Limit Load -- Play
==================

This document contains notes on how to complete some of the skirmish
missions provided in the game.

The first start of the skirmish will take some time, to generate various
data (memory representation of models and textures, aircraft tables, etc).
Subsequent starts will be much quicker, since the generated data will
be cached on the disk.

A joystick is practically necessary for play, but even the simplest one
will do. The list of all commands, with joystick and keyboard bindings,
can be checked during the game, in the pause menu (with ``Esc`` key).
For close maneuvering combat, it is particularly important to remember
the commands for throttle, weapon selection (guns, missiles), acquiring
and tracking targets, and switching the view between target tracking and
instrument panel.

If the player experiences a morale drop in the middle of the battle,
he can eject from the aircraft. Note, however, that ejecting from
a functioning aircraft is considered as desertion.


"Incoming"
----------

This skirmish is about close maneuvering aerial combat.

Before they reach the gun range, enemy aircraft attack the player with
missiles. This phase of combat happens during the initial closure, as well
as later if a larger separation occurs. When an enemy radar switches to
narrow beam mode, the master warning light in the cockpit starts to flash,
and an intermittent high-pitch tone is heard. When a missile launch is
detected, the light becomes continuously lit, and the audio switches
to continuous tone. From that moment on, the player has a few seconds
to perform the missile evasion maneuver. The missile approach can be seen
on the circular screen next to the HUD. There are two bars between
the center of the screen and the missile, where the outer bar denotes
four seconds to impact, and the inner bar two seconds. To evade the missile
with the highest probability, first it should be put approximately to left
or right flank, then a sharp break into the missile should be performed
when it passes the outer bar, and decoys should be launched once it passes
the inner bar. It helps additionally if this maneuver is executed in
a dive, instead of in the horizontal plane.

In the gun attack phase, enemy aircraft maneuver strictly in-plane, trying
to turn the nose towards the player and get him into the aim sight.
If the player employs the same tactic, the "scissors" regime is quickly
established, where in general the plane with smaller turn radius wins.
The turn radius depends on the aircraft characteristics, but also on
the current airspeed. The smaller the speed, the smaller the turn radius.
However, if the player slows down too much, that provides the chance for
the enemy to increase separation and start another scissors, for other
nearby enemies to reach and attack the player, and it decreases chances
for possible missile evasion. Therefore it is best to keep the airspeed
in the zone of best maneuvering speed (600 km/h indicated for MiG-29),
at full afterburner. During the scissors, when the enemy is driven
sufficiently in front, one may shortly use the airbrake to gain a few
seconds more for aiming the gun. A moving reticle will appear on the HUD
(in gun mode), and it should be put over the enemy aircraft before
pulling the trigger. The line that moves along the edge of the reticle
shows the distance to the target, where the full line denotes 1600 meters.
It is not likely that a maneuvering can be hit beyond 400-600 meters.
To keep the situational awareness during this kind of maneuvering, it is
important to visually track the target, but also to look back at the HUD
and the instrument panel from time to time, to check flight parameters.

Aside from the cannon, the player has several types of missiles at his
disposal. A missile is fired by switching the HUD to the appropriate
missile mode, locking the target, and keeping it for a short time within
the missile's homing head angle until the fire permission is obtained.
If the target is within the needed angle, an intermittent tone is heard,
and it switches to continuous tone when the missile can be fired. Best
suited for the close combat are the short-range agile missiles (R-60/Р-60,
R-73/Р-73). Although they can be fired at the enemy from any aspect,
the highest hit probability is achieved when they are fired in the target's
tail cone, and significantly below their maximum range. The missile range
depends on the altitude in which the combat takes place and the speed
of the target, and it is given by the scale on the left side of the HUD
(in missile mode). There are three bars on the scale, where the upper bar
denotes the maximum range if the target is not maneuvering, the middle bar
the maximum range in case the target is trying to escape, and the lower
bar the minimum range below which the missile will be unable to properly
establish tracking. The medium range missiles (R-27/Р-27) are not very
useful in close combat, because they take more time and space to deploy,
and they are easier to evade. Nevertheless, during the closure phase
the player can fire one of these missiles in order to force the enemy
into a defensive maneuver, instead of letting him comfortably enter
the attack phase.


"Avalanche"
-----------

This skirmish is about attacking targets on the ground.

In order to begin an accurate ground attack, player's aircraft has to be
equipped with suitable armament. When an appropriate weapon is selected,
the MFD view will be automatically changed to the infra-red camera view,
where the player will be able to circle through the targets below.
Camera search is automatic, so any ground object that is sufficiently close
for its emission signature will be available for targeting. It is possible
to attack ground targets with cannon as well, but cannon is often too weak
to do any real damage to usual ground targets, and it requires fully manual
aiming during the attack.

Once the player is in ground attack mode, engaging ground targets is
straightforward. It is only necessary that the camera is fixed on one of
the targets, and the weapon can be fired when ready. In case of guided
missiles (Kh-25/Х-25), if the target is within the needed angle,
an intermittent tone is heard, and it switches to continuous tone when
the missile can be fired. The player can use also unguided rockets
(B8M1/Б8М1), but then mostly manual aiming is required to hit. The player
will be able to see the target better with the help of the HUD reticle
(made available from camera feed), but needs to make the right call when
to open fire in order to strike the target. (The third type of ground attack
weapons are bombs, but they are not available in this mission.)

Although targets themselves are defenseless, they are not unprotected.
Close to the armored vehicle group, there is scattered infantry armed
with man-portable surface-to-air missiles. The missiles are weak and not
very effective, but they are numerous and can be expected to come from
anywhere around the vehicles. Particularly during a low altitude attack,
the player is under the constant threat of suddenly catching a missile
on his tail. Sometimes the missile is launched so close, that the player
have very little time for appropriate reaction. To evade these missiles
usually a few timely deployed decoys are enough, additional maneuvering
is rarely necessary.


