Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies
By: Scott Dumblauskas
icmann@hotmail.com
Intro: This is a strategy guide that I hope will help you through the game in
many ways. This guide will consist of 10 parts; controls, weapons, planes,
basics, mission guide, faqs, the glossary of terms I might have used, contact
info, version updates and then the obligatory butt kissing... er... I mean thanks
to section.
Version Final August 26, 2002
I) Controls (normal)
Up on left analog = pitch down
Down on left analog = pitch up
Left/right on left analog = roll left/right respectively
Circle = missile or special weapon
X = guns
Square = map (the harder you press the less detailed and wider range)
Triangle = switch target (hold to lock camera)
R1 = thrust up
L1 = air brake
L2 = yaw left
R2 = yaw right
Start = pause menu
Select = change between missiles or special
L3 = no use
R3 = look back
Right analog = look around
Down on d-pad = change view
Up on d-pad = autopilot
Left and right on d-pad = N.A.
II) Weapons or things that cause things to go BOOM!
Abbreviations: AA-Air to air, AG-Air to ground, H-Homing, MLT-multi tgt
(target), SP-spread bomb. Usefulness rating system on a 0-5 scale, 5 highest
1) Guns- your main weapon, low range, low damage, high ROF, useful only
against big non-moving things. Standard equipment. Usefulness 3
2) Standard Mssl (missile) - good range (about 800), good ROF, tracks TGT for
a while however easily evaded by turning hard. Every plane can carry these.
Usefulness 5
3) UGBS (small-unguided bomb; AG, SP) - can't say much about this, aim at
what you want to blow up and release. Usefulness 3
4) UGBM (medium unguided bomb; AG, SP)-more damage and blast radius than
UGBS. Usefulness 4
5) UGBL (large unguided bomb; AG, SP)-more damage and blast radius than UGBM.
Usefulness 4
6) NPB (napalm bomb; AG, SP)-first actual spread bomb, useful until you get
the CLB or FEAB. Usefulness 4
7) RCL (AG [although you can use it AA, but it's not effective], SP)-not
overly useful except in one mission. Usefulness 2
8) XAGM (advanced air to ground mssl; AG, H, MLT) - good to take out moving
ground tgts like tanks. Usefulness 3
9) CLB (cluster bomb; AG, SP)-great for taking out many closely grouped tgts,
like in mission 5 or 6. Usefulness 4
10) LASM (long-range anti-surface mssl; AG, H)-great weapon to take out SAMs
and flak turrets from outside their range. Usefulness 3
11) BDSP (bomblet dispenser; AG, SP)-hard to use and not overly useful unless
the tgts are in a straight line, but good nonetheless in some missions.
Usefulness 5 (if you can get it to work right)
12) SOD (stand off dispenser; AG, H, SP)-think BDSP but it tracks its tgt and
releases in a slightly more linear pattern, not very useful. Usefulness 3
13) FAEB (fuel air explosive bomb; AG, SP)-napalm on steroids, my personal
favorite bomb great blast radius and has the ability to take out tgts like
cranes. Usefulness 5
14) PCB (precision guided bomb; AG, H, SP)-bombs for the people who hate to
bomb; they track the tgt, useful only to new people. Usefulness 2
15) XMAA (advanced medium range air-to-air mssl; AA, H, MLT)-good but not
great, useful to take out bombers from a distance, easily avoided.
Usefulness3
16) XLAA (advanced long range air-to-air mssl; AA. H, MLT)-think XMAA, longer
range but same flaws. Usefulness 4
17) QAAM (quick maneuvering air to air mssl, AA, H)-you just can't get away
from these things unless they hit something beside you first (i.e. building,
water). Usefulness 5
III) Planes
Note that the first cost is for the camo 1 and 2(top and middle) and the
second cost is the ace camo (bottom) and you start the game with the F4-E
middle camo, weapons are listed under, and the only weapons you have to buy
have the cost next to them. An "!" next to a weapon signifies a good buy for
that plane.
