Sunday, June 10, 2012

Blackbird Released





R-94 Achilles

As we saw in the Saudi leaks, the SR-71 Blackbird has finally arrived to MSWM as the R-94 Achilles.  Many have been looking forward to seeing this plane arrive in the game.  Interestingly, the plane has been added as a defense class addition.

Beautiful shot of a real-life SR-71 Blackbird
In real life, the Blackbird was one of the most amazing planes ever built.  A reconnaissance plane with no weapons, it was one of the fastest plane ever made.  Able to go mach 3+ at 80,000 feet, it was able to go so fast and so high that no missiles could catch it.  For quite awhile, the Blackbird was able to fly just about anywhere it wanted without fear of getting shot down.

Stats:
Stealth:  2nd in class to the Nightwing
Damage:  BEST IN CLASS (better than most agility class planes)
Speed:  BEST IN CLASS.  This is the first defense class plane to add a speed boost.
Evasion:  2nd in class to the green eagle

Even with the boost, the speed of the Achilles is really quite slow, as with most defense class planes. It is a bit of a shame that Z2 has chosen to make on of the fastest planes ever built as a defense class turtle that will get easily out raced by any agility class planes and also a few weapons class planes.  True, in real life it was not maneuverable like an agility class plane, but it just seems to be a waste to dump one of the coolest planes ever built into the lack luster defense class.

Another shot of the speed demon
As for the price - Z2 has set a new ceiling - this will be the most expensive coin plane ever released at 390 coins.  No doubt it looks cool, but with the stats being offered, it just doesn't seem even close to being worth it to me.

Glad to see it added, but wish it could have been added with a little more flare!  Why not make it the fastest but with no agility?  It would actually have needed +57% to make it the fastest in fleet and keep it as defense class - that might have been interesting!

See PLANE COMPARISON TABLES for detailed assessment of all the planes performance ratings.


149 comments:

  1. This is it...I'm the first comment, it's my time to shine what should I say? Oh the possibilities! I shall say something smart like .................c'mon think.........aww forget it.This plane sucks weewees!

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    1. Actually this plane introduces other strategies to flying defense class planes this plane will definitely add more spice to versus matches. I think I will buy this plane as it will be only my second defense class to the dragon

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    2. Ok bought the plane and I PWNED everyone i versed except a [WarWolf] with over 60K SR. This plane I hadn't realized, has the same top speed as most weapons classes. Also it has the same damage stats as the viper so I say with this plane is a cross section between defense classes and weapons classes example:

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    3. the achilles looks like the nightwing

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    4. first anonymous that commented what is your favorite plane class

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  2. This plane, it is difficult to exploit, and if you're not careful, you exploit very fast, is a good airplane, but I'm not a fan of the defense aircraft. 390 is very expensive

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  3. It should've just had +75% Speed, +150% Acceleration and nothing else. That would make it a notch above other planes despite being a defense class, as could be expected for its price, and more accurate to its real life functionality, but not without weaknesses.

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  4. Bravo Lugg Luggski, your review of the R-94 Achilles is precise and exact. To honor the SR-71 Blackbird, the Achilles should be one of the fastest, if not the fastest plane in MS:W. The dilemma is, that Z2 has coupled speed with agility, which manifests itself in the tech-upgrade tree of Agility Class aircraft. But high-speed aircraft like the Blackbird are not agile at all. Hence, I propose a new class of planes in MS:W, the Interceptor Class, which emphasizes speed but not agility. I will lay down my ideas more detailed in a later post.

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    1. if this were to happen it would take away the rock paper scissors effect, which mainly governs the game. Rock(defense) paper(agility) scissors(weapons). Defense class like the Dragon could never catch up to an agility ace with a Spectre likewise scissors cuts paper because paper doesnt have the bulk of a rock. Furthermore a Red Widow pilot(who I believe has the better chances of taking down either) will have to throw lots of firepower to take down a defense class ace

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    2. Talking defense class, I only see a rock paper scissors effect in versus for the Dragon or Green Eagle and this is only driven by armor regeneration, a really sensitive parameter as the Green Eagle has demonstrated. Other defense planes with kind of low armor regeneration like the Arbiter are more or less absent in versus matches. And that because they are more or less chanceless against skilled agility or weapon pilots. A fact, which in my opinion could and should be changed.

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    3. I understand your point so maybe there should be an intercept between all the classes so you can have more evasive weapons class planes. More stealthily or armored agility classes. Also as you said an intercept in favor of defense planes. OR an ability to take different paths down the upgrade tree.

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  5. The plane is WAY too overpriced and for z2 to make a decision that it will be a waste

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  6. I love Achilles not because I like to fly it but pown it when someone is flying it.

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  7. hey floro whats your gc? lets play coz im bored.

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    1. Ok add me
      [N.S.F] 09Florovicj

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    2. lol, yeay GO borat GO GO GO

      borat in da house - you can bet that the widow shouuld be back soon - oooo but im broke lol , nvm

      Ill still cheer for borat - GO borat GO

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    3. some other guy from N.S.F. owned me just now. florovicj's comment reminded me of the humiliation lol.

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  8. I had R 94 full upgrade is good with heave weapon but I got destroy a lot bye Hawkens. And agility plane dunno what to say to z2 live is just not fair with 390 coins it should be special plane

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  9. For 390 coins i let him go. I will save up for another plane + upgrades and shoot this one clean out of the air! (i already did several times with my hawken and spectre)

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  10. will glad to give it a try if its 180 or 190.

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  11. I totally agree with you quys! 390 is far too overpriced! I hope Z2 takes a look at blogs like this and realizes that players are not happy with their decision installing such a new credit ceiling. The only plane I would pay a huge amount of credits would be the revived green eagle, but not more than 300 creds though.

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  12. Ok. I finally have a place where post my entire feedback about this plane.

    I got the achilles and i fully upgraded it (except energy regen which is pointless in my opinion because this is a defense class plane). The feedback is: Wow! This plane is a monster!
    I did my first fight with it against a fully upgraded hawken (his missiles were very very strong) with 33k SR (I had 4625) when it wasn't much upgraded yet and i got a 0-0 draw doing a circoling match.

    This plane is very difficult to shot down and flying it is very easy to shot down enemies. About survival it is as good as an half upgraded dragon.
    So if you know how to use very well a defense class in versus mode this plane is for you.

    I own an half upgraded hawken (unpatiently waiting for the Red Widow that I'll fully upgrade), an almost fully upgraded F-119 Reaper, a Tresher and an highly upgraded Dragon. This are my fancy planes. I found the Achilles better than my hawken (maybe cause my Achilles is fully upgraded), better than my Reaper cause for now i don't like agi planes very much and better than my Dragon for versus mode cause Achilles has got more damage(if you use a dragon you are usually looking for a draw). But I know that comparing with less upgraded planes isn’t very useful.

    I fully upgraded it cause since the first time i had an innatural feeling with that plane and in 3/4 days I went from 4625 SR to 6000.
    It seemed me like a mid plane between defense class(3/6), weapon (2/6) and agility (1/6).In fact i was not wrong.

    Concluding: If u have the possibility, this plane is a must to get, you will forget the green ea-something lol.

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    1. Whats your gc skyraza add me lets play im just bored lmao GC wrx™

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    2. My GC is Skyraza. What is you SR?

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    3. Nice matches,bro. 4 circoling matches: 2 draws and two losses but you skill rating is 32k and mine 6,1k and you used the c-101. Fully upgraded ah? You're a nice and fair player.

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    4. "GG" skyraza , do me a favor next time we played the game used credit missile. Your lancer scared the shit out of me especially my c101 annihilator. Were you just surviving the whole match? You keep spinning the whole match lol. Anyways it's 5:00 am here in usa, it's bedtime for me lol. GG

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    5. Ah, that'why the game lagged a bit. I spinned all the time coz you are a good agi pilot and I wasn't able to catch you, but did you see Achilles' resistence?! As I explained in one of my comments to The Kid I use cion missiles only against players whose SR is 5 times mine and yours is.

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  13. 75% of pilots agreed to bring green eagle back, so will Z2Live satisfy them or will not listen again...?

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    1. I think the are going to do whatever they want.

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  14. I bought this plane during the availability of the regional hack, upgraded it a little. But, then it disappeared after the 4.1.2 update, and now it's back and unlocked :D

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    1. Are your upgrades still there, when it reappears? Have you upgraded it only with credits or with some coins too?

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    2. I fully upgraded it and, at a first looks seemed that all of the upgrades were gone but when i equipped it again it had all of them. Don't worry.

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  15. To wrx
    My gc is
    [N.S.F] 09Florovicj

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    1. "GG" floro, i guess my c101 didn't damage your zypher and viper that bad!

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    2. I still managed to out turn you with the viper. All it was I needed better tracking missiles because mine always missed

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    3. How can a viper out turn a c101????

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  16. The Most expensive plane is the Marauder because 68000 Credits= 680 Blue Coins. However blue coins are way harder to obtain so half the price of the Marauder to 34000 credits because they are easier to get. It is now 340 blue coins which is now 50 coins under the Achilles. So Lugg, you are right in the long run!

    Note; Just wondering if the Achilles has a weak point as the name Achilles is from a Greek God who was invincible but his heel was vulnerable and he got shot by an arrow in the heel and he died.
    Does this plane have an Achilles Heel?

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    Replies
    1. Not if you know how to make it work 100%.

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    2. Thank you for your answer Syraza or have you done a spelling mistake as you are probably Skyraza.

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    3. Yeah, spelling mystake, my bad.

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    4. The Achilles Heel is the price. No doubt.

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  17. I got the achilles and fully upgraded it since the next day it leaked. I've been play it during this time.
    i didn't like it in the beginning, i thought it was a disaster for buying it. i paid 390 coins to get it and another 150 coins to upgrade it , and i just got fried 5:1 against hawken/red window with bisnovats several times.
    i almost gave it up, then i thought that it is a very different plane, i must learn to use it well so i can decide whether do i really like it ?
    after a week, i'd say that it is a good plane and i like it.
    i did some recording tonight, let you to assess it:

    i flew Archilles with Phoenix MY_SR is 23k
    10 Wons - 14 Draws - 1 lost

    No. SR Plane Missile Won Draw Lost
    1. 30K Mako RAAM 1:0
    2. 30K Mako RAAM 0:0
    3. 20K Hawken Bisnovat 1:0
    4. 10K Saber Bisnovat 2:0
    5. 15K Viper RAAM 0:0
    6. 15K Viper RAAM 1:0
    7. 15K Viper RAAM 1:0
    8. 7K Hurricane Lancer 2:2
    9. 3K Hawken Bisnovat 0:0
    10. 3K Hawken Bisnovat 2:1
    11. 4K Hawken Lancer 1:0
    12. 13K Hawken RAAM 0:0
    13. 5K Hawken Lancer 1:0
    14. 8K Red Window RAAM 0:0
    15. 17K Stiletto RAAM 0:0
    16. 4K Annihilater RAAM 0:0
    17. 4K Annihilater RAAM 1:0
    18. 20K Paladin Lancer 0:0
    19. 20K Paladin Lancer 0:0
    20. 20K Paladin Lancer 0:0
    21. 20K Paladin Lancer 0:1
    22. 20K Paladin Lancer 1:0
    23. 20K Paladin Lancer 0:0
    24. 24K Reaper Lancer 1:1
    25. 24K Reaper Lancer 0:0

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Started to heat up in those paladin fights, eh? No worries, props for flying the plane.

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    3. In the above games, the Paladin's pilot is most impressive.The paladins I have ever met, regardless of their use weapons, I can always beat them easily. I have not met that someone can use it so good.Of course, he has the advantage of weapons, but must master in order to this aircraft with ease.

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  18. It's a pity to see the SR-71 downgraded to this. Sure, it can pull off a few wins, but not with the quantity of kills that a good defense class plane can (Dragon, G Eagle, Arbiter).

    To put it bluntly, the Achilles seems confused. It has the speed and evasion of an Agility class plane, the damage of a Weapons class plane, and the stealth of a Defense class plane. It looks like it's trying to bridge all three categories.

    (Matter of fact, in reality, it IS very fast; so fast that no missile ever built has hit it. And we're supposedly working on a plane right now that can go faster than that. There's a reason why there's an "SR" in front of the 71; stands for Strategic Reconnoisance. This plane was not built for weapons (despite the fact that the original prototype, the YF-12, was arms mounted) and she was not built for defense. She was built purely for speed...speed and height.)

    The SR-71 is the representation of the end of an era, gentlemen; she is the last plane developed from the supersonic age. How they can relegate one of the fastest, if not the fastest, plane in the world to the defense category is beyond me.

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    1. Pardon me for the double post, gentlemen, but even the YF-12 was sparsely armed. She only had 6 AIM-47 Falcon missiles, 3 loaded into each of the fuselage bays. Other than that, she was completely unarmed.

      And, of course, arming a Mach 3 aircraft with missiles that would actually be SLOWER than the aircraft itself might not have been such a good idea. For instance, the missile lock speed and range would have to be extraordinary for such a plane to even lock onto a target that was heading straight towards it. (Remember, these are AIMs we're talking about here - Airborne Intercept Missiles - air-to-air, so they were looking to take out moving air targets, not ground targets, and air targets that would be moving at a much slower speed than the YF-12.) Plus, you have a aircraft that could potentially fire a missile and then pass both the missile AND its target, thus not being able to confirm the missile even hit or not. Or it could fire the missile and then end up right where the shrapnel is...and then you have a plane flying Mach 3 through a bunch of debris, which could cause some deep scarring or even a hole somewhere where you don't want it.

      Despite the fact that the tests went well, SOOOO much could have gone wrong with this it's not even funny...

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  19. i HATE that hack! i see i'm paired with an eagle-x with standard, were close and start circling, i switch to target lock to see where my opponent is, and all of a sudden, I'm dead! Hate it hate it hate it!!!!!!!

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  20. I remember when a lot of people got a bonner over ice wolf and got it thinking the design is gonna be beast. You spend 205 blue coins thinking it's worth it.
    Now the picture of it came out and youve got that 1955 Russian piece of shit! Yeah that's right. I'm just so LMFAO. Hahahaha lol

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    1. ikr? anyway, the picture still wasn't clear, but i think it looked a bit like the tempest (which i hate). HOWEVER, this plane has some impressive stats! (same guy as posteer on the 11th at 12:04 PM)

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  21. Yes, it may look bad, but remember that just because it looks bad doesn't mean you shouldn't use it, especially if it performs well. Look at the Raper: arguably one of the best planes in the Agility class, but she's based off of an F-4 Phantom's airframe- that sucker was from the '60s and was the main rival of that so called "Russian POS".

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    1. Hehehe, the raper
      .:Arman92:.

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    2. Stinking spelling corrector.... Reaper...

      Sorry for that... I'm sure someone else has done it.... Oh well.

      Still, misspelling does not invalidate the point made.

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  22. Is the ice wolf out?

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  23. The boring S-03Saber, AGAIN,featured.

