Welcome to my Ace Combat 04 FAQ. Ever since I got this game last Christmas,
I've been playing it almost all the time. Usually it's what I play in
between working on my other guides like the ones I have for Grand Theft Auto
3 and Resident Evil. Since I discovered I liked this game so much, I
decided to write my next FAQ on this game. Hopefully, it will help lead you
to victory over the Erusian forces, so that ISAF can reclaim the skies over
the mainland and you can become an ace pilot yourself.
Version 1.1 8/14/02 - The header on top was screwed up when I looked at it
online, but hopefully it'll be fixed in this update. I have a small
copyright revision today and a new email address. http://faqs.ign.com may
now host my guides, and my new email address is minesweeper2@hotmail.com.
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===============================================
CONTROLS
===============================================
Normal Mode Controls
-----------------------------------------------
START BUTTON - Pause game
- Skip takeoff/landing (when returning to base)
SELECT BUTTON - Change from missile to special weapon and vice versa
CIRCLE BUTTON - Fire missile/special weapon
- Hold down to track missile
X BUTTON - Fire machine guns
TRIANGLE BUTTON - Change target
- In HUD view hold (pressure sensitive )to change target
size
SQUARE BUTTON - Show map of level
- hold (pressure sensitive) to toggle between three
different scales
L1 BUTTON - Throttle down
- Hold down for maximum deceleration
R1 BUTTON - Throttle up
- Hold down for maximum acceleration
L2 BUTTON - Yaw left
R2 BUTTON - Yaw right
LEFT ANALOG STICK - X-axis: roll left/right
- Y-axis: ascend/descend
RIGHT ANALOG STICK - X-axis: look left/right
- Y-axis: look up/down
R3 BUTTON - look behind, can then adjust with left analog stick
(press down right
stick)
DIRECTIONAL BUTTON - Up: level off/autopilot
- Down: Change camera view between first person, third
person, and HUD view
Easy Mode Controls
-----------------------------------------------
START BUTTON - Pause game
- Skip takeoff/landing (when returning to base)
SELECT BUTTON - Change from missile to special weapon and vice versa
CIRCLE BUTTON - Fire missile/special weapon
- Hold down to track missile
X BUTTON - Fire machine guns
TRIANGLE BUTTON - Change target
- In HUD view hold (pressure sensitive )to change target
size
SQUARE BUTTON - Show map of level
- hold (pressure sensitive) to toggle between three
different scales
L1 BUTTON - Throttle down
- Hold down for maximum deceleration
R1 BUTTON - Throttle up
- Hold down for maximum acceleration
L2 BUTTON - Not used
R2 BUTTON - Not used
LEFT ANALOG STICK - X-axis: veer left/right
- Y-axis: ascend/descend
RIGHT ANALOG STICK - Up: Underbelly camera view
- Down: Overhead camera view
- Left: Right wing camera view
- Right: Left wing camera view
R3 BUTTON - look behind (not available in HUD view), can then
adjust
with left analog stick
(press down right
stick)
DIRECTIONAL BUTTON - Up: level off/autopilot
- Down: Change camera view between first person, third
person, and HUD view
===============================================
BASIC MANEUVERS
===============================================
Ascending/Descending
-----------------------------------------------
This can be confusing if you have never played an airplane game before. To
ascend, you must push down on the control stick, NOT up. To descend, you
push up, and not down. Don't ascend too quickly or the plane could go into
a stall.
Turning
-----------------------------------------------
NORMAL MODE:
This can also be confusing at first. To turn, press left or right on the
left control stick to tilt the plane in that direction. Next, pull up. It
can take awhile to adjust to using the two sticks at the same time, but
after putting the time in to learn you'll have a much bigger freedom of
movement than people using Easy Mode controls.
EASY MODE:
Turning is much less complicated in Easy Mode. Simply press left or right
on the left control stick to move in that direction. While this is easy to
do, I suggest you learn how to fly in Normal Mode. You'll have much more
freedom to move. You'll be able to completely roll the plane rather than
simply turn. It's kind of like getting your training wheels taken off of
your bicycle.
Acceleration/Deceleration
-----------------------------------------------
To accelerate, hold down the R1 button. This is critical when you need to
get to a combat zone quickly, or need to catch up to a bandit. To
decelerate, hold down the L1 button. This is handy in a dogfight when
you're trying to lock onto an enemy fighter by making smaller curves. Don't
decelerate too much or the plane will stall, meaning it will fall because
you're not getting lift beneath the wings. Press the accelerator to recover
from a stall.
Using the Vulcan machine gun
-----------------------------------------------
To use the machine gun, you need to get within 450 feet of the target you
want to hit. When you get within that distance, you'll note a circle appear
with a dot in the middle of it. The dot accounts for your movements and
speed, so you don't have to aim ahead of the target. Place the dot over
your target and try to keep it over the target while you fire to damage it.
Using standard missiles
-----------------------------------------------
To use your regular missiles, you need to get within 850 feet of the target
you want to hit. When you get within that distance, a red box will appear
over the target and you'll hear a buzz noise. Fire your missiles and they
will track the target until they hit it or fly past and miss it. Planes
take at least two missiles to shoot down. All ground facilities take one
missile to destroy except for pillboxes and bunkers. The only exception to
this is when you're playing Very Easy difficulty. All planes and basic
ground targets will take one missile then.
Using special weapons
-----------------------------------------------
Press the Select button to switch to your special weapon, and then use the
Circle button to fire the weapon. Bombs will have a circle with a dot in
the middle for you to use to aim. Place the dot in the circle where you
want the bomb to land. Special missiles operate like regular missiles, only
you might be able to shoot from longer distances or target multiple enemies
at the same time.
===============================================
ADVANCED MANEUVERS
===============================================
Pursuing Enemy Fighters
-----------------------------------------------
Since the cover of this game has airplanes blowing each other up on it, you
can assume there will be a lot of air battles between yourself and other
pilots. One of the most important skills you should learn is how to chase
after other planes. These are the most intelligent AI-controlled pilots
I've seen yet in an air combat game. The first thing you should do is get
used to Normal Mode control. It's tricky to use at first, but it'll be
better for you in the long run. You'll have much greater mobility.
Second, you actually have to get to other planes to attack them. Hit your
afterburners and use your radar to locate other enemy fighters on the map.
Once you find one, try to get behind him. Behind an enemy is the easiest
place to shoot him from. He'll of course try to loop around to make sure
you can't keep him in your sights. Use your brakes to move at slow speeds.
This will allow you to make sharper turns. Just be careful not to slow down
so much your plane goes into a stall.
Once you're behind an enemy, you're in the prime position to shoot him down
from. Get within 850 feet to lock on with your missiles, and fire them at
him. Shoot two missiles at a time because it always takes two missiles to
destroy an enemy fighter (unless you're in very easy mode, in which case you
only need one.) The best time to fire your missiles is when the pilot is
preparing to change direction to evade you. He'll be traveling in a slow
curve then, and will be a perfect target for your shots.
You can also use your machine guns too, but it's much more difficult. You
have to get within 450 feet to use them. When you're in range, a circle
with a dot in the middle will appear. Keep the dot in the circle on the
plane and fire to hit him. The aiming circle takes into account your
movement, so that you can simply place the dot on the target instead of
placing it ahead to anticipate where it will go. Fire in short bursts,
because it's difficult to keep the dot on the enemy plane for long. Be sure
you get used to using the machine guns, because then you'll still be able to
fight effectively even after you run out of missiles or other weapons.
Sometimes though, the enemy planes like to play chicken with you and fly
straight at you. This makes them very easy targets. Simply shoot your
missiles first, then drop down to evade the enemy fighter's projectile.
Works like a charm.
Attacking AA artillery
-----------------------------------------------
Throughout the game, you'll be dealing with a lot of ground fire as well as
attacks from other fighters. The most effective way to avoid getting hit by
these ground forces is to fly low. This is particularly effective in
avoiding getting hit by flak guns and AA guns. You can just shoot them and
they won't be able to do much about it. However, you can't really approach
a SAM like that since their missiles lock onto you easily when you come
close. However, there is an easy way to evade a SAM's missile. Simply fly
towards the SAM, and wait for the missile alert alarm. Pull up a little,
and the missile should fly right underneath you. It works quite well in
keeping yourself from getting hit.
Bombing Ground Targets
-----------------------------------------------
You should learn how to bomb in this game as well as dogfight. You'll be
able to make thousands of points in a short time once you can effectively
bomb groups of targets on the ground. First, equip a bomb. Next, you
should angle your plane downward. You should see a dotted line going down
from the center of your HUD to a circle with a dot in the middle. This dot
is where a bomb will land when you press the button. Like with your machine
guns, the dot used for aiming bombs also takes into account your movements
while you're firing.
The most accurate way to bomb a ground target is to dive-bomb it. First,
get a lot of altitude, like about 15,000 feet, then dive straight down over
the target while dropping your bombs. The aiming circle won't be moving
around as much like if you were simply flying over the target. Just be sure
to pull up your plane before you smack into the ground. Also, you should
dispose of any flak guns in the area before trying this out, or you'll get
shot up a lot with their explosive shells.
This walkthrough is aimed at Normal difficulty. You'll have higher point
totals to reach and you won't be able to take as much damage in higher
difficulties. In lower difficulties, you'll be able to destroy fighters
with fewer missiles, you'll have lower point totals to reach, and you can
withstand more damage.
This walkthrough is my approach to each mission of the game. It's what I do
in each level that works for getting me through it effectively. There are
many different ways you can take on just about every one of these levels.
If you have your own way of getting through a level and it works for you,
then go ahead and take your approach to the level if you wish.
BRIEFING:
ISAF is all but defeated at this point in the war. All the Erusians have to
do now to get rid of ISAF is to destroy the GHQ. They are deploying bombers
to blow up Allenfort Air Base at Newfield Island, and then they plan move
onto Northpoint. If they manage to get past the island, it's all over for
ISAF. Because ISAF's defense force is extremely weak at this time, you're
just about the only thing between the Erusians and victory. Your objective
is to eliminate the bombers before they can get past the island.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- F-5E
SHOPPING:
You don't have any money right now, so you can't buy anything.
RECOMMENDED PLANES:
1. F-4E w/ UGBM
WALKTHROUGH:
To start off, hit the afterburners and go north to catch up to the bombers.