1) F4-E Phantom Fighter Cost $76000 or $99000
Gun x 650
Mssl x 52
UGBM x 8
NPB x 6 Costs: $32000
2) F5-E Tiger II Cost $52000 or $68000
Gun x 650
Mssl x 48
UGBS x 12
RCL x 64 Costs: $41000
3) F-16 Fighting Falcon Cost $97000 or $126000
Gun x 700
Mssl x 52
UGBS x 14
XAGM x 12 Costs: $52000
4) A10-A Warthog Cost $123000 or $160000
Gun x 850
Mssl x 56
UGBL x 12
XAGM x 16 Costs: $58000
(!) CLB x 12 Costs: $55000
5) Mir 2000 Cost $110000 or $143000
Gun x 700
Mssl x 52
UGBS x 16
LASM x 10 Costs: $56000
6) F-14A Tomcat Cost $188000 or $244000
Gun x 750
Mssl x 64
XLAA x 16
UGBM x 10 Costs: $66000
7) TND-ID5 Cost $172000 or $224000
Gun x 750
Mssl x 58
BDSP x 12
PGB x 8 Costs: $76000
LASM x 12 Costs: $70000
8) F/A-18C Hornet Cost $170000 or $ 221000
Gun x 700
Mssl x 60
UGMB x 10
LASM x 14 Costs: $72000
XMAA x 14 Costs: $71000
9) F-15C Eagle Cost $272000 or $354000
Gun x 800
Mssl x 68
UGBM x 12
XMAA x 14 Costs: $95000
10) Mig 29A Cost $259000 or $337000
Gun x 750
Mssl x 64
UGMS x 18
RCL x 72 Costs: $81000
11) F-117A Night Hawk Cost $386000 or $502000
Gun x 650
Mssl x 54
UGBL x 14
PGB x 14 Costs: $126000
(!) CLB x 14 Costs: $106000
12) EF-2000 Cost $351000 or $456000
Gun x 800
Mssl x 68
XLAA x 16
UGBM x 14 Costs: $104000
13) R-M01 Cost $370000 or $481000
Gun x 800
Mssl x 64
SOD x 14
XMAA x 18 Costs: $108000
LASM x 16 Costs: $111000
14) F-15E Eagle II Cost $505000 or $657000
Gun x 850
Mssl x 72
UGBL x 14
XMAA x 20 Costs: $117000
(!) CLB x 14 Costs: $119000
15) F-2A Cost $505000 or $657000
Gun x 800
Mssl x 68
UGBM x 16
LASM x 18 Costs: $121000
RCL x 80 Costs: $99000
16) Su-35 Cost $589000 or $657000
Gun x 850
Mssl x 72
XLAA x 18
UGBM x 16 Costs: $133000
17) F-22A Raptor Cost $643000 or $836000
Gun x 850
Mssl x 74
XMAA x 22
PGB x 16 Costs: $163000
18) Su-37 Cost $618000 or $803000
Gun x 850
Mssl x 78
QAAM x 8
UGBL x 16 Costs: $139000
LASM x 20 Costs: $146000
19) F-15 Active Cost $620000 or $806000
Gun x 900
Mssl x 78
XMAA x 22
(!) FAEB x 8 Costs: $ 286000
20) S-37A Cost $889000 or $1560000
Gun x 900
Mssl x 78
QAAM x 10
UGBL x 18 Costs: $154000
21) X-02 Cost $1414000 or $1838000
Gun x 950
Mssl x 82
XLAA x 36
BDSP x 24 Costs: $397000
(!) QAAM x 16 Costs: $472000
IV) Basics
If this is your first Ace Combat experience you should read this, if not skip
to wherever you need to be. A few pointers would be to not fire a mssl
whenever you have a lock, wait until the enemy is flying relatively straight,
or clean, before firing, this will help your accuracy and speed. The only
exception to this rule is if you are firing a QAAM, just fire as soon as you
get a positive lock. ALWAYS turn when there is an mssl alert, get the mssl to
miss before returning to bombing or whatever. Make sure to either take down
all sams or at least some of them before attempting to bomb things, this will
help your speed. Take down the aces in each level for big points and a new
color scheme for his plane. Listen to "sky eye" and your wingman, they are
helpful. Do not just go for the mission tgts; take out support (i.e. sams,
flak, planes) before not only for points but also for safety. Try not to get
discouraged your first time through the game, it gets hard at points in the
game, but after that you will be okay. And lastly, when in doubt, either
restart or don't save and retry.
V) The Missions
Note you don't have to follow my walkthroughs exactly, this is just the way I
did the missions, and weapon suggestions are exactly that, suggestions,
however they are probably good things to follow. Also mission break means
land for rearm. Mission updates will be covered. Dates are in
Time/MonthDay/Year format. Tgt stands for target. Confirmed targets are the
ones that I have shot down and may not be complete, feel free to email me to
verify how many of each plane is in the mission, you will be given credit on
a first come first credited basis, except for missions that have a set time
limit as in those missions planes will not cease to appear, at least I don't
think so. When it says ace in parentheses it means that the ace is in that
plane, not that there are that many of him/her. For instance, in mission 1
there is one ace flying a F-5E not three. The first difficulty is for the
mission; the second is for the S rank. Also note that NO aces will appear on
your first time through the game no matter what the difficulty.
1) Mission 1 Sitting Duck
Operation Name: Umbrella
1405/0919/2004
Conditions Clouds 25% at 6000 ft
Time limit: 10 min.
Weapon: AA (but you will only have AG at the start of a new game)
Wingman
F-4E x 2
F-5E x 2
Confirmed Enemies
Tu-95 x 6 (mission critical)
Mig 21 x 2
F-5E x 3 (Ace, northeast of friendly airbase)
Points
C = 600
B = 650
A= 700
S = 900
Personal best:
1:45:83 with 1080 pts.
Difficulty
1
1
Walkthrough: If you have ever played Ace combat 2 this should look very
familiar, and you should know what to do. Make sure to take out all escorts
for the bombers and the ace if you are on normal. "Just like eating
pancakes."
2) Mission 2 Imminent Threat
Operation Name: Harvest
1329/1005/2004
Conditions: Clouds 80% at 8000 ft
Time limit: 15 min.
Weapon: AG
Wingman
F-4E x 2
F-5E x 2
Confirmed Enemies
F-5E x 3
F-4E x 2
Mig 21 x 2
Tu-95 x 6 (Mission critical tgts)
A-10A x 1 (Ace, north of airbase)
G. Tgts x 13
Points
C = 1320
B = 1500
A = 1700
S = 2100
Personal Best
3:34:25 with 2370 pts.
Difficulty
2
1
Walkthrough: Fly north until you see the substation, if you want to practice
bombing there is the perfect tgt. just line up the circles and hit circle.
Engage the interceptors as you see them and make sure to take the ace down.
When you get to the airbase, make sure to take out the fighter planes that
are taxing for takeoff while they are on the ground, not the Tu-95 but the F-
4E's and F-5E's. Take out the AA guns however you see fit and then bomb the
hangers and CTAL tower. Get some bombing practice in; it will serve you well
in the future. Another easy mission, another easy paycheck.
3) Mission 3 Northern Eye
Operation codename: Whiteout
1628/1010/2004
Conditions: Clouds 00%
Time limit: 15 min. objective 1; 15 min. objective 2
Weapon: fighter's choice, there are ground tgts but the ace is hard to hit
and there are a lot of air tgts. If your bombing is still shaky, get some
practice here, if not whatever.
Wingman
F-4E x 2
F-5E x 2
Confirmed Enemies
F-4E x 2
F-5E x 3
F-16 x 4 (Ace, WSW of Radar base 1, hard to find sometimes)
G. Tgt x 12 (Radars are mission critical tgts)
Points
C = 480
B = 700
A = 900
S = 1300
Personal best
3:22:73 with 1700 pts.
Difficulty
2
2
Walkthrough: Fly north and engage bogeys as they approach. Take out all
flyers and then proceed to take out radar base #1. After that, go ace
hunting. After the ace is dead, dismantle radar base #2, make absolutely sure
you are confident in our bombing ability; you will need it in a mission or
so. When all mission critical tgts are dead, a mission update will tell you
to proceed to RTB (return to base). If you can't figure out where to go, hold
square to see a white dotted line and head toward that, or get in the cockpit
or 1st person view and head bearing vector 180 or south to exit the mission.
4) Mission 4 Blockade
Operation codename: Hunting Hawk
1226/1107/2004
Conditions: Clouds 15% at 5500 ft
Mission time: 12 min.
Weapon: AA
Wingman
F-4E x 2
F-16 x 1
Confirmed enemies
F-16 x 4
Mir 2000 x 3 (ace, north of first E-767)
Mig 29 x 4
E-767 x 2
C-17 x 3 (Mission Critical tgts)
Points
C = 480
B = 700
A = 900
S = 1300
Personal best
3:21:36 with 1660 pts.
Difficulty
3 without; radar 1 with
1
Walkthrough: There are 3 ways to do this mission, the easy way, the
wrong/hard way and the Max Power way (insert laughter here). First the easy
way, take out the E-767 to clear the radar and then proceed to shoot down
everything that isn't a friend. The wrong/hard way is to not shoot down the
E-767 and try to find enough pts. To get an S. the Max Power way is just to
find and shoot down the C-17s. Anyway that you do it, make sure to down the
ace and get the S.
5) Mission 5 Lifeline
Operation codename: Early bird
0550/1119/2004
Conditions: Cloud 10% at 14000ft
Time limit 10 min. objective 1; 3:30 min. objective2
Weapon: AG (preferable something that is very spread, i.e. CLB, BDSP)
Wingman
F-16 x 2
F-4E x 2
Confirmed enemies
G. Tgt. x 79(mission brief says 88 but I cant find the 9 I'm missing, no
mission critical because you need points to pass)
Ship x 2
Ks-50 x 3
F-16 x 1
Mig 29 x 3 (Ace, by pump station on land in mnts. west of main
facilities)
Su-37 x 5(Yellow class, do not attempt to take them down, just no factor
[outrun and disengage] them)
G. Tgt x??
Points
C = 2000
B = 2500
A = 3000
S = 4000
Personal best
10:59:60 with 4750 pts.
Difficulty
1
3
Walkthrough: Go for the ship that is near you first then head for land, do
not engage bandits at this time! When over land search for the pumping
station that is west of the main facilities for two reasons, pts. and the ace
is near there. Then proceed to destroy everything on land with bombs; save
your mssls for the rigs, they have tgts that cannot be hit by bombs, i.e.
cranes and towers. Just go for high value tgts in the time you have. Try to
get the s before engaging bandits. After the time is up a mission update will
take place. The yellow squadron will attempt to destroy all of your wingman
and you. Just put on the afterburner and escape via the dotted white line. If
you try to engage them, you will see why they are so good, while you eject
from the jet you were piloting!
6) Mission 6 Invincible Fleet
Operation codename: Rough Seas
1200/1123/2004
Conditions: clouds 30% at 3000ft
Time limit: 15 min.
Weapon: AG, at mission break change to AA
Wingman
F-16 x 4
Mir 2000 x 2
Confirmed enemies
F-14 x 10(Ace, north of biggest harbor)
TND-ID5 x 3
F/A-18 x 6
Ka-25 x 1
Ship x 36
G. Tgt x 62
Points
C = 3000
B = 3500
A = 4000
S = 5000
Personal best
15:00:00 with 7850 pts.
