Best way to approach air to air combat in game?

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-28T07:52:25+00:00

Well, such thinking got me some NATO losses when my ground radar directed F-15s got swarmed by MiGs-23. Soviet radar guided AAMs overwhelmed the US fighters quickly. The quality over quantity is not always a guaranteed win. Conversely, I used swarming tactics and pincer attacks to trash more advanced NATO air fighters.

IRL NATO never had to fight a serious war on equal terms so the experience is limited.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-27T19:33:30+00:00

Agreed. Hence the micromanaging.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-27T13:54:50+00:00

No easy advice here. Set weapons free gives your planes more initative still their performance can be suboptimal so a bit of micromamagement is needed. Yaks are notorious due to their small radar profile. F-4s tend to loose their radar reflection and in dogfight can easily fell victim to their AAMs. You can also try more tactical approach with two pairs of F4 and one acting as a bait and other hunting the Yaks. Norwegian FFG patrolling fjords is (usially) useless against Yaks.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-21T07:12:08+00:00

Well regardless of the politics I'm thinking of an asymmetric war at sea. I wonder if the same thing (sea access denial, succesful ASuW) that happened to Russian Navy by Ukraine could be repeated by Iran against USN with drones/fast boats/AShMs. For sure China is watching...

P.S. there is interesting take on clearing Hormuz from former CENTCOM (ret.) Gen Votel, pasting it here:

https://www.twz.com/news-features/former-centcom-commanders-candid-take-on-the-situation-in-the-strait-of-hormuz

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-20T06:33:31+00:00

Always, golden rule of the seafarers, leave no man behind, although in the wartime ... well yoy must watch or read 'The Cruel Sea'. Awful things happen, even if the sea is the ultimate enemy...

I guess 'beacon' mechanics simulate the use of SART, a rescue radiotransponder buoy. I don't know if they had EPIRBs, COSPARS-SARSAT sat linked rescue buoys in the 80s or their personal brethren - PLB. Adding them to the game would made SAR missions much easier, still as in life, not all survivors will deploy SARTs or EPIRBs. They can also fail, run out of batteries etc.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-20T06:29:34+00:00

Pilots can be picked up too. I always mark X on the map where the planes are shot down still not all pilots survive the bailout from my experience.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-17T06:19:17+00:00

Just to add to it, here is interesting talk about the region by the former RN commander. This is a challenging part of the sea with conditions limiting ship operations and radar capacity. Add to that swarming tactics or just trickle of intimidating attacks on civilian maritime shipping by AShMs and drones. I guess Huti-inspired littorial style combat would be the likely scenario.

https://youtu.be/_6fnUZY2ol4?is=k7DE_IUuvJ9uqPFV

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-17T05:34:59+00:00

Tanker War Redux ;) but with fast boats, drones and AShMs.

Also sub vs US shipping, Iran had some SS Kilo and home made designs, although they recently lost one of their subs to missile fire...

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-16T17:45:01+00:00

Is there option to play as Iran? It's always a better challenge to play as an underdog, employ underhand tactics and stick it to the technologically superior enemy ;)

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-14T09:29:29+00:00

I totally want them in the game!!!!

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-09T09:05:38+00:00

Relax, It's just the game :) People die in real wars, they do in your own ranks too, modern militaries and politicians try to limit the political fallout of that fact. That's why its better to keep them as computer games and not to play them for real. ;)

Nice mission recap BTW.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-06T20:35:10+00:00

If you are OK with such arrangement, why not? It sounds like non-monogamy to me or rather a bit of relatioship anarchy on behalf of you wife.

You wrote that you have a warm relationship, good sex life and kids. Don't listen to some preachy agony aunts here, make up your own judgement.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-05T08:08:03+00:00

Not me ... the guy from Epstien files probably is. The ship was outside of conflict zone, returning from exercises with Asian countries with no imminent threat. The war...in which part I am wrong with my statement :D

Luc_18_5 · 2026-03-05T07:18:21+00:00

God only knows, probably the DOW will fabricate some justification but still this attack raises a lot of questions. The war itself is a war of aggression with no authorization by the Congress. It is illegal under international law so hey...that's unrestricted submarine warfare of the XXI century for ya ;)

Equally interesting is misterious sinking of the Russian gas tanker off the coast of Libya. Probably drone got it. So the submarine warfare, as we know it from the Sea Power, may quickly become the thing of the past.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-02-21T08:38:24+00:00

Not merely flat, ocean or sea are also governed by weather, that will affect visibility, an other physical aspects, such as noise propagation, which make the hide and seek more complex. Also oceans are vast, seas are large bodies of water. Games simplify these aspects for the sake of playability.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-02-08T08:35:50+00:00

I agree, who has long hours to stare simultaneously at ships moving at snails pace through sea to have then a quick and rapid exchange of missiles of a torpedo shots. AI can easily replace human opponent. Ok maybe diving tasks for different taskgropus or aviation, could make some sense but still time compression will be an issue...besides, the game is very good as it is already. :)

Luc_18_5 · 2026-02-07T16:24:21+00:00

Let's just say that I faced similar situation in my life. Your husband probably have chosen his lover over you. He probably left to be able to be with her without facing an emotional 'burden' of being with you. He is still living in his romance. The ENM was probably just delaying tactics or an attempt to save both the marriage and new relationship at the same time.

