Editor-In-Chief: Patrick "Pace"-----Bombing Dept. Manager: Ryan "Vagabond"
Art Director: Ryan "Phule" 'The Picture Man'-----Webmaster: Rob "Fido7"
Research Dept. Manager: Tibor "TiBOR"-----Contributing Artist: Alex "Alleycat"
Assistant Editor: Paul "+Blu+"-----Fighter Tactics Dept. Manager: Jeff "Matyr"
Contributing Writers: "AHBlackjak", "Vet", "Wolf Pup", "Icer", "Matyr", and "Vagabond"
Tech Support Manager: Rob "Fido7"-----History Dept. Manager: Ryan "Icer"
The P-38 is the best all around fighter in the skies of Air Warrior. The Germans nicknamed it the "Fork Tailed Devil" and when you fly it, you will see why. It does EVERYTHING good. It has a good ammo load, with good lethality. It has good acceleration, and great speed to match. It also climbs very well [in the Pacific, however in Europe it is easily outclimbed by the 109 and Spitfire -- Pace].
As with most fighters of the game, the 38 has some secrets to make it a great fighter in the hands of an experienced pilot. It handles very well in the vertical, and it also turns great, with about 3 notches of flaps [And the nose down, trying High yo yo's with a Spitfire or 109 is a good way to die -- Pace] . If you have a person pursuing you at a very high rate of speed, you can easily make them overshoot by cutting the throttle to about half, and deploying the speed brakes. Most of the time they will overshoot you and you will have room to get a quick shot on them. The P-38 also has a good ammo load, so if you are one of those people who like to "Spray and Pray" you should have a moderate success with the 38. Don't get too carried away as the cannon only lasts for half of the load...
But there are a few vices that the P-38 has. The biggest vice, is the P-38's hit bubble. It has a hit bubble equal to that of a bomber, so it is a very easy target to hit. Another bad vice of the P-38 is its roll-rate. It has one of the slowest roll rates of the fighters of Air Warrior, so if you are in a fight with a plane, and you and him/her are in a scissors, they will most likely win, unless you use alot of rudder to compensate for the sluggish roll rate.It is also known in FR to be the most difficult airplane to pull out of spins, because of its tendency to go into flat spins when you stall [This is due to the two engines -- Pace] ( I refer to it as the " Spinning Death" ). If you should go into a spin in the 38, there are 3 things you should do to recover it. They are cut the throttle to decrease your rate of descent, lower the nose as low as you can, and put in ALOT of rudder in the opposite direction of the spin.Most of the time you will recover, but at ALOT lower altitude than you were originally at. The last vice on the list, is that it compresses at high speeds ( Anything above 350 ias ) so if you get going too fast, be sure to use your speed brakes, because that's what they are there for.
If you are looking for a good fighter, that has great handling qualities, the P-38 is DEFINITELY the plane for you. [F]
P-38 Lightning
Armament: 4, 50 Cal. Machine Guns 1, 20mm Cannon
Payload: 2, 550 lb. Bombs
Max Fuel: 410 Gallons
--AHBlackjak
Early on mission day, usually before day-break, runners roused the aircrews. The airmen dressed quickly, downed as much breakfast as their stomachs could hold and headed for the briefing room. When all the airmen were present or accounted for, the head officers locked the doors and drew open the curtains that concealed the mission map and the length of yarn that stretched across its surface from England to the target in Germany.
In careful detail, the officers described the weather outlook, the target, the proper opposition to expect. Reports of stiff German defenses were often greeted by whistles, nervous laughter, and wise-cracks. The ritual of synchronizing watches brought the session to a close. Navigators usually had a special briefing afterward.
Then the men climbed into their planes with all their gear. Pilots and copilots ran through the long preflight check list. The bombers got into line on the taxiways and then, 30 seconds apart, thundered and roared down the runways and struggled into the air. When every plane was in position, and squadrons, groups and wings had joined forces, the formation headed for its targets with its fighter escorts.
On most missions, the bomber formation managed to meet its fighter escorts over France with clockwork precision. But many of the fighters reached the outer limits of their operating range and dropped out as the bombers were crossing the border into Germany; then only long-range fighters were left to protect the formation from Luftwaffe Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs that rose to pick off their lumbering prey.
