Originally Posted by gbtstr
Well, back to the cheese tactics...
Using IL-2/IL-10s in dogfights with the intent of tailgunning all your kills, while absorbing ridiculous amounts of fire, I find a bit cheesy. It's not like it's a scenario where the IL-2 is a good choice for attacking ground targets or picking off vulnerable bombers/transports. You're deliberately choosing a flying tank so you can sit in the back seat of your armored bath tub and pew-pew (with unlimited ammo) at any fighter foolish enough to try and latch onto your six. Add to that, for such a massive plane, the IL-2 seems to have no trouble out-turning a lot of fighters - fighters designed to be nimble/maneuverable. This makes the attacking fighter's job even more tricky because it's even harder to stay out of the line of fire.
I don't really have a gripe about big bombers in dogfights. Usually, they're so slow relative to everything else, you can simply avoid them and focus your attacks elsewhere. In most cases, I'd say the person flying the bomber puts themselves/their team at a disadvantage because they now have a big, slow target that is not much good for clearing an opposing fighter off a wingman's tail.
Rockets? Eh, whatever. I don't think I've ever been hit by one launched my direction, at least not while airborne. Of course, I also don't take bombers up to do my killing. If I were to take a bomber and get schwacked by a rocket attack, I'd probably be pissed, but do I think it's a valid, sans-cheese tactic? Yes. Do I do it? No. Why pray to get lucky with a rocket attack when you can use your guns and put the SOB down? Give them some 30mm loving.
Kamikazes? Well, I hate it when it happens to me. But, I have done it to others in the heat of the game - purposefully, and accidentally.
The problem with this game and any other is just that: it's a game. If you die, you respawn - big deal. Yeah, maybe you lose a game because of that, but your xbox/ps3 doesn't burst into flames when you hit the ground, you don't suddenly get a bullet hole in you when somebody scores a pilot kill. So, what's a valid tactic in a game doesn't have to equate to a good tactic in RL because there's no fear of death. Not saying there should be actual death as a consequence of video game death, but just that everybody needs to make peace with the fact that some cheesy things fly in video games that wouldn't in reality.
I agree that the solution to most of these is to change your own tactics.
Unfortunately, even with the best/most effective tactics you are limited in the game because of the pro-Soviet bias in aircraft performance. They have the best turning aircraft, the fastest aircraft down low, and some of the most heavily armed and armored. The Americans get a broke-dick P-51, a P-47 with the top speed and maneuverability of a row-boat in reverse. The Brits get the Hurricane, which is nice unless you want to go anywhere fast, and some decent Spitfires - but, they can all be out turned by the Russkies. The Germans get a variety of flying targets to choose from. Aside from the 109G-6 and K-4, and the jets - which only have speed and firepower in their favor - they can all be out-performed in multiple ways by everything except what the USA can bring to the party.
The best plan is to take a 109K-4 (or possibly one of the jets) and stay high. BnZ every target, and avoid low altitudes and La-5/7s like the plague. If you do that well, you will live long and kill a couple. Or take the La-5/7, stay low, turn and burn and kill/die a lot.
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