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  24. It wasn't out for so long. People got a chance to get it.

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  25. Joke!!!
    What's worse than finding a worm in your apple???
    PLEASE REPLY AND THEN I'LL RECEAL THE ANSWER.

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    Replies
    1. Finding a worm in your underpants!

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    2. Finding a worm in ur intestines and pooping them out for all eternity?
      .:Arman92:.

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    3. Buying the saber by farming coins on tapjoy and not realizing that you don't have enough to fully upgrade it. Dammit I wish I wasn't cheap sometimes!

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    4. eating the worm and them pooping it sticking it up your ass

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    5. listening to you not shut the hell up

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  26. I have heard it is difficult to wave twenty in survival mode and because there's nowhere else for me to put it, I'll put it here. Even though I have a Raven, it is hard for me to get to wave 20.I wasn't able to do it with a GOOD wingman (I'm not skilful enough to do it myself. I finally did it with a juggernaut pilot with 15000 sr and bisnos.
    here are my tips:
    If you have a thoroughly upgraded defense plane, stick with your wingman. This way the shots will be split betwwen two planes and your health wil just regenerate.
    If you have a reckless weapons class pilot, you're screwed. That person won't care about lagging and will alwayskill the last plane before your health regenerates. Better if you use a gamecenter friend and use the voice capability.
    If you brought an Agility class plane(another good way to get yourself screwed) you can also stick with your wingman yet this strategy is way more risky. You have the agility to dodge the missiles and the armor regeneration. If your armor or energy is less than 50%, use your speed and get out of there. Not recommended if your sr is less than 4000.
    Weapons class pilots, don't do this if you don't have a hawken or rw
    The ultimate combination would be a defense plane with regen (dragon,raven,green eagle, with a weapons class plane with high damage (sentinel,eagle,rw,hawken). The defense class plane(aka suicide dummy) protects the weapons class plane, who's job is to do the slow circle movement, dealing hgh damage and reloading fast.
    I hope this helped.

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    1. take his advice ^^ lol... made my day lmao... ok! ahhhh what's the topic again?

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    2. I actually managed, somehow, to make it to wave 20 alone in a Dragon. It gets hard past wave 17. You get about 8 or 9 planes firing mid level missiles at you, and you get all of them at once, you have to evade at least one of them or you'll get killed, even in a Dragon, with all its armor and armor regeneration. You have to destroy at least one of those planes on approach, and then you have to start turning quick. Then you get the rest of the planes rotating around you, swarming like a huge hive of bees. After that, you keep turning and firing off your guns at small bursts. And you slowly, slowly, SLOWLY chip away at your opponents' health. As you take down more and more enemies, you can slowly allow yourself more leniency as you can take a few more missiles, but only once you KNOW that you can't get shot down by missiles alone.
      You're gonna need some time and patience, but I made it to wave twenty in... 45 min, I think it was...

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    3. Ok, her is what I do solo to get past wave 20. First, you need a Dragon. Once you get to about wave 17 it gets hard. At the beginning of each wave try to kill a couple of planes quick if you can. You will start getting lots of hits from every where. Put on the brakes and turn as tight as you can to stop most of the hits and it gives you a chance to regen. Fire your cannons as much as you can. You will have planes going past in front of you and they will get hit as you keep firing. After a while your armor will build back up and you can briefly go after a plane that gives you an opportunity. Some of them will be fairly weak by now from your continual cannon fire and you can start taking them out. At the end of a wave chase the last plane around until your armor is fully up before you kill the last plane.

      If you don't have a Dragon, get the Raven and use it to build up credits so that you are ready for the Dragon when it comes out again. You should be able to get to wave 18 withe Raven for lots of credits.

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    4. yeah, after wave 17 its really hard. the problem is that they're everywhere firing at you. make sure you take one or two out quick. then just slowly chip away at the other planes health till they turn to smoke. once almost solo'ed when i dropped the ipod in the car and crashed! :(

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  27. @Skyraza Can you please give some advise on how to control a fully upgraded Achilles. I really like this plane and was really hoping u can give me some help. Thanks.

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    1. lol, did you read above post his fully upgraded achilles got smoked by a c101 twice! You just waste 390 + upgrade coins for that plane! that achilles plane is to slow and thiers nothing you can do about it.. no matter what advice he gives you that plane still a garbage period!

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    2. Of coure, mate, It's always a pleasure to help people when I can.

      When you start a match and you lock on your opponent, accelerate and get ready to use the rolls and the 6% evasion to dodge your opponent's missiles (maybe turning in the same direction where you rolled too to be more sure to dodge)and then shoot at him/her.

      Then, maybe the only weakness of this plane is its agility but you can balance it using you energy to swipe up/roll left or right to make your actions qicker and to make the plane more agile. For example: If you are in a circoling match and you wanna turn left, use the left roll to turn better, wait for the energy to be almost full (you can do the manuver twice) and do it again ( you should wait for the energy to fill up a bit because of the upgrade that says "10% increased damage when your energy is > than 75%"). Do this when you wanna turn right with the right roll and when you want to swipe up wit the swipe up manuver.
      Do this during all the match and every time you manuver get ready to shoot some cannon ammo to your opponent if him/her shows up in the screen. Hope I helped and sorry for the late.

