Evasive Maneuvering No Longer Works — Even on Large Maps
🎥 Clip below — basic evasive maneuvers before March 17
https://youtu.be/ACkxtINGQFw
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV13swZzuEnY/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=a8c91ad451180ed2eb8616e797d872c2
The video below shows basic evasive maneuvers that used to define jet survival.
Before March 17, these maneuvers made up around 80% of my defensive play as a top 20 pilot.
They were not just effective —
they made fixed-wing gameplay engaging.
In many cases, they were more compelling than dogfighting itself.
These are only basic evasive maneuvers — advanced techniques build on them, and without this foundation, they no longer exist.
(Note: the original video commentary is in Chinese.)
Those maneuvers are now largely gone.
This doesn’t just reduce options — it removes the path from basic to advanced play.
Jets are no longer fighting for airspace — they are being pushed out of it.
Even on the largest maps.
Lock-on changes have turned air combat into boundary survival.
1. Maneuvering no longer works
Evasive maneuvering is no longer a reliable defense.
The only remaining options are:
- Terrain masking
- Ultra-low altitude flight
Maneuvering as a skill has effectively been removed.
2. Airspace is denied, not contested
Airspace is no longer contested — it is denied.
Even a single Stinger can:
- Apply constant lock pressure
- Push jets out of combat zones
- Control entire areas
3. Large maps don’t solve it (Firestorm example)
On Firestorm — one of the largest maps:
Jets are consistently forced into edge-of-map play.
In practice:
- Staying near boundaries
- Pre-firing flares during lock cycles
- Avoiding contested airspace entirely
This is not pilot choice —
it is the result of compressed maneuvering space.
Even with maximum map size, usable airspace is limited by lock-on pressure.
Conclusion
This is not about aircraft being too strong or too weak.
The real question is:
Are players still allowed to use maneuvering as a meaningful skill?
If not, air combat becomes one-dimensional —
a space-restricted survival system.