As the bombers approached the ground defenses around the target area, the enemy fighters would veer away to give a clear field of fire to the antiaircraft batteries. Amid bursting flak, the formation wheeled around the IP(the initial point in the bomb run). The pilot of the lead plane turned on the Autopilot, which controlled the attitude and direction of the plane.
After opening the bomb bays, the bombardier made minor level corrections by turning two knobs on his Norden bomb-sight, one controlling lateral movement, the other regulating attitude. The bomb-sight was connected with the autopilot; hence during the bomb run the bombardiers in the other planes to release their bombs. The pilots then resumed control. The formations flew to a prearranged rally point, then turned for home.[F]
-Icer
OK, so who isn't bothered by a bunch of newbies bragging and boasting about their first kill, or whatever. Well, it comes down to the vets practically screaming at these guys to shut them up. First off, when your on a bomber, don't use channel 1 or 2 to communicate. Use the the intercom (`) key. This will save you a lot of complaints later. Second, when you are on Squad Ops, use a squad channel to communicate. You save a lot of roaming eyes the trouble of looking at your meaningless quotes. Third, keep macros to simple, one liners. If you use them at all! Usually,the longer the macro, the easier it is to kill you. Lastly, don't swear! Don't ever swear. if you need to swear press the ` key and swear to yourself!
Ack, AAA: Anti Aircraft Ammunition (Flack) [not to be confused with a Flakpanzer]
Dar: Short for Radar
Vis: Visual Contact
drunks: Paratroops
Bzy: Busy
AFK: Away From Keyboard
cc, rgr: acknowledged
otw: On the way
hvy: Heavy, as in flying with bombs
L&L: Landed and Logging
R&R: Replane and Rearm
Brb: Be right back
Kts: Knots
Anyway, try to be a little more conscious of your attitude and behavior in the arenas. You'll be liked a lot more for it.[F]
-Martyr
Ok...so what's Gamestorm REALLY doing, eh? Gamestorm, aka Kesmai trashed Earthlink, Delphi & CompuServe's link to AW, Aug. 8th. IF AW was going to be canceled completely, why didn't Gamestorm also cancel AOL's link to their host right along with the others? One further, why would Gamestorm even do such a thing to the other services?
Looking at Gamestorm's own actions, Gamestorm decided to link up with AOL in FULL force. Gamestorm trots right into AOL bringing every game they had with them. I mean EVERY game. Some of them REALLY suck...while others don't. Yet all of Gamestorm's games are now in the process of being found right on AOL. Before they even trotted into AOL, papers were signed, contracts were wrote up, money were supposedly to be made by both parties. Would Gamestorm trash AOL's link to their host now?? I think not.
Gamestorm knew full well before they even presented their games to AOL (for such & such a price) that AOL claimed to be the largest Online Service provider. Now whether AOL approached Gamestorm,....or Gamestorm approached AOL, these two companies believed they NEEDED each other...and needed each other desperately, I might add. Both were, and have been hurting financially for quite sometime. AOL decided that, "Hey, we'll go Unlimited and rack in the customers". Gamestorm on the other hand said,..."Hey, we don't have enough gamers playing our games...so lets hit up on AOL...they have 8 million customers"......and presto..brilliance was achieved (they believed).
Gamestorm is still keeping open their own web site. I'm sure they kept it open under the hopes that some extra profits could be generated without relying (now) solely upon AOL customers to play their games right here. Now....with the knowledge that CompuServe, Earthlink & Delphi no longer even have AW...one would HAVE to believe that AW players would have to move along to AW2, right? I mean....where ya gona go play AW....UNLESS you go to AOL? So AW customers are forced to either play AW on AOL (Gamestorm STILL profiting) or move along to AW2. Now while the above services still have AW2, they do connect via Gamestorm's web site. In other words, when you play AW2 via Comp, Delphi or Earthlink...they are all playing in the same arenas. Now.......IS ANYONE PLAYING ON AW2 RECENTLY at ALL??? Has AW players moved along to AW2 or has Newbie CITY hit AOL in the arenas of AW??? I for one have an acct. with Gamestorm (still wondering WHY I even have the acct) just left AW2. Not ONE single person logged into any arenas. Shesh.....I could pop in my CD of AW2 and have more fun playing against the computer. Better YET...one could trash AW2 and go out and buy a better computer flight sim, than play in an empty arena by himself...!!