Difficulty
3
3
Walkthrough: At first make a hard right and go for the line of ships that are
there, they are easy points. After that, go due north taking out cranes as
you go. When you see a sam and a submarine named Beowulf nu take a right into
a main base and raise some hell. More easy points to be had, but watch the
ships in the buildings, they cannot be hurt from above, fly low to lock and
kill them. After you turn the base into a crater, proceed to take out the
biggest harbor. Don't forget to proceed due north form there to take out the
ace of this level. After taking out all the ships, containers, and cranes, if
you have any mssls left start attacking the last harbor. If not break off
attack runs and rearm. You may want to switch weapons from AG to AA in order
to bag some bandits. Continue to bomb the harbors and ships to rack up the
points. The mission ends when the timer hits 15 minutes, not when you destroy
the ships, so blast away at the planes. Not a hard mission as long as you
take out a lot of ships.
7) Mission 7 Deep Strike
Operation codename: Blackout
1640/1216/2004
Conditions: Clouds 10% at 15000ft
Time limit: 15 min. objective1; 10 min. objective 2
Weapon: AG (something with wide spread)
Wingman
TND-ID5 x 4
Mir 2000 x 2
Confirmed enemies (there are more but I'm not risking getting shot down by
Stonehenge)
F-16 x 5
F-15C x 4
TND-ID5 x 4 (Ace, north of all solar panels)
Mi-24 x 4
Points
C = 340
B = 600
A = 1000
S = 1545
Personal best
9:27:11 with 2265 pts.
Difficulty
1 for objective 1: 4 obj. 2
3
Walkthrough: when you start off just turn on the afterburner and engage
enemies as they appear. When you get to the first solar power base, take out
the sam to the north and the flak guns, then proceed to bomb the ever loving
crud out of the solar panels, they are 15 pts. apiece and with a good spread
bomb you can take out all 6 at a time. After that head due north and down the
ace, then proceed to mop up any and all other resistance, but this is very
important, make sure you are heading south when you blow up the last mission
critical tgt because a mission update tells you that Stonehenge is firing on
you. Hit the afterburners, and get in the canyon! Do not go out of the canyon
for any reason. I hate canyon flying as much as the next man but you must
brave it. One hit from Stonehenge and you are an angel. Just stay calm and
low and you will survive.
8)Mission 8 Shattered Skies
Mission codename: Countdown
1335/1231/2004
Conditions: Cloud 20% at 4500ft
Time limit: 7 min. obj. 1; 6 min. obj 2
Weapon: AA
Wingman
F-14 x 2
F-18 x 2
F-16 x 2
Rocket x 1(mission critical, must survive)
3 unconfirmed
Confirmed enemies
F/A-18 x 12 (Ace, East of rocket base)
F-14 x 12
F-15C x 6
Mig 29 x 8
Su-37 x 5 (Yellow squadron, hit one and they disengage from combat zone)
KC-10 x 1
E-767 x 1
B-2 x 6 (Mission Critical although destruction does not cause end of
mission)
Points
C = 800
B = 2000
A = 2400
S = 3000
Personal best
13:00:00 with 3830 pts.
Difficulty
4
4
Walkthrough: first up, there is a SR-71 Blackbird in the mission. Do not
pursue it! By the time you catch and shoot it down you will have wasted a lot
of time. First, shoot down the ace east of the main base, and then if you
can, shoot a yellow. When they leave, you will have more freedom to get
behind planes and blow them up. Keep destroying anything that isn't a
friendly and try to get an a rank before the mission update. You may need to
rearm to get more QAAMs or mssls one or two times to complete the mission.
The mission update tells you that B-2s are enroute to destroy the rocket.
They are stealth and hard to detect via radar... but not by use of the map!
After you shoot them down "sky eye" tells you to sanitize the rest of the
area of fighters. Even if you destroy all the jets the mission ends when the
timer counts down to zero. Just watch the rocket launch and get ready for one
of the harder missions to get an s rank on.
9) Mission 9 Operation Bunker Shot
Operation codename: Operation bunker shot
1700/0124/2005
Conditions: Cloud 100% at 5000ft
Time limit: 10 min. obj. 1; 7 min. obj. 2
Weapon: AG switch to AA late in mission
Wingman
F/A-18 x 2
F-14 x 1
Ground
Ship
Confirmed enemies
F-15C x 3 (Ace, north of central beach)
Mig-29 x 4
A-10A x 8 (?)
G. Tgt. x 83
Points
C = 2200
B = 3200
A = 3700
S = 4500
Personal best
12:00:60 with 5430 pts.
Difficulty
3
5
Walkthrough: first off, forget about dog fighting. The real points are in
ground tgts. Go for the first beach and raise some heck. Note that pillboxes
take 2 missiles to destroy. After destroying a large portion of the enemy
there, head toward the east beach. The key to getting the S is there. But
before you go there, make sure you take out the ace to the north of the main
beach. There is a large set of howitzers and launchers in the mountains there
that will give you BIG points. Make sure to use all your missiles and bombs
before heading to rearm. When you do rearm, make sure to change weapons from
AG to AA so you can handle the mission update. When that happens take down
the A-10As that enter the combat zone with missiles or something. They come
in with escorts so make sure to destroy them, too. The s rank is hard to get
only if you spend time dog fighting and only use bombs for ground tgts. You
must use missiles to destroy some ground tgts. Go for the high value tgts
first, like radars and pillboxes. Don't get discouraged if you don't get the
S the first time through. It is one of the harder missions to get the s on,
so when you get the free mission option from completing the game, use it to
get the s.
