16 replies to this topic

[Corsair4790805]

After 4 months or so of flying, I flew my 1,000 battle last night right after Invasion ended.  I'd like to say it was a stellar performance, but it was my worst battle in memory.

 

While it was a win, I was about as useful as tits on a boar hog.  0 captured sectors, 0 kills, less than 1,00 damage to aerial targets, 0 capture points, shot down twice by enemy humans, and one measly assist.  3,065 personal points and 3rd place with Fighter Grade V.   This was flying my specialized Spit Ia.

 

I'd like to say my 1,001st battle was better, but it wasn't with only 3,920 points and a 7th place finish - and a loss.

 

If I had video in a postable/linkable format I'd share it for everyone's amusement.  

 

Hopefully it's not a portent of future performance.  I know what I did wrong (I was still in Invasion mode mentality).

 

Anyway, feel free to chuckle at my miserable showing

 

[CorvusCorvax]

Corsair4790805, on 30 November 2020 - 11:18 PM, said:

 I know what I did wrong (I was still in Invasion mode mentality).

 

I think you win, here.  *This* is how you get better - you recognize where you went wrong.

 

It is  a bit of a head-scratcher, tho.  I mean, the Spit I a excels at shooting stuff down, *if* you get close enough.  Those 8 .303s can really burn through HP.

[losttwo]

Corsair4790805, on 30 November 2020 - 06:18 PM, said:

After 4 months or so of flying, I flew my 1,000 battle last night right after Invasion ended.  I'd like to say it was a stellar performance, but it was my worst battle in memory.

 

While it was a win, I was about as useful as tits on a boar hog.  0 captured sectors, 0 kills, less than 1,00 damage to aerial targets, 0 capture points, shot down twice by enemy humans, and one measly assist.  3,065 personal points and 3rd place with Fighter Grade V.   This was flying my specialized Spit Ia.

 

I'd like to say my 1,001st battle was better, but it wasn't with only 3,920 points and a 7th place finish - and a loss.

 

If I had video in a postable/linkable format I'd share it for everyone's amusement.  

 

Hopefully it's not a portent of future performance.  I know what I did wrong (I was still in Invasion mode mentality).

 

Anyway, feel free to chuckle at my miserable showing

 

 

CorvusCorvax, on 30 November 2020 - 06:26 PM, said:

I think you win, here.  *This* is how you get better - you recognize where you went wrong.

 

It is  a bit of a head-scratcher, tho.  I mean, the Spit I a excels at shooting stuff down, *if* you get close enough.  Those 8 .303s can really burn through HP.

 

Yeah, you really need to learn not to fire at your target too soon. It spooks them and makes them evade.

Get in close but don't ram them

[Corsair4790805]

CorvusCorvax, on 30 November 2020 - 03:26 PM, said:

I think you win, here.  *This* is how you get better - you recognize where you went wrong.

 

It is  a bit of a head-scratcher, tho.  I mean, the Spit I a excels at shooting stuff down, *if* you get close enough.  Those 8 .303s can really burn through HP.

 

Yeah....that's why it was so embarrassing.   Especially seeing how I've specialized the Ia and even have ultimate gear on it for speed and maneuverability, plus a 7 point pilot driving it.   it's not like I don't know how to fly it (though that would be a reasonable assumption if you looked at that battle only).

 

Water under the bridge now - I'll take it back out tonight and fly it like I'm supposed to.  The results will be better (not necessarily stellar, but it's not like I could do a whole lot worse either LOL).

 

[Corsair4790805]

losttwo, on 30 November 2020 - 03:29 PM, said:

 

 

Yeah, you really need to learn not to fire at your target too soon. It spooks them and makes them evade.

Get in close but don't ram them

That's actually a really good observation.   I will incorporate this into my style of play with this plane - I don't always pay attention to my range and tend to open up as soon as I get the red health bar.   I'll work on closing the distance more before opening up.   It's very doable, I just have to keep it in mind and not start spraying as soon as I've crept into range.

 

Thanks

 

[CorvusCorvax]

Corsair4790805, on 30 November 2020 - 11:35 PM, said:

That's actually a really good observation.   I will incorporate this into my style of play with this plane - I don't always pay attention to my range and tend to open up as soon as I get the red health bar.   I'll work on closing the distance more before opening up.   It's very doable, I just have to keep it in mind and not start spraying as soon as I've crept into range.

 

Thanks

 

My method is to count 1 second (a full one second) before I open up.