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    3. @ the anonymous above my first reply: The guy who "smoked" me with a c-101 (almost surely fully upgraded) has 32k SR and instead I had 6,1k and I was playing from Italy while he was playing from USA so the game lagged a bit too. And the paper,scissor, rock talks clearly: the paper (agility) will probably beat the rock (defense).
      So don't try to take fun of people just cause they have the possibility to get an expensive plane when they want while you can't. I didn't lose 390 just because i got beated by a c-101, and those were the only two losses I got since I have the Achilles.

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    4. In the view of some of the Archillies' data, we often make some mistakes will always focus on some of the extra things, but ignore the things that did not.
      Yes, it has enough offensive damage power, but it does not have enough hit rate, lock range, lock range, tracking rate .... These are weapon class planes terrible.
      It has the fastest in the class, but compare to agile fighters, it is very slow ... and do not forget that it do not have good agility, acceleration, maneuver speed, these are the agility class planes afraid of the place.
      In addition, it also has the characteristics of defensive planes, but no armor regeneration multiply, the damage reduction of addition and , and these are the defense class planes disturbing.
      In conclusion, it is a data very average plane, has a very beautiful appearance, but definitely not a killing machine. Only good controlling can give full play to the characteristics.

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    5. Weapon class planes are made to be killing machines, Defense are made to resist and although this plane is less defense than the others It is more killer (and more resistent than weapon class planes). By the way you exposed some good points, dude.

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    6. Can not get that why they priced it 390?! Because of the appearance?

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    7. No, read the feedbacks from people who own it.

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    8. As you said defense class planes are meant to resist damage, not take down. However as a tri class pilot I know that most matches with defense class planes end in a draw. I believe this plane was meant to be able to fight back so you can atleast get 2 kills.

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    9. Totally true, too much skillz.

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  28. I know who it was his GC is wrx (with tm after x in the air)

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  29. ANSWER FOR: What's worse than finding a worm in your apple???

    ANSWER: Half a worm!!! (you bit through the worm)

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  30. No!!! My alarm didn't ring oh shit!!! I missed my exam shit shit shit no fucking out not even my sister waked me up what a whore what a bitch no!!! Shit!!! Flipping 2 hour exam!!! Gonna have to do it after school no!!! Fucking out no!!!

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  31. Oh shit I also have a matha exam 1 and half hour long no!!! I just realised first I was thinking that never mind missing a day of school by no!!!

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    1. This is a metal storm blog. no one here cares about your math exam. And are you even speaking english?? jeez..

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    2. haha eat that big ass you shouldve studied and noy you get f ass

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  32. Does anyone here have fully upgraded Nightwing and Achilles? I'd like to know which one is better in terms of moving your plane around.

    My theory is that the Nightwing is able to do tighter turns but at a slower rate than the Achilles. Which is able to turn more effectively overall? After comparing the turning capabilities of my Eagle-X and Dragon the other day, I'm starting to think the Achilles would be better than Nightwing in a dogfight.

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    1. Well, search In YouTube "X-23 Nightwing" there are some videos from a japanese/chinese guy against another one. Compare it with your (I'm not sure you own it, I didn't understand.) Achilles or if you don't own it read the feedbacks. By the way I don't own a Nightwing but I find Achilles' stats more useful in a dogfight.

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    2. i have both fully upgraded planes, but I didn't spend lots of time to play nightwing, so I don't remember the details about nightwing. On the impression, simply the "moving plane round", nightwing is better, agility is much useful then speed. But it doesn't mean the nightwing would have better performance then archilles in a dogfight.

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  33. What do you guys like better, evasion or agility (no additional energy)?

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  34. Agility for me.
    In my opinion the most useful bonus are:
    - damage, agility, missile reload and armor, and a little less important missile tracking, lock range and maybe speed for a weapon plane
    - damage, agility, speed and slightly less important but still good armor, evasion and energy for an agility plane
    - armor regen and armor just before agility, and less important but also interesting damage, energy and speed for a defense plane.

    Yesterday was monday and I was hoping for a new plane... How long will we have to wait for the Red Widow? Unfortunately, I bet the next issued will be that ugly crap of Ice Wolf.

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    1. Yeah,and after all these weapon class planes I think we'll still must wait some weeks, sometimes I think Z2 doesn't care much about money:
      - They made some planes like saber and zephir which are not the best in class but they cost like or even more than the best (like RW or Reaper) when you can get an Hawken or/and a tresher for free.
      - We had more than 2 days to get the saber and they featured it for all the week.
      - Everyone who doesn't have a Red Widow, wants one but they seem to don't care although they'd gain a lot of money.
      - There are people that would pay even 50$ for a green eagle but they seem to don't give a **** anyway.
      I really don't know what to think but a game with in-app purchases shoud be a game created to earn the max possible so they should look at players' asks better.

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    2. I'm not hopeless about the Red Widow, because they said that it would come back in their Q&A video the other day. But they did not say when...
      I think it's a different story for the Green Eagle, because they must be aware that it is a very unfair plane with too much armor regen. Sure a lot of people want it, but also a lot do not!