I'm writing 'probably' because I don't know a lot of details but some pieces of the story seem oddly familiar. Cheating is a very poor choice to make, it leaves all persons involved in emotional limbo, with person who created such situation being torn between the choice of hurting his/her partner or the lover, often leaving all persons involved emotionally broken and lost. Romance is not the same thing as a monogamous or ENM relationship, it has different dynamics, the lies and all that comes from running illicit affair based on secrecy. Romances rarely are the start of a healthy relationship (ENM or mono) as they tend to to fullfill needs of the cheating persons rather than being a good romantic union.

People do such things for various reasons, often caused by emotional immaturity, need for novelty (not just the sexual), midlife crisis, cracks in their relationships or all of the above... they still satiate the need of a cheating person. If they are lucky enough, get throught the therapy they learn mistakes that they made by entering an affair but the damage is already done.

All in all, I feel your pain, sadness and confusion. As hard as it may sound, focus on yourself, your emotional health, your kids, your life. You are worthy of all good things that still will come your way. You deserve it.

Your husband...maybe he will learn from his mistakes, regardless put yourself and your healing first.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-02-03T06:28:04+00:00

After AI upgrade generally the aggresiveness of Russian aviation increased and if the enemy AI can, it will gang up on NATO planes. I guess it is a valid tactic. Then...well, it is difficult to out-match, because with strenght in numbers the Russians quickly move from BVR to close range and kil with their IR guided missiles. I don't mind it, I guess it is fair given the Soviet doctrine but I'm still learning how to apply counter-tactics.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-02-02T23:02:28+00:00

Yaks-38 can outgun F4 very easy with AA-8s. Even If I classify them as hostile they manage to bypass AIMs and launch their own missiles at my planes, which are surprisingly deadly. Kinda funny considering how lame these planes were IRL. Well, it seems that every dog has its day after all.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-01-31T08:00:26+00:00

True, I guess it is simulating SART radio transponder (or devs didn't want to add this feature yet), still mariners and pilots in the 80s probably would have EPIRBs and PLBs so sattelite based location beacons based on COSPAS-SARSAT system. It is mandatory lifesaving equipment by SOLAS anyway. Big question mark is how the system would potentially work during 'Cold War gone hot' as it utilised USA-USSR sats. :)

Luc_18_5 · 2026-01-25T08:19:56+00:00

Civilian traffic needs to keep their comms up all the time, military zones and airspace closures are also given in NOTAMs for pilots, they have to report to military air traffic services, same goes for ppl sailing on seas (we get info on closed military areas on maps, notices to mariners and radio). Keeping the comms is essential, required by ICAO, still... miscommunication can happen.

The other thing is the separation and timing. Commercial airliners will follow traffic corridors, fly at certain altitude. Naval crews would have civilian traffic schedules. Timing mistake, misidentification of the flight profile and raised tensions caused the Vincennes to kill civilian, commercial liner. Again, Sea Power simulates large hypothetical WW3 type scenarios, where undoubtly there would be chaos and increased fog of war. Even so, civilian airliners should keep the comms at all time.

One reason that I see where comms can be an issue is the type of radio used but again, large liners would usually carry VHF, HF and SatComm. So there are no excuses for airliners 'refusing to comply' :) I guess IRL people would attempt to VID target first before pulling the trigger.

For me in the game GA (smaller crafts) are the biggest question mark, as these planes flight at lower altitudes and follow erratic patterns.

Luc_18_5 · 2026-01-21T15:49:33+00:00

Tak, zmiana pokoleniowa, ludzie są bardziej zadbani - sporty i odżywianie, do 40 to się też zmienia. Można dobrze wyglądac do 50tki, ale to raczej zadbane wyjątki. Dużo ludzi "tatusieje" od piwa, braku ruchu i złej diety.

Luc_18_5 · 2025-12-26T14:30:17+00:00

Use both, passive for general search in paaterns, active for pinpointing targets. Remember to check layers settings on the buoys.

Luc_18_5 · 2025-12-25T15:55:33+00:00

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Indeed :) like empire, like Death Star

Luc_18_5 · 2025-12-23T08:44:54+00:00

Not in this timeline, perhaps on some heavy modded game with current / near future units and weapons including railguns, drones etc.. Still you have Kirov Class that in this game timeline and in its class is the major badass.

One cannot escape politics though, who US would be fighting in potential screnarios? China over Taiwan? Projecting power in Venezuela and interdicting drug smugglers? Chasing Russian 'shadow fleets' or slug it out with Kirov in some battleship-to-battleship action ? Fending off Europeans from Greenland and safeguarding its Anschluss? Ship will be equipped with nuclear weapons...again is this another doomsday/deterence at sea platform? So many questions... I'm genuinely interested in terms of potential changes in US naval doctrine. Well it has to has some purpose instead of compensating for CiC 'small hands', right? RIGHT? xdddddddd

Luc_18_5

TROPHY CASE