BUT, and this is important, I fly a lot of fast planes with slow-firing guns.  Sometimes, you have to press the tit BEFORE the red health bar shows up.  But you have to know when that is.  IN GENERAL, waiting until you close to well within optimal range is best, especially with MG-equipped planes.

[Corsair4790805]

CorvusCorvax, on 30 November 2020 - 03:59 PM, said:

My method is to count 1 second (a full one second) before I open up.

BUT, and this is important, I fly a lot of fast planes with slow-firing guns.  Sometimes, you have to press the tit BEFORE the red health bar shows up.  But you have to know when that is.  IN GENERAL, waiting until you close to well within optimal range is best, especially with MG-equipped planes.

Thanks for the tip.  The machine guns on the Spit are pretty fast firing, but I have few planes with slower guns so that's really good to know.

 

[Corsair4790805]

I'm happy to report that doing all the things I know to do (map, bots, etc) and paying closer to attention to when I open fire resulted in a very nice win for me in my Spit Ia tonight (Grade II, 2 sectors captured, 15 A/C shot down, 3,239 damage to aerial targets, and 500 capture points.   It was still a near run thing, but we pulled it.

 

The rest of the night was meh - I bought the F5F and flew 5 battles in it (2-3), but I did get enough XP 2 of the 5 upgrades and took 1st 3 times and performed well in 4 of the 5 battles.   If I'm lucky it'll be ready by the final phase of the event.

 

Done for the night - tomorrow more practice...and then more practice.

 

I think I'm going to make L2P, git gud my mantra LOL

[SpiritFoxMY]

Looking at your aircraft list, I'd strongly advise you work on some other aircraft lines. The Messerschmitts and Spitfires are effectively "easy mode" planes, the 109s being a bit more technically challenging than the Spits but both are effectively the absolute strongest fighters at their tier. 

 

Consider trying out the British or German heavy fighter lines and the British or USN multiroles (the Corsairs). All are rewarding lines that are also fairly demanding on a pilot's skill. You should also give Bombers and GAAs a go if for no other reason than to understand how "the other side" works. The German GAAs and Bombers are the easy versions of each line with the Soviets generally requiring more thoughtful gameplay.

[losttwo]

You really have a good attitude about playing, keep it that way.

adding to what Spirit stated.

We all know you are progressing up a preferred line of planes but learning the other planes will help

you understand how better to defeat the other planes.

Personally, I fly whatever I can hot wire and steal off the tarmac.

 

And I know it is too close to Christmas but go ahead and get you some premium planes.

It will help train your pilots faster.

[CorvusCorvax]

I would add to SFMY's comments - the American HF line is VERY rewarding.  The P-38F is the best T5 plane, IMO, and the P-38J is a straight-up killer at T6.  The F7F is an acquired taste (a taste I never acquired, I must admit) but the XF5U Pancake is stellar at T8, the F2H Banshee is arguably the best T9 HF and the XF-90 at T10 is the speed and altitude king of WoWP.

A very pleasant line to follow to the end.  It is a little weird how you access this HF line - you make a lateral move within T5 from the P-40.  The P-40 can be fun, and it will teach you about altitude BnZ and American .50cal MG play, but if I wanted to have and keep a MG-gunned fast altitude fighter at T5, the MiG-3 would be my choice (and is).  The P-40 also leads to the P-51 line, which some might argue is the most difficult of the LF lines, due to the fact that you get to struggle through three tiers of P-51s before you get to the FJ-1. And you get to suffer T8 again if you want to get the F6U Pirate.

The ultimate plane of the line, the F-86, is one of the very best LFs of T10 - fast, turny, high-altitude...  I had one keep up with my Me-262HGIII for half a battle as we circled the map - I finally took him to an altitude where he couldn't follow, turned on him, and got him with my Mk-213s, but it was a near thing. Eight minutes of battle, for one kill, and no sectors captured.  We both finished near the bottom of our respective teams, LOL.

 

But that is off-topic a bit.  The MiG LF line is pretty good - the I-210 at T6 is a serious letdown after the OP goodness of the MiG-3 at T5.  Which is then rewarded with a stupid-OP plane at T7, the I-220.  The I-250 at T8 used to be pretty awesome, until the Vampire showed up.  If you see a Vampire on the other team, you'll either have to avoid it, or take it when it is busy doing other stuff.  I guess one could say that about pretty much any T8 LF.  The MiG-9 is good at T9 (I hear, I'm still working on it), and the MiG-15 is a stone-cold killer at T10 in the right hands.  When I fly my P.1101, I find that I have to be careful around human-controlled MiG-15s.  The P.1101 is a very good plane, and that makes up for a lot, but good MiG drivers will surprise you, and not in a good way.

