P-38 question

[162nd-YU-Markoni]

I am thinking of buying P-38. So the question is it good enough to compete with German planes in multiplayer? 

Didn't play IL2 in a long,long time. Started again, I forgot how good this game is ?

Edited April 27, 2021 by Markoni

[unlikely_spider]

Yes, because the good thing about the P-38 is that they will try to shoot the middle of your plane, but what they don't expect is that there is no middle part in the P-38 so the bullets just pass right through.

[co199]

The Lightning is a good jack-of-all-trades. It's got solid armament (4x .50, 1x 20mm), a healthy amount of ammo, nose-mounted guns (so you don't have to worry about convergence), and it can carry a truckload of bombs. It can turn (though not as well as a Spitfire), it's pretty fast (the Mustang is faster), it's got decent survivability (2x engines is nice). You won't outclimb a K4 or outrun a Dora, but a good pilot can hold their own.

[BlitzPig_EL]

Nonsense.

 

Anyone online will know how to take out the P38.  Offline the AI may have a harder time, depending on what their difficulty is set to.

 

The Lightening has a very high skill floor when used against other aircraft, especially considering what it will face in the sim.  One of our guys prefers it, but if I know that I could be facing Axis fighters, I'd much rather be in a Mustang or Tempest.

 

One area where the P38 shines though is in the attack role.  It carries a formidable loadout of ordnance, and excells at deep penetration missions to blast bridges, convoys, trains, or ships.

 

And it looks cool.

[Jaegermeister]

8 minutes ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

And it looks cool.

 

It just is cool.

[CountZero]

46 minutes ago, Markoni said:

I am thinking of buying P-38. So the question is it good enough to compete with German planes in multiplayer? 

Didn't play IL2 in a long,long time. Started again, I forgot how good this game is ?

No

[Cpt_Siddy]

at 11km and above...

[I./JG52_Woutwocampe]

Doras and late war 109's will eat you alive. But you should still get it. 

 

But realistically this plane should struggle agaisnt luftwaffe fighters and it does in MP. 

[ShamrockOneFive]

2 hours ago, Markoni said:

I am thinking of buying P-38. So the question is it good enough to compete with German planes in multiplayer? 

Didn't play IL2 in a long,long time. Started again, I forgot how good this game is ?

 

I think if you buy it looking for a highly competitive fighter, it may not fully meet your expectations, but if you buy it as a multi-role fighter-bomber that can drop bombs and then engage fighters effectively, you may be very happy.

 

Although not quite as good as the late war Bf109K-4 and Fw190D-9, against more modest opposition like a Bf109G-6 or Fw190A-8, you have a pretty good chance against them. The concentrated firepower and good forward visibility make deflection shooting at range easier and what does connect is usually grouped tightly together. Again, I rarely take the P-38 out in the pure fighter role but when push comes to shove it fights well.

 

And you can't dispute the cool factor.

[Jade_Monkey]

Great plane, I'd say it's a must have. 

 

For MP it's not going to be OP but when you deploy those combat flaps it can be really naughty.

 

I'm no ace, but when the plane came out i was able to kill two german fighters that jumped me from 6 o'clock (different occasions) thanks to those flaps. Obviously you need some luck and enemy pilot error but it's not a lame duck. 

 

Edit: and the cockpit is really cool if you like just flying around once in a while.

Edited April 27, 2021 by Jade_Monkey

[Bremspropeller]

2 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

And it looks cool.

 

And it sounds cool!

[-332FG-Hank_DG]

The p38 is absolutely good enough to compete in multiplayer. It's my main aircraft. Using it as a pure fighter, first you need a good wingman or two. Go high, and try to stay high. Your best bet is to use high angle one pass shots, those nose cannons are deadly and shooting from afar is easy. If you do get a 6, using a quick split s with dive flaps will suffice for a quick getaway. If you're above 300 mph, go into a tight spiral climb to the right, you'll out climb most 109s and definitely the 190s, i don't care what anybody says. The p38 is an amazing fighter, but takes patience and obedience, which makes it all the more fun.

[Avimimus]

3 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

Nonsense.

 

Anyone online will know how to take out the P38. 

 

Well, ...now I'm feeling insufficient!

 

Lure me to high altitude and I'll be your firecracker.

[40plus]

First plane to make me audibly sigh with joy....Even when I inevitably get shot down in it, it's an enjoyable experience.

[MasterBaiter]

P-38 is fun to fly and can be super-effective if you fly with discipline.

[[CPT]Crunch]

It may be beat in a climb above 25,000 feet, it may be out turned above 23,000 feet, but you'll never even get close to beating it in a turning climb up there with any German plane.  It would be king up there if you could ever find the Luftwaffe anywhere near those altitudes willing to go toe to toe.  It's only disadvantage at altitude is its the single worst fighter when it comes to lower hemisphere SA, you can't see squat below.

[farley]

Markoni, I can't answer your question directly because I have not flown in mp here yet; when I have time I hope to.
Will say though that I find the P-38 both a joy and a challenge to fly.
Others have mentioned some of it's strengths, so I won't repeat those.
The twin engines certainly add another dimension to controlling the craft, and between using the dive flaps and, for eg taking the power off one engine at the appropriate time in a dog fight . you will have some options that should allow you to be competitive.
In SP I get blown out of the sky often, but I have never had so much fun getting beat up.
Even limping home on one engine is  a good challenge.
In sp I can usually give as good as I get, although in mp I'm sure I'd only have 10 % of the success.
My guess is that if you get the P-38 and learn how to fly it as well as it can be flown, you'll fall in love with it!

 

[CountZero]

Hes specificly asking if its good vs german airplanes online, online he will be facing 109K4s 262s G14 or G6 Lates, They all out match him.

So i can tell him YES you can waist money on it just to realise you could be beter of not do it. Yes in specific situations and if your abow avradge MP player vs below avradge enemy you can beat them in P-38, but why would you do that when you can fly Tempest V Spitfire 9 or even crappy .50cal P-51 that are better. It is smarter to spend 17$ and buy your self standard BoBp then spend 7$ and get P-38 in whitch youll be easy pickings like 95% of MP players in it online vs easy to fly german 30mm airplanes youll be ugenst. 17$ for 3 better airplanes or 7$ for airplane you need to be 5% of MP player and on top play on allied side.

In MP its mostly used for GA or in team ? if you fit in that then go for it lol any airplane is good for that,at that point you could be in P-40 and it would not make any differance in outcome, but you would get same challange youll have if you go with P-38, youll just save 4$

Edited April 28, 2021 by CountZero

[oc2209]

8 hours ago, Markoni said:

I am thinking of buying P-38. So the question is it good enough to compete with German planes in multiplayer? 

Didn't play IL2 in a long,long time. Started again, I forgot how good this game is ?

 

Whatever you do, just remember to never fly the P-38 (or the 47 or 51) at full fuel load.

 

In single player career just now, I was able to turn inside G-6 Lates with gunpods, on the deck. Didn't even have to use flaps to do so. This was at ~50% fuel. Granted, a human opponