NOTAair - beyond-all-reason/springrts_engine_wiki_mirror GitHub Wiki
Air combat in the mod NOTA is vastly different than most other TA variants.
FUEL: All aircraft baring a few exceptions use fuel. This means that they can only stay in the air for so long and have a limited number of shots to fire. Planes that are out of fuel will automatically move to the closest unoccupied refuel pad. If none are available they will land near an occupied pad and wait their turn.
ROLES: No not the one the baker makes... idiots. Each plane in NOTA has a specific role in mind.
NOTE: [Arm_example/Core_example]:
Level 1
- Scouts: With high sight range, decent radar, and high fuel this is a good early scout though its low hp means if something sneezes at it, it dies. [Fink/Peeper]
- Fighters: Air superiority. They are weak vs. ground but their missiles and machine guns (MGs) shred air units. Set them to patrol past what you want to protect to give them time to shoot down bombers and ground attack aircraft. [Freedom Fighter/Avenger]
- Strategic Bombers: Flying at a high altitude these planes are great for taking out buildings or large immobile unit clusters. Each bomber has a large fuel contingent but only one bomb load. They fly very high up which means only flak and other aircraft can get to them. With no defensive weapons they need protection from fighters and interceptors if you want them to survive. [Thunder/Shadow]
- Ground attack: Unlike bombers these units are meant to engage ground forces either on the move or not. They fly low to the ground which means missile units like Slashers or Jethros can hit them. Core's Vashp has powerful rockets and bombs. Arm's Toadfoot has rockets similar to the Vashp but trades in the bombs for an anti air missile and MG. Arm's Hellfish light bomber has a similar bomb drop to the vashp but no missiles (does have a tail mounted MG though).
- Torpedo Bombers: These low flying aircraft can launch a guided torpedo at enemy ships and subs. With absolutely no other weapon they are useful only on maps where ships play a major role.
- Transports: Use these to move the transportable turrets into new positions or ferry ground forces around impassable terrain or closer to the front line. They can hold only one unit at a time and only level 1 units. They don't use fuel!!!!
Level 2
- Construction Planes: These highly mobile builders have the same build list as the other mobile cons at level 1. They also have the slowest worker time so it will take them longer to build the same structures.
- Stealth Fighters: These fast maneuverable fighters will dominate the skies. Useless against ground, their AA missiles down most planes in only 2-4 volleys. They also have a flare system which allows them to survive dogfights longs. Oh and they are stealth.
- Gunships: Ground attack and thats it. These units are designed to take out ground units lacking appropriate anti air. They fly low to the ground and as such can be hit by all anti air (and a few anti ground) weapons so wandering into a base is generally suicide.
- Strategic Bombers: Flying high above the battlefield these heavy bombers are excellent at taking out defense or resource buildings. Like their lower level cousins they have larger fuel reserves but only one bomb load. But being at a higher tech level they have more hp and a light anti air MG mounted in a turret. Core has access to the Black Lily a specialized stealth bomber that lacks the MG of the Hurricane but has double the weapons damage.
- Ground Attack: Both sides have a specialize ground attack aircraft. Arm's Flying wing mounts a lower damage Annihilator laser (roughly 50% less) and twin bombs. The unit exception at taking out armored targets like tanks and defensive buildings. The Wing mounts an MG in the rear for air defense. Core's Firebat is a napalm bomber designed to take out clusters of kbots. It flies fast and low to the ground to avoid AA and hit its target. Other than its bombs it is unarmed.
- Interceptors: Mounting fast firing weapons these planes are ideal for taking out enemy bombers and ground attack aircraft. Arm's Voodoo has 1 anti air missile and several MGs. It is however next to useless against ground units. Core's Osprey has wing mounted plasma weapons and a centerline beamlaser. It can effectively engage ground targets unlike its Arm counterpart.
- Radar Planes: A flying radar tower these planes are your eyes in the sky. With unlimited fuel they can constantly provide radar coverage to your forces. They are fairly weak however and have no weapons to defend themselves.
- Sonar Planes: Flying sonar buoy. Pretty simple eh? Basically the same as the radar plane but provides sonar. Flies low to the ground like the top bomber
- Transports: Beefier versions of the level 1 transports, they can carry one unit of any tech level besides those that are untransportable. Arm's Dragonfly mounts a paralyzer weapon as well.