10) Mission 10 Tango line
Operation codename: Woodpecker
1415/0228/2005
Conditions: cloud 30% at 5000ft
Time limit: 20 min.
Weapon: AG
Wingman
Mig 29 x 4
TND-ID5 x 4
Confirmed enemies
R-M01 x 1 (ace, WNW of submarine base)
EF-2000 x 3
C-130 x 1
CH-47 x 7
Mi-24 x 5
AV-88 x 11
F/A-18 x 4
G. Tgt. x 69 (100 on mission briefing screen)
Ship x 23 (24 on mission briefing screen)
Points
C = 3000
B = 3700
A = 4600
S = 5400
Personal best
20:00:00 with 6300 pts.
Difficulty
3
5
Walkthrough: first head NW to the enemy supply base. The terrain everywhere
is treacherous, so watch where you are flying. Make sure to destroy
everything in the supply base before heading north to the enemy sub base. You
should take out the enemy ace to the WNW of the sub base, and then proceed to
sink everything there. Note that some of the ships are protected from
vertical attack so you may have to hit them with a spread bomb like the FAEB
or BDSP. Depending on your timing in the mission so far, "sky eye" will tell
you that Stonehenge is going to fire. This will happen three times in the
mission, with about 15, 8 and 1 min left. Just get below 2000ft. and you will
be shielded. The air base is next on the list of things to make smoking
craters. A key to the s is near there. There is a small base at the base of a
cliff that has a lot of barracks and a supply ship worth a lot of points.
Resupply when you need to resupply, you shouldn't need to more than once. The
VTOL base is not an easy tgt to take out. Just try to down all the airborne
VTOLs and you should be fine. Lastly don't try to dive bomb the VTOL caves
unless you want to see how good your plane can camo into a wall. The s rank
is very hard to get but just keep trying.
11) Mission 11 Escort
Operation codename: Noah's Ark
1531/0314/2005
Conditions: cloud 55% at 15000ft.
Time limit: 5 min. 30 sec.
Weapon: AA
Wingman
None
Confirmed enemies
F/A-18 x 1
Mig 29 x 4
F-14 x 3
Su-35 x 3(Ace, will appear in the last 90 or so seconds of the mission
in the SSE)
Points
C = 120
B = 240
A = 360
S = 780
Personal best
3:33:91 with 840 pts.
Difficulty
3 (if you want the ace and still want to pass 4)
4
Walkthrough: this mission is kinda hard if you don't approach it right. Just
get in a fast mobile plane and shoot down all the bogeys that come into the
engagement zone. If you want to shoot down the ace, make sure you don't shoot
down all the planes that come into the zone. By destroying all of them you
effectively end the mission and all hopes of bagging the ace. The key to the
ace is QAAMs or getting lucky. He appears in the last seconds of the mission,
that's why he is hard. If you want to make this mission really easy, just
wait until you get the x-02 and use it on the mission.
12) Mission 12 Stonehenge offensive
Operation codename: Stone crusher
1531/0214/2005
Conditions: Cloud 30% at 5000ft.
Time limit: 15 min.
Weapon: AG
Wingman
Mig 39 x 2
TND-ID5 x 2
F/A-18 x 2
Confirmed enemies
F-2 x 3 (ace north of Stonehenge)
F-15C x 1
F-15E x 3
R-M01 x 2
Su-37 x 5(you can only shoot down 1, though)
Su-35 x 1
G. Tgt. x 24
Points
C = 1750
B = 2100
A = 2400
S = 2700
Personal best
6:04:00 with 2930 pts.
Difficulty
4
5
Walkthrough: this is one of the toughest missions for one reason and one
reason only...Stonehenge's closeness to the operation. I have been shot down
more times here than in any other mission (well anything is greater than
zero, heh heh). The best way to do this mission is to fly low and fast, take
out the two AA guns with an mssl, and then take out the ECM jammer with a
bomb. It is the key to the mission for two reasons, one, it allows you to
lock on to all the planes in the area, and two, it allows you to lock onto
the sams around Stonehenge. Make sure to take down at least two Stonehenges
before trying to take down the ace. If you get shot down and don't know how,
most likely it was Stonehenge. You probably won't even see it coming. If you
are going to bomb Stonehenge, make sure to line up on the bases of them. The
s is not hard to get, but it is frustrating to get the s only to be shot down
by Stonehenge's attack. Note that after the last mission critical tgt has
gone down, the yellow squadron will try (note the word try) to down you and
your wingman. Just lock onto on of them and launch missiles when you get a
good shot. When you have introduced one of the yellows to your close friend,
the ground, the mission will end on a sort of sentimental note, if you were
in yellow squadron. Since you not, just get ready for the next set of
missions, they are very hard and will test your will.
