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Red Baron II
FAQ/Strategy Guide
by: Dark Vortex(Quan Jin)
darkvortex0012000@yahoo.com
Version(1.0)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1.0 - General Information
2.0 - Disclaimers
3.0 - Version History
4.0 - Introduction
5.0 - Plane List ***incomplete***
5.1 - German Planes
5.2 - Allied Planes
6.0 - The Basics
6.1 - No Mans Land
6.2 - Forests and Other Dangerous Lands
6.3 - Buildings
6.4 - Collisions and Ways To Prevent it
6.5 - Making Life Easier
6.6 - Living to Fight Another Day: Surviving in the Air
7.0 - Mission Types ***incomplete***
8.0 - Plane Formations ***coming soon***
9.0 - Flight Maneuvers ***coming soon***
10.0 - Credits and Final Words
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1.0 - General Information
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Name - Red Baron 2 |
Platform - PC |
Developer - Dynamix |
Publisher - Sierra |
Price - $9.99(USA) |
Genre - Flight Simulator |
ESRB Rating - KA |
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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Minimum
Pentium 133
16 MB RAM
125 MB Hard Drive Space
Mouse
SVGA 256 colors
4X CD-ROM
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2.0 - Legal Information
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This guide is under full copyright 2003-2004 Quan Jin. It shall not be altered,
reproduced, published, sold for profit, etc. without the written and expressed
permission from this guide's rightful owner. If you feel the need to violate
copyright law and break these rules, I will be forced to perform legal matters
on you.
If you shall wish to use this guide on your site or use any non-opinionated
tidbits of information, it is essential you contact the author. If I find that
a site is hosting this document without recalling any permission given to
them, I will take action against the offender. Currently, the below sites will
not be granted permission no matter what (with thanks to Red_Pheonix's FAQ
Theft Guide for the list):
Keep in mind that this list is not permanent. It will change every once in a
while when action is taken.
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3.0 - Version History
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Version 0.5{Release} - About half of the guide is finished. Some of it is still
incomplete however.
I'll admit it. Red Baron II is not the best game ever created but it certainly
deserves more credit than it has. It's obviously not the worst game but it
falls under a mediocre category and it deserves something. I find Red Baron II
sort of confusing in a way and I hope to clear a few things up plus give
various techniques and strategies.
And with no further ado, here is the guide.
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5.0 - Plane List
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Most of the info is taken from the game itself although I'll add a few little
blurbs giving strategies for the plane. You can find the list of planes/objects
in game anyway. And also, you can't drive bombers.
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5.1 - German Planes
--
Name: Albatros C.III
Type: Bomber
Specification: Sturdy and reliable, the Albatros C.III was an excellent
reconnaissance and artillery cooperation aircraft. It could carry a small bomb
load and is armed with a fixed synchronized Spandau forward and a flexible
Parbellum machine gun in the rear.
Strategy against: Try to shoot it from behind and below. That's it's blind
spot and you can get a few good shots before the bomber shifts.
Strategy with: (You can't drive this plane)
--
Name: Albatros D.II
Type: Scout
Specification: For it's time, the Albatros D.II was not only fast and durable,
but exceptionally well-armed with a pair of Spandau machine guns. It was used
bu almost every Jagdstaffeln between September 1916 through early 1917.
Strategy against: The Albatros D.II wasn't as fast as some of the other planes
so you can easily take advantage of that. It can't dive very good either.
Strategy with: Try not to make vertical dives or else your wings may tear off.
Use the agility of this plane to your advantage and turn a lot.
--
Name: Albatros D.III
Type: Scout
Specification: Fast and amazingly maneuverable, the Albatros D.III became the
standard German fighter from early 1917 until early 1918. Though durable, it
could not dive steeply as the bottom wing would tear off.
Strategy against: Like it's predessecor, it couldn't dive too well.
Strategy with: Don't dive steeply to avoid structural failure. The Albatros
D.III is even more agile than the D.II so perform evasive manuevers to confuse
your enemy.
