Combat
From The Skybrary
Combat in Skyrates is done in a top-down view with a few simple controls. Planes have gun arcs which are displayed as colored translucent triangles. The player's gun arcs are green. Enemy gun arcs are red. Planes have armor, which works like health points, represented by blue shield icons (in the picture, this player almost completely out of armor). The object is to try and shoot down enemy planes, before they shoot you down.
See the Combat Levels and Bounty page to find out how combat difficulty and cash payouts are determined.
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[edit] Facings
Facings are the five possible starting configurations of an encounter with pirates (or Combat).
[edit] Ambushed
The pirates are in a circle around you. Generally the easiest way to get the advantage is to use Afterburner and get out of the circle as quickly as possible, then turn and engage each of the enemies one by one.
[edit] Chasing
The pirates begin facing away from the player plane, with the player plane directly on the pirates' six o'clocks. Many pilots feel this is an optimal starting position as it requires no maneuvering on the part of the pilot to begin their hunt safely.
[edit] Fleeing
The pirates are directly behind you. Usually one or more of the enemy planes will use Afterburner to get close, so the best way to get the advantage is to use Wingover if available or brake and turn to get out of the line of fire and put the enemies in front of you.
[edit] Facing
The pirates and the player plane start out pointing towards each other. Oftentimes this will entail rushing right into the firing arcs of a half dozen planes or more. It is recommended that the player do a Wingover to get into a superior fighting position.
[edit] Unique combats
Special combats like the Diamond Convoy, Phantom Junker, and Koi Pond do not start in one of the default positions, but rather each one has its own unique configuration. The (growing) list of special combats can be found at Category:Unique Combat.
[edit] Outcomes
[edit] Winning
If you win the combat you will receive a amount of money and a number of Combat Points (aka CP) which are tied to the difficulty rating of the combat.
[edit] Losing
If you lose the combat several things will happen. You will lose a portion of any cargo you are carrying. The percentage of cargo lost is tied to the difficulty rating of the combat (and can be reduced with the Smuggling skill and by the Diplomat crew member). Any crew you have will be hurt, reducing their happiness. You will continue on your way, but be reduced to only one shield of armor until you land and purchase additional armor at a Hangar (or, if you have hired one, until your mechanic crew member repairs some of your armor).
[edit] Fleeing
If you feel that you have entered a combat you cannot win, you can Flee by flying far enough away from the enemy that no planes remain visible on your radar. If you flee a combat before downing any planes, the combat ends with no reward. Your only penalty will be any shields you lost during the combat. If you do manage to kill at least one enemy, you will receive partial money and possibly Combat Points (depending on the difficulty rating of the planes you did shoot down). Fleeing is easier in a faster plane or when using the Afterburner skill.
[edit] Bribing
At the combat "ready" screen you have the choice to bribe the pirates to leave you alone. The amount of bribery money is related to the difficulty rating of the combat. Once combat starts, the bribe option remains open, but the cost continually increases. Bribing is a good idea if you can't flee and have cargo you don't want to lose. Bribing costs can be reduced with the Negotiation skill or with Diplomat crew members.
[edit] Controls
W - Speed Up (The Up-Arrow can also be used)
S - Slow Down (The Down-Arrow can also be used)
A - Turn Clockwise (The Left-Arrow can also be used)
D - Turn Counterclockwise (The Right-Arrow can also be used)
Space - Fire Guns
Shift - Held down to enter maneuvers
P - Pause. While paused, you can review a list of maneuvers.
[edit] Stats in Combat
[edit] Firepower
Firepower is how much damage each shot does. It is affected by the Firepower stat of your plane and the Precision Fire skill.
[edit] Armor
Armor effects how much armor your plane has and works much like health points in other games. It can be seen visually by the number of shields icons you have. A partially damaged shield will regenerate fully after a combat is ended.
[edit] Maneuver
Maneuver effects how well your plane turns and also increases your chance to dodge incoming fire. It is affected by the Maneuver stat of your plane and the Maneuver skill.
[edit] Max speed
Max Speed effects how fast your planes moves in combat. It can help you keep up with (or away from) faster planes or flee the combat.
[edit] Stall speed
The Stall Speed effects how slow your plane can go. It can help you keep from speeding past slower planes and improves your turning radius.
[edit] Acceleration
Acceleration effects how fast you can change your speeds. When combined with a high max speed it can help you speed up quickly to get out of the way of enemy gun range.