13) Mission 13 Safe return
Operation codename: Blind man's bluff
0105/0507/2005
Conditions: cloud 100% at 3000ft
Time limit: 7 min obj. 1; 4 min obj.2
Weapon: AA
Wingman
U-2 x 1 (mission critical)
Confirmed enemies
Balloon x??
F-15E x 3 (ace NE of map near the ravine)
EF-2000 x 2
Points
C = 1300
B = 1900
A = 2200
S = 2800
Personal best
8:01:13 with 3680 pts.
Difficulty
3
5
Walkthrough: this is one of the most frustrating missions to get the s rank
on so just hold in there. First off, the balloons do not show up on radar.
You should use visual spotting to find the balloons. The fog actually helps
here, as you will be able to see them as black dots in the distance. Second
off, you can't lock on to the balloons, so use a plane with a lot of gun with
good air to air. To start fly north destroying all balloons you come across.
Big hint: use the right analog stick to look around if you don't see any. The
key to getting the s rank is to not give up. If you give up at the b rank and
say that this is too hard, you will not get even close to the s rank. Use the
full seven minutes to find all the balloons possible. After the seven minutes
are up, regardless of how many balloons you destroyed, the jamming will clear
and 5 bogeys will engage the U-2 spy plane. The ace will also appear with
them so don't look for it before the mission update. Try to shoot the ace
down if you look like you can get the s rank. The ace gives you 240 pts and
the other jets give you 60. If you can't get the s on the first try, don't
worry about it. Just try it again later with a better plane.
14) Mission 14 Breaking arrows
Operation codename: Aurora
0256/0618/2005
Conditions: cloud 10% at 14000ft.
Time limit: 20 min (actually a lot less)
Weapon: AA
Wingman
None
Confirmed enemies
Missile x 16 (all mission critical)
Xb-70 x 1
F-22 x 3 (ace, extreme north-center of combat zone)
Points
C = 1700
B = 1800
A = 1900
S = 2000
Personal best
4:51:61 with 2260 pts
Difficultly
4
5
Walkthrough: this IS one of the most frustrating missions your first time
through the game, mainly because you probably will not have a good plane to
fly. The first problem with this mission is that you will barely have enough
points to get the c by destroying all the missiles. Second off, to get the s
I recommend you wait until you get the X-02 or the S-37A due to their ability
to carry QAAMs and their high power rating. Fly as fast as you can due north
to see the first set of missiles. They will be flying south at a low
altitude. If you want the s and have the X-02 or the S-37A, fire 2 QAAMs at
the missiles and proceed to destroy the XB-70 and F-22 ace to the NNE of
those missiles. While doing this the second set of missiles will appear, they
will also be flying south. Here's where it gets tricky. The new set of
missiles will break formation and pick up and incredible amount of speed. Fly
after the group that goes east as the other missiles will follow the same
route as the first group, which if you went after the ace and XB-70 should be
about 50 miles out. This is why you need the power rating if you go for the s
rank. After you destroy, hopefully, all of the missiles another single
missile will appear flying south along the middle of the map. Also 2 F-22s
will appear, but you will have to hunt them if you want the s rank. You're
probably thinking, "Another missile, that's too easy!!" if you are thinking
that, you are wrong. This missile evades everything, and I mean EVERYTHING!
It evaded 3(!!) QAAMs I launched at it. The key to this missile is patience.
If you run out and waste all your missiles, you are dead. After some shots
that hit, it will explode with a Stonehenge like effect. Don't worry about
being below 2000ft, you won't die. Side note...if you want to see why it could
evade all those missiles, watch the map replay where it shows a full analysis
of the battle.
15) Mission 15 Emancipation
Operation codename: Firefly
0000/0710/2005
Conditions: cloud 10% at 4000ft.
Time limit: 10 min obj.1; 10 min obj. 2
Weapon: AA
Wingman
Air x 5
Ground x??
Confirmed enemies
EF-2000 x 3 (ace: in-between all the towns)
C-17 x 7
Su-37 x 5 (yellow class, you can only down 4)
Ka-50 x 4
Tu-160 x 6 (mission critical)
G. Tgt x 53
Points
C = 2000
B = 3200
A = 3600
S = 4100
Personal best
12:18:48 with 5380 pts.
Difficulty
3
4
Walkthrough: welcome to old towne. There are 4 major enemy rally points; due
west of the entry point, the airport to the north, the government facilities
to the east and the city to the near west. The best route is to start with
the launchers to the far west, then the city, then the airport, and finally
the government facilities. If you noticed the weapon selection and questioned
it I'll tell you why you should take AA weapons. The air tgts will pose more
of a threat than most of the g. tgts. There are very few sams, and the only
real threat from mssls come from the yellows and EF-2000s. If you also
noticed, the main battle areas form a triangle; the ace is in there. Try to
shoot down a yellow with a QAAM if you have one, it will help your point
total. Note the positions of some of the tanks. Some of them are behind
buildings and in the intersections. The biggest place for points is the
airport. Not much strategy involved in this mission, although you might have
to rearm sometime in the battle. Before the mission update, if your jet can
carry XLAAs make sure to change to them as the first part of the mission
ends. When the mission update comes, 6 "Blackjacks" will enter the area and
begin bombing the towns. The XLAAs come in handy because they fly fast, but
straight. Also make sure that you have been saving enough money or have a
good all around jet you fell comfortable with. The next 2 missions have both
AA and AG qualities to them and if you try to take on only one, you will not
get the s rank.