--
Name: Albatros D.Va
Type: Scout
Specification: The Albatros D.Va replaced the D.III as the standard German
fighter from the fall of 1917 until the advent of the Fokker D.VII in the
summer of 1918. Unfortunately, the D.V was heavier than the D.III and was not
near as maneuverable. It soldiered on because the Germans had nothing else to
supplant it.
Strategy against: The D.Va is terribly slow so chase them if they try to
escape.
Strategy with: Try to dive a bit more. The Albatros D.Va is more well built
than the D.III and dives won't hurt your plane as much. Since the D.Va is
quite slow, you're probably going to need to.
--
Name: Aviatik C.I
Type: Bomber
Specification: This single-engined two seater biplane had the observer in the
front cockpit which restricted the arc of fire of the defensive machine gun.
Slow and clumsy, the Aviatik was easy prey by 1916.
Strategy against: Try to attack it from the bottom or head on. There is no gun
in the front and the C.I is helpless. There is a big dead zone for the C.I that
you can take advantage of.
Strategy with: (you can't drive this plane)
--
Name: Fokker D.VII
Type: Scout
Specification: Easy to fly, the Fokker D.VII was probably the best overall
fighter of the Great War. The BMW engine equipped versions could fly higher
than any allied fighter. The D.VII balanced speed, maneuverability, and
vertical performance in one excellent package.
Strategy against: Always try to get on it's tail. The D.VII is maneuverable,
fast, but it's blind if you get it in it's tail.
Strategy with: Try to use evasive maneuvers and use the speed of the plane.
Dive a lot as well to confuse opponents.
--
Name: Fokker Dr.I
Type: Scout
Specification: The Fokker Dr.I triplane was the most agile fighter of the war.
Though it could outmaneuver any Allied aircraft, it could not outrun or
outdive any of it's major opponents. These two weaknesses caused the Dr.I to
fall out of favor, and the type disappeared from the front by mid-1918.
Strategy against: Use your planes diving abilities to catch up to the Dr.I.
However, don't try to follow it's twisting path as that will only waste you
time and probably get you killed.
Strategy with: Turn a lot and try evasive maneuvers frequently.
--
Name: Fokker E.III
Type: Scout
Specification: The Fokker E-type monoplanes were the first aircraft to mount a
sychronized machine gun to fire forward over the cowl. Though slow and
unwieldy, the E.III was a dangerous opponent in it's heyday, mainly because of
it's gun system.
Strategy against: Try to follow it's every move. The E.III doesn't have very
good maneuverability so you can easily follow it and hopefully get a good shot.
Strategy with: Dive frequently. Don't climb to much.
--
Name: Gotha G.IV
Type: Bomber
Specification: The Gotha G.IV bomber was designed to bomb England from bases
along the Belgium coast. Well-armed, it could protect itself from the best
Allied fighters.
Strategy against: These are definitely the hardest bombers to bring down. It's
so well protected that there really isn't any true dead zone. However, the most
effective ways to take on the Gotha would probably be from the side. Or you can
use hit and run tactics on this. Luckily, you won't be seeing the G.IV that
often.
Strategy with: (You can't drive this plane.)
--
Name: Halberstadt CL.II
Type: Bomber
Specification: The Halberstadt CL.II was a two-seat infantry attack plane that
equipped the Shlastasteffeln throughtout 1917 and 1918. Tough and fast, it was
a formidable opponent.
Strategy against: You can't take the CL.II from the front or the back but the
weakest spot is the belly. Just unleash as many bullets as you can into that
blind spot.
Strategy with: (you can't drive this plane.)
--
Name: Halberstadt D.II
Type: Scout
Specification: The Halberstadt D.II was a sturdy but sluggish aircraft designed
to compete with the Albatros D.II. Pilots determined it to be inferior to it's
rival, and as a result it did not see widespread service for any length of time
on the Western Front.
Strategy against: The D.II is slow, and can barely dive. Your Nieuport should
have no problem dealing with it.
Strategy with: Try not to get into too many fights. The D.II is a very fragile
plane and can easily be shot down. Instead, use hit and run tactics to inch
away at your opponent.
