I researched the F-104A thinking that it will be a good plane. Turns out that it isn’t. Everytime i try to play a realistic battle, i get matched against planes with missiles while i dont have any missiles and no RWR. No matter at what altitude i am, i get randomly killed by an enemy missile which i have no idea about. Can anyone give me any tips or something.
Yeah, the constant uptiers and thus facing SARH missles is very annoying.
Especially with the premium migs.
The only thing you can do is stay low, head-on and turn away, use your speed to out-speed the enemy and that’s basically it.
I never really take altitude with that thing, especially not when fully uptiered, but when at a full downtier, you can surely get some altitude.
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Also i forgot to mention that im stock.
9.3 is just compressed, just like everything above 7.0.
When I play the F-104G at 11.0 (an overtiered plane), I generally try and keep my speed up above mach 0.9. Don’t get slow, since speed is your main advantage at 9.3.
Watch out for certain enemies that you know have vastly better missiles, or radar missiles.
Use your speed to pick and choose fights.
+1, climb in a downtier, stay lower in an uptier.
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It’s not great despite the general perception of it being overpowered. All the F-104 can do is run away especially after the FM nerf a couple updates ago, but boy can it run.
So keep as fast as possible and out of range of any aircraft with SARH missiles (even R-3Rs will ruin your day) and jump aircraft that are AFK. You turn worse than a bomber so don’t even try- just immediately run away and climb back to space.
But honestly you will be able to do better in any other supersonic aircraft, give the F-100 a go
Memorize who slings Aim-9Ds. You’re a free kill if you let them get close.
There is 2 thing you can do:
-
Advocate for DECOMPRESSION
Which means to stop lowering MiG-21’s in BR (in average people on MiG-21 might be real bad,…), and increase the maximum battlerating. -
open your own eyes (ARB is 3rd person view), and check for any missile trails (even long range missile of that BR have a trail)
→ you can also preventively make the ennemy missile to loose momentum, by making several turns at the satrt of the match (which reduce your speed, but make you survive if you have climbed)
Also, if F-104A is a problem for you, don’t go Japan Tech tree, in which F-104J is completely useless.
skill issue
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Its survival rate can be very high, but only at the expense of results. In order to survive, you have to keep your speed up, avoid direct confrontation, avoid maneuvering, avoid being outnumbered, and avoid being strafed on the airfield while landed. But since your team is usually stomped within the first five minutes, your results end up being nil. So it’s either score something and die, or return home empty and fight another day. The plane is boring.
Shut up, please, if you have nothing constructive to say! There have been too many people on the forum who blamed “skill issue” when it wasn’t.
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It’s impossible to balance the F-104, especially at higher tiers. It’s a bomber plane at this point.
this says 2x AIM-9B (which is pretty much the missile that everyone have for 9.3 BR anyway)
it is a good plane, for those able to reach for strength and weakness, and does have a good awareness
My own F-104A got 150 kills for 69 deaths, and have been played 110 times in ARB
so you’re clearly doing a lot of things wrong.
as i said : awareness - you have eyes use them they’re better than early RWR anyway.
Tips : check in the game control, there is a camera control that frees your mouse to controlling the aircraft, and helps you looking around while flying straight (can be used in combination with keybinds to control your aircraft)
there is a lot of videos on youtube, maybe start there if you still have no idea on how to use the strengths of F-104’s
the F-104A and C are the easiest to play anyway
Grind the F-104C and just go bombing.
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that’s the way for players with a lot of needs in knowledge departement,…
many players today doesn’t know anything on how to use a propeller aircraft already,…
Actually, you can do both, bomb and fight. The first run would be a bomb run — that way you at least accomplish something regardless of how the session turns out. After landing, evaluate the situation: if it’s hopeless, leave and prepare for the next fight; if there’s still a chance, load missiles and go after the enemy planes. Target enemy planes that are already engaged in combat and possibly unaware of their surroundings. You can also strafe the airfields. It also depends are you uptiered or not.
This was about F-104C. The A is pain, because it is so limited.
My own F-104A got 150 kills for 69 deaths, and have been played 110 times in ARB
Can you give advice how you manage it when you are uptiered? Those uptiers are worst. I don’t trust Youtube tutorials because anyone can upload there their selected best games, and give very wrong advice.
Side fighting - if you go straight mid-map, you’re just a pinata for SARH missiles (R-3R)
still have far better awareness (looking around MYSELF, instead of trusting the compass radar in the upper right corner)
knowledge of my aircraft / weapons / combat maneuvers (i know when or not i can turn into a target, to lead my gun, or to launch an AIM-9B, or when to extend or turn)
i also create traps (like making my ennemy believe i have no AAM anymore, then shooting one when he’s clueless about it)
all of that is acquired by experience, and will to know things.
and for videos:
2 years old, but it’s still kinda true today.
even if i’m not a big fan of Defyn analysis - this one is close to what i think about it - apart the thing about:
- getting assist instead of kills,…
- using AIM-9B for all-aspect missile countermeasure,… (that’s the worst of way of using those)
(at 9:00 : it’s the sun behind him that saved him from the missile, not his pull)
idk why some people call f104 OP because if im playing an 8.3/9.0 subsonic and face an f104 it’s fine because i can just dodge it forever meanwhile on the other hand if i faced an Ariete i might as well just J out for him
i play a lot of F-86F40 JASDF, and i even kill things like MiG-19 / F-106 / Milan / … easily, but many players don’t as they don’t have the basic knowledge
maybe the 9.3´s arent since they cant face the ito´s at the airfield…