There are six of them altogether, organized into two columns of three planes
each. Fly down one column while destroying all the TU-95s in that column.
Watch out, because all of these planes are equipped with tail guns. After
destroying the first column, do a U-turn and engage the second column while
flying south. Destroy two of the TU-95s in that column, but leave the last
one alive for now.
The reason you're leaving the last one alive is so you can now go and get
rid of the escort fighters. Remember that the more damage you cause to the
enemy, the more points you get. More points equal more money for you to
spend on better planes and equipment! The fighters shouldn't be much
trouble, because they're only F-5Es and MIG-21s. After you've eliminated
the fighters, destroy the last bomber to end the mission.
BRIEFING:
The Erusians have gathered a large bomber force at Rigley Air Base for a
large-scale invasion of Northpoint. You have to destroy these bombers on
the ground before the enemy can make good use of them.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- None
SHOPPING:
If you have enough money, you can buy the F-5E if you want it. However, I
prefer to use the F-4E for this mission because it's got bigger bombs for
the ground targets.
WALKTHROUGH:
To begin, engage your afterburners and fly north to Rigley Air Base. Be
sure you destroy the power substation on the way there, because it's worth
100 points. Use a missile, because you'll want to save your bombs for the
big ground attack later. Take out the fighters that you encounter on the
way to the base.
Once you arrive at Rigley, you might see a few F-4s taxiing onto the runway.
Square boxes identify them rather than the circles the ground targets are
given. Make eliminating these guys your first priority. It's easier to
blow them up on the ground than in the air.
After you've taken out the F-4s on the ground, go around the base and
eliminate all the AA guns with your missiles. They are the white dots on
your radar. Next, engage the fighters in the air. Once you've taken care
of all the defenses, destroy the ground facilities with the bombs. Make
sure your last target is one of the grounded TU-95s so you can get all the
points from the other targets.
********************************************************************
MISSION 03 - THE NORTHERN EYE
********************************************************************
BRIEFING:
ISAF troops are evacuating to Northpoint, but unfortunately enemy radar
stations on Mt. Shezna are watching their movements. If the Erusians have
the radar, they can use it to track and destroy the Allied Forces. You have
to destroy the radar stations so the troops can safely escape.
WALKTHROUGH:
Engage the afterburners and fly northwest to Shezna Radar 1. Destroy the
fighters you encounter on the way there. Next, drop bombs on the radar
stations. The AA guns near the stations are in the blast radius, so you'll
be killing two birds with one stone. If the radar stations are by
themselves, just use missiles to save the bombs for targets gathered
together. After eliminating Shezna Radar 1, fly west to Shezna Radar 2 and
repeat the same procedure. Kill the fighters on the way there, then bomb
the radar stations and AA guns. Don't forget about the heliport either.
You now have a new objective, but it's very easy to accomplish. Simply fly
south and cross the dotted white line on the radar to return to base. Land
your plane at the airstrip/carrier (or just press Start to skip this
sequence), and the mission will be over.
BRIEFING:
The Erusians are shipping massive quantities of supplies to Comberth Harbor.
They are using these supplies to prepare the Aegir Fleet there to invade
Northpoint. If the Aegir Fleet manages to get prepared in time, the war
will be over for ISAF. You have to shoot down the transport planes to
prevent that from happening. There are also planes in the convoy with radar
jamming, so you'll have to rely some on your eyes rather than radar.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- F-16C
SHOPPING:
Buy the F-16C. It's good for air combat, which is what this mission is all
about.
WALKTHROUGH:
The first priority is to eliminate the two E-767s that have the jamming
devices. Because there's two big circles of the area affected by the
jamming, you can assume the E-767s are at the center of those circles. Go
to the center of the circles and destroy the E-767s. They're flying at
about 15,000 feet. So much for the Erusians' "brilliant" idea of using
jamming devices.
Next, engage the fighters escorting one of the C-17 cargo planes. After
you've eliminated the escort fighters, destroy the C-17. This will trigger
the appearance of a couple more jets. Destroy the fighters that appear, and
then repeat this method with the other two C-17s to complete the mission.
BRIEFING:
Would you like to use a lifeline? Oh err...sorry about that. The Aegir
Fleet is completely dependent upon one oil facility to supply all of its
fuel. Your mission is to destroy this petrochemical complex so that the
Aegir Fleet's invasion of Northpoint will be delayed. Get a score of at
least 2000 points to complete the mission.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- None
SHOPPING:
There aren't any new planes available right now. Thus, you shouldn't have
any shopping to do, unless you want to get a new weapon or something. The
weapons you have now should be good enough.
WALKTHROUGH:
You should ignore the fighters while moving about the area. They take too
much time to shoot down. However, feel free to randomly fire off a couple
of missiles if you happen to pass one. Assuming you have any time left
after the ground facilities are destroyed, go ahead and engage the fighters.
To begin, hit the afterburners and fly north. Destroy the fuel tanker in
the water below.
You now have a choice of paths. You can either destroy the offshore oilrigs
to the east, or you can destroy the fuel refinery to the west. The oilrigs
are better defended but worth more points. The oil refinery is lightly
defended but worth less points. I would attack the oilrigs first. However,
if you work quickly enough, you'll have enough time to severely damage both.
I'll outline strategies for both combat zones below.
OIL RIGS STRATEGY
=================
Most of the rigs have a crane or two, a control room, and a tower. They
might also have an AA weapon on them. There are also a few "combat rigs" as
I like to call them that are equipped with an AA weapon and a helicopter.
There is also another tanker wandering around here worth 120 points, so be
sure to destroy it.
The best way to attack the rigs is first to get plenty of altitude. Once
you're over them, dive-bomb and drop bombs on the larger rigs. You don't
have enough bombs for all of the rigs, so you might as well use them destroy
the bigger oil platforms. Use missiles after you run out of bombs. It's a
bit tricky to attack the platforms with missiles, because of all the crap on
them that can interfere with your shots. Like with bombs, it's best to
dive-bomb the platforms while using the missiles.
OIL REFINERY STRATEGY
=====================
The oil refinery is a lot easier to attack because the targets are bigger,
not to mention there aren't towers to block your shots. There's literally
only one AA gun in the entire area. Those fuel tanks are so big that you
can use your machine guns on them. I do it all the time to save missiles.
To add insult to injury, the fuel tanks are organized in nice big clumps and
they're in rows. You can just fly down the row and destroy them with
machine guns. Like all other weapons, it's best to attack from high above.
You ought to use the missiles on the smokestacks and other refinery
facilities, because they're more heavily armored. Also, don't forget the
pumping stations inside and to the west of the refinery, because they're
worth 100 points each. They're indicated by the orange dots. If you decide
to attack the oil refinery first, I would recommend you save your bombs for
the oil rigs because they're harder to hit with missiles.
AWACS has picked up Yellow Squadron on radar and they're heading your way
from the north. Don't bother attacking them because they're invincible. As
soon as you get the message, immediately turn south and hit the
afterburners. The mission will end as soon as you have crossed the white
dotted line. If you move fast enough they won't be able to catch up to you.
BRIEFING:
Now that the Aegir Fleet has been successfully immobilized, you have to go
into Comberth Harbor and blow up all the ships. If you can do that, the
Erusians won't be able to invade Northpoint again for a long time. Your
objective to get a score of at least 3000 points during the time limit.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- A-10A
- MIR-2000
SHOPPING:
Buy the A-10A. It'll be very useful during this mission and other
ground-based missions to come.
WALKTHROUGH:
There are five combat zones to choose from in this operation: the escaping
fleet, the shipyard facilities, the submarine docks, the resupply
facilities, and the ship docks. You can attack them in any order, but I
would go after the escaping fleet first. If you take too long, they'll be
able to escape the combat area. Like in Mission 05, you shouldn't pay much
attention to enemy fighters because they take too long to shoot down. The
exception to this is if you manage to destroy the enemies on the ground and
there's still time left. This mission's pretty long, so you may have to
return to base sometime to reload your weapons and fix your plane. I'm
listing these zones in my preferred order of attacking them.
ESCAPING FLEET STRATEGY
=======================
These are the few lucky ships that have managed to escape from the harbor.
Don't let them get any luckier by allowing them to escape from the combat
area. The escaping fleet includes two destroyers, one Aegis class, one
battleship, one cruiser, and one aircraft carrier. This is a rough sketch
of their formation:
N D
-|-
| AC A - Aegis class
AC - Aircraft Carrier
B C B - Battleship
C - Cruiser
A D - Destroyer
D
The battleship, cruiser, and Aegis class are the most dangerous because they
have SAMs, so destroy them first with your bombs. When flying east towards
the boats, simply go towards the Aegis, drop a bomb, turn left to the
battleship and drop another bomb. You'll now be in line with the cruiser,
so drop a bomb on it too. In this way you can take all three ships out in
one pass.
Once they're out of the way, you can eliminate the destroyers with two
missiles each. The aircraft carrier only needs one missile and it's worth
200 points, so don't forget about it either. Also, be sure to eliminate the
KA-25 helicopter among the boats because it's an easy 50 points.
SHIPYARD FACILITIES STRATEGY
============================
This area of Comberth Harbor isn't much of a big deal. All you'll find is
several cranes and some ships being assembled. The cranes are no problem to
hit, but walls on the sides of the ships protect them. However, you can hit
them easily if you attack from above. You could also try lining yourself up
from the front or back of the boats to hit them.
SUBMARINE DOCKS STRATEGY
========================
This is the combat zone you'll probably need to use the most bombs in. Most
of the submarines are inside docking bays that protect them against missile
attacks. A couple will come out of the docks, but the majority will hide
inside them. To get around this, drop bombs on the roofs of the docking
bays and the explosion will go through the roofs to destroy the subs.
If you're daring, you can take out the subs with missiles by flying low and
lining yourself up with the opening of the docking bay. Next, fire a
missile through the hole, and then pull back up. Now if you're REALLY
daring, you can even fly through the docking bays! I've done it a couple of
times, and it's not for the faint of heart.
There are also some miscellaneous targets out here for you to hit, including
SAMs, a regular warship, and some gas tanks. If you drop your bombs in the
right places, you can hit these targets while taking out the subs. You'll
probably have to be flying the A-10A with the UGBLs to do this though.
RESUPPLY FACILITIES STRATEGY
============================
Out here, you'll find the enemy's supplies for their ships. If you're
flying the A-10A, you can get some big points here in very little time.