16) Whiskey Corridor
Operation codename: Sandstorm
0145/0815/2005
Conditions: Cloud 5% at 1200ft.
Time limit: 20 min
Weapon: AG
Wingman
A-10A x 3
F-15E x 2
EF-2000 x 2
Confirmed enemies
F-117A x 4 (ace; extreme west of map, lower center)
R-M01 x 2
F-2 x 1
TND-ID5 x 2
A-10A x 4
F-22 x 2
AH-64 x 5
G. Tgt x 110+
Points
C = 3500
B = 4200
A = 4900
S = 6300
Personal best
Time limit: 20:00:00 with 8000 pts.
Difficulty
3
4
Walkthrough: when you start, head west. You will be taking on the mission in
a clockwise fashion starting with the westerly front. There is little
resistance there and it will also set you up to take the ace that is north
form there. Big hint: sams are your biggest threat in this mission; nothing
else will be a problem. Note in certain resistance lines, destroying all the
enemies that are there will cause re-enforcements to appear. After clearing
that line, head north, take out the ace, then head on a northeast path. The
main enemy HQ for the area is here. There is a lot of sams and flak so fly
low and fast. After annihilating the base, head east again until you come
across a big area of launchers and howitzers. Points galore can be found
here, like in operation bunker shot. You will probably have to re-arm here so
feel free to RTB; but keep the AG weapon. Don't focus on the interceptors
that come, as they are not worth the effort and missiles. When taking on the
central line, make sure to remember that enemy re-enforcements will come
throughout the fight. 20 minutes pass fast in this mission, so try to get the
s as fast as possible.
17) Siege of Farbanti
Operation codename: Autumn thunder
1820/0919/2005
Conditions: cloud 20% at 12000ft.
Time limit: 12 min obj 1; 18 min obj 2
Weapon: Pilot's choice, my pref. AA
Wingman
EF-2000 x 1
Su-35 x 1
F-15E x 1
Confirmed enemies
F-15 Actv x 5(ace; extreme nw of zone)
EF-2000 x 8
F-22 x 8
S-37 x 3
Su-37 x 5 (mission critical, yellow class)
AH-64 x 4
V-22 x 4
G tgt x 39
Naval x 4
Points
C = 2100
B = 3200
A = 3500
S = 4250
Personal best
14:37:20 with 5880 pts
Difficulty
4
4
Walkthrough: this mission is not that tough for one of the final missions, at
least not yet... First off, head east to support the troops advancing there.
Make sure to take out the battleship. Then head west and take out Johnson
Memorial Bridge. The ace is in the NW so take him out, too. The key to
getting the s is to destroy the submarines near the sunken city. There is not
much strategy involved in this mission. If it's yours, support it; if not,
make it a crater. most points are found in the g. tgts around the map. when
about 1:30 is left for obj. 1, 4 V-22s will appear near the capital. take
them out for some points, and if you need to RTB, now is the time to do it.
After the time is up, you will have to face<insert dramatic pause here> 5
yellows, including yellow 13. If you have QAAMs here is a great time to use
them, if not you are in for a hard battle. They attack as a formation,
meaning five to one. They are aggressive and can evade most missiles with
ease. Try to get the yellows that always seem to stray from the protection of
five to one odds. Once you even the odds it becomes a lot easier. Don't give
up and keep the pressure on and you will win.
18) Megalith<insert space oddesy music here>
Operation codename: Judgment day
0800/0926/2005
Conditions: cloud 90% at 900ft
Time limit: 20 min obj 1; 30 min obj 2
Weapon: AA
Wingman
F-22 x 9
Confirmed enemies
Su-37 x 15(yellow class)
S-37 x 1(ace; north of megalith)
Generator x 3
Missile x 5
Points
C = 2490
B = 3200
A = 3500
S = 5000
Personal best
8:34:71 with 5100 pts
Difficulty
3; if you're not a good pilot 5
5
Walkthrough: first off a personal note, for those of you who think choirs are
uncool, watch the opening cinema and listen to the music for the mission
Agnus Dei then watch the credits. Finally you're here. When you were reading
the enemies section, you probably said to yourself "15 yellows, holy moly!!!"
or something to that extent. Believe me, they're not that good, if they were,
I wouldn't be writing this now. This is one of the biggest furballs you will
get into, next to Shattered Skies. After you have fun blowing every last one
of them out of your sky, head north, over megalith, to take out smirnova (the
ace). Head back south to megalith. If you have played AC2, this should seem
familiar, take out the generators, and destroy the missile. However, this
time the generators are not outside, and there isn't a never ending supply of
F-15 actv or the ADF-01 (see Faq section for a point on that). There are 3
generators in total. They are each in a tunnel that you have to fly through.
