Sparrow's Survival Guide

Sparrow's Survival Guide
Part 1 & 2

Evasion:
One of the most important things that I can tell you refers to sound setup. I recommend the following; of the four sliders used to adjust the sound, going from top to bottom, set them in the following order: 100%, 50%, 50%, and 25%. Using these settings, you will be able to hear enemy choppers approaching long before you can see them. This is a huge advantage. If you can identify his location before he sees you then it will be easy to get the jump on him. Use every advantage that you have to its fullest.

First of all, the Comanche is a stealth attack helicopter. In its standard configuration (without external mounts, or EFAMs) the Comanche is extremely difficult to pick up on radar. When flying in the standard configuration you can come very close to an opponent before he will be able to see you on radar. However, the EFAMs will allow you to carry an additional 16 stinger missiles. This is a substantial improvement over the standard load of 12 that can be carried internally. Just remember that there is a direct relation between your ability to carry a full load of 28 stingers and your ability to move without detection.

The best method that I have found for the evasion of incoming stingers is to slide from right to left (left to right does not work, don't ask me why). As the missiles get closer you should use your "momentary altitude popup" and simultaneously pivot clockwise (keep your nose pointed at the closest missiles), all while continuing your slide.

One alternative to this is; if your opponent only managed to get off one or two missiles, you can wait until they are right in front of you, and then "step aside" by moving left and hitting your pop up key (be sure to shout "TORO" as you do this). They should go right on by you without harm.

Depending on the situation and the position of your opponent, you must decide instantly whether you can afford to keep your EFAMs or if you must ditch them. Of course, the EFAMs greatly increase your radar image and make it easier to lock on, but they also add substantial firepower to your arsenal. They also slow you down substantially and make it more difficult to evade incoming missiles.

One way to handle this situation is to expend as many missiles on your EFAMs as quickly as you can, then ditch them before his missiles reach you. Then you can more easily evade his shots until he is done in by your missiles.

One other option I frequently use when facing very good opponents is to leave my bay doors open. Then when we engage I will fire a few quick shots off the EFAMs and ditch them before his missiles reach me. Since my bay doors were already open, there should be no hesitation as I continue firing my internal stores. Those few extra shots that you took prior to ditching could give you the advantage that you need.

If you are not on the ground, then your gear should be up. (DUH!!!) This again has to do with radar signature. A lot of new pilots make the mistake of firing missiles until their opponent is killed. This may seem like a good idea at first, until you watch his last four or five missiles that he fired go to waste because the target is already destroyed. It will usually take a few seconds for your missiles to reach your target, so only fire enough missiles to make the kill and then just wait for them to do the job.

   First of all, the Comanche is a stealth attack helicopter. In its standard configuration (without external mounts, or EFAMs) the Comanche is extremely difficult to pick up on radar. When flying in the standard configuration you can come very close to an opponent before he will be able to see you on radar. However, the EFAMs will allow you to carry an additional 16 stinger missiles. This is a substantial improvement over the standard load of 12 that can be carried internally. Just remember that there is a direct relation between your ability to carry a full load of 28 stingers and your ability to move without detection.

The best method that I have found for the evasion of incoming stingers is to slide from right to left (left to right does not work, don't ask me why). As the missiles get closer you should use your "momentary altitude popup" and simultaneously pivot clockwise (keep your nose pointed at the closest missiles), all while continuing your slide.

One alternative to this is; if your opponent only managed to get off one or two missiles, you can wait until they are right in front of you, and then "step aside" by moving left and hitting your pop up key (be sure to shout "TORO" as you do this). They should go right on by you without harm.

Depending on the situation and the position of your opponent, you must decide instantly whether you can afford to keep your EFAMs or if you must ditch them. Of course, the EFAMs greatly increase your radar image and make it easier to lock on, but they also add substantial firepower to your arsenal. They also slow you down substantially and make it more difficult to evade incoming missiles.

One way to handle this situation is to expend as many missiles on your EFAMs as quickly as you can, then ditch them before his missiles reach you. Then you can more easily evade his shots until he is done in by your missiles.