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    3. Wouldn't it be strange to see the Red Widow released right after Sabre? One could argue that they're both so similar statswise to the Hawken. That could be boring for newer players who don't frequent these sites.

      I think they're postponing the Red Widow's release as much as possible. They know it's a popular plane, so if they release it before other planes, people may buy it and opt not to buy the following planes as they're predicted to be satisfied with the RW.

      As for the green Eagle, its re-release may cause people to quit the game. It may draw a lot of quick cash, but may not be the best option in the long run.

      By the way Kid, wouldn't extra DMG Resistance be better than Armor on a Defense plane? The upgrade tree already gives +65% Armor. Same thing with Energy, +132% from upgrade tree; coupled with the Energy Regeneration upgrades, I've rarely depleted my energy bar even when unnecessarily spamming manoeuvres on my Dragon.

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    4. You may be right about the RW. However, they said a few days ago that it would be coming back (see the Q&A). I don't see why releasing the RW would get some people to quit the game! I doubt it would even happen if they released the Green Eagle... In addition, the RW is still a very good plane, but there are also good candidates as the Hawken and the Sentinel for best in class. It's different for the Green Eagle, which was clearly "overfeatured", making the game unfair. If the Green Eagle was coming back, I would think like many that it would be a bummer (but I would probably not quit the game). Nobody said "don't release the RW, it's too strong!".
      At that point, I don't understand Z2 behaviour. Many people like me know or at least hope that the RW will be released soon and they will probably keep their coins for it rather than spending them for the Saber, which is less interesting than the RW, or an ugly shit like the new Ice Wolf. They should realize that some people WANT TO PAY FOR THE RED WIDOW BUT NOT FOR ANY OTHER PLANE.

      About DMG resistance vs armor, I don't know. I read some explanations about the differences between these two features but it's not very clear how these differences translate into real game. If think it's very similar. I think energy is important with these planes because you need to make a lot of evasion maneuvers to dodge missiles and also in a way to increase your agility, if you see what I mean. When you run out of energy, you become a nice target.
      By the way, I really like my Dragon and find it is well balanced as a Defense plane, although I don't use it a lot in versus mode.

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    5. Yes, I've seen the Q&A video and the Red Widow's return was pretty much the highlight for me. I didn't say it was OP or even best in class. However, not everyone knows it's coming back or even of its existence and, evidently, it's very popular with the ones who do know.

      I'm also saving my coins for the Widow, but people who don't know about it probably aren't. By postponing its release, Z2 is targetting people who are satisfied with the Sabre or the Ice Wolf WITHOUT knowledge of the RW. Once it's re-released, more people are going to know about it and Z2 could assume (based on feedback given) that less would be inclined to buy other planes. Only collectors would want to get new planes when they already own / are aware of better ones.

      What if, before the Red Widow is released, they release a similar plane with more attractive stats (maybe +3% Crit Rate and +14% Agility, for example...and fancier looking)? Would you still want the Red Widow? I wouldn't, and if Z2 knows that they'd probably release it after the RW to get me to buy the RW and then tempt me to spend more to get that new plane too.

      As for DMG Resistance and Armor, they serve the same purpose: to prolong your time in the skies. But they do it differently and with different sensitivity. Armor increases the amount of damage you *could take* while DMG Reduction reduces the amount of damage you *take* with each hit.
      It's a bit like this: say you have a full water bottle and you check to see how long it takes to empty it out. Then you obtain 2 more similar bottles, 1 with a larger capacity and 1 with a smaller neck/entry, and you fill them both up to full. They'd both take longer than the original to empty out, but which one takes the longest?
      Now lets compare the Juggernaut (+14% Armor) vs the Nightwing (+12% DMG Reduction). Fully upgraded, the Juggernaut has 179% Armor while the Nightwing has 165% but takes only 88% of the full damage. 165% after 12% reduction is 187.5% before reduction. They're both actually quite a bit stronger after reducing Missile/Cannon damage further, but the Nightwing would still be more durable.

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    6. Thanks for your explanation. But still hard for me to figure out how what you explained well really translates into number of shots/missiles that your plane can take.

      Sometimes, I wonder if Z2Live really understand what kind of planes people (I mean those who are careful about stats like folks on this forum) want and if they really try to make new planes more attractive than older. It seems that the answer is no and that most of the time, they mix up different stats to create new planes, most of them being pretty uninteresting. Maybe I should not say uninteresting, but rather that, honestly, they just cannot compare with the best planes in each category. Personnally, I will never buy a plane because it's new but because I think it may be better than what I have.
      Basically, I own a C-101, a Zephyr, a Dragon and a Sentinel. When considering all existing planes, the only plane I would buy would be the Red Widow, because it may be even better than my Sentinel and because I'm more into weapon class. But that's all. Now they can release as much Tigris, Saber, Viper, Ice Wolf as they want I will stick with my Sentinel and keep my coins. Of course, if they release a weapon plane with +damage +agility +missile reload and +speed, I may change my mind...