There are 2 n-s running tunnels and 1 e-w running tunnels. You will have to
fly low to get into the heating ducts. The entrances will appear as green
arrows on your radar, follow them near sea level to get into the tunnels. The
west tunnel's generator is nearly 3/4 of the way down. A hint for all the
generators, make sure you have a visual confirmation of the generator before
launching a missile. Note for that generator, you don't have to fly the full
length of the tunnel if you are a good pilot, you could use the vents above
to get in and get out. The east tunnel is sort of tricky. The generator is
after an incline of the duct; again make sure you see the generator before
shooting. After that, go for the e-w tunnel. Enter from either end and
destroy the generator. After you do that, 5 missiles will appear, with one of
them being mission critical. You MUST take out at least 3 out of the 4
missiles that aren't mission critical to get the s rank. The final missile is
down an n-s tunnel that is in between the other n-s tunnels. If you played
AC2, you should know what to do. After flying down the tunnel and destroying
the missile fly slow and the hatch at the top will open, fly through the
hatch carefully, it would be a shame to come this far only to die in the last
few seconds of the mission. That is the way to complete this mission. Enjoy
the ending and good hunting!
Sub-section mission 18 diagram
Ace
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
---------------+----------+----------G----------G----------+-----------------
| | | | | |
| G | | | |
| \ | | | |
| | | | |
| | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
Yellow x 15
Now I know that's not the best representation of Megalith one could make, but
I tried. G is a generator and +'s represent a path crossing even though you
can't change paths. The ace is smirnova and is north of megalith, and the
yellows are relative.
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
---------------M----------M---------(M)---------M----------M-----------------
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| \ | | | |
| | | | |
| | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
This is after the generators are destroyed. M represents a missile, and the
(M) represents the big missile. Well I hope this helps a little more.
VI) FAQ's
Q) When is your next update going to be posted?
A) Whenever I get the time! (That's not a sarcastic answer!!)
Q) Why does it take you so long to post?
A) This isn't the only game I play, school, and after school stuff, namely
choir and peer ministry.
Q) What other games are you playing right now?
A) Dynasty warriors 3, Super Tecmo Bowl 3:Final Edition, Final Fantasy 3/6,
and Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland, Earthbound
Q) I'm not a good bomber, what should I do?
A) There is a tutorial for bombing, do that. Or find a plane with better
bombs, like the A-10 or F-15 actv. If you still can't bomb well, use the PGB
on the F-22. Maybe I'll write a bombing Faq...
Q) How would you rate this game?
A) It's a good game, only lacking in actual length of the campaign.
Q) Did you ever notice the similarities between this and AC2?
A) Yes I did.
Q) Can you name some?
A) Look at the ADF-01 and the X-02, mission 17 and mission 18. The city of
St. Ark. Some of the mission set ups, like the first mission.
VII) Glossary of terms in no particular order
Mssl = missile
Tgt = target
G. Tgt = ground target
AA =air to air
AG = air to ground
SAM = surface to air missile
Obj. = objective
Pts. = points
RTB = return to base
----------------------
Fox 1 = semi-active radar guided mssl
Fox 2 = heat seeking mssl
Fox 3 = active radar guided mssl
VIII) Contact info
Email me at icmann@hotmail.com -plz don't send me ANY
attachments!!!!!!!!!!! Also put ac4 or something like that in the title.
Game Faq message board name hells dragoon.
If you want to talk to me on aim, just email me and ask.
IX) Version update info
Version 1.0 1800/0101/2002; started the Faq
Version 1.2 1022/0102/2002;added missions, rating system, corrected
mistakes
Version 2.0 1823/0103/2002;added missions, sent to CjayC
Version 3.0 1117/1026/2002;added missions, sent, added thanks to people,
new email policy
Version 3.1 1603/0127/2002;minor changes, touch up grammatical work
Version 4.0 1010/0131/2002;sent, added final missions, touch up work,
thanks to section stuff, will eventually add a diagram for mission 18 soon.
Version 4.1 1634/0205/2002;sent, minor changes
Version 5.0 1755/0226/2002;sent, added diagram for mission 18, but still
not done.
Version 5.1 1918/0314/2002;added missile designation code explanation.
Version final 1242/0405/2002;sent, finished most of the walkthrough
point total, final stuff added
Version final + 1 1900/0418/2002;stupid grammar mistakes fixed, added
one more site this could be on
Version final +2 1135/0803/2002; fixed diagram and grammar
Version final +3 2052/0826/2002; changed copyright policy
X) Thanks to Section
To me for writing it (duh!)
Colonel Beefcake for the "fox" info
Richy9910 for the x-02 ace scheme price
To CjayC for the site on which to post it
To the many people that inspire me to be me and not someone else
To everyone that was on Kairos #55
G-d for giving me the ability to write and play games
My choir
My choir director, Ms. DeVivo, for inspiring me in many ways.
Legal:
Sites that MAY NOT host my FAQ in any sort:
www.cheatcc.com
platinum.cheatcc.com
Sites that may are listed below, and ONLY below, in the copyright notice:
This is a copyright material of Scott Dumblauskas 2002-2003 and may not be
used commercially or reposted on any site in any way shape or form except
www.gamefaqs.com, www.merqurycity.com/shatteredskies and my personal home
page without the expressed written consent of Scott Dumblauskas. All
rights reserved.