 

 

If you're into turny birds, the Yak LF line is very rewarding.  I think the Yak-3 is one of the best LFs in the game.  For the lulz, the premium Yak-3RD is fantastic fun, as long as you don't need to shoot anything down right now.  The jet-powered Yaks actually do pretty good work well into their red altitude.  I've been on the other end of that often enough. 

 

;)

[Corsair4790805]

I typo'd my post last night - I started working on the F*4*F, not the F5F.

 

I just did an inventory of my current planes, and I am indeed fighter heavy (by design).   I have 8 fighters (3 premium).   I have 2 HF - the Blenheim F and the Ao 192 (which I just bought again - I dumped it a long time ago when I didn't understand how to fly heavies and flew it like a LF, with predictable results).   I have 4 MRF, all premiums from crates except my F4F, and 2 attack (also premium, from crates).

 

I'm a bit reluctant to move off fighters as it'll probably negatively impact my W/L rate, but I see the points being made about understanding the planes by flying them.  Definitely outside my comfort zone, but then most things worth doing/learning are initially outside one's comfort zone (at least in my experience).  Plus, if I can actually gain some degree of proficiency/skill with GAA and other types, it will only help my overall performance and make me a valuable (or at least useful) contributing member of the teams I'm on.

 

I'm about as eager to fly bombers as I am to drive carriers in WOWS (never have to date), but I'll give it a whirl when I get there.
 

The other limiting factor for me was hangar space, but I've got 4 slots open now (got 3 hangar slots in a crate last night from the event). 

 

So here's what I'm thinking:

 

1. Pick up the Brit Tier IV Hurricane I (I've already researched it).

2. Pick up the Russian TSh-2 (also already researched).

3. Continue down the USN MRF line (currently on the F4F and looking forward to the Corsairs, which should not be a surprise given my screen name and avatar).

4. Continue down the Brit HF line (currently specialized Blenheim F).

5. Start down the US P-47 line (which will open up bombers).

6. Continue down the German HF line (which will open up German bombers and attack aircraft).

 

Did I miss anything?

 

As always, I appreciate the feedback and suggestions.   I'm sure I'll be back with lots of noob questions about GAA (and bombers at some point).

 

[Corsair4790805]

losttwo, on 01 December 2020 - 01:16 AM, said:

And I know it is too close to Christmas but go ahead and get you some premium planes.

It will help train your pilots faster.

 

I've seen and heard a lot about using premium planes to train pilots faster, here and in clan chat.

 

Wouldn't I have to pay to retrain the pilot to fly a premium?   Plus spend the time getting them to 100% so I can start accumulating skill points?   And then turn around and retrain them for the plane they normally fly?

 

Or am I misunderstanding something about pilot training and skill growth?

 

[crzyhawk]

No any pilot can fly in any premium for his nation, without penalty.  You just do not gain exp towards aircraft proficiency if your pilot is not 100% trained to his normal plane.

[Corsair4790805]

crzyhawk, on 01 December 2020 - 04:09 PM, said:

No any pilot can fly in any premium for his nation, without penalty.  You just do not gain exp towards aircraft proficiency if your pilot is not 100% trained to his normal plane.

 

Ah, ok - that's what I was missing/misunderstanding.   The proficiency part.   I'm not worried about the proficiency (most of my pilots are already 100% in the plane they're in) - I like the idea of gaining skills quicker though.

 

Thank you for the clarification

 

[Reitousair]

Corsair4790805, on 01 December 2020 - 03:16 PM, said:

So here's what I'm thinking:

 

1. Pick up the Brit Tier IV Hurricane I (I've already researched it).

2. Pick up the Russian TSh-2 (also already researched).

3. Continue down the USN MRF line (currently on the F4F and looking forward to the Corsairs, which should not be a surprise given my screen name and avatar).

4. Continue down the Brit HF line (currently specialized Blenheim F).

5. Start down the US P-47 line (which will open up bombers).

6. Continue down the German HF line (which will open up German bombers and attack aircraft).

 

Did I miss anything?

 

As always, I appreciate the feedback and suggestions.   I'm sure I'll be back with lots of noob questions about GAA (and bombers at some point).

