Greetings once again,

The focus of this article is to bring new players up to speed on what they can expect to be happening in the air near the middle and end of the game.

The Toys

Advanced Bombers

Arm Phoenix

Arm Phoenix and Core Hurricane

Both of these units should be used to target key enemy facilities. In a group of 10, there is almost nothing that can stop the advanced bombers from destroying any given structure on the map. Aiming for power facilities is one of the best targets to make an impact on the enemy's economy.

Core Hurricane

Advanced bombers are cheap on metal compared to the other advanced air units. They build fast and also take enough damage to make sure the job is done. Both of these bombers also include an automatic, quick-firing low-powered laser. Unfortunately the laser has a tendency to miss anything moving, so it's often only useful when you fly a group of bombers into an area with undefended, lightly armored targets such as Metal Extractors.

Phoenix vs. Hurricane

The Core Hurricane comes out on top by a large margin, simply because it has a much larger payload than the Phoenix. What difference does this make? The Hurricane releases its bombs almost half a screen earlier than the Phoenix, giving it a better chance to release bombs before being shot down.

Gunships

Arm Brawler Core Rapier

Arm Brawler and Core Rapier Very versatile units. They have good armor, and although they are slow for aircraft, they are quick compared to the ground pounders. The gunships are great for taking out enemy units without AA defence because they hover around their targets, unlike other aircraft that fly overhead after releasing their weapons. Gunships are also great for removing enemy Metal Extractors, and for backing up your invading or defending ground forces. Beware -- gunships are very vulnerable to flak cannons. Generally after 20-25 minutes of game time, you'll be wasting them if you send them over the enemy base. Brawler vs. Rapier Although the Brawler is not a useless unit, it pales in comparrison to the Rapier, which has better speed and is capable of inflicting much more damage in a shorter period of time. However, to be fair, the cone effect on the Brawler's EMG allows it to hit faster units, where the Rapier's slower rockets come up short.

Stealth Fighters

Arm Hawk Core Vamp

Arm Hawk and Core Vamp Radar invisible, fast and armed with a seeking weapon -- stealth fighters are the ultimate swarming unit. You won't see them coming unitl they're on top of you, they can overlap each other to concentrate fire power and their weapon is guided, so moving units won't escape. Even worse, they are difficult to hit with AA missles because of their high speeds. Even in the heaviest AA, they will be able to make two or three passes before being shot down. A group of 30 stealth fighters will take out a Commander in about two passes. Hawk vs. Vamp The units are almost identical in all stats, with the Hawk edging its Core counterpart by a small margin.

Advanced Construction Aircraft

Although these units have no combat ability and a low build rate when compared to other advanced units, they have important roles at the begining and end of the advanced air war. In the beginning, nothing can put up advanced radar all over the map faster than advanced construction aircraft, and during the end, multiple advanced construction aircraft assisting production is one of the best ways to go, since a large number can concentrate on one project or factory.

Bonus tips

Drawing out the Enemy's Stealth Fighters

Assuming your enemy is stocking up on stealth fighters, it's hard to prevent him from gaining a dangerous swarm by engaging him over his own base. The solution? Bait his stealth fighters, then ambush him with your own. The best way is to take a few gunships and hit some targets outside of his base. When his stealth fighters come screaming out in defense, intersect his stealth fighters with yours, preferably on an angle where his weapons aren't pointing towards you.

Bombing Quirk

There's a neat quirk with bombers. If you change targets while the bombs are dropping,, the bombers move towards the new target trailing an seemingly endless string of falling bombs behind them. If you time it right, you can do two things with this tactic:

• Take out two targets with one bombing run.
• If you target an area directly behind the bombers after they release, they'll turn in a tight arc, releasing more bombs in a concentrated, U-shaped area.

Defending Structures Against the Stealth Swarm

If stealth fighters are going to be a problem in your game, make sure you surround all you key structures with Fortification Walls. It may take a bit of extra micromanagement, but it requires less time to fortify an Fusion Plant than to build a new one.

Take care all,

I'll see you soon with three new upcoming columns, Defense, Arm Tactics and Core Tactics.

-- Orion

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