There's some cranes, some freight containers, some oil tanks, and a couple
of helpless supply ships that can't shoot back at you. The defenses this
place does have are some missile boats out in the water, and two cruisers.
One's anchored, and the other's mobile.
If you time your approach right, you can drop a bomb when the mobile ship
moves past the anchored ship and destroy them both with just that one
explosive. Another good place to drop an explosive is on the fuel
containers. You have to have a UGBL though. The containers are organized
like this:
N 0 0 - container
-|- 0 X - place to drop the bomb
| X 0
0 0
0 0
Drop a UGBL on the place marked X and it'll wipe out all of the fuel
containers at the same time. One last good place to drop a bomb is on the
west side of the resupply facilities. There's a crane, a ship, and a bunch
of containers there that will be blown to oblivion if you drop a UGBL in the
middle of them.
SHIP DOCKS STRATEGY
===================
This area's kind of like the shipyard facilities area, only this time the
ships can fire back! I usually save this combat zone for last. If this is
your last stop, use whatever bombs you have left to destroy the ships. If
it's one of your first stops, save your bombs for the resupply facilities or
the submarine docks. Watch out, because most of the ships are equipped with
AA weapons and they will fire rapidly at you. You'll probably have to make
several passes to completely destroy all the ships with missiles.
After you've beaten the mission with 3,000 points, you'll get to hear the
fighter squadron sing what I guess is their national anthem.
********************************************************************
MISSION 07 - DEEP STRIKE
********************************************************************
BRIEFING:
Now that the Erusians' invasion plans have been stopped, ISAF can go on the
offensive. There is a solar power plant in the Faith Park region that
supplies 60% of their power for the Erusians' military industrial complexes.
Your objective is to go and destroy this power plant so that the Erusians'
power grid will be messed up. Destroying the plant will both hurt their
industrial output and divert attention from the ISAF's invasion plans.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- F-14A
- TND-1D5
- F/A-18C
SHOPPING:
You should have a ton of money thanks to that last mission. I would
recommend using your money to buy an F-14A and then buy UGBMs for it. If
you want to, you could also get the F/A-18C or the TND-ID5. Still, I prefer
the F-14A to the others because it'll be handy in the next mission.
WALKTHROUGH:
Start the mission by hitting the afterburners and flying north to the power
plant. Shoot down the fighters you're attacked by on the way there. The
first part of the power plant you come to is where the solar panels are.
There's some ground defenses you ought to take care of before you decide to
start destroying the facilities. At the center of the solar panels are two
flak guns. Get rid of them first in this area. If you don't take them out
they'll shoot you with explosive shells. Next, eliminate the SAM and the AA
gun. This section of the plant is now clear of AA weapons.
The only target you have to destroy here is the radar, but you should also
take the time to destroy the 36 solar panels. They're in six groups of six
panels each. Only one panel is worth 15 points, but a group of them is
worth 90. I would use machine guns since they're such huge targets and are
easy to damage. You can use your bombs, but you can only get four panels
with one bomb because they're too spread out. It would take way too many
missiles to do this job too. The TND-ID5's BDSP is quite effective here
though.
After you've wiped out the solar panel area, move onto the next area. A
SAM, an AA gun, and two pillboxes guard this area. The pillboxes aren't any
danger to you, but you ought to eliminate them because they're easy 60 point
targets. Because they're heavily armored, you'll need to hit each pillbox
with two missiles or one bomb to destroy them. After you've eliminated the
defenses, go after all remaining fighters. Destroy the solar panels here
after the fighters are gone. Next, eliminate the two mission targets, which
are the control room and the solar tower.
AWACS has detected Stonehenge firing several rounds your way! If you don't
get below 2,000 feet, you'll be swatted out of the air like a fly! As soon
as you take out the mission targets, dive into the ravine for cover. The
enemy has dispatched several helicopters into the ravines, but they
shouldn't be much trouble. Also, ignore the fighters that appear once
Stonehenge begins firing. They're not worth the risk. The mission ends
once you manage to escape to the south past the white dotted line.
BRIEFING:
ISAF wants to launch a new satellite to help troops with surveillance data.
To prevent this, the Erusians have sent a large number of fighters to the
launch site. You have to get at least 800 points to complete this level and
protect the rocket.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- None
SHOPPING:
If you haven't bought it yet, I would recommend you get the F-14A. It's
definitely the best choice for this mission. It even comes standard with
XLAAs that will help out quite a bit in this mission.
WALKTHROUGH:
This is the most entertaining mission in the whole game. There's like three
billion planes to shoot down and you don't have to worry about any silly
ground targets. Anyway, to start off, equip your XLAAs, and fire them when
you've locked onto the group that attacks you at the start of the battle.
^>From there, you can pretty much fight any way you want to.
Watch out, because Yellow Squadron's here too. Orange arrows indicate them.
They'll really cause some havoc during the battle. You can't shoot them
down, but you can however get rid of them by tagging one of them with a
missile or your machine guns. The pilot will get angry when you hit him, and
then Yellow Squadron will run away. This can take awhile to do because
they're really good at evading projectiles.
Some other things to make note of are the special planes that are flying
around out here. There's a KC-10 fuel plane and an E-767 flying around the
northern side of the island. Both of them are worth 140 points, so make
sure you get them. However, enemy fighters are vulnerable when they go to
refuel at the KC-10, so you could take advantage of that to get easy kills.
Special orange arrows mark both of these planes.
You may also note the orange arrow zooming away on your radar at the start
of the mission. That's the last special plane, and it's the most difficult
one to destroy. It's a SR-71, and it's flying at a very high altitude of
40,000 feet. Not only is it a long way up there, but that plane is real
fast. You'll probably need to use a XLAA or XMAA because it's difficult to
get in range to use a regular missile. It's easiest to hit the SR-71 when
it zooms away to the north at the start of the mission. In a little bit,
it'll loop back south towards the launch site and you'll be able to catch up
to it.
Hopefully, using all of these tips you'll be able to make the quota of 800
points.
AWACS has detected several B2 stealth bombers approaching from the west. If
you don't get rid of them they'll bomb the rocket. They're really far away
when they first appear, so you might want to wait a couple minutes to let
them get closer. If you go after the bombers when they first appear, you'll
be wasting a lot of time by flying out there and back. I think the best
time to go for the bombers is when Comona Base announces there are three
minutes left until launch.
The easiest way to beat them is to get behind them, the use the quadruple
lock-on from the XLAA or the XMAA and shoot them down four at a time. If
you don't have the XLAA or the XMAA, don't fret, because they're easy
targets for your regular missiles or machine guns. After you have destroyed
the bombers, continue to attack the enemy fighters until time runs out.
BRIEFING:
ISAF is now ready to begin the invasion. They'll do this by sending troops
on boats to establish a command post at Caranda Beach. You have to help by
providing air support. Get a score of at least 2200 points to complete the
mission.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- F-15C
- MIG-29A
SHOPPING:
This next mission is almost completely a ground battle, so you should get
the A-10A if you haven't already. Or you could also get the F-15C. It has
12 UGBMs stock, and you'll be facing quite a few ground targets. Or if you
want to save money, you could stick with the F-14A because it has only two
less UGBMs than the F-15C.
WALKTHROUGH:
This mission makes me think of the Normandy Beach invasion in World War II,
complete with nasty weather and troops charging up the beach. There's a ton
of ground targets to attack in this mission. Tanks, AA guns, SAMs,
pillboxes, you name it, it's here. It's a very dramatic change from the
last mission with all air targets and clear weather.
Most of this level can be summed up in generic tips. You should ignore
enemy fighters like always because they take too long to shoot down. On the
ground, be sure you pick off all the radar sites and batteries marked by
orange dots. They're worth 80 points each. Note that a battery will
require two missiles to destroy, while a radar takes one. There are also
quite a few pillboxes around. They require two missiles to destroy. Unless
they're alone, you should use your bombs on these bunkers since they're so
heavily armored.
Anyway, to start off the walkthrough, hit the afterburners and go northeast
to Caranda Beach (AKA the east beach). It's the beach that will net you the
most points. The targets there are in nice clumps for your bombs, and
there's a group of launchers and howitzers behind the mountains to the
north. You get 60 points for each howitzer and 70 for each launcher, so
don't miss them. After that, I think you should attack Crowne Beach (AKA
the central beach). Be sure not to miss the three MI-24 helicopters here,
because they're easy 60 point targets.
If you still have time, go to Halle Beach (west beach). I think this is the
worst beach to attack because most of the targets are too scattered to use
bombs. If you use missiles, the many enemy units scattered about will cause
you to use up a lot of them. There's also a bunch of mobile enemy units in
the mountains behind the beach, but the mountains often interfere with your
shots. All these reasons are why I save this beach for last.
The enemy has dispatched A-10s over the central beach! You have to get rid
of them before they can bomb the ground troops! The A-10s are good at
evading your missiles, but you ought to be a match for them. Also, be sure
you take out the escort planes that come with them for more points. Once
you shoot down all A-10s, the mission will be over.
********************************************************************
MISSION 10 - TANGO LINE
********************************************************************
BRIEFING:
On the eastern mainland is an Erusian stronghold called Istas Fortress. You
have to destroy or cripple this fortress so that the ground troops won't
encounter much resistance when crossing through this area later. Get a
score of at least 3000 points.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- None
SHOPPING:
Get the A-10A if you haven't already. Or if you want to, you could go with
the F-15C if you never bought it. You need something with ground attack
power again for this mission.
WALKTHROUGH:
Ugh, this is the mission I hate the most in the whole game. It's long,
boring, and there's a very good chance you could crash into a mountain due
to the fact you'll have to fly down through the mountains to attack the
enemy facilities. Anyway, enough with my ranting. There are four combat
zones for you to attack in this mission: Scion Air Base, the VTOL base, the
resupply base, and the submarine docks. The order I stated them in the
previous sentence is the order I like to attack them in. You'll probably
have enough ammo for two of the facilities, so plan to return to base after
attacking two combat zones.
I have some general tips for all combat zones. Ignore the many white-dotted
ground targets. This doesn't apply if they're in your flight path, if
they're SAMs you have to circle around, or if you've already destroyed the
major targets. Feel free to destroy helicopters if you see them. They're
easy targets and they're worth 50 points each. Ignore enemy fighters unless
you have time left after destroying the important facilities in each combat
zone. This doesn't apply if you're just going to fire off two missiles at
them and then continue on. Lastly, Stonehenge will fire at you on occasion
during the mission. Be sure to descend to below 2,000 feet to evade the
blasts. Below, I'll make strategies for all the combat zones.