 

 

You should probably drop the USAAF MRF's (P-47/F-84's) as even though they lead to the American bombers, American bombers are kind of awkward, and except for B-32 aren't terribly strong unless you really know how to approach caps and maximize your routes. Even B-32 is debatable nowadays since NA has such a heavy focus on speed and it's by a wide margin the slowest of all tier 7 bombers (though by far the fastest of all US bombers, which should give you an idea of how sluggish B-17's are.)

 

Instead pick up the TSh-2 and use it to get the SB to start playing with Soviet bombers which are the closest things to fighters you'll get out of the three lines (once you hit tier 5.) As a bit of a memetic saying goes "Soviet bombers are basically heavy fighters."

 

I'd recommend continuing down the US LF line so you can get your P-40, and then get your hands on the P-38F. P-38F is by a pretty wide margin the strongest plane in all of tier 5 but it has a pretty high skill floor to prevent just anybody from dominating with it, despite this it's also a fairly straightforward HF to play and should be a solid plane to learn BnZ in without punishing you too heavily. This does mean you'll be going down three HF lines at the same time (and, to be honest, you can probably drop UK HF's for now since they rely on horizontal BnZ from tier 6 onwards which is better learned by playing MRF's.)

 

So to try and reorganize your list a bit:

1) Get Hurricane I

2) Continue your way towards the F4U-1

3) Pick up TSh-2 and research the SB

4) Continue down German HF's (for both the HF's and bombers)

Optional: 5) Continue down the US LF line in order to pick up the P-38F and play US HF's

 

This both narrows the lines you're progressing down which helps alleviate money problems and gives you a pretty broad spectrum of aircraft to play which will help round out your skillset. You can look into others lines if you want, of course however that list of lines should serve you well once you figure them out. Do feel free to PM me if you have questions though I'm far more active on the WoWp Discord than I am on the forums.

[Corsair4790805]

Reitousair, on 01 December 2020 - 04:49 PM, said:

 

You should probably drop the USAAF MRF's (P-47/F-84's) as even though they lead to the American bombers, American bombers are kind of awkward, and except for B-32 aren't terribly strong unless you really know how to approach caps and maximize your routes. Even B-32 is debatable nowadays since NA has such a heavy focus on speed and it's by a wide margin the slowest of all tier 7 bombers (though by far the fastest of all US bombers, which should give you an idea of how sluggish B-17's are.)

 

Instead pick up the TSh-2 and use it to get the SB to start playing with Soviet bombers which are the closest things to fighters you'll get out of the three lines (once you hit tier 5.) As a bit of a memetic saying goes "Soviet bombers are basically heavy fighters."

 

I'd recommend continuing down the US LF line so you can get your P-40, and then get your hands on the P-38F. P-38F is by a pretty wide margin the strongest plane in all of tier 5 but it has a pretty high skill floor to prevent just anybody from dominating with it, despite this it's also a fairly straightforward HF to play and should be a solid plane to learn BnZ in without punishing you too heavily. This does mean you'll be going down three HF lines at the same time (and, to be honest, you can probably drop UK HF's for now since they rely on horizontal BnZ from tier 6 onwards which is better learned by playing MRF's.)

 

So to try and reorganize your list a bit:

1) Get Hurricane I

2) Continue your way towards the F4U-1

3) Pick up TSh-2 and research the SB

4) Continue down German HF's (for both the HF's and bombers)

Optional: 5) Continue down the US LF line in order to pick up the P-38F and play US HF's

 

This both narrows the lines you're progressing down which helps alleviate money problems and gives you a pretty broad spectrum of aircraft to play which will help round out your skillset. You can look into others lines if you want, of course however that list of lines should serve you well once you figure them out. Do feel free to PM me if you have questions though I'm far more active on the WoWp Discord than I am on the forums.

 

Thanks for the suggested revisions to my list.   I picked up the TSh-2 (among others in the list I didn't have).   Went 1-5 in it tonight, but saw a small improvement in my scoring with it by the end of the 5th game.  Still haven't managed to capture more than 2 sectors in a match, but I'll get there.

 

I forgot to add it to the list, but I've also been considering the Japanese HF Ki-45 (I've spec'd the A6M1).   I'll probably wait a bit on that while I learn the basics of the Russian attack aircraft and start working on the German HFs.

 

I'm on WoWP discord occasionally - I forget it's up 24/7 and I should probably log in more often and see what's going on in NA.

 

o7