--
Name: Hannover CL.III
Type: Bomber
Specification: The Hannover CL.III was a tough, maneuverable two-seater
designed for low altitude infantry strafing missions. The observer actually
carried numerous hand held bombs and grenades that he would then toss overboard
during strafing runs.
Strategy against: Just stay clear of the rear gunner and you should be fine.
Strategy with: (you can't drive this plane.)
--
Name: Pfalz D.III
Type: Scout
Specification: The Pfalz D.III was rugged and sturdy and could dive like no
other German plane. Yet, it was not very fast and could not outturn or
outmaneuver most Allied fighters. It served mainly with Bavarian Jagdstaffeln
from late 1917 until the final months of the war.
--
Name:
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6.0 - The Basics
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There is much to understand before you can fly off and make a difference.
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6.1 - No Mans Land
Probably the most dangerous area in every map would be No Mans Land. No Mans
Land is that strip of craters through the middle of each map. On one side are
the Allies and on the other, the Germans. No Mans Land is usually the area
where most of the infantry fighting is going on. Both sides will send soldiers
at each other to gain land. In Red Baron II, this strip won't change locations
so you don't have to worry about that. With all the craters and such, you can
easily tell that a lot of fighting has been going on to make the land this
barren.
You're going to be performing missions a lot concerning infantry placements,
balloons, etc. around this area. The lines of defense are usually set up like
this with the main defense in the front and all the artillery pieces in the
rear. Keep in mind that the ground is a dark brown and don't pay attention to
any of the boxes. They just tell you what the main buildings are.
A - Artillery
TE - Tent
AA - Anti Aircraft Guns
T - Tanks
G - Gun Emplacement
# - Trenches
/\/\/\ - Barbed Wires
[] - Sandbags
V - Vehicle
< B > - Balloon
####################################################################
TRENCHES(usually two lines of them to stop tanks)
####################################################################
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
BARBED WIRE(stops infantry in their tracks)
You'll have to pass over this area quite a lot. Avoid the flak by constantly
doing evasive maneuver or you can just turn on the combat autopilot.(look at
section 7.7 - Making Life Easier)
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6.2 - Forests and Other Dangerous Lands
There are many dangers in this game that you have to avoid. Some of them are
land to avoid getting tangled into. The first I'll describe of course would be
forests.
Those dark bits of land on the ground are forests. From above, they look flat
and even closely, they look flat. Just don't tangle into them or you might
lose your plane and even your life. Avoid these at all costs. If you
accidentally roll your plane into these, you won't be taking off again. Not
with that plane at least. Really bad if you're in enemy territory.
In a lot of areas, there are rivers running through the area. It's pretty hard
to actually land in these unless you're trying to. Like the forest, you won't
be seeing your plane again if you happen to get yourself into these.
Read Section 7.1 - No Mans Land and you'll see why you should avoid this at all
costs.
Not exactly dangerous if avoided correctly. Quite annoying when your Fly Level
autopilot sends you into a hill.
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6.3 - Buildings
All buildings have something in common. They can be damaged and destroyed.
They are all very vulnerable to bombs and rockets. For certain missions, you
may have to destroy one or more buildings like factories(to help escorted
bombers) aerodromes, infantry placements, etc.
There is really only one thing to avoid when near structures. Avoid crashing
into them at all costs. I do not believe you'll escape a crash. After all,
you'll probably lose a wing or two and lose all control. However, I've escaped
a few times when I got lucky.
Buildings are usually clustered in these formats:
Towns/Cities - You'll find Churches and houses in these residential areas. You
shouldn't waste your ammo on these. You won't ever need to destroy houses.
Actually, it's illegal to target these buildings.
Infantry - Artillery pieces, balloons, gun emplacements, etc. can be found
here. These are located in No Mans Land and can be a doozy to attack. You'll
find yourself attacking these in certain missions.
Aerodromes - These are the air bases for airplanes. You'll frequently attack
these during missions. Your highest priorty targets should be the aircraft
hangers and infantry barracks.(Why barracks are located at an air base is
beyond me)
Factories - Industry for war material. You may have to escort a bomber
squadron to these emplacements. You may want to help them out by destroying a
few things as well.