SCION AIR BASE STRATEGY
=======================
As you approach the air base, you may note the fighters and the C-130
preparing to take off on the runway. Make getting rid of the planes on the
ground your first priority. They're much harder to kill once they're
airborne. If you drop a bomb you can get most of them in one hit. At least
one fighter will usually get away though. After you have eliminated the
fighters on the ground, pick off the SAM and the AA gun. Next, bomb the
rest of the mountaintop compound. Don't forget the small supplies yard at
the base of the mountain or the little dock nearby. The dock's got a
container ship worth 100 points, so you definitely don't want to miss out on
it.
VTOL BASE STRATEGY
==================
There's a horde of VTOL aircraft around here, and they're much more
difficult to attack because they're in underground bases. If you want to
get them with a bomb, you have to drop it straight down into the middle of
the holes the bases are in. It's difficult to do since the hole extends so
far down into the ground. You'll usually hit the walls of the hole instead.
It's almost like trying to shoot a basketball into a hoop.
There is a risky maneuver to successfully dunk a bomb in the holes though.
Get a lot of altitude, like 20,000 feet, then dive straight down over a base
and drop a bomb into the hole. Make sure the aiming dot is on the concrete
floor of the base, or it will hit the walls surrounding the base and won't
do much, if any, damage. If the aircraft manage to get airborne, they're
still very vulnerable to missiles and bombs while they're hovering over the
holes and preparing to zoom away. Aim for the rim of the hole if this
happens. In fact, the VTOLs still aren't any big deal after they manage to
get going. They're fairly slow and can't evade missiles well.
RESUPPLY BASE STRATEGY
======================
The layout of this combat zone is a bunch of valuable enemy supplies and
vehicles surrounded by several mountains littered with AA artillery. Before
you decide to bomb the central resupply base, you might want to fly in low
through the base once and eliminate the flak guns. They can really mess you
up while you're lining up for a bombing run of the supplies and boats. I
would just ignore the SAMs and AA guns on the hillsides because the
mountains will protect you once you're flying around in the central valley.
SUBMARINE BASE STRATEGY
=======================
This is just like in the Invincible Fleet mission where the submarines were
covered beneath buildings. To hit them, you'll either have to fly low to
line up with the opening and shoot a missile inside, or use a bomb. There's
also quite a number of other ships around that are worth big points if you
destroy them, so be sure to take them out. Watch out for the numerous
gunboats in the rivers. They'll shoot up your plane while you're flying
through the valleys and canyons if you don't take them out. One last
thing...there is a mobile submarine in this area that you won't be able to
shoot until it surfaces. Keep an eye out for it for when it does surface,
because it's worth 120 points. If you don't take it out, it'll shelter in
the dock and it'll be much harder to hit.
Hopefully, you'll be able to make the 3,000-point quota if you follow all of
these tips.
BRIEFING:
The engineers responsible for the construction of Stonehenge are offering
information about it to ISAF. Unfortunately, them and their families are on
two passenger planes under threat of attack by Erusian fighters. That
information is invaluable to ISAF. Your objective is to defend the
passenger planes from attack until they can get out of Erusian air space.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- F-117A
- EF-2000
- R-M01
SHOPPING:
Both the EF-2000 and R-M01 are excellent at attacking air targets, but if
you want to, you could save money by just sticking with the good ol' F-14A.
You'll probably want to purchase XMAAs for the R-M01 if you decide to get
it.
WALKTHROUGH:
This is the setup of the mission. There's two passenger planes, Air Ixiom
Flight 701 and Flight 702. Flight 701 is flying at 6,000 feet and can't
raise altitude because of a cabin pressure problem, and Flight 702 is flying
at 23,000 feet. Throughout the mission, the enemy squadrons will alternate
between shooting down one passenger plane and the other. Be sure you
aggressively attack the enemy during the mission so they don't get a chance
to go after the civilian planes. Also, use your long-range AA missiles if
they happen to get out of range of your regular missiles.
Flight 702 is the first plane to be attacked, by a F/A-18. At the start of
the mission, hit the afterburners and ascend up to 23,000 feet as quickly as
possible. Once you get to Flight 702, shoot down the F/A-18. The fighter
usually gets in at least one hit on the passenger jet, so don't sweat that.
Once the F/A-18's been taken care of, two MIG-29s will appear and engage
Flight 701 at 6,000 feet. After you destroy them, three F-14s will attack
Flight 702 again. Fly up and shoot them down. I think this is the toughest
of the four squadrons to get rid of. Now, the last squadron will appear to
engage Flight 701. It's made up of two MIG-29s and two SU-35s. After you
have downed all ten aircraft, the mission will be over.
BRIEFING:
It's finally time to take the fight straight to Stonehenge. You have to
blow up all eight of the Stonehenge turrets. If you can do that, then ISAF
will have gained the advantage in the war! Watch your back though, because
you can bet the Erusians have some of their finest pilots watching over this
very important facility.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- None
SHOPPING:
You ought to get the EF-2000 if you haven't already. Make sure you purchase
UGBMs for it. They'll be quite useful in this mission. You also might want
to make sure your plane has an AA weapon as well.
WALKTHROUGH:
At the start of the mission, you'll get to get your first look at Stonehenge
as it fires a volley of shots your way. Once you take over the controls,
immediately dive below 2,000 feet to avoid the blast Stonehenge fires your
way. Hit the afterburners and fly north to Stonehenge while eliminating the
AA weapons on the ground below.
Once you actually get to Stonehenge, you won't be able to use your missiles
because of the jamming device in the middle of the complex. Make taking it
out your first priority. The jamming device is the circular building in the
center of the Stonehenge guns. Shoot it with your machine guns or an
unguided missile to blow it up. After you've done that, you'll be able to
lock onto enemies again with the missiles.
You can skip this paragraph if you want to, because this is a bit of a risky
maneuver, but it'll save you a little trouble later. There is an airstrip
nearby, to the northeast. There should be three planes taking off after you
eliminate the jamming device. Get behind the planes while they're taking
off, and shoot missiles at them. That will effectively eliminate them
before they can clear the ground and get moving. It's okay if they manage
to take off, because they fly in a straight line for a few seconds before
they go into evasive maneuvers.
Next, get rid of all the ground defenses. Each Stonehenge turret has an AA
gun protecting it, and there's also a lot of SAMs outside of the central
compound too. Go and eliminate the SAMs outside the "fence" of the
compound, and then fly along the edge of the Stonehenge compound to blow up
all the AA guns underneath the turrets.
After that is taken care of, it's time to blow up all the Stonehenge turrets
themselves. You can either do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy
way is simply to use a bomb and drop it on the base of the Stonehenge
turrets. I don't really need to explain that. The hard way is to use
regular missiles. This requires a detailed explanation. Each turret has
three weak points you can hit with missiles to destroy it: the base of the
gun, the joint where the barrel connects to the base, and the tip of the
barrel. You have to hit the weak point properly or it won't do any damage.
To damage the tip of the barrel, your shot has to go down the barrel of the
gun. To damage the joint, hit the connector on the side of the gun. To
damage the base, hit the main shaft beneath the pipes and things that block
it.
While you're destroying the turrets, be sure to leave one active so that
you'll be able to eliminate the enemy fighters for more points. You might
want to return to base to change to an AA weapon (if you have one) while
doing this. Stay low while going back, because Stonehenge can shoot you
easily once you get far away from it again. You can also get shot down at
close range if you're not careful. Eliminate the last turret once all enemy
fighter are down.
Yellow Squadron has appeared, and they want some payback for what you did to
Stonehenge. Try to get one separated from the group, because you only need
to shoot down one Yellow during this fight. It's very hard to beat them if
they engage you a few at a time. Even if they're alone they're difficult to
hit. They can twist and turn in all kinds of directions you wouldn't think
are possible. If you stay persistent long enough though, eventually you'll
shoot a Yellow down. They're not perfect and can make mistakes like you.
Wait for the Yellow to make a mistake, and then hit the plane. After you
shoot down one Yellow the mission will be over.
BRIEFING:
A U2 recon plane is flying back to ISAF territory with information important
to the Allied cause. Unfortunately, the plane has run into engine trouble,
and is having a difficult time getting back. The Erusians have dispatched
airship noise jammers in Gnome Ravine to cause the U2 to have difficulty
flying so it will crash. You have to destroy these noise jammers so that
the U2 has a chance of making it back. Your radar doesn't work because of
the jammers, so you have to do it with machine guns. You must get a score
of at least 1300 points to ensure the plane's safety and complete the
mission.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- F-15E
- F-2A
SHOPPING:
There are two new planes available, but you don't really need a new plane
right now. The EF-2000 should be sufficient to get through this next
mission.
WALKTHROUGH:
This mission can be pretty tricky at first. The noise jammers are difficult
to see because they don't have a box or anything like other targets to
indicate them on your screen. They're literally nothing more than little
brown dots. Against the color of the ground below, they're almost
impossible to see.
You should try flying low, because the jammers are easier to spot against
the bright white sky. They're mostly located at about 2,000-4,000 feet.
You'll find a lot of them in the central valley in which you start in, but
they're also in abundance in the valleys to the east and west. Generally
there are more of them where the ground is low. Getting enough jammers down
shouldn't be too much trouble. If you get enough in time, the U2 will be
able to safely navigate Gnome Ravine.
An enemy fighter squadron has appeared to shoot down the U2! You now have
to eliminate all four of the enemy fighters to protect the recon plane. The
squadron is made up of two EF-2000s and two F-15Es. They're a little tricky
because they'll try to fight together in a group, but they're a cakewalk
next to Yellow Squadron in the last mission. Once all fighters are down,
the mission is over.
BRIEFING:
Because Stonehenge has been destroyed, ISAF can now deploy troops to the
northern part of the mainland. To counter this, the Erusians are launching
cruise missiles at them. You have to shoot down these missiles before they
can do any damage to the troops.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- None
SHOPPING:
In this mission, you need something with speed and AA weapons. The best
aircraft with those characteristics right now is the EF-2000, so you should
get that if you haven't already. The F-15E and R-M01 are also fast and have
XMAA missiles, but they're slower than the EF-2000, they're more expensive,
and the XMAA missiles must be bought separately on both of them. However,
it's good to get one of them if you need a multirole aircraft in the future.
