ANDROID SPECIAL: Steambirds Hints Part 3

General Tactics

Find out who's chasing who -- enemy AI picks one of your planes to chase for each of theirs. Spread out and figure out who's chasing who so you can exploit this behavior with the subsequent tactics.

If you have 2 or 4 planes, split up and down, then  if you have 4, split the north and south groups so they go at right angles to each other, and that should tell you who's chasing who.

If you have 3 planes, use the U-turn on the middle one (if possible, else just pick north or south) and spread the two outer ones.

Offset Shooting -- Your guns actually fire in a small CONE, not just directly ahead. You can be slightly off to one side of the enemy track and your guns will still hit the target. You *have* to use this to win the final bonus mission, where you're against 2 missile shooting flying HQs.  Experiment a little and learn how far off track you can be still still hit the enemy.


Get Behind Them -- most enemies do NOT have 360 degree guns (Exception: ballons and zepplins, and some planes with gas) If you get behind them the enemy's toast, as long as you stay slow and behind them. Just watch out for the gas (discussed later)


Stay Away From Them -- balloons and zepplins have 360 degree guns, but you still outrange them. Circle beyond their range and blast them.

If you have missile, they make great balloon and zepplin busters.

If you have patience, you can lead them through a gas cloud. Due to their low speed they take a lot of damage.


How to Kill Gas-ers (sometimes called dusters, as in cropdusters) -- the trick in killing gassers is do NOT follow directly behind it, but off to one side. (See offset shooting above)

You need the gas-er to chase one of your planes, then another plane come in from behind and kill it.

Another trick is to fly just INSIDE the enemy turn circle. You may have to go minimum speed to make the tight turn. Again, you need to "lead" the enemy with the front "bait" plane so it will turn and you stay inside the turn.