Squadron Dispatch #7
- Phil Yates
- Sep 25
- 7 min read
Dear Squadron Pilots,
Welcome back to Squadron Dispatches! My apologies for the delay in getting this dispatch to you. Grandma Mouse has been having heart problems and underwent her cataract operation— hopefully her ability to spot enemy aircraft at long range will be much better with Eyeball Mark 2! To add to the drama, Mrs. Mouse and I both had a very bad bout of the flu.
I did promise to talk about tactics this time, and we will—but there's so much exciting production progress to share as Angels One Six takes another leap towards arriving in your hands, that I’ll spend most of this newsletter on that.
New to the Squadron? You can read all previous Squadron Dispatches on the blog at AngelsOneSix.com/blog.
Prototypes and Production Samples
The workshops have been busy!
For the Spitfire, you can see the transformation from a generic fighter to KL-B or any of nine different aircraft markings. The classic RAF squadron codes use two letters (like KL for 54 Squadron) in plain dark gray on one side of the roundel, with the individual aircraft letter on the other. It's understated, professional, and perfectly British.
The Me 109 is much more flamboyant with its bright yellow markings—a number forward of the cross and third group’s vertical bar behind it, plus the red hellhound emblem of the 9th squadron of Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter Wing ) under the cockpit. Very much in the Luftwaffe style—bold and aggressive.
The Me 110 requires the largest decal sheet of all. The fuselage carries a long four-letter code on each side—2N for Zerstörergeschwader 76 (76th Destroyer Wing), then a red individual aircraft letter and N for the 5th squadron. The individual aircraft's red letter also appears on both the top and bottom of each wing—that's four more decals! Add in the three wasps emblem of ZG 1 (operating as 3rd group of ZG 76) on the nose, and you've got a striking heavy fighter.
I've also posted a decal application video for the Spitfire, showing just how straightforward the process is (especially if you’re not trying to make one of your first videos at the same time!). The Me 109 and Me 110 decal videos will follow soon. Even if you've never applied waterslide decals before, you'll have your squadron personalized in minutes.
Cockpit Display Completed
Florentyna has completed the graphic design for our cockpit displays, making my functional prototypes look like period instrument panels. The updated designs are now available for download on the blog. The new designs balance historical atmosphere with modern usability. Your Airspeed Indicator and Action Gauge look like they belong in a Spitfire while being instantly readable across a gaming table.
We’ve sent this to our manufacturers to design the dial pointers for the Airspeed Indicator and Action Gauge and the stands that will clip on the sides to angle the cockpit up to make it easy to use.
Tactics: The Art of Pursuit
Now, as promised, let's talk tactics—starting with the most fundamental concept in aerial combat: pursuit curves.
Lead, Lag, and Pure Pursuit
When chasing an enemy aircraft, you have three choices for where to point your nose:
Pure Pursuit points directly at the enemy aircraft. It's the instinctive choice but rarely optimal. You'll close distance but struggle to get a firing solution as the enemy turns.
Lead Pursuit points ahead of where the enemy is now, aiming where they're going to be. This is how you set up a shot—but push too hard and you'll overshoot, flying past them and becoming the hunted instead of the hunter.
Lag Pursuit points behind the enemy's current position, following in their wake. You won't catch them quickly, but you maintain energy and position, waiting for them to make a mistake.
Pure Pursuit
Pure pursuit is the simplest option. And if you are close, pure pursuit is the best, and only, option to get a shot.
However, if you can’t get a shot, or perhaps not a good enough shot, you may be better switching to a lead or lag pursuit to set yourself up for the next turn.
In the diagram above, the Spitfire has a good shot at the Me 109. If this is the start of its turn, it will get two shoot actions before it moves. You can see this in the manoeuvre table at the top of the cockpit display above. Each turn, an aircraft goes through the actions from left to right, so after gaining power, it can shoot, then break (or not in this case) and shoot again.
If it manages to shoot down the Me 109, everything is good. If it misses, it will then move straight ahead, overshooting and putting the Me 109 on its tail. If this is a likely outcome, the Spitfire might have been better off shooting once, then breaking right and switching to a lag pursuit outside the Me 109’s manoeuvre envelope.
Lead Pursuit
In this case, if it is the Me 109’s turn, the Spitfire is set up for a lead pursuit. Its nose is pointing ahead of where the Me 109 is going. This has several advantages.
