I thought to do this after deciding to playing through the main FS2 Campaign once more, this time upping the difficulty.
Unlike the other notable (and good) thread currently up on combat flight, "Advanced Dogfighting":
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,63714.0.html...This thread shall instead focus on the employment of ordnance in terms of FS2. I'll try to reference the other thread as well. Please feel free to contribute as well; there's many here with much more flight/combat sim time than I have from a mere gaming perspective. Most of my experience is from realistic flight sims like the F/A-18 Hornet series.
Combat Interception of a Maneuvering Target:
I was having a few problems with "Mystery of the Trinity" for a brief time before I determined this approach:
For the mission you are assigned to the Herc Mk2. This is a wonderful fighter. It may not be the most maneuverable, but it's all you need. Properly handled, I'm confident in saying this fighter will be able to take on any adversary and win. Cannon placement is very close to ideal, with the impact position of the weapons being slightly over the certer of the recticle. Secondary banks are mounted above the pilot's viewpoint, but not by a great margin. With these factors in mind, the pilot can successfully employ the Herc as an interceptor, attack fighter, or space superiority craft. For this mission, you'll be acting as an interceptor and space superiority fighter.
If I'm not mistaken, the default loadout given to you is both primary banks loaded with Prometheus R cannon. This is acceptable if you feel you can make every shot count, but a mixed load of Subachs or Prometheus cannon (or both banks set with Subachs) is a better choice for this mission.
The secondaries given are a bank of Rockeyes and a bank of Tempests. Do yourself a favor and ditch the Rockeyes. 720 Tempest rockets are a much better idea...
The Prometheus R is often quoted as being a poor weapon, which it is. If tied to a bank of Subachs, it becomes potentially useful, but not by a great margin. Note that the weapon fires a projectile just as fast as the Subach. This is critical to note in a mission such as this because volume of fire is perhaps more important than absolute accuracy. This is why: In a mission like "Mystery of the Trinity," you are dealing with waves of maneuvering fightercraft... pehaps you can disregard the Basilisks to some extent with this in mind, but Manticores and the few seconds you have to spare fighting Dragons makes using only the Prometheus a poor choice. The prometheus is only really viable head-on in a situation like this, where its longer range is a boon. Any hits will sting more, but you'll get fewer in. If you want them to sting, accuracy is important. This will be hard to attain though...
Manticores and even more so, Dragons, will jink once fired upon. A slow ROF associated with an accuracy weapon is a bad idea versus a hard-to-hit ship that's faster than you and has rapidly recharging shields. Simply putting your sight on the lead indicator and firing will not do you terribly well. A high volume of fire in a relative area, however, is useful. In this fashion, jinking becomes less effective. A combination of Subachs and Prometheus is acceptable here, but two banks of Subachs is a better idea. If you're concerned about damage, here's where the Tempests come in...
Using the Hercules Mk 2:
Because of its lower pitch, yaw, and roll rates, speed is very important to the Herc. More precisely, control of speed. Due to weapons placement and its heavy armor and shields, the Herc is a good first-strike fighter. Make an effort to evade missiles as usual in a head-on encounter while also putting accurate-as-possible fire downrange. Any fighter committed to going forward is going to have to deal with you... This is where weapons like the Tempest make a great asset. The Tempest rocket fires at about 90m/sec slower than a Subach or Prometheus blast, but at shallow angles or close ranges that is not a great factor. I find Tempest fire is often superior to general missile fire when associated with attacks via primaries at short ranges. Fighters, bombers, and cruisers will writhe in pain from such a volley. If you want to kill a Dragon (or any other tough fighter target) fast, this is the way to do it. If shots are placed appropriately, you will deal enough damage that the target will not be able to react in time to avoid destruction.
Dogfighting with the Herc 2: In general, speed control and roll orientation are crucial to effectively fighting with the Herc. In this regard, secondary banks filled with Tempest rockets make it a nightmare adversary for whatever happens to be on the recieving end. Though slower than your primaries, note that the higher secondary banks automatically serve to give a "lead" to the rocket batteries. If the y-axis of the Herc is in line with the flight path path of the target and that target is turning and at short range, you should hit along with your primary fire. If you've ever played Cardinal Spear, think of the Hercules Mk 2 having the "Vulcan" as a secondary... except that instead this weapon is the Tempest. Once again, hit first! if you are in the area of where a formation jumps out, hammer it with rocket and cannon fire. If you can hit multiple targets, do it!
I'll add one last thing about the Rockeye: It's a poor choice against fighters. However, if you must use it, try swarming the fighter you're targeting with the missile in intervals. This will keep it on the run and you might have a slightly greater chance of hitting it with the Rockeye if you use the missile in this fashion. Due to its large size, this is not a good plan. Instead, use it for strikes against non maneuvering point targets. As it requires no aspect lock, it is not a bad choice against capitol ships at short range, particularly for taking out turrets. A high reload time also makes the missile useful in this purpose. If you can shoot something else, however, take that weapon instead.
-Thaeris