The MIG-29A is also a speed demon, but it's not terribly useful in most of
the missions in this game.
WALKTHROUGH:
Whatever you do, keep on the afterburner as much as possible. You need to
move as quickly as possible. To start, engage the afterburners and head
north towards the first set of missiles. Get behind them and use your XLAAs
or XMAAs to shoot them down quickly. As you're destroying them, you'll get
a warning of another group of missiles. After destroying the current group,
turn around and head north to intercept the next group.
This group is much larger, and unfortunately the missiles will split up
after you start attacking them. That'll make your job twice as hard as it
needs to be. Anyway, destroy all of one group with the special missiles
again, then quickly engage the other group. Be sure you save a handful of
your special missiles for the next part.
Once those two sets of missiles are down, one last warhead will appear to
the north, along with two F-22s. Get back up north again as fast as you
can. You might want to dispose of the fighters, because they can really
distract you while you're trying to shoot down the warhead. This warhead is
very fast and highly evasive. Expect to shoot off quite a few missiles
before you manage to nail it. It only takes one missile to eliminate the
warhead, so only shoot one missile at a time. A XLAA or an XMAA would be
handy here because they're slightly more accurate than regular missiles.
****NOTE****
You may note the lone red dot moving about the map in this mission. That's
a special plane called the X8-70. It's worth 200 points. It's dangerous,
but you can go after it for the extra points if you want them. You'll
really need to move to catch up to the missiles if you decide to do this.
If you must attack it, wait till later in the mission when the plane moves
to the center of the map. That way you won't have to waste so much time
going out to shoot it down. Be sure you shoot it down before the last
warhead appears, or it will vanish from the map.
****NOTE****
BRIEFING:
ISAF plans to liberate San Salvacion in this mission. In case you didn't
know this is the town the little boy in the interludes lives in. You need
to get a score of at least 2,000 points to free San Salvacion.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- None
SHOPPING:
You ought to get the F-15E for this mission. You need a good multirole
fighter because this mission contains a lot of air combat and ground combat.
You might want to also buy an AA weapon of some kind along with bombs for
the ground targets.
WALKTHROUGH:
There are three combat zones in this mission: the government complex, New
City, Old Towne, and the San Profetta Airport. I'll list them in my
favorite order to attack them. Unlike most other levels that involve you
getting a score by destroying as many targets as possible, you ought to also
engage the fighters. Yellow Squadron is also running around in this level
as well. They are very hard to kill, but they're worth 150 points each. Go
after them too if you want to, but I warn you it could take quite awhile to
shoot one down. Also, be sure to follow the highway between combat zones
because you can usually pick off a few AA artillery guns by following them.
I'll start the walkthrough here. I'll list the combat zones in my favorite
order to attack them:
At the start of the mission, immediately turn left and head northwest to the
government complex.
GOVERNMENT COMPLEX STRATEGY
===========================
You'll spend little time around here because there's not that many targets.
However, since most of the targets out here are orange targets, you
shouldn't overlook them. First, destroy the KA-50 helicopters over the
water. Next, use your missiles to blow up the launchers on the shore, as
well as the AA gun. That's about all you have to do here really.
NEW CITY STRATEGY
=================
The first thing to do here is to shoot down the KA-50 helicopters next to
the skyscrapers. Attack them from the south, because the skyscrapers will
block your shots if you attack from the north. The next thing to do is to
pick off all the SAMs and AA weapons. Most of them are on top of buildings,
so they're easy targets. After you have eliminated the AA weapons, engage
the tanks. Use a bomb on the ones sheltering beneath the highway bridge
because the bridge is very effective at blocking missiles. Be sure you
attack from above when engaging the other enemy tanks, because those
buildings will really mess up your aim. Now, you can either shoot down the
planes, or move on to San Profetta Airport to the northeast. Usually all I
do is shoot down the Yellow and then head on.
SAN PROFETTA AIRPORT STRATEGY
=============================
This is where you'll need to use the most bombs. A lot of the hangars and
grounded planes are nicely grouped together, meaning you can get big points
for each of your bombs. Don't forget to target the control tower either.
You might want to eliminate the AA artillery first. There's a lot of planes
flying around too. The next combat zone to travel to is Old Towne.
OLD TOWNE STRATEGY
==================
This part of San Salvacion has a large number of tanks around, and lucky for
you they're traveling in groups close together enough to use bombs. Before
you do that though, pick off all the SAMs and AA guns. After you take care
of them, use your bombs to blow up all the sets of tanks. I advise though
that you only use your missiles if the tanks are in sets of two. Don't
forget about the launchers approaching from the north on the highway either.
There's two Yellows and a few other fighters around if you want to engage
them.
I suggest you go back to base and resupply sometime before time runs out.
Be sure you switch over to an AA weapon if you can while you're at base.
Since the Erusians can't have San Salvacion, they don't want anybody else to
have it either. They have deployed several TU-160s and they're heading to
New City from the northwest. You have to destroy the bombers before they
can destroy the city! They're speedy, but trying to outrun you will only
delay the inevitable. After all six are destroyed, the mission will be
over.
BRIEFING:
The Erusians have set up a large tank force in Whiskey Corridor to defend
their capital city. ISAF has no choice but to try to break through the
defensive line so they can capture the capital city and end the war.
Because ISAF ground forces are outnumbered, they need "a miracle in air
support." That's where you come in. Get a score of at least 3,500 points
to complete the mission.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- SU-35
SHOPPING:
Ignore the SU-35. It's not worth the money. The F-15E is a much better
choice. It's cheaper, has UGBLs, and is excellent in just about all stat
categories. The F-117 isn't a bad idea either, if you want to avoid
attention from the enemy fighters in this mission.
WALKTHROUGH:
You have five combat zones to attack in this mission: the western defensive
line, the central defensive line, the western defensive line, Old Anchorhead
City, and the enemy HQ. Unless you're flying the F-117 with stealth, you
ought to take the time to eliminate the enemy fighters. In this mission,
they tend to follow you all over the place. They'll also attack you
constantly while you're trying to bomb the ground targets. This mission is
very long, so you'll probably have to return to base to rearm, maybe even
more than once. You should attack the eastern and central defensive lines
first, then go back and rearm for attacking the rest of the combat zones.
Below is the strategy of how to attack the defensive lines.
DEFENSIVE LINES STRATEGY
========================
These three defensive lines are similar, so therefore I can cover them in
the same section. You will encounter multiple tank battalions on the
ground, with a SAM or an AA gun occasionally among them. They are all split
into small groups too. If there are two targets in the group, don't use
your bombs. Just fire off two missiles and move on. If there's three or
more, go ahead and bomb them. While you destroy the tanks, more tanks will
appear and approach from the north to take their places. The groups that
appear tend to be large, some as big as six tanks. These are the sets of
enemies you want to use your bombs on. Be sure to place your bombing dot
ahead of the tanks, because the tanks on the ground are on the move.
The western defensive line also has enemy compounds too, with pillboxes,
howitzers, SAMs, etc. Be sure you destroy these compounds, because they can
be worth some big points. The pillboxes are worth 70 points each alone. In
the compound to the west, you can also destroy all five tents with a UGBL.
Place the dot on the center tent to do that. In both of the compounds, also
be sure to watch out for the AA artillery. You should pick off these
installments first before attacking the other facilities.
OLD ANCHORHEAD CITY STRATEGY
============================
This abandoned city has been livened up again by the Erusians. There's
several helicopters buzzing around here that you should eliminate. Don't
forget about the SAMs and tanks on the ground too. Also, the enemy has
hidden many launchers and howitzers behind some rocky hills to the north of
the city. Since they're in tight groups, you can blow up many of them with
just a few bombs.
ENEMY HQ STRATEGY
=================
This is the command center for the enemy. It would be a severe blow to them
if you could take out this facility. The first thing you should do though
is eliminate the flak guns on the ground so they won't disrupt your bombing
runs. The next thing to do is eliminate the SAMs and AA guns. There's a
large quantity of them here. After you've taken care of them, commence
bombing. The enemy has organized tanks into groups here. You should have
little trouble bombing many at a time. Be sure you also blow up their
headquarters building too because its worth 100 points.
Hopefully, you'll be able to get 3,500 points and complete the mission.
********************************************************************
MISSION 17 - SIEGE OF FARBANTI
********************************************************************
BRIEFING:
It's now time to take over the GHQ in the Erusians' capital city of
Farbanti. You must destroy all enemy forces and get the Erusians to
surrender before they can make good use of Megalith. Get a score of at
least 2,100 points to win.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- F-22A
- SU-37
- F-15 ACTIVE
SHOPPING:
The F-22A, SU-37, and the F-15 ACTIVE are all great planes. I think the one
that would be the best to choose out of the three though would be the SU-37.
Out of the three, it's the cheapest, it's the most well-armed, and it's
good for almost every mission. This can be helpful when you start your
second play-through. Whatever you get, I strongly recommend you purchase
its bomb too.
WALKTHROUGH:
This mission seems to have a little bit of everything. A couple warships, a
couple submarines, a lot of ground units, a lot of planes, and even a
handful of plot twists. The first thing you should do once the mission
starts is fire off some missiles from the fighters that attack at the start
of the mission. Whether you miss or not, start flying northeast towards
Silver bridge. Bomb the warship and the tanks on the bridge there, then
turn west towards Johnson Memorial Bridge. Take out the destroyer near the
bridge, then fire a few shots at the bridge itself to destroy all the tanks
that are crossing it. This will also cut off the rest of the tanks from
trying to join the other enemy forces near their GHQ.
Next, go to the flooded part of the city. After eliminating the AA
defenses, try to hit the submarines hiding in between the sunken buildings.
If you attack by dive-bombing them, they're much easier to hit. They're
well worth destroying, because they're each 120 points. The next thing you
should do is use your bombs and missiles to destroy the rest of the ground
forces. More ground units will keep appearing as you destroy them.
After they're all gone, return to base to switch to your plane's AA weapon
if you have one. Now, chase after all the planes on the map. Like the
ground units, more will appear as you shoot them down. If you're flying the
SU-37, save your QAAMs and don't use them at all right now. When there's
about one minute left on the clock, four V-22 helicopters will appear near
their capital building, with the Erusian leaders inside. Shoot them all
down. They're worth 60 points each and they only need one missile.
