Aces High is an on-line multiplayer combat flight simulator from HiTech Creations, Inc. For WWII aviation enthusiasts like me, it is a dream come true. It is the closest way I know of to get a flavor of WWII aerial combat. You can pick from dozens of WWII aircraft, all realistically modelled -- fighters, bombers, dive bombers, and torpedo planes from America, England, Germany, Japan, Russia, and Italy. Have dogfights, go on bombing missions, drive tanks, or command ships. Every plane you fight against or with is piloted by another person somewhere in the world.
There are several ways to get involved in Aces High: flying in the arenas, getting involved in the Aces High community, joining squadrons, and flying in special events such as scenarios. To get started flying, you can read a startup guide here. To get involved in the Aces High community (to discuss the merits of various aircraft, to talk about game enhancements, to talk about tactics, to hear about Aces High conventions), check out the Aces High bulletin board. To join a squadron, you generally need to get to know people on-line and to learn about a squad that fits your style and level of experience or to get invited by a squad to join. If you fly enough, you will eventually gain a reputation in the game -- people will know you and your style.
Special events include scenarios, snap shots, squad events and various other events. These are announced in the "Special Events Forums" section of the bulletin board. Scenarios are what I fly for these days -- to me, they are awesome. A scenario is an event where there are two sides (generally more than 50 people per side, sometimes over 100 per side), each with particular aircraft available and particular mission objectives. The missions typically take place once or more per week for four or more weeks in a row. Each side has a commanding officer, who comes up with the mission orders, and a command staff that includes squadron and flight leaders.
For pictorials and more information on scenarios, go here for my Scenarios page.
Aces High tips and techniques:
by Brooke P. Anderson
e-mail: brooke@electraforge.com
Click here to go back to my main gaming page.