Supply Dumps - There are weapons, vehicles, spare parts, everything here.
You may need to escort a bomber's flight to these. You can always help them out
by destroying a gun emplacement or two.
Bridges - I suppose bridges can technically be called buildings. Used to
bring roads and rail over water.
Railyards - Areas where trains gather. Again, you may need to escort bombers to
bomb these emplacements.
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6.4 - Collisions and Ways To Prevent it
Collisions straight down into the ground will spell the end of your plane and
also your pilot. I've experimented with crashes and I've figured out the
following:
1) Crashes going straight down at a 90 degree angle will of course destroy the
plane but usually won't hurt the pilot for some reason.
2) If you crash without an explosion, every time your cockpit inverts, you get
hurt because your head is being crushed by your plane.
3) Crashing into rivers and forest will usually kill the pilot.
4) Crashing into buildings almost always wounds the pilot.
5) Collisions with other planes and balloons will also wound the pilot.
Now, how do you prevent collisions? Well:
1) Never try dangerous stunts that you see on tv.
- Keep in mind that these are fragile World War I biplanes. They can't handle
these moves that today's planes can pull off.
2) Never dive too steeply.
- Unless you have a plane made just for diving like the Spad XIII, structural
failure is almost guarranteed at super high dives exceeding more than 700 ft.
3) Avoid overspeeding.
- Speed is good. Overspeeding is not.
4) Keep an eye on your altitude.
- What appears in front of your cockpit isn't always how high you are. There
are illusions and you may seem higher than you really are. Always keep an eye
on your altimeter.
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6.5 - Making Life Easier
[God Mode, Unlimited Ammo, Everything!!]
There are many things you can change in the preferences section that can make
your flying much easier. Whether it be improving your flight model, taking away
the sun glare, unlimited ammo, or even rendering yourself invincible. You can
set these yourself but the more easier you make it, the less points you will
receive after each mission.
[Autopilots]
There are three levels of autopilot to make your flight more enjoyable. The
computer will do the work for you.
Combat Autopilot - The most detailed. Combat Autopilot does the takeoff,
navigation, fighting, and landing for you. Of course, I only use it for the
takeoff, navigation, and landing. I like to fight for myself. I'm just lazy, I
don't like doing all the boring crap.
Navigation Autopilot - This autopilot does the navigation for you, but won't
engage any enemies or takeoff and land for you.
Fly Level Autopilot - The simplest autopilot. It will keep your plane level
and flying with the horizon. Be careful as the Autopilot won't watch out for
hills.
[Time Speedup]
Because the planes of World War I were so slow, you can have the option of
speeding up time. Unless you wish for a single mission to take over three
hours, I would strongly suggest using this option. Speed up time with "]" and
slow time to normal again with "[" The four levels of speed are x2, x4, x8, and
x16.
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6.6 - Living to Fight Another Day: Surviving in the Air
Even if you make your AI really dumb, you'll still face some formiddable
opposition.
[Against bombers and two seaters]
Keep in mind that each bomber is different. For a more detailed strategy
against each bomber, see the plane list.
You may not pilot bombers which is really disappointing. The bomber will carry
two or more crew members. There will always be one driver and the others will
use the guns mounted on the plane. Because of that, taking on two seaters may
be harder than taking on regular scouts. However, bombers seem to be less
maneuverable than scouts so taking one down may be quite easy if you get
through the rear gunner.
The best way to deal with two seaters(excluding the Gotha G.IV and Handley Page
0/400)is to attack them from the bottom. This is also explained in the manual
but I find that it really works. The blind spot for a two seater is directly
underneath it. The belly. The swivel gun can't reach you without blowing holes
in his own plane. Simply firing it into that area will cause the bomber to go
into a dive and you can easily bring it down that way.
