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Which is most important: speed, agility, or firepower? It all depends on the mission. If your goal is to shoot down as many opponents as possible, a mix of agility and firepower will do you well. If your goal is to race back to base with the flag of the opposing team, who cares if your guns can rip a plane to shreds? You want speed. In the case of a Zeppelin vs. Zeppelin match, you have a broader mission, and your choice of equipment will depend on whether you're playing defense or offense.
First, let's get to the basics. The chart below shows the advantages and disadvantages of each aircraft:
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Aircraft
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Speed
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Armor
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Agility
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Firepower
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Balmoral
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**
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***
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*
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****
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Bloodhawk
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****
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***
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*****
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****
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Brigand
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***
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****
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**
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****
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Devastator
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***
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***
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***
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***
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Firebrand
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***
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****
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*
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****
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Fury
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****
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***
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****
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****
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Hellhound
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****
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***
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***
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**
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Hoplite
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***
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**
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*****
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*
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Kestrel
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***
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****
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*
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****
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Peacemaker
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****
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***
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*****
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****
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Warhawk
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***
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****
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*
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****
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*
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Poor
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**
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Fair
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***
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Average
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****
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Good
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*****
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Excellent
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Two aircraft stand out in the above chart: the Bloodhawk, and the Peacemaker. They each score five stars in agility, and their other attributes have strong ratings. So they're perfect for every mission, right? Well, maybe.
Ratings are important, but other attributes affect performance as well. Take agility for example. The Bloodhawk, Peacemaker, and Hoplite all score five stars. Yet the Hoplite can turn twice inside a Bloodhawk. What gives? In a word: weight. The Hoplite weighs just over 4,000 pounds, while the Bloodhawk weighs in at 6,500 pounds. Certainly the fact that the Hoplite is a autogyro (with an airplane propeller for forward thrust and a helicopter-like propeller for lift) also adds considerably to its maneuverability. It can slow to a crawl and spin on a dime.
So therefore, the Hoplite is the perfect choice for a deathmatch game, right? Well, maybe. Yes, you can out-turn any other aircraft when flying a Hoplite, but you better be a good shot because you only have two guns of a small caliber, and two hardpoints for missiles. It's going to take you a lot of hits to shoot down, say, a Devastator. And while you're busy plucking at your opponent's armor, someone else is ripping your lightly armored hull to shreds with a short burst from two .70-caliber cannons.
Individual skill and personal choice are also important factors in choosing an aircraft. In an arena full of deadly Kestrels, you may find some fool traipsing about in a Hoplite. Yet that pilot might be the highest scoring of the bunch because he knows best how to take advantage of his own strengths, and his opponent's weaknesses.
Is there a perfect aircraft for each mission? Yes and no. So much depends on individual pilots. But we're not going to sit on the fence about which aircraft to choose. Certain machines have attributes that fit a particular mission quite well. It's up to you to make those attributes shine.
Here, in a nutshell, are four aircraft that are well suited to meet the challenges of the four scenarios you will run across in multiplayer games:
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Scenario
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Try This Aircraft
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Why?
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Deathmatch
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Fury
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Nice balance of agility and firepower.
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Capture the Flag
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Bloodhawk
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No aircraft is faster; decent firepower, too.
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Zeppelin vs. Zeppelin (Offensive)
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Warhawk
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Unmatched firepower for popping Zeppelins.
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Zeppelin vs. Zeppelin (Defensive)
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Peacemaker
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It has the guns, speed, and agility to make attackers think twice.
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Don't take the above as gospel. With so many planes to choose from, you'll be tempted to try everything. Do it! Experimenting with building custom aircraft will also be important, as you will inevitably come across opponents who have tweaked their airframes and come up with some killer custom machines.
Choosing an aircraft comes down to experience. Learn more than your opponents and you're sure to send them to the ground in flames.
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