Hopefully you can meet the point quota with these tips.
Yellow Squadron has appeared to make one last stand for Erusea. Go and
destroy all of them. Hopefully, you took the time to go back to base and
reequip yourself with an AA weapon like I told you to. If you've got your
own SU-37, this part of the mission won't be much trouble. Fire off a QAAM
at each plane and most of the time it will eventually hit the Yellow. Even
if it doesn't connect, it's a good way to distract them while you target
them with your regular missiles or machine guns.
This part will be a lot trickier though if you don't have QAAMs. The
Yellows are careful not to attack you alone, meaning while you're trying to
shoot one down two or three others are trying to shoot YOU down. Use your
special missiles, because they are slightly more accurate than regular
missiles. Make slow turns to keep up with them. Once all five Yellows are
down, the mission will be over.
BRIEFING:
The remaining Erusian forces have taken control of Megalith. This fortress
has missiles that can reach the entire Ursea continent. You must destroy
Megalith before the Erusians can cause some serious havoc. The only way to
destroy Megalith is to fly down inside it and blow up the power generators,
Death Star style. Destroy the three generators to open the central heat
vent, and then blow up the missile in the main silo to destroy Megalith.
NEW PLANES AVAILABLE:
- S-37A
SHOPPING:
The S-37A's available now, but I doubt you would have the money to afford
it. You can get through this next mission just fine without it if you use
the SU-37.
WALKTHROUGH:
At the start of the level, you'll get to see Megalith in all its splendor,
with a chorus singing Latin in the background. It's a really awesome way to
start off the last level. After the cutscene, you'll take control.
Because of your excellent flight record, ISAF has given you your own Mobius
squadron! You're gonna need their help, because at the start of the mission
you'll have 15 Yellows already on you. These are the only fighters left in
the Erusian forces. They're each worth 90 points, so I think you should
take the time to destroy them. If your plane's got QAAMs, taking out the
Yellows will be A LOT less painful. The easiest way to take them out is to
first fire off all your QAAMs at the planes, and then wait for the Yellows
to be destroyed by them. Next, return to base to get more QAAMs to
eliminate the last of Yellow Squadron.
After Yellow Squadron is dealt with, the only thing left to do is take down
Megalith. Use the markings on your radar to line up with the openings into
the base. First, go down the passageway to the east. Carefully go down
this hall, and destroy the generator at the end. After you get out, loop
around and fly down the west passageway. This time the generator is in a
corridor to the left. Shoot a missile at the generator there, but keep
going straight to exit Megalith again. The last passageway is the one that
runs west and east on the northern side of Megalith. Approach the last
generator very slowly. Be sure you're not in the tunnel when you fire off
the missile.
Once the last generator is destroyed, four missile silos will open up,
revealing large cruise missiles. Be sure you eliminate them quickly before
they can fly away, because they're each worth 300 points. That's why I
wanted you to not be in the tunnel with the last generator, so you would
have more time to get to the missiles. After you've done that, you need to
blow up the 990-point missile in the main silo. Fly down the passageway
between the two others that go north and south. Destroy the last cruise
missile, then fly out through the launch doors that open above the missile
to complete the level.
You will now get to watch the ending. Hope you enjoy it...
TYPE:
(If it's meant for air combat, it's a fighter. If it's meant for ground
combat, it's an attacker. If it's meant for both, it's a multirole plane.)
STATS:
Speed -[ ]
(This is how fast the plane is.)
Air to Air -[ ]
(This seems to be an approximate rating of how well a plane will perform in
air combat. It's usually inaccurate, so don't pay much attention to it.)
Air to Ground -[ ]
(Same as Air to Air, only with ground targets. Again don't pay much
attention to this rating.)
Mobility -[ ]
(This is a rating of how agile the plane is.)
Stability -[ ]
(This is a rating of how slow a plane can travel before stalling.)
Defense -[ ]
(This is a rating of how well the armor protects the plane.)
WEAPONS:
GUN - 0
MSSL - 0
**** - 0
**** - 0
(The number next to the weapon indicates how much ammo the plane can carry
of the weapon at one time. The **** are extra weapons like XLAAs or UGBLs.)
MY COMMENTS:
This is the very first plane you'll get in the game. It's the worst plane
available, but it's not completely awful. It has UGBMs and NPBs that are
good for ground targets, but you'll have a lot of trouble trying to hit
anything in a dog fight. It has poor mobility and stability, so you'll have
lots of trouble trying to get behind any fighter in this. People like to
try to use this plane throughout the whole game to be considered masters.
It's sort of like trying to fight through Resident Evil with only the knife
or the handgun.
MY COMMENTS:
You should have enough money to purchase this plane after the first or
second mission. This plane is much more agile than the F-4E. The F-5E is a
lot better in a dogfight, but its ground weapons are lacking. It's also the
most fragile airplane in the game, so be careful you don't get hit by
anything.
MY COMMENTS:
This is a pretty decent fighter at the start of the game. It's good for
both air combat and ground combat. It's very unstable though, so try not to
press down on the brakes too much while trying to make a sharp turn. This
airplane is also very fragile like the F-5E, so be very careful not to get
hit.
STATS:
Speed -[== ]
Air to Air -[== ]
Air to Ground -[====================]
Mobility -[======== ]
Stability -[============== ]
Defense -[====================]
MY COMMENTS:
This will be your primary ground attack plane for most of the game. It's
got some great ground attack weapons including UGBLs, XAGMs, and CLBs.
You'll be flying low a lot in this plane to attack ground targets.
Fortunately it has excellent stability and it also has the strongest armor
in the game. You shouldn't need to worry about AA guns much. It's mobility
is lacking, but you shouldn't be hunting down many fighters in this plane
anyway. This plane was built for bombing, not dogfighting.
STATS:
Speed -[=============== ]
Air to Air -[============== ]
Air to Ground -[======= ]
Mobility -[============== ]
Stability -[== ]
Defense -[============ ]
MY COMMENTS:
This plane is kind of like a slightly better armed but less mobile version
of the F-16C. I would prefer to just stick with the F-16C cause by the time
this plane is available it's about to be overshadowed by planes like the
F-14A and the F/A-18C.
STATS:
Speed -[============ ]
Air to Air -[================= ]
Air to Ground -[====== ]
Mobility -[============ ]
Stability -[============ ]
Defense -[=============== ]
MY COMMENTS:
This plane will likely be your primary dogfighter about midway through the
game. It's fairly large and a tad difficult to maneuver, but its XLAA
missiles are a big help. Its UGBMs also are excellent for ground targets.
You don't get very many of them though, limiting its bombing potential.
STATS:
Speed -[======== ]
Air to Air -[======== ]
Air to Ground -[================ ]
Mobility -[====== ]
Stability -[============== ]
Defense -[================== ]
MY COMMENTS:
This plane is a ground attack plane like the A-10A, but unlike the A-10A it
can also be used somewhat effectively in fights with other fighters.
Unfortunately, it has a BDSP as its free weapon. IMO the BDSP is awkward to
use in most bombing situations. The PGBs are good, but you don't get enough
of them to make them terribly useful. I would prefer to just stick with the
A-10A for my bomber.
STATS:
Speed -[========== ]
Air to Air -[============ ]
Air to Ground -[============ ]
Mobility -[============ ]
Stability -[========== ]
Defense -[============== ]
MY COMMENTS:
This plane is slightly above average in all categories but doesn't excel in
any of them. It has a good variety of weapons that make it fairly good to
use in most situations. Some people really like the F/A-18 because of it's
good rating in all categories. However, despite all this I prefer to just
use the F-14A instead for a general-purpose fighter. The F-14A's got XLAAs,
and I can easily live without the LASMs. I hardly ever use them anyway.
STATS:
Speed -[============ ]
Air to Air -[================ ]
Air to Ground -[====== ]
Mobility -[=============== ]
Stability -[============ ]
Defense -[=============== ]
MY COMMENTS:
This is the first of the F-15 series of planes you can buy in this game. It
makes a decent multirole fighter, but it can't turn very good. That limits
its potential a bit in dogfights. You'll probably want to get rid of this
plane though once you get the EF-2000 or the F-15E.
STATS:
Speed -[================ ]
Air to Air -[============= ]
Air to Ground -[============ ]
Mobility -[=============== ]
Stability -[======= ]
Defense -[============ ]
MY COMMENTS:
I don't really like this fighter because it doesn't have any AA weapons, and
its ground weapons are rather poor. However, the MIG-29A is very speedy and
it's quite agile. It can be useful in a dogfight even though it doesn't
have any special missiles.
STATS:
Speed -[======== ]
Air to Air -[== ]
Air to Ground -[================== ]
Mobility -[======== ]
Stability -[=============== ]
Defense -[================== ]
MY COMMENTS:
I like to think of this plane as the stealth version of the A-10A.
Unfortunately the stealth ability doesn't work in this game. It's got much
more stability and speed than the A-10A, but it has slightly less defense.
However, it also carries two more UGBLs and two more CLBs than the A-10A.
Even though this plane is better than the A-10A, I would prefer just
sticking with the A-10A since you don't really need two bombers.
STATS:
Speed -[================ ]
Air to Air -[================ ]
Air to Ground -[======= ]
Mobility -[================ ]
Stability -[========== ]
Defense -[============== ]
MY COMMENTS:
For most of the second half of the game this will probably be your primary
dogfighter. It's very fast and agile, and it also has XLAAs. You can also
effectively use it in ground attack missions because it has a lot of UGBMs.
STATS:
Speed -[=============== ]
Air to Air -[============= ]
Air to Ground -[============ ]
Mobility -[=============== ]
Stability -[============= ]
Defense -[================= ]
MY COMMENTS:
This plane is an EF-2000 that was modified to be a multirole fighter. It's
slower than an EF-2000, but it also has better defense and stability. The
SOD it comes standard with is awkward to use, because it's basically a BDSP
built into a missile. I also don't care much for the LASMs. I'd take a
bomb over them any day. Even though the R-M01 is slower, it's still good
for air combat. Those XMAAs are pretty nice. I would rather choose the
EF-2000 over this plane, because it has better ground and air weapons.
STATS:
Speed -[============== ]
Air to Air -[================ ]
Air to Ground -[============== ]
Mobility -[=============== ]
Stability -[============ ]
Defense -[================ ]
MY COMMENTS:
This is probably the best multirole fighter in the game. It's above average
in all categories, and even has an excellent rating in some. The F-15E also
features an excellent variety of weapons that include the UGBL, the XMAA,
and the CLB. Get one of these as soon as you can.