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    7. I can't exactly say how many since I don't know what the value of 100% Armor is, but based on the parameter definitions page, I have an idea of how it's calculated.

      Lets use the RAAM as an example, which has a damage rating of 78, fired by a fully upgraded Hawken (+32% Missile Damage). Let A be the base Armor and x be the number of missile hits. Assume no armor regeneration.

      The Juggernaut (179% Armor, 20% DMG Reduction vs Missiles) goes down when:
      1.79*A - x * [78*(1+ 0.32 - 0.2)] < 0
      Lets say A = 250 (I don't know this value but I doubt 100 is the base Armor rating)
      The Sentinel could take x > 5.12 missile hits assuming no cannon damage and no armor regen.

      Now, the same conditions with the Nightwing (165% Armor, 20% DMG Reduction vs Missiles + 12% DMG Reduction):
      1.65*A - x * [78*(1 + 0.32 - 0.2 - 0.12)] < 0
      x > 5.29

      Based on these conditions, you'll need 6 RAAM hits to kill off either of them. If you could score 5 missile hits, it would take less additional cannon hits to kill the Juggernaut. It's not much, but there is a difference.

      I think Z2 do understand what kind of stats people like on their planes, but I also think that's exactly why they make new planes the way they do. They seem to make an effort to release "different" planes as opposed to "better" planes, because then people would only want to spend on the "best" plane.

      If they do release the plane you describe, I don't think you'd ever buy another weapons class plane unless it's a direct upgrade (like Mako and Spectre) and Z2 would probably predict the same. They'll try to release something along those lines (but purposely miss the target a notch or two) so there's ALWAYS a plane they could release that would be better.

      In other words, I think they have an idea on what the "perfect" plane is (arguably it's the one you described), but they won't ever release it. They would release, however, similar planes to that, but with minor adjustments (e.g. the Hawken and the Red Widow).

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  35. And if they want to inflict me even more torture, they may release the Zephyr before the Red Widow, which has not been released since a long time ago.
    Florovic, you claimed that you got them to release the Viper and the Saber, can you do something? Pleaaaaaase!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lot of people already posted to bring back the red widow I'll see what I can do

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  36. Is this a British site?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yep, exclusively for spanish language only! wot wot wot awooooooooh.......

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  37. GUYS VISIT THIS WEBSITE TO SEE THE ICE WOLF!!!
    www.metalstormapp.com

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  38. Who ever does the posts for things do it for ice wolf the image is available from www.metalstormapp.com

    ReplyDelete
  39. Im sorry guys this comment is gonna be way off theis post topic :

    I have to ask you please , have you ever been in a match with this typenof scenario :

    Match 1

    Self ( using eg. hawken, RAAM missles, stock cannons ) Vs. Opponent ( same aircraft, Lancer missles , stock cannons )

    Match Results : Draw : example 2 : 2

    so Im thinkin atleast I didnt get powned with his/her Lancers !! Then REMATCH but this time

    I still have a good quantity of RAAMs but opponent has finished their Lancers !!!!! so the horns come out thinkin that opponent is gonna be TOAST ... but I end up getting powned 3 : 0 or 3: 1

    this has been happening quite often lately, is this some kinda trend or a new way of game for jailbreakers ?? cos in the second game - not only their firepower is downsized to stock missles and wins - he also flies like a F5 measured Tornado !


    Am I mistaken or have you guys faced the same kinda scenario ???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is a bug that always show your opponent with std missiles when you go to the rematch. He still had lancers and you got careless. End of story.

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    2. lol , thanks for your reply - i'd buy that for a dollar

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  40. I can't find the "LIKE" button! ^^^^^

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  41. Who has found the country that allows the 'trick' as we saw in Saudi Arabia

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    Replies
    1. I don't think there is one with version 4.1.2 anymore. I have tryed a lot of regions but none of them worked.

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  42. To see the Ice wolf visit www.metalstormapp.com

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  43. G The Kid
    You should be happy as I started my new campaign of bringing the red Widdow back early. Already done the first step of posting on official forums!
    Hope it will do the trick :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The RW is back!!! I don't know if your post got them to release it, but anyway thanks;-)

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  44. RED WIDOW IS OUT!!!

    - okami

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  45. Red Widow is out but thats ovious to see when you start the game, so I don't really have to tell you. But what i find interesting is that the Saber apperently is priced off from 205 towards 160 blue ones. So I really would be pissed off when i did decide to buy one (i was thinking of buying it) but now at 160 i way take that one too

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  46. The Red Window is out when i just spent 50 blue coins upgrading my viper.
    Now i have to earn more 50 blue coins to get it. Nice job.

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  47. Should I buy the Red Widow?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Should you buy the best weapon class plane out there? Yes of course!

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  48. If you like to fly weapon class planes, I think you'll enjoy it.
    But everyone likes the type of plane are not entirely the same, can not be equated with terms.
    In my case, the various types I like to try, so I've bought it.

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  49. Ok what about making blog for red Widdow now. Personally I don't see what the fuss is all about the only difference on that plane from Hawken is that red widow has +5 critical strike not +5 lock speed (on Hawken) but anyway enjoy

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    Replies
    1. It also has +2 extra damage ^^ so in the long run. It does more damage.