One other option I frequently use when facing very good opponents is to leave my bay doors open. Then when we engage I will fire a few quick shots off the EFAMs and ditch them before his missiles reach me. Since my bay doors were already open, there should be no hesitation as I continue firing my internal stores. Those few extra shots that you took prior to ditching could give you the advantage that you need.

If you are not on the ground, then your gear should be up. (DUH!!!) This again has to do with radar signature. A lot of new pilots make the mistake of firing missiles until their opponent is killed. This may seem like a good idea at first, until you watch his last four or five missiles that he fired go to waste because the target is already destroyed. It will usually take a few seconds for your missiles to reach your target, so only fire enough missiles to make the kill and then just wait for them to do the job.

Attacking:
Shoot your missiles as rapidly as possible. So many jousts are survived by the skin of your teeth, if more of your missiles get to him before he can fire more off then you have an advantage. Also, the sooner that you can stop firing, the sooner you will stop producing that huge heat signature caused by the rocket motors.

It is not necessary to wait until you are able to get a lock on an opponent prior to firing. If you spot a bandit flying over a ridge top in the distance, and it is a little too far away to get a lock, lead your target and fire your missiles. As the missiles get close they will lock on automatically (provided you got them close enough). Also, by using this method he will only receive one or two seconds of warning that he has been locked onto, thus reducing his chances for evasion. This is also a very good reason to stay low and not to fly in straight lines. Please note that this tactic is completely useless if your opponent is not carrying EFAMS.

If you come up against an opponent who is hiding behind a ridge in order to evade incoming fire, then popping up to shoot, try this; using the aforementioned method of aiming manually, fire several missiles just over the top of the ridge. As the missiles "peek" over the top, they will lock on and destroy him. This can be accomplished from long range thus ensuring your safety.

   Always fly as low as you can to deny them knowledge of your location. Just remember that under an altitude of 12, you cannot fire stingers or they will go right into the dirt (your altitude must be even higher if you are flying with limit cyclic range turned off). If your opponent cannot see you, then he cannot kill you.

Keep in mind that if you catch your opponent "flat footed", or hovering, you may use fewer missiles to destroy him. Try not to use more than you need to, because there are always more where he came from

Possible tactics for use during team matches:
   One idea is to let a less skilled pilot follows a skilled pilot at a distance. When the lead pilot engages a target, the trailing pilot launches missiles in support while maintaining enough distance to remain safe. He may then provide protection while seeking a FARP if necessary. The whole idea is to keep the "easy kills" safe. The skilled pilots need to protect their teammates as well as get the kills.

    To determine your actual contribution to your team, subtract your deaths from your kills. If you got ten kills, but also died ten times then your contribution is zero points. Keep in mind that there are other ways to support the team than by just getting kills though. The point is, you must be able to survive in order to deny your opponents as many points as possible. The pilots with the ability to get the kills without acquiring many deaths are the pilots that you want on the front line. Hold the less skilled pilots back a ways and let them face pilots that have already been worn down a bit.

    Most pilots have a habit of taking the same route on certain maps. So, if you are ever having a particularly difficult time with a certain pilot and he is really kicking your butt, try taking a different route and you may not run into him again. Don't be afraid to point him out to one of your more skilled teammates. Choose your battles wisely.

    A good attitude to have during a team match where there are FARPS in the center of the map, is that you take those FARPS and keep them. Stay close to them and protect them, use them frequently to keep your chopper in good shape.

    One possible tactic to use if you are limited to only carrying twelve stingers, is to utilize your wingman to make your kills for you. It works like this; while you engage the victim and he is firing all of his missiles at you, you hold your fire (or use only cannons) and do nothing but dodge. While you are keeping him occupied, your wingman pops up from a safe distance and slips three stingers in from behind or from the side. Since he is not expecting an attack from that direction, three is all it should take. Needless to say, the lead pilot must be very experienced in evasion, but it should be possible without EFAMS. You may continue in this manner until your wingman is depleted and then you change positions since you still have twelve missiles left. This tactic may be particularly useful on maps that do not have any FARPS in the center, since conservation of missiles could play a huge role on the number of kills. If the opponent is facing you and dodging, then you may expend your entire load without killing him, but just three missiles from an unexpected direction is all it will take to do him in.

Compliments of XO.Sparrow3h��IE�.