I am more than convinced...AW is here to stay on AOL. Gamestorm didn't trash AOL's link to their host cause AOL & Gamestorm are living with each & are now sharing the same bed. Both NEEDED each other & getting married seemed to be profitable at the time, to both. The sad thing is the honeymoon seems to have went poorly. Gamestorms host has went downhill, newbees have hit AOL by storm (pun intended..meaning they left storms site & are now on AOL), Gamestorm's first update to the new AW sucked BIG TIME. Now we received another one...did that one help? If these two ever work out their marital differences, one would think that Gamestorm would talk nice enough to AOL & learn what works & what DOESN'T, while playing AW without Graphics, Sounds & complete Joystick failure screwing up the game. When these two work out their differences...it seems to be clear from AOL's stand point & Gamestorm's continual updates that AOL will charge for AW. AOL's wording, AW "to remain non-premium until further notice". No where in Gamestorm's or AOL's wording have they ever mentioned about canceling AW and centering only around AW2. Infact...if AW was to be done away with completely....why did Gamestorm make a AW for Mac version & not an AW2 version for Mac? :)
This has been a Vet Editorial, & THAT'S the way I see it.[F]
-Vet
In this issue, I'll take a look at all the different types of bombers. I'll go over their strengths and weaknesses, and the different times that they would (or would not) be used in Air Warrior. I'll move up from least useful bomber to most useful in this article.
Advantages: Carries troops to capture airfields, supplies, fuel, and ammo.
Disadvantages: 0 bomb payload, slow, relatively poor turning rate, no gunner positions, unarmed.
Use: To capture neutral airfields that have been prepped for capture. In flying the "drunks" over the airfield, be sure to lower your speed, as they must all be within half a mile of the airfield. Before you attempt to drop, fly above 500 feet, or the troops will NOT jump.
Advantages: 4 bombs, 1 forward gun, and 3 gunner positions.
Disadvantages: Everything else!
Use: It's low payload and other problems (speed, turn rate) make this the least used and worst bomber in Air Warrior. If you are looking for a few extra gunners' seats in the bomber, go with the B25.
Advantages: 6 bombs, 5 gunner seats
Disadvantages: No armor! Slow rate of climb, as it's engines are pathetic and underpowered.
Use: This plane blows up if you look at it wrong. It has the worst capacity for damage of any bomber, and that of most planes. A few pings is all it takes to send you back to HQ the express way.
Advantages: Speed! 4 bomb payload
Disadvantages: Turn rate, payload
Uses: Although not often used in Air Warrior, this is THE plane to use to take on a specific target mission. If that enemy's radar is bothering you, the plane can blast to and away from the target nearly as fast as a P-51. It does have a low payload, so be sure to make every bomb count over the target.
Advantages: 6 bombs, 8 forward guns, five gunner positions.
Disadvantages: On the slow side.
Uses: Think of this bomber as a slow, but heavily armed, A26. It has a smaller payload, but over double the gunners. If you have to fly through a war zone, think about this bomber as an alternative to the A26. If you have open skies, though, the A26 is a your best bet.
Advantages: 8 bombs, 8 forward guns, 2 gunner seats, fast, maneuverable.
Disadvantages: Other than the low amount of gunner seats, none.
Uses: This is the plane to use for pretty much anything, as long as you aren't trying to hit multiple targets. Unless you are going into a furball, (which is NOT recommended) this is THE medium bomber to use.
Advantages: 12 bombs, 6 gunner seats, largest capacity for damage of ANY Air Warrior plane.
Disadvantages: Slow, turns relatively poorly, not very maneuverable.
Uses: Due to it's huge payload, number of gunner seats, and extreme capacity for damage, this is the plane to use to hit multiple targets, fly through a furball, and still come home alive. As long as you don't get a FW-190 or a Niki (buff killers) on you, or run out of ammo, a fully (and competently) crewed B-17 is a formidable machine. For leveling refineries, factories, and being a real pain to the enemy, nothing beats the B-17.
