A Dogfight Session begins when two or more (up to 4 total) players connect together. (See '#3 - Connecting With Others' for how to connect.) A dogfight session is 'structured' so there is no coming and going during a session. Once begun, the session binds the group until finished. No new players can join and if any current players decide to quit, the session is ended and a new session must be started.
One player is the 'Host', everyone else are the 'Join'ers. The Host selects the rules for the session. The rules are things like how many 'kills' decide the fight, how the aircraft will restart after a kill, and so on. This information can be seen by each player in the 'Flight Data' box on the cockpit.
Play proceeds until the victory conditions are met. At that time, each player is shown the Fight Recap screen. Play is suspended until all players click 'Fight Again'. At that time the host will have access to the 'Fight Rules' dialog box and can change the rules for the next session. If any player selects 'Quit Program', the session is ended for all players.
The victory conditions of a dogfight are selected by the host. For example the host may select a 2 out of 3 fight, which means the first player or team to have 2 victories wins. With team play, victories are cumulative, so in the above example, if both pilots on the same team have 1 kill each, the fight is won.
A dogfight session can consist of several 'bouts'. Consider a 1 vs 1 fight with a victory condition of 4 out of 7. As soon as 1 guy is shot down or crashes, 1 bout is finished. The host can select how each bout is begun. He can, for example, select that the aircraft are 'reset' immediately. In this case, the aircraft still alive are free to fly over to the enemy base and 'poach'. Or, the host can select the 'wait' mode. This would mean that a downed aircraft would wait until a clear winner is found for each bout. This means that for 2 players on the same team, if one pilot goes down, he would wait until only one team is left flying. Then when one team is left, all aircraft are restarted for the next bout. The aircraft can be restarted either on their home base, or in the air, roughly over their base, as selected by the host.
The host will also select 'Limited' or 'Unlimited' ammunition. Combinations of limited/unlimited ammo and different restart types make for a variety of scenarios.
Finally, the host determines the rules for where the 'camera' can go. The host can allow it to go anywhere, only show one's own aircraft, or be stuck in the pilots head.
During a dogfight session, all players are listed below the cockpit. The format is: # of kills this session, team color, 'handle', and message. The most recent incoming message will show up yellow, the rest in green. There are two methods of sending messages to the other players: (Every message goes to all players.) To type a message press 'm' to start typing. You'll see your message as you type it. Then press return to send it. The second method is to send a message you've set up before hand. You can store up to 8 messages before you begin the session. (You define the messages in the 'Preferences' section of the program.) To send one of the 8 preset messages simply press the corresponding number on the keyboard. So if you want to send message #1, just press the '1' key and the message will be sent.
I have a few words of warning about typing messages: It can be very difficult to type and fight at the same time. Further, once you press 'm' to begin typing a message, all keys pressed are considered text and not program commands. (Except for camera placement keys.) So if you start typing a message and suddenly decide you need to lower your gear and press 'g' to do it, you will not lower the gear, but you will get a 'g' in the middle of your message line. It takes a little practice.
There are a few other rules you need to be aware of. These are rules enforced by the program and can't be changed.
• Pausing during a dogfight session will destroy your current aircraft. Only use a 'pause' to end a session. (A better way to end a session is from the fight recap screen.)
• Crashing during a dogfight session is considered bad form. If you crash without being hit, every other player (except teammates) will be given credit for a kill! This is to thwart a possible escape move: when someone is on your tail, you could simply crash into the water with no ill effects. This is why there is a (harsh) penalty for crashing.
• You cannot switch bases or aircraft types after a dogfight session has begun. To switch type or base, you must stop the session and restart it.
Network performance is variable over the internet. Below the cockpit to the far right you can see an indicator number that gives a rough idea of network through put. This number must be below 80 for the program to work. If the number is consistantly above 80, you should quit and try again later. If you cannot get this number below 80 you may want to consider switching internet providers. We cannot be responsible for poor internet connections.
The fight recap screen tells you which team won and gives a brief recap of each result for each aircraft. You'll see a string that might read: K,K, D, C, K. K stands for Kill and means you were credited for a Kill. D stands for Down, and indicates that someone shot you down. C stands for Crash, and means you crashed your aircraft.
Doing a screen save of the fight recap screen can be a handy way to track your performance against others.
It's important to know where your airbase is. If you run out of ammo, are damaged, or get low on fuel, you can be rearmed/repaired/refueled by landing on your own airbase and coming to a complete stop.
