New Version Release - 5.1.1

I haven't noticed anything different except for no lag in the few games that I've played so far.  See anything new? How is it working for you? 

Will LAG ever get fixed?

I take it back AGAIN - it seems like lag was fixed for awhile and the game worked really well, however the past couple weeks, it has come storming back and seems to occur almost every game.  Anyone else having this problem again?

4/21/13:  I take it back - looks like lag has been fixed in the past day or so at least for me.  Thanks Z2.

Has anyone noticed that since the v5.1 update, the lag for VS matches has become a substantial problem?  Previously, lag would pop up now and then and your opponent would jump/disappear/hover as the Z2 servers labored to keep up the pace.  Now though, it seems that lag occurs for every single VS match without exception.  The lag occurs differently than it has in the past also.  Now, it seems that the lag especially shows up when you make a kill - there can be a several second delay between missile impact and your opponent blowing up.  There have been times when my opponent will then even get a shot or two at me during this lag time before he explodes! 

Also, the agility class planes seem to have a particularly hard time with this lag - if I fly a weapons class plane, it seems that I have a much easier time hitting agility class planes.  Most matches tend to be missile hurling slug fests, shooting at stuttering and jumping images of my opponent.

Curious how many of you have been experiencing this same issue?  Hopefully it will be fixed soon, as it is seriously degrading the quality of VS game play.

You get what you pay for (in both cases)

Well the big give-away has happened - for this weekend only you can buy the Apollo for the price of 1 credit -------- which is about what it is worth.  A disappointing downgrade from the leaked version and not worthy of a review.  I don't think that it is a good strategy on Z2's part to build expectations and then provide this piece of junk (no upgrades included either).  I think that I'll just stick with the C-101 Annhiliator when I want to fly a low level agility plane - not going to invest a penny to upgrade this thing.

BC-13 Apollo

The second plane released this weekend is the Hades.  A new weapons class plane with slightly higher boosts in energy and damage than the leaked version.  It is good to see the SR-71 Blackbird incarnated one more time.  The first time this was issued was as the Achillies as an overpriced defense class plane with lackluster specs.  This time, Z2 has more accurately provided the plane with great speed and stealth. 

D-66 Hades

The Blackbird was one of the most amazing planes ever built.  A reconnaissance plane with no weapons, it was one of the fastest jets 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.

Lets take a look at the ratings for the Hades:

Energy:  12% boost is middle of the pack - not a big factor for weapons class which has plenty of energy already as default.
Damage:14% boost is also middle of the pack but decent.
Speed:  20% boost is best in class (but still slower than agility class planes)
Stealth:  15% boost is best in class (but still less than a few defense class planes)

No agility boost will make it easier to be caught in a circling match, but overall, the speed, stealth and damage boosts make the Hades a formidable weapons class plane - the speed should help dodge incoming missiles and the stealth will make it harder for your opponent to lock onto you as you kick in the afterburners.  Its also hard to resist the design of this historical classic!

Beautiful shot of a real life SR-71 Blackbird

Both planes have been added to the Comparison Guide  and also to the Fleet at a Glance - check it out!

Apollo is the free plane

Happy Anniversary!

Check it out!  Looks like a free plane will be available on the weekend of May 11th.

I also want to take a moment to thank Z2 for their work over the last 2 years.  It looks like they have recently solved the lag problem - great job!  Metalstorm Online is still the best 1-on-1 dogfighting game out there - keep up the good work!!

New Better Plane Comparison Guide!

I've updated the plane comparison tables to show best in class in blue and best in fleet (all planes) ratings in gold.  Also there are some ratings that are best in fleet without any boosts - those are in gold outline.  Now you have an even better guide to decide which planes are right for your fighting style.

As bonus - I've also added the 2 new unreleased planes (with the leaked stats).

Click here to check them out!

Upcoming Plane Preview (thanks Sean for the posting!)

Weapons Class
D-66 Hades
Energy +10%
Damage +12%
Speed +20%
Stealth +15%

Cost: 205 coins


 



BC-13 Apollo
Unknown class (Agility?)
Energy +10
Damage +6
Agility +12
Speed +9

Cost 30k credits



Both supposedly to be released on May 11th

The Stiletto - ready for a knife fight?

F-301 Stiletto

Reaper shown for comparison purposes

Just as we saw over the weekend thru our Saudi connection, like clockwork, we have a new plane on Monday - the F-301 Stiletto.  Lets take a look:

Agility:  BEST IN FLEET (tied with the Reaper).  What can you say but wow - this sucker will turn.
Critical Strike:  2nd best in class - nothing to get too excited about.
Energy:  BEST IN CLASS for agility, although still a far cry from weapons or defense class energy
Lock Speed:  First in class to have any boost in lock speed.

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

For agility class planes, I value AGILITY the most, therefore the Stiletto vaults up to be at the top of the list along with the Reaper.  In my opinion, it comes down to which is better, this or the Reaper?  Reaper has more damage, armor and speed.  Is damage, armor and speed better than critical strike, energy and lock speed?   I think so (especially speed) and will stick with my opinion that the Reaper is the best agility plane out there but of course, lets hear your opinion!

Thanks to the reader input, this plane is based on the Su-37.  See some real-life picts of the SU-37 below:

SU-37

LM-22 Ares re-released

A new agility class plane has been re-released modeled after The US Air Force X-29 experimental aircraft.

Missile Tracking 6%. Second in class to the Iron Fang

Agility 13%. Toward the middle of the agility pack. Reaper and Stilletto are tops at +15%

Energy 10%. Lower portion of the agility pack

Lock Speed 5%. First in class tied with Stilletto (no other agility class planes have this boost)

Overall impression is that this is a missile shooters plane. Good agility class stats with missile tracking and lock speed boosts will result in better missile hits. The energy boost is a good bonus also. Overall I like the stats and all the boosts are good ones. No speed boost, but you can't have it all and agility class is already plenty fast.

Real-life pict of an X-29

Version 5.1 Released

Version 5.1 has been released.  Let hear how it performs for you.  Hopefully better than 5.0.

Of note - I've been getting about 20-30 spam comments per day so the commenting process has changed a little.  You can still comment anonymously, but you'll need to type in a word for verification.  Sorry for the inconvenience.  Other options are that I moderate all comments (which can cause a significant delay in your comments getting posted, or I could end the use of anonymous comments which I would prefer not to do).
Well, it looks like somebody is still having too much fun adding spam comments to this blog, even with the word verification.  So, from now on, all comments will be moderated (which means that I will take a look at them and approve before they show up.  I'll try to do this 1-2 times per day so if your comment doesn't show up right away, it should at least show up before the end of the day.  I'm guessing that you all would rather proceed that way instead of reading 20-30 comments about porn websites or random jibberish added each day. 

Lugg