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    2. And +2 damage more than the hawken

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  50. Oh didnt see that. Guys anyone off you want to see the ice wolf how it looks? Visit metalstormapp.com

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  51. Also the stats on ice wolf are much better. It has more speed and energy and it has better missile tracking

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    Replies
    1. -Speed? Pfui! If possible way better the agility!
      -Energy? Pfui! On a weapon class?! Way better the missile reload speed!
      -Missile tracking? This one is good but always better missile reload dued to the crit strike than this!

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    2. What you're gonna do when you have 2 vympels about to hit you and you have energy

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    3. Today I made at least 50 matches and I never ran out of energy.
      I love so much pwning [SV Cadet]s, I think I won at least 8 matches today against them and they all had a very higher SR, the last one was 19,5k!

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  52. RED WIDOW IS OUT GUYS AT 205 COINS GO BUY IT BEFORE IT IS GONE!!!!!!

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  53. Oops! Too late... Lmfao.

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  54. Z2 is ripping people off. The saber is now just 160 coins. In addition, the red widow, the bird with no mouth nor eyes is now available for 205 coins- a hawken with +2%damage, and no extra lock speed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe it has +2% more damage and +5% critical strike. Only noobs need +5% missile lock speed.

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  55. Yesterday I was at the office computer and thought I would check this blog. I saw that the Red Widow was out! I rushed upstairs grabbed my iPad and used the coins I've been building up for several weeks now I case the RW came out again. I'm happy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I upgraded my widow in less than 5 mins, had around 270 coins and 8000 credits saved up for this plane lol

      t_park

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  56. i dont see the point in buying the red widow when you have a Hawken. Its like buying a Spectre when you have a Mako.

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    Replies
    1. If you have the coins and you wanna have the best weapon class plane, you will get this plane. This is the point.

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  57. Woo beat 2 Red Widows with my Liberty 1-0. Also beat 1 with my saber 3-1. SR's were 16K 11K and 13K respectively.one was a [WarWolf] and the other two belonged to [NSF]. If you want to play my SR is only 8K. My GC name- too much skillz

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    Replies
    1. You ask why someone should get the RW and you own a Saber? Don't you think it's a bit stupid, by the way no offence at all, mate, I sent you a friend request. Oh and it is spelled Achilles not Archilles...

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    2. Well i had my Saber from Metalstorm online. I would like to buy a Red Widow for myself but don't got anymore money for this game, as I am mostly playing SGAS. Also I just thought it was dumb to buy a Red Widow after owning a Hawken as they are both similar. Look forward to versing you and no offence was taken by your statement.

      Delete
  58. Sigh just got waxed twice by Red Widows why have you failed me Liberty. Guess i should try my Dragon or Archilles. I wouldnt dare use a Spectre or Thresher

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  59. When does,s the auora come out

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  60. last comment um highahfkahbvjnhfiuvnfnjbn i like poop in chinese

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  61. why does the guy who puts up the planes always tells you in the captions its good and stuff but when you buy the plane its crap

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because you didn't upgrade it, perhaps?

      Delete
  62. When doe,s the auora come out

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  63. They did such a good job with the SR-71 in SGAS, they actually made it the fastest in the fleet but with really low maneuverability. They also gave it a pretty mediocre stealth rating, but I have little else to quarrel about. In MSWM, they completely screwed it up. I think they need to go back and try again on this one.

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    Replies
    1. If I had designed it, I would have kept it as a defense class, but given it
      +65% Speed
      +15% Stealth
      +20% Evasion
      -10% Damage
      These stats may seem OP at first glance, but remember: +65% seems ludicrous, but remember that defense planes don't get speed tech upgrades, so it would be only a little faster than the Reaper. Stealth is not a particularly effective stat, so with a total of +35% when upgraded, it would be reasonable. +20% Evasion would be its most powerful stat, enabling it to make use of its speed to evade missiles despite its lack of agility. Defense planes get a surprising boost to damage when fully upgraded, so the -10% damage would kind of even it out a bit. The pilot of this plane would have to make a lot of high-speed firing passes on targets to score any kills, so matches against other types of planes could still be pretty balanced. This plane would suit a very specific fighting style, but I think it would still be pretty cool.
      If the Achilles had these stats, THEN it would have been worth 390 coins.

      What the hell, though, I'll just play SGAS, where the SR-71 has basically these stats.

      Delete
  64. When does this plane come back out?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Never, I hope. Well, I hope it doesn't come out again with the same stats as before. I'd be fine if they wanted to give it a (really drastic) speed boost.

      Delete
    2. There was a sneek peek in Canada showing the upcoming planes. It might return in the middle of January 2013. The price dropped to 290 coins; same stats. It's still quite expensive, I don't plan on getting it.
      -XX6010
      (Since I have no idea how to get a username on this sight, I'll just clarify who I am every time I make a post as XX6010 =)

      Delete
  65. Why it sucks balls

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  66. The sky devil has the highest speed at 18% (more when fully upgraded) I have an fully upgraded sky devil

    ReplyDelete