This overview of the bombers available in Air Warrior should help you in deciding which one to use for that next mission deep into enemy territory.[F]
*Idea suggested by "Jbron"
-Vagabond
I remember a time over c85 in my A26 with a full load of eggs, with ack all around me. My commanders had said that the maintenance and fuel supplies there MUST be shut down if we were to start our run on the spit factory and oil refineries. Well, the only way I knew this was going to happen was with a group of B17's carpet bombing the place . . . or could it be possible by dive bombing? Well, the answer is both actually, if you know what you're doing. Dive bombing is a technique and if done properly, it can be deployed with devastating success. Firstly: FUEL LOAD. I cannot stress the importance of this enough to the new users in the game. 100% fuel is absolutely unnecessary. 'Nuff said. The reason? The more fuel you carry, the less climb rate you can sustain, and therefore the less MANEUVERABLE you can be. This will all become more important later, after the drop, when you are attempting to get the hell out of Dodge.
On to the second step in this process: how to execute the dive correctly. This is probably the most difficult thing to master, and everybody has their own way of doing it. One of the ways is to throttle back fully to idle with your engines to about 100 ias and at about 7k-10k ft BEFORE you begin your dive (this varies with fuel load, more speed for more than 20% fuel, less for less fuel obviously). Now nose down, placing the "x" onto your target. Look at your speed. It's remaining the same, because the propellers are acting as speed brakes. They strain to go over 100 ias, which allows you enough time to make your drop ACCURATELY. The benefit of all this is that you hit the same building with multiple bombs usually destroying it and a significant part of the surrounding landscape.
The next step.... PULL UP! When you are almost level, go to full throttle with WEP on (#7 on the keyboard). From here, anything is possible in the A26, as you can either be beaten up by the ack, or there are many PO'ed enemy fighters around. On the other hand, you could be all alone, and make it home safely. In the former case, don't despair. The A26 boasts the highest ammo load in the game, sporting 8 .50 cals. in the nose. This is the stage to start unloading your otherwise inexhaustible ammo supply. You see, after dropping those 8 heavy bombs, you have plenty of maneuverability to help you get home. All you need to do is "trick" those pesky fighters to get in front of you so you can blast them. Throttle control is very important here. Just make some weird maneuvers, like another dive and remember to cut the throttle so you can pull out of it quicker than your enemy, and soon they'll be passing by you (especially if they're right on top of you to begin with :) ). Most likely they will be trying to do a barrel roll over you, trying to get behind you. Just pull up a little and there they are... (pull the trigger).
Move away from there ASAP... right now, head directly to the nearest friendly planes and draw some attention away from yourself. Oh, you don't want to leave your fellow country men behind? Get some alt, turn around, and vulch them little planes in mid air. I mean, how many pings does it take anyway with 8 .50 cals? 2-3 tops? Lace into them, full auto, that'll show them. Notice your ammo? About 80% left. Pretty cool, huh? Just keep on doing what you want in that plane, and this is all WITHOUT A GUNNER!!! With a gunner anything is possible.
What do I recommend here in this department? A good reliable gunner, and one that wont leave you hanging, wondering what's he's/she's up to. Letting you know which position is at what capacity of ammo. This way, your gunner can hit the targets that you can't. You can maneuver the plane in a way that'll let the gunner do his job. This door goes both ways, as you must keep in touch with your gunner as well during the battle. I recommend a specialized gunner for this task. Not just anybody. Your life/points can depend on it. Lately I've been flying for the sheer fun of it, and not to get points... that was last years trip. It's the missions that do it for me now, and the knowledge that I didn't let my country down when I was on-line flying.
The targets you level won't be up for another 1/2 hr in the least, especially if you high tail it toward their gooney base. This is the place where they launch their gooneys from. Just go there, and keep shooting them down for little points, but it'll keep the base you just hit in disrepair.
I hope I was able to shed some light on the subject, and this is just one of the ways that Dive Bombing can be accomplished to it's maximum potential.[F]
-Wolf Pup
Following suit with this issues "Bombers Nook" I thought I'd take a look at the fighters of AW, here goes...