For the two heavy bombers,(Gotha and Handley Page) you're going to need a whole
different approach. Both of these carry more than two crew members so the blind
belly is easily taken care of. It may be hard to get a good shot but the only
effective way of coming in to take these babies down is by shooting them from
the side so you'll have to lead your target. The other way that I use is hit
and run. Sound cowardly but it works and if you can get the monster in a spin,
it's already dead. Believe me, it's much easier taking down a Gotha when it
can't even fly straight.
[Against the fighters]
Scouts are usually much more maneuverable than the bombers. Each fighter has
their weaknesses but since they don't have a rear mounted gun, getting behind
one and bursting them with holes isn't dangerous. However, getting on one's
tail won't exactly be easy. And keep in mind that your opponent is also looking
for your tail as well.
Some fighters are more maneuverable than others, some may be faster than
others. It's best to understand what your fighter is capable of and what your
enemy is capable of. For example, a Sopwith Camel going against a Fokker Dr.I
would be an even match and both pilots will have an equal chance of winning.
However, if you decide to use the Dr.I against a SE5a, than you're in trouble.
The SE5a can outrun your Dr.I and you won't be able to dive away.
Don't try to get into every fight you can. Your judgement may be difference
between surviving the fight or getting killed. It can be awfully embarrassing
as well.
[The Stalls & Spins]
A dangerous situation in planes today even is the stall and even worse, the
spin. To avoid a spin altogether, don't climb if your speed is below 50 mph.
If you get into a stall at high altitude, you're in luck. You probably won't
hit the ground but if you do happen to get into a stall at low altitude, you're
going to need to gain speed fast. You can either use whatever altitude you have
left or immediately pull into a turn and hope your speed goes up before you
fall.
A spin is kind of like a stall but it's harder to get out of. It doesn't happen
as much though. Hear what the manual has to say:
"A spin is a very nasty type of stall. Your aircraft will go into a spin when
one wing stalls before the other. This immediately forces your aircraft to spin
very rapidly. The natural instinct of a pilot is to fight the spin by applying
opposite ailerons. Unfortunately, this only makes your spin worse(many WWI
aviators died this way). The safest way to recover is to let the stick return
to the neutral position. Your aircraft will eventually stabilize itself. If you
wish to come out of a spin more quickly, move the ailerons as if you were
trying to roll the aircraft with the spin. But be careful, it's easy to get
confused when you see the ground spinning around rapidly and, consequently,
move the stick to the wrong side."
I couldn't have explained it better myself. The key way to get yourself out of
a stall or a spin is to regain speed and stabilize your plane without crashing
of course.
[Strategies to Help]
There are many things to understand before actually going into combat. An
untrained fighter is as good as dead when they're faced with a veteran combat
ace. A few various tips and strategies to help you out...
~ Avoid flying into the sun
~ Never run from a fight unless you absolutely have to. Attempting to escape
will only expose your tail
~ Use evasive maneuvers even when firing on an enemy. You can never know what
may be behind you while you're concentrating on the opposition in front of
you.
~ Avoid spins and stalls especially at low altitude
~ Stay at high altitudes when attacking balloons
~ Keep your wingmates alive as long as possible and they'll keep you alive as
long as possible.
~ Avoid landing on enemy land to avoid being captured. You may escape but
chances are, you'd stay there for the rest of the war.
~ Never, NEVER shoot down your own wingmates.
~ Know your enemy. If there plane has the edge over yours, run before they get
you.
~ Try not to pick too many fights with actual aces when you're a new pilot.
They are more skilled then the others.
Description: Occasionally, you may be asked to attack an enemy air base. You
will usually have a lot of wing mates because of the danger around. The enemy
aerodrome will usually be well defended.
Strategy: The first thing you should target when reaching the aerodrome are the
Machine Guns emplacements on the ground. They pose the biggest threat to you.
Next should be the AA guns as they also can do a bit of damage. After
destroying the base defenses, you can aid your wing mates in the bombing of the
base. Be wary of enemy air patrols that happen to come upon your position. The
base may even launch their own fighters to counter yours.
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10.0 - Credits and Final Words
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Red Baron II manual - helped me out quite a bit
Sierra - For creating other great games. Not Red Baron II but Half Life, etc.
Dynamix - Don't know any of their other games but I do like their name.