STATS:
Speed -[============= ]
Air to Air -[=============== ]
Air to Ground -[================= ]
Mobility -[================= ]
Stability -[========= ]
Defense -[============= ]
MY COMMENTS:
The F-2A has somewhat comparable stats to the F-15E, but I would prefer that
you go with the F-15E. The reason is because the F-2A's weapons are
dedicated exclusively to attacking ground targets, while the F-15E has both
AA and ground weapons. To add insult to injury, the F-2A's ground weapons
aren't even that great. It's hard to hit anything with the RCL, and the
LASM has only a tiny amount of splash damage. This is an excellent plane
for dogfighting though, because it's much more mobile than the F-15E.
STATS:
Speed -[================== ]
Air to Air -[================= ]
Air to Ground -[======= ]
Mobility -[=================== ]
Stability -[========== ]
Defense -[================ ]
MY COMMENTS:
You ought to forget about this plane. The XLAAs are good, but you should
already have plenty of fighters by now with special missiles. Its UGBMs are
lacking for ground combat. You'd be much better off getting the F-15E or
saving up for the SU-37. The SU-37's only 29,000 credits more anyway.
STATS:
Speed -[================== ]
Air to Air -[=================== ]
Air to Ground -[========== ]
Mobility -[================ ]
Stability -[============== ]
Defense -[================ ]
MY COMMENTS:
This fighter's cool. It's stealthy (though that doesn't seem to affect how
fast the enemy can find you in this game), and it has a good arsenal. The
XMAA and PGB are a good pair. However, the lock-on feature of the PGB can
sometimes screw up your aim, so you might want to drop your bombs early
before the lock-on can engage. This plane also has an excellent rating in
all categories. However, I think I would rather get the SU-37, because it's
cheaper and it's got an even better variety of weapons.
STATS:
Speed -[====================]
Air to Air -[=================== ]
Air to Ground -[======== ]
Mobility -[====================]
Stability -[=========== ]
Defense -[================= ]
MY COMMENTS:
The SU-37 is a spectacular fighter that's good for almost every mission.
It's got an excellent variety of weapons, and you also have a good carrying
capacity for each of them too. This plane also has the distinction of being
the fastest and most mobile plane in the game. It's perfect for
dogfighting. The UGBLs it carries also make it an excellent plane for
attacking ground facilities. One last thing worthy of note is that this is
the plane the Yellow Squadron uses.
===============================================
F-15 ACTIVE
TYPE:
Fighter
STATS:
Speed -[================ ]
Air to Air -[================= ]
Air to Ground -[============= ]
Mobility -[====================]
Stability -[================= ]
Defense -[================ ]
MY COMMENTS:
This plane's got what I think is the most destructive bomb in the game the
FAEB. Unfortunately, you can only have eight of these at a time. I would
use this plane more often if it had more bombs. However, it's got lots of
XMAA missiles, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about running out of
missiles. It's great for air combat.
STATS:
Speed -[================== ]
Air to Air -[=================== ]
Air to Ground -[======= ]
Mobility -[================== ]
Stability -[============== ]
Defense -[================ ]
MY COMMENTS:
This is the plane I use the most often. It's got plenty of UGBLs and a good
amount of QAAMs. Because of its variety of ammo, it's good for just about
every mission. It's got enough ammo to get through just about every mission
too without having to return to base, and that's if you're destroying
everything in sight. Only problem is that it's a bit overpriced. If you
don't mind a smaller carrying capacity of special weapons, I suggest you go
with the SU-37.
STATS:
Speed -[================== ]
Air to Air -[====================]
Air to Ground -[================= ]
Mobility -[====================]
Stability -[================ ]
Defense -[=========== ]
MY COMMENTS:
This is the most unique plane in the game. When traveling at slow speeds,
it's shaped like a W. When you start to speed up though, the wings fold
into the plane, giving it the shape of an arrowhead. It's the best plane in
the game for air combat, because it's got 16 QAAMs. Unfortunately, it's
only got a BDSP for ground targets. BDSPs just don't seem to be terribly
effective in bombing raids.
This section details all the weapons that are available for use during the
game. I've divided them into three categories: basic weapons,
air-to-surface weapons, and air-to-air weapons.
GUN - VULCAN MACHINE GUN
===============================================
USED BY:
- all planes
MY COMMENTS:
These are your basic machine guns. They're the weakest weapons available,
but you get a ton of ammo for them. I've had this game about eight months
now and I've never run out of ammo for the machine guns during a mission,
even if I use them a lot. They're hard to use at first, but they can really
be helpful if you're out of ammo and don't want to go back to base. Read my
General Strategies section and look at Advanced Maneuvers to learn how to
use machine guns on enemy fighters. I also like to use the machine guns on
large ground targets like the mirrors in the DEEP STRIKE mission.
MSSL - STANDARD MISSILES
===============================================
USED BY:
- all planes
MY COMMENTS:
This is the second of two weapons all of your planes are always equipped
with. Your standard missile is the weapon you'll use the most throughout
the game, so you should get acquainted with it. Locking onto and destroying
ground targets is no problem. Simply get within 850 feet, lock on, and
fire. Take note that pillboxes and batteries need two missiles to destroy.
Fighters are much more difficult to hit though. Read in my General
Strategies section and look at Advanced Maneuvers to learn how to
effectively use them.
MY COMMENTS:
This weapon is one of my least favorite in the whole game. What it does is
it drops a large amount of small bomblets over a target. The aiming line
can be a bit confusing. The first X at the bottom of the line shows where
the first bomblet will hit when you fire, and the second X at the top of the
line shows where the last bomblet will hit when you fire. It's helpful for
targets organized in a line, but otherwise it's an ineffective weapon for
ground attacks.
MY COMMENTS:
This bomb explodes over a target and drops multiple bomblets over the area
it explodes in. The blast radius is slightly larger than the UGBL, but
there's a chance the bomblets could miss the targets. You can drop this
bomb in the same spot and it either destroy everything or just get one or
two targets. Note that each plane this bomb is available on all come
standard with UGBL. I'd stick with the UGBL because it's free with the
planes and it's more reliable than the CLB.
FAEB - FUEL-AIR EXPLOSIVE BOMB
===============================================
USED BY:
- F-15 ACTIVE
MY COMMENTS:
This weapon is exclusive to the F-15 ACTIVE. It's got a very large
explosion area that's even bigger than that of the UGBL. I used just one of
these in the IMMINENT THREAT mission, and it took out three hangars, three
grounded TU-95s, the control tower, AND the three fighters taxiing onto the
runway! But, you only get eight of these, so use them wisely!
MY COMMENTS:
This weapon is a long range air to surface missile. It's best used for
attacking well-protected targets or SAMs. There is a small amount of splash
damage though. One of these can destroy an entire warship, or a group of
fuel tanks for examples. Myself, I don't feel it's a terribly useful
weapon. SAM missiles aren't all that hard to evade anyway.
NPB - NAPALM BOMB
===============================================
USED BY:
- F-4E
MY COMMENTS:
This weapon is exclusive to the F-4E. It's a bomb filled with napalm gel
that will make a firestorm wherever it hits the ground. It operates
differently from a regular bomb though. Instead of making a circular
explosion, the flammable jelly will splatter out from behind where the bomb.
The explosion covers a somewhat cone-shaped area. This can make the bombs
a little awkward to use. You might completely miss most of your intended
targets this way. Remember to put the dot in front of the target. You only
get six of these, so be careful not to waste them.
MY COMMENTS:
This is kind of like a UGBL crossed with a homing missile. It operates like
an ordinary bomb, but when you get about 1,400 feet from the target it will
lock onto it like it was a missile. This can be helpful if your bombing
skills are lackluster, but it can also interfere with your aim too. For
example, you're trying to place a bomb in the middle of a pack of targets,
but it locks onto one specific target and you can't get it to stay in the
middle of the targets like you want it to. Or, it might lock onto the wrong
target and it'll take too long to cycle to the right target. Drop your
bombs early to avoid this.
MY COMMENTS:
This is my most hated special weapon in the game. It's an ordinary rocket
launcher attached to your aircraft that will fire several unguided rockets
when fired. You get a lot of rockets, but they are very difficult to aim.
To add insult to injury, splash damage is small.
SOD - STANDOFF DISPENSER
===============================================
USED BY:
- R-M01
MY COMMENTS:
This weapon is exclusive to the R-M01. It's like a BDSP, only the bomblets
are dispensed via a missile you fire over a target. Lock onto a target and
the missile will fly over the target, dropping bomblets as it passes over.
It's not terribly helpful unless you have several targets in a line. Never
shoot this missile off without locking onto something, otherwise the missile
won't drop any bomblets.
MY COMMENTS:
This is the best overall bomb in the game IMO. It's got an excellent blast
radius and the planes you get it with each carry at least twelve of them.
It also is easy to use. Simply place the dot on the area you want decimated
and click.
MY COMMENTS:
It's similar to the UGBL, only its blast radius is smaller. It covers a
medium-sized area and it also has the same ease of use as the UGBL.
MY COMMENTS:
This is the smallest of the three standard unguided bombs. The damage area
is very small. At most you'll probably only be able to catch three targets
at a time with this. It is much easier to use though than the special
ground weapons though, like the RCL or the NPB.
MY COMMENTS:
These are special air-to-surface missiles that can target up to four ground
targets at a time. They're very handy for eliminating targets that are
spread out in an area, but I never use them. For one thing, you don't get
any splash damage from them. And two, you just don't get enough of these
missiles for them to be more helpful than bombs.
MY COMMENTS:
This is the greatest all-around AA weapon in the game. What makes it the
best is that when you fire it, it will continue to hunt down the enemy plane
for a while before giving up. It's also extremely maneuverable and hard to
evade. Even Yellow Squadron trembles with fear when you use this missile
against them! The only weakness is that it's short-range, about the same as
a regular missile. However, that's easy to overlook because of its
maneuvering and persistence capabilities. Simply fire and forget; the QAAM
will take it from there. Only one missile is needed to shoot down any
airplane.