Armament: 2, 13mm Machine Guns 1, 20mm Cannon
Payload: 1, 550 lb. Bomb
Max Fuel: 88 Gallons
Pro: Good Stallfighter, Great Climb Rate, 20 min. worth of WEP
Con: Tiny Fuel Tank
Armament: 2,13mm Machine Guns 4, 20mm Cannon
Payload: 1, 550 lb. Bomb
Max Fuel: 141 Gallons
Pro: Murderous Guns
Con: Terrible Low Speed Turning
Armament: 2, 7.7mm Machine Guns 2, 20mm Cannons
Payload: No bombs
Max Fuel: 155 Gallons
Pro: Best Sustained Turn Rate
Con: No Armor
Armament: 6, 50 cal. Machine Guns
Payload: 2, 550 lb. Bombs
Max Fuel: 178 Gallons
Pro: Fast, Great Ammo Load
Con: Bad Low Speed Turn Rate
Armament: 6, 50 Cal. Machine Guns
Payload: 2, 550 lb. Bombs
Max Fuel: 250 Gallons
Pro: Good All Around Fighter
Con: Low Maneuverability at low speeds
Armament: 2, 12.7mm Machine Guns 2, 20mm Cannons
Payload: 1, 550 lb. Bomb
Max Fuel: 185 Gallons
Pro: Great All Around fighter
Con: Little Armor
Armament: 4, 20 mm Cannons
Payload: 1, 550 lb. Bomb
Max Fuel: 186 Gallons
Pro:Great E Fighter
Con: Little Armor
Armament: 4, 50 Cal. Machine Guns 1, 20mm Cannon
Payload: 2, 550 lb. Bombs
Max Fuel: 410 Gallons
Pro: Great Stallfighter
Con: BIG Target
Armament: 8, 50 Cal. Machine Guns
Payload: 2, 550 lb. Bombs
Max Fuel: 305 Gallons
Pro: Good Guns and Armor
Con: Everything Else
Armament: 6, 50 Cal. Machine Guns
Payload: 2, 550 lb. Bombs
Max fuel: 180 Gallons
Pro: Great Speed
Cons: Terrible Low Speed Maneuvering
Armament: 2, 50 Cal. Machine Guns 2, 20mm Cannons
Payload: 1, 550 lb. Bomb
Max Fuel: 137 Gallons
Pro: Everything other than...
Con: Low Armor, and Little Ammo
Armament: 2, 50 Cal. Machine Guns 2, 20mm Cannons
Payload: 1, 550 lb. Bomb
Max Fuel: 137 Gallons
Pro: Good Initial Turn Rate
Con: You better know what you're doing or the Yak will turn into a coffin-on-wings.
Remember that ANY plane can be dangerous when in the hands of a capable pilot. Never underestimate the ability of a pilot based soley upon his choice of aircraft. Have fun up there, and watch out for those pesky B&Z'ers :)
-Pace
I am personally outraged by the fact that AOL thinks it can flaunt its power with impunity. first, they promise us unlimited pricing, then they have the gaul to start charging per hour for games! that's not unlimited access! they took what is probably the most popular feature of AOL and slapped an ugly price tag on it. this cannot go unanswered! we, the Air Warrior community must stand up for our rights to play AW for free as AOL originally stated. we cannot allow this to set a precedent. if AW goes, only to be replaced by an improved version of itself, then what is next? will AOL start charging hourly for internet access? what about e-mail? $1.99 per message? i for one am not going to take this foul injustice lynig down! we must band togeather to defend that which is ours! we all pay for UNLIMITED use of AOL, that includes all of its services, which, in turn, includes all of its games. now, i wouldnt' have any objection if AOL wanted to replace AW with AW2 and keep it free, but the $1.99, while not seeming incredibly expensive, is an outrage. how many of you have spent all night (i.e. 8pm to 6-8am) playing AW? i would bet that the good majority of you have done that at least once, if not regularly. will you be able to do that now? no! why? b/c AOL feels it has the right to milk us for every penny it can get! can we allow this to happen? no! what are we going to do? what we needto do, nay, what we HAVE to do is this: we have to show AOL that we are important. we have to show them that we are people, not dollar signs. we have to show steve case that he can't f*ck with us. he can't empty our pockets at will. he can't go back on his promises and policys! WE DEMANDED UNLIMITED USAGE! WE GOT UNLIMITED USAGE! NOW, AOL WANTS US TO LOOSE THAT UNLIMITED USAGE!
