont manouver so well. You can barrel roll the condor behind them and shoot them down, or flee.

[Todd]

how do i barrel roll behind them. Rolling goes sideways, wont help you get behind them. Tell me exactly step by step what you would do in that battle scenario

[ViniJones]

1v1

3v3

1v3

Apparently neither condor, nor corsair carry enough plasma ammo to take out a bomber squadron alone.

Edited July 11, 2014 by ViniJones
swapped air-superiority for "bomber" to clarify

[Todd]

you can do 3 barrel rolls successively? I thought there was a cooldown period

[kabill]

There is, but it's only a second. (Or maybe 1.5 seconds)