[edit] Accuracy
Accuracy increases your chance to hit enemy aircraft. It is only affected by the Eagle Eye Skill. It currently isn't displayed in any way other than by how many points you have in the Eagle Eye skill on the skill tree page.
[edit] Other Combat Factors
[edit] Gun arcs
The number, size, and placement of gun arcs on a plane has a great deal to do with how well a plane will perform in combat. Long front arcs are good in most situations. Long back arcs will let you easily damage ships with shorter or nonexistent front arcs. Side arcs can be useful in some situations where it is difficult to position your craft to use front arcs.
[edit] Plane size
The size of your plane affects the combat performance as well, as it is much easier to avoid enemy gun arcs in small planes than it is in large ones.
[edit] Combat Difficulty
Not all encounters are created equal. The number and type of enemy planes define the combat level of the encounter. Combat difficulty is based on a number of factors, including the danger level of the area you are flying, the plane you are flying, and your ranks in Combat Infamy.
[edit] Combat Maneuvers
- For more info on each one, see Category:Combat Maneuvers.
Combat maneuvers are skills, most of them learned using Flight Points, that allow you to perform special moves in combat. This will enable you to evade enemy fire and get in the perfect position to eliminate your aggressors.
Each maneuver also has a corresponding hotkey:
- 1: Airbrake
- 2: Afterburner
- 3: Sideslip left
- 4: Sideslip right
- 5: Immelman
- 6: Split S
- 7: Loop
- 8: Barrel Roll left
- 9: Barrel Roll right
- 0: Wingover left
- [: Wingover right
[edit] Advanced combat techniques
There are some techniques you can use in combat to ensure victory.
[edit] The Inside Turn
Probably the simplest of combat techniques, the inside turn relies on having better maneuverability and a lower stall speed than your opponent. In it you slow down just enough and try and keep inside your opponents turn with your gun focused on this side or back.
[edit] The Inside Turn and Thrust
This is used when your opponent is far faster and probably has better maneuver than you. In it you wait for your enemy to start making wide circles around you. Turn slowly and use the red arrow to determine your opponents position. You have to gauge how far ahead in the turn you need to be to reach your opponents. When you you think you are at the right position accelerate to full and hopefully your opponent will pass through your gun arcs. You might want to press spacebar (to begin firing) before you connect with then as they likely won't be in your arcs long.
[edit] The Tail Rake
The tail rake is used with the combat maneuver airbrake to rake enemy planes with tail guns. It can be done in one of two ways. In one of the first methods you get your opponent behind you, get enough of a lead to make a sharp turn to the side just out of their arcs and then hit airbrake. The other method is to come at them more or less head on but slightly of to the side and then hit airbrake when you are just past them. After hitting airbrake you turn so your tail guns are over them and try continue turning to keep them over the enemy as long as possible.
[edit] Lining Them Up
Some of the performance planes like to make high speed pass straight towards you. While this can be a disadvantage, you can use it to your advantage. If you line up your plane so the enemy craft will travel through your gun arcs as long as possible on its pass by you, you can hopefully damage them more than they damage you. This can be done with any of your gun arcs. You can try and turn as they pass to correct your path or to keep them in your arcs. If you are going to be using your front arc it might be best to let them come from behind. If your stall speed is low enough they will pass you quickly and once they've just passed you, you can speed up to keep them in your front arc longer. One thing to remember is you should also try and keep them from hitting you as much as possible, for instance the Lancaster has large side arcs but also has long wings so lining up to take them on from the side would probably be a bad idea in it.
[edit] Offensive Combat Maneuvering
The Immelman, Split S and Barrel Roll are all powerful offensive maneuvers (the third is also a great defensive maneuver). To use an Immelman or a Split S, line up with the enemy plane that is chasing you. When you pull the maneuver, you will quickly fly through him, hopefully scoring some free hits. Keep in mind that Split S starts very slowly. To use an offensive Barrel Roll, fly parallel to the enemy plane and roll into him. An alternate strategy is to line up a pursuer, rapidly turn sideways and roll so that the enemy flies through your arcs while you roll. Because offensive combat maneuvering puts you in the enemy's arcs, the higher your Maneuver stat the more devastating these will be.
[edit] Defensive Combat Maneuvering
Part of successful combat is knowing when to get out of dodge. Wingover, Barrel Roll and Sideslip are good ways to get yourself out of a jam. In a linear high-speed chase, the near-right angle turn of a wingover can be extremely useful. If the chase is low speed and involves a large amount of turning, a barrel roll or sideslip may afford you the brief moment you need to Afterburn or wingover your way out.