Let us pause for a moment a consider the situation. here's how it all fits together: AOL gives us $19.95 unlimited access to stay competitive and keep its customers happy. AOL makes many improvements in various aspects of its operartion, increasing capacity, adding modems, etc. AOL decides it isn't making enough money and chooses to charge us $1.99 for the same damn thing we already get for free (ask yourself, are you really willing to pay that much for a few new planes and spiffed up graphics while loosing that which we have all come to know and love?). now it is time to write the next few scentences in this chapter of history. what we do will affect generations to come, it will set a precedent that will either help to ensure our rights against big companies, or it will allow these megacorporations to steamroll us over.
Why do we need to protect ourselves? b/c if we don't, AOL won't give a good god-damn about our interests ever again. al least now we have a chance to save ourselves, we may not be so fortunate in the future. so, what can you do? you can personally help to preserve freedom and the american way, not to mention protect your rights simply by signing Mr. Hawkins response. we need to take action, but we need an overarching game plan. we won't stand a chance going toe-to-toe with AOL. we have to beat them another way. we have to band together and fight the oppression! do it for your country, do it for you children and your children's children for god's sake! we must not let this happen!
Please, do not think that i am crazy, i'm merely looking to the future. the future of AOL, the future of America, the future of society as a whole. if we allow our rights to be destroyed and infringed upon in such a trivial manner as AOL's increased pricing, then we allow them to do more. we have to show them that they cannot do this. that they must not do this. we have to sahow them that to do this would be the greates mistake of their company's history.
Don't be blinded by their promises of AW2, sure the graphics are better and there are more planes, but does that warrant an erradication of the orginal AW? just b/c it is an older game does not make it bad. some of us have lower end machines and will not be able to run AW2 at a decent frame rate (trust me, i know). the best course of action we can take is to show AOL that it needs AW. fine, let them put AW2 on and charge for it, it is a new game after all, but that doesn't mean we also need to get rid of the original. the only reason for this is b/c AOL knows it won't make any money off AW2 if Aw is still free and availible.
FIGHT THE RAT-B*ST*RDS AT AOL! FIGHT THIER NEW PRICING LIKE WITH EVERY OUNCE OF FIGHT THAT IS IN YOUR BODY! THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO OVERCOME! WE MUST BAND TOGETHER AND DEFEAT AOL! WE MUST MAKE THEM TREAT US LIKE PAYING CUSTOMERS, NOT LIKE MINDLESS CHECK PAYING IDIOTS! FIGHT BACK! FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS! FIGHT FOR TRUE UNLIMITED USAGE!
Sincerely,
Seimx3 (aka SkipLitely)
The Jolly Green Yak
=YAK=
Sounds like a bit out of Braveheart eh? We received this mail during the height of the "Charge for AW scare", thought you might get a kick out of it. (This letter was slightly edited for content involving vulgar language-- keeping it clean for the young ears)
I love Furball Magazine.When I get my new issue I dance and sing and do everything for my Furball Magazine!
Still dancing for it,
Jonjamu
CPID:J.U.
Well thanks, we appreciate your... well... dancing and singing. Besides it gave us a self gratifying, ego boosting piece to put in our magazine, again thanks.
I would like a free subscription. Also do you have a list of squadrons to join? I think it would be cool if there was a list like that to look at. Thanks
That's a good idea. In fact next issue we will publish such a list right here in Furball Magazine! If you'd like your squadron featured in the list please send an E-mail to us at furballmag@aol.com with the following info:
Squadron Name
Squadron CO/XO With E-mail address(es)
Squadron Website ** If applicable
Squadnight ** If applicable
Arena
Well that's all for this issue's MAIL BAG. Please send us suggestions, comments, questions, humor whatever... just try to keep it clean.
Furballmag@aol.com -- Main address
Furballmag@hotmail.com -- Secondary address
Furballmag@juno.com -- Secondary address
fbresrchdept@hotmail.com -- Research Dept.
fbfightrdept@hotmail.com -- Fighter Tactics Dept
fbbmbrdept@hotmail.com -- Bomber Tactics Dept.
fbartdept@hotmail.com -- Art Dept.
fbtecdept@hotmail.com -- Technical Support Dept.
fbhistdept@hotmail.com -- History Dept.
Au Revoir
We'll see you guys next time, hope you enjoyed this issue. Look for issue # 6 and check out our website! [[[F]]]