Check Your 6! Dev Diary - Movement, Speed & Control

Check Your 6 brings you in the middle of the World War II battles, with a turn-based strategy game that carries the spirit of the dogfights.
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Muso
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Check Your 6! Dev Diary - Movement, Speed & Control

Post by Muso »

Hello everyone, and welcome to our last Dev Diary for Check Your 6! Today we're going to talk about aircraft Speed, Movement and Control.

Before we start, though, we would like to give an historic example of what influence all the different mechanics and specific aircraft characteristics could have in real-time air combat situations.
Therefore, we would recommend you to quickly read THIS article about the historic comparison of the Supermarine “Spitfire” Mk. IA with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E. It will hopefully get you into the right mood and giving you the courage, continuing to read the remainder of this Dev Diary!

Aircraft performance in Check Your 6! is represented in terms of several factors including: Maximum speed, agility, acceleration and climb/dive factor. Altogether a “Move” is made up of a turn and a maneuver choice.

Maximum Speed: Each aircraft has a maximum speed that ranges from level 1 to 8. Note that only jet aircraft have maximum speeds more than 5.

Agility: Agility reflects aircraft ability to roll/yaw for position and change its orientation. Agility factors range from 0 to +3.
• Reduced Agility: Some aircraft have poor high-speed performance; these aircraft reduce their agility by one (-1) when flying at their maximum speed. In some cases, aircraft have Extra Reduced Agility. These aircraft must reduce their agility by one (-1) when flying at maximum or one less than their maximum speed.

Acceleration Type: Aircraft acceleration is characterized by three categories: LOW (Lx), NORMAL (Nx) and HIGH (Hx). Note some aircraft may have one of these characteristics at low-medium altitude while not at high and vice versa.

Climb/Dive Factor: The Climb/Dive Factor represents the climb/dive characteristics of the aircraft. It is used to determine if the aircraft has a Climb or Dive Advantage when exiting a Combat Altitude Band (CAB). Dive Factors are represented with numbers indicating how fast the aircraft dives. The number “1” is the slowest possible dive factor. Climb factors are represented with numbers indicating how fast the aircraft can climb. The number “1” is the slowest possible climb factor.

Combat Altitude Bands or (CAB’s): Scenarios may use one or several of ten Combat Altitude Bands (CAB). Each Band represents roughly an area of about 4,000 feet in height; they are:
- EXTREMELY HIGH (36,001-40,000ft)
- VERY HIGH (32,001-36,000ft)
- HIGH-TOP (28,001-32,000ft)
- HIGH (24,001-28,000ft)
- HIGH-BOTTOM (20,001-24,000)
- MEDIUM-TOP (16,001-20,000ft)
- MEDIUM (12,001-16,000ft)
- MEDIUM-BOTTOM (8,001-12,000ft)
- LOW (4,001-8,000ft)
- SURFACE LOW (0-4,000ft)
Combat in Check Your 6! only occurs within one of these bands; each is subdivided into six (6) Tactical Altitude Levels. The CAB(s) specified as the battle location by the scenario are considered the active CAB(s).

Tactical Altitude Levels or (TAL’s): There are six (1-6) Tactical Altitude Levels (TAL) within each Combat Altitude Band (CAB). If only one CAB is being used, it is still important to note which one, as aircraft have varying capabilities at different CAB’s!
Note: There are six (1-6) Tactical Altitude Levels (TAL) within each Combat Altitude Band (CAB). In most scenarios, the entire game will be played using only the six TAL’s in one CAB!

Fighters and bombers principles:
Fighters are aircraft that are primarily designed to stop bomber aircraft from accomplishing their mission. For the most part, fighters are single engine aircraft that have good speed and maneuverability, though some twin-engined fighters are also available.
Bombers are any type of aircraft that fly in formation with the mission to deliver heavy ordnance on surface targets. Bombers may have from one to four-engines and almost always fly in formation. Note that in some scenarios, fighter-type aircraft may be performing “bombing” missions and should then be treated as bombers.

Tailing principle: An aircraft is “tailed” if a friendly or enemy aircraft is in its rear arc and the” tailing” aircraft has the “tailed” aircraft in its front arc and the “tailing” aircraft is within 3 hexes and at same or one lower TAL.

Pilot Reaction: Skilled, Veteran and Ace aircrews influence positively, so in general the more experienced pilots are, the more dangerous they will be, so try to avoid them!
On the other side Green aircrew can have a negative effect, so always go after them first!
Pilot skills have an effect on Special Maneuvers, Climb/Dive Pilot Reactions, Turn types, etc..
Aircrew Skill affects aircrew checks, weapons fire, ammunition shortage and other aspects of the game. There are four types of aircrew and associated skill modifiers, defined as follows:
Ace (+3): Elite, combat proven crews.
Veteran (+2): Very experienced and highly trained crews.
Skilled (+1): Aircrews with professional training but minimum experience.
Green (+0): Aircrews with average to minimal training and combat experience."

Basic Maneuvers:
The most basic Climb and Dive maneuvers you will perform are:
- Power Climb: adjust speed and increase altitude two levels.
- Climb: adjust speed and increase altitude one level.
Note: Aircraft may not plot or execute a climb maneuver if the prior move was a stall!
- Level Flight: adjust final speed and the aircraft must stay at the same altitude.
- Dive: adjust speed and decrease altitude one level
- Power Dive: adjust speed and decrease altitude two levels.
- Steep Dive: adjust speed and decrease altitude three levels.
Note: Aircraft may not exceed maximum speed in the dive!

Special maneuvers:
Immelmann, Split and Stall special maneuvers rules are:
- Power Immelmann: Move the aircraft one hex forward and turn the aircraft 180-degrees or 120-degrees either left/right. Adjust speed and increase altitude two levels.
- Immelmann: Move the aircraft one hex forward and turn the aircraft 180-degrees or 120-degrees either left/right. Adjust speed and increase altitude one level.
- Split-S: Move the aircraft one hex forward and turn the aircraft 180-degrees or 120-degrees either left/right. Adjust speed and decrease altitude one level.
- Power Split-S: Move the aircraft one hex forward and turn the aircraft 180-degrees or 120-degrees either left/right. Adjust speed and decrease altitude two levels.
- Steep Split-S: Move the aircraft one hex forward and turn the aircraft 180-degrees or 120-degrees either left/right. Adjust speed and decrease altitude three levels.
Note: aircraft may have maximum speed restrictions for executing a special maneuver!

An aircraft may end its move at speed zero; in effect it is risking a stall as noted above in the Stall Special Maneuver.
- Stall: Aircraft that execute a Stall do not move into a new hex in the Move Segment but remain in place. Prior to the aircraft’s move in the next turn there will be an Aircrew Check to prevent from becoming Out-of-Control.
Note: To execute a Stall Special Maneuver the aircraft must start the turn at speed one (1), and other factors like weather conditions, being Out-of-Contol, etc. can also also invoke an aircrew check!


That's all for today, we hope over time you will learn and enjoy the deep gameplay underneath the CY6! game rules.
Don't forget that Check Your 6! will come out this Thursday, March the 15th, and will also be available on Steam. As always, if you buy it from our site you'll receive a Steam Key to activate the game on Steam as well, so definitely check it out!
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