If you’re slower but more manoeuvrable than the opposition, you can ‘cut the corner’, closing the range to set up a shot.
If the enemy is crossing ahead of you, it puts them in a dilemma. They can continue across in front of you, possibly giving you a shot, or they can try to turn the other way, but that may put you directly on their tail. Giving the enemy tough choices is always a good call.
Finally, you may be able to use these tough choices to herd the enemy fighter, either away from the bomber you want to protect into a position where another of your fighters can get it.
Lag Pursuit
Lag pursuit is playing the long game. If it is the Me 109’s turn, the Spitfire is set up for a lag pursuit (otherwise, the Spitfire would just make a break turn to bear on the Me 109 and shoot before blasting past it on the outside).
So why a lag pursuit? If you have a speed or height advantage, or both, you might want to sit back behind the enemy waiting for them to make a mistake. Then, when they do, you have the energy advantage to make them seriously regret their error.
The advantage of a lag pursuit is that, no matter what the enemy try, they can’t get a bead on you — at least not quickly—while you stay back and behind you. However, if they have a manoeuvrability advantage, or nearby friends, you can’t wait too long before going for your shot!
Watch Your Six*
Finally, whichever pursuit curve you choose, always watch your six!
One of the dangers of aerial combat (or life in general) is target fixation or tunnel vision. If you’re not careful, you can get so set on shooting down the fighter in front of you, you can forget their buddy who’s lining up behind you for his shot.
* Pilots use a clock system to give bearings relative to their or another aircraft. If they say ‘twelve o’clock’, they mean dead ahead. When they say ‘three o’clock’, they mean off to the right, and when they say ‘six o’clock’, they mean straight behind. So watch your six means keep a good lookout behind you—in your most vulnerable quarter.
How This Matters in Angels One Six
Here's the key insight: sometimes you can't just go in all guns blazing—you simply aren't in the right position to do so. That Break maneuver that puts you perfectly behind the enemy? It costs Actions and Airspeed you might not have. The enemy at your twelve o'clock high? You'd need to climb to engage, bleeding speed you can't afford to lose.
This is where pursuit curves become critical. Instead of forcing a bad shot this turn, you position yourself for next turn, or the one after that. The good news is that because the enemy must obey the same laws of physics you do, you have a good idea of where they might be at that point in time.
Consider this scenario: A British Spitfire at Height Level 3 with Airspeed 5 spots a German Me 109 crossing slightly to the right at range, also with Airspeed 5, but at Height Level 4. If the Spitfire makes a break turn to get a shot, and not a good one at that, it'll bleed speed down to 3—dangerously slow. The German has the energy advantage. The Me 109 could break and dive to turn that extra height into speed, then easily turn and catch the Spitfire.
Instead, the smart Spitfire pilot might take their time in a lag pursuit, climbing while staying in the Me 109's rear quarter. Now, the German pilot has lost much of their energy and some of their position advantage. A turning fight on the same level is the Spitfire’s strong point. They need to come up with a new plan.
Physics Makes Prediction Possible
Because Angels One Six uses a physics engine (hidden in the game mechanics), aircraft behave predictably. That Me 109 at Airspeed 10 after a dive? It must reduce speed next turn due to drag. The Hurricane that just pulled a hard break maneuver? It's now slow and vulnerable. The Spitfire climbing to Height Level 5? It's trading speed for altitude and will be sluggish next turn.
This predictability rewards thinking ahead. The best pilots aren't reacting to where enemies are—they're maneuvering to where enemies will be, with the energy to exploit that position.
We Want to Hear From You
How do you approach aerial combat in games? Are you the aggressive attacker who goes straight for the kill, or the patient hunter who waits for the perfect setup? Have you tried applying real-world pursuit tactics in other aerial games?
Download the new cockpit displays and let us know what you think of the visual evolution. Your feedback directly influences our final production decisions.
Join the discussion at facebook.com/groups/AngelsOneSix or discord.gg/6WFTv9m3HD.
Plus, if you like the game, speak a language other than English, and want to contribute, I’m looking for volunteers to translate the game into other languages. If this is you, contact me at phil@angelsonesix.com.
Until next time, be where your enemy is going to be, not where they were!
Red Leader, Out.
Phil Yates
Designer, Angels One Six
Savage Mouse Games
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