MY COMMENTS:
This weapons is the longest-range AA weapon in the game, with a range of
about 2,800 feet. However, I recommend you don't shoot from maximum
distance unless you're targeting a cargo plane, a bomber, or an E-767. All
of these planes are big and slow and have a hard time evading missiles. You
can also target up to four enemies with this weapon too. This is handy on
convoys of cargo planes. However, knocking down four fighters at a time is
quite uncommon.
If you're using it against a regular fighter, you ought to treat it like a
standard missile. Get as close as you can before firing. The XLAA is
slightly more accurate than a standard missile as well, so you don't need to
be as careful about aiming. It only takes one missile to down any kind of
aircraft.
MY COMMENTS:
This weapon is similar to the XLAA, only its maximum range is about 1,900
feet. You should treat this weapon similar to a XLAA also. Only fire from
maximum distance if you're targeting some kind of heavy plane. Avoid taking
advantage of its ability to target four planes unless it's a convoy. Treat
it like a regular missile when using it on fighters. The edges it has on a
standard missile besides distance is that it's slightly more accurate and it
kills with only one hit.
Here is where I discuss the various surface enemies in this game. There's
no need to discuss air enemies because attacking every kind of plane can be
approached in just about the same way. Look at my General Strategies
section and go under Advanced Maneuvers for tips on dogfighting.
AA GUN - This is the most common ground enemy you'll face in the game.
Whenever you fly overhead they'll fire their machine guns at you. Annoying,
but they're usually not a serious threat. However, if you attack from
below, they won't be able to hit you. Sometimes AA guns are mobile.
SAM - This is the most dreaded ground enemy in the game. Whenever you get
within range, they'll lock onto you with a missile and fire it at you.
However, there is a very simple way to evade a SAM's missile. Simply raise
altitude a little when you hear the "missile alert" alarm. The shot will
almost always miss. Still, these should be the first enemies you take out
once you're entering a new combat zone.
FLAK GUN - These things will shoot shells at you that explode in the sky
around your plane. However, they can only shoot at you if you're overhead.
If you attack flying low, they can't shoot at you. Be sure you take them
out as soon as you can, because they can cause a lot of damage and mess up
your bombing runs.
TANK, LAUNCHER, HOWITZER, INF. TANK - none of these enemies are any threat
to you, but they will attack your friendly ground units. They're easy to
destroy with anything. Sometimes they also travel in groups. Use a bomb in
that case. Even though they're often on the move, they're not hard to hit.
Especially make sure you take out the launchers, because they're worth 70
points each.
GUNBOAT - The naval version of an AA GUN. Treat it like one.
MSSL. BOAT - The naval version of a SAM. Treat it like one.
AEGIS - This boat is armed with two SAMs, so watch out for it. You ought to
use a bomb on it since it can rapidly fire missiles your way.
BATTLESHIP - this is the deadliest warship in the game. Fortunately, you'll
only see two of them during the whole game. Use a bomb, because it's
covered in AA guns. If you're daring though, you can get in close, and
target the part marked "BATTLESHIP." If you destroy this part of the ship
with two missiles, the rest will be destroyed along with it.
CRUISER - This ship has an AA gun and a SAM. I would use a bomb to destroy
it quickly before a missile and a hail of bullets are chasing you.
DESTROYER - This ship is lightly armed. It's only got one AA gun, and
that's it. Just shoot the destroyer itself, and then the gun with your
missiles.
CARRIER, CONT. SHIP, LNDG. SHIP, SUPPLY SHIP, SUBMARINE - none of these
boats are any threat to you, however you should destroy them anyway because
they're worth big points. At the submarine docks in Mission 10 - Tango
Line, there is a submarine that will have to surface before you can shoot
it, so keep an eye out for the top of the submarine appearing from the
water.
END GAME REWARDS
================
After your first successful completion of the story campaign, you'll unlock
several new features:
- SPECIAL CONTINUE MODE: with this option, you can restart the story
campaign with all of your money, planes, and weapons left over from your
previous run through the campaign.
- SECOND PAINT JOBS: you can now purchase the second paint job for each of
the fighters now.
- THIRD PAINT JOBS: "aces" marked by orange arrows will begin appearing in
missions. There will be one ace in every level for you to shoot down. If
you shoot down the ace's plane, you'll be able to purchase his paint scheme.
Look at the Aces section to learn where they are flying around. The only
exceptions to this method of acquiring the third paint schemes are the F-4E,
the SU-37, and the X-02.
To activate the F-4E's third paint scheme, simply defeat the story campaign
once. To activate the SU-37's third paint scheme, shoot down each of the 18
aces. And to activate the X-02's paint schemes, look underneath the "X-02"
heading in this section.
- FREE MISSION MODE: in this mode, you can play any of the 18 missions in
the story campaign. Also within this mode, you'll have free flight mode
where you can fly about the levels at your leisure. No distracting
objectives to accomplish!
- TRIAL MISSION MODE: in this mode, you can play five trial missions that
test your skills in attacking still targets, using missiles, using machine
guns on fighters, air acrobatics, and fighting Yellow Squadron.
- NEW OPTIONS: in the Options menu, you'll have two new options, Scene
Viewer and Music Player. Scene Viewer will allow you to watch all of the
interludes that play between the missions in the story campaign. Music
Player will allow you to listen to almost every song in the game.
EXPERT DIFFICULTY
=================
To unlock Expert difficulty, defeat Hard difficulty in the story campaign.
In this mode, you only need to get hit twice by missiles and you'll be dead.
ACE DIFFICULTY
==============
To unlock Ace difficulty, defeat Expert difficulty in the story campaign.
In this mode, one hit from a missile will kill you, no matter what plane
you're flying. Also, your plane will not be repaired if you return to base.
It will only be rearmed.
X-02
====
To activate the X-02 for purchase, get S rankings in all 18 of the missions
in hard mode. To activate the X-02's second paint scheme, get S rankings in
all 18 of the missions in expert mode. To activate the X-02's third paint
scheme, get S rankings in all 18 of the missions in ace mode.
In each level, there is an ace flying around. If you shoot him down, not
only will you get 240 points, his paint scheme will also become available
for purchase. This is how you acquire the third paint scheme for the
planes. You can shoot down the aces in either Free Mission mode or the
regular story campaign to activate the paint schemes.
Note that three fighters, the F-4E, the SU-37, and the X-02 aren't being
flown by any of the aces. To activate the F-4E's third paint scheme, simply
defeat the story campaign once. To activate the SU-37's third paint scheme,
shoot down each of the 18 aces. And to activate the X-02's paint schemes,
look underneath the "X-02" heading in the Secrets section.
MISSION 1: SITTING DUCK - F-5E WANG
- to the north of Allenfort Air Base.
MISSION 2: IMMINENT THREAT - A-10 CIFFREO
- to the north of Rigley Air Base. He's flying over the lake there.
MISSION 3: THE NORTHERN EYE - F-16 TEMPEL
- to the south of the area between the radar stations. The ace's location
is about here:
N R R R = Radar
--- A = Ace
| A
MISSION 4: BLOCKADE - MIR-2000
- to the north of the western E-767 at the start of the mission.
MISSION 5: LIFELINE - MIG-29
- to the southwest of the oil refinery.
MISSION 6: INVINCIBLE FLEET - F-14 LEVY
- to the north of the resupply base. If you fly roughly straight from the
starting point, you'll run into him.
MISSION 7: DEEP STRIKE - TND-1D5 DE VICO
- to the north of the solar power plant.
MISSION 8: SHATTERED SKIES - F/A-18 VAISALA
- to the east of Comona Base. Follow the highway going in that direction
and you'll find him.
MISSION 9: OPERATION BUNKER SHOT - F-15C TUTTLE
- to the north of the central beach.
MISSION 10: TANGO LINE - R-M01 FAYE
- to the west of submarine base.
MISSION 11: ESCORT - SU-35 NEUJMIN
- southeastern corner of the map. Don't try to get this one at the start of
the level though. If you do that, the civilian planes are sure to get shot
down while you're trying to get to the ace. Wait until the battle moves
closer to the ace's corner of the map.
MISSION 12: STONEHENGE OFFENSIVE - F-2 URATA
- to the north of Stonehenge.
MISSION 13: SAFE RETURN - F-15E GUNN
- won't be around at the start of the mission. Wait until the timer runs
out for the first part of the mission. Once the enemy launches the surprise
attack in the second part of the mission, the ace will be to the northeast
of the enemy squadron that appears.
MISSION 14: BREAKING ARROWS - F-22 ABELL
- near the central part of the northern edge of the map.
MISSION 15: EMANCIPATION - EF-2000 OLMSTEAD
- in the center of the three combat zones that form a triangle. Here's a
little diagram to show you what I mean:
N SFA SFA = San Profetta Airport
--- NC = New City
| A OT = Old Towne
NC OT A = Ace
MISSION 16: WHISKEY CORRIDOR - F-117 KWEE
- near the central part of the western edge of the map.
MISSION 17: SIEGE OF FARBANTI - F-15 ACTIVE HALLEY
- to the northwest of the submerged city. He's flying around along the
coastline.
MISSION 18: MEGALITH - S-37 SMIRNOVA
- to the north of Megalith.
- to my dad for getting this game for me for Christmas.
- to Namco for carrying the Ace Combat series to new heights (pun intended)
with this great installment in the series.
- to GameFAQs, PSX Codez, Neoseeker, and Game Advice for hosting my work.
- to you, because you read this document.
This guide is the sole property of Nathan Norris, author of this guide.
Don't rip off this guide in part or whole, or I will be forced to act
against you. Don't rip off this guide then alter it to death and claim it
as your own. This guide may not be used for ANY profitable reasons
whatsoever, even if no money is made.
I'm tired of all these websites requesting my guides for their sites, so
from now on, these are the only sites that may use my guides:
This makes it very simple for me to keep track of what state each version is
in each site. If you find this guide on some other site, and it is
incomplete, go to www.gamefaqs.com. before requesting help from me. Since
gamefaqs.com is the first place I send every piece of my work, they are sure
to have the most up-to-date version of my guides.
Also, if you find this guide on www.cheatcc.com, notify me immediately.
They have ripped off of me before and I'm not gonna let them do it again.
One savegame where you start with all aircraft and weapons at mission 18. Another savegame with all difficulty levels, Free Mission and Trial Mission mode with all missions.
All Difficulty Levels, all Aircrafts, all Weapons, all Paint Jobs and all Play Modes. You can start a new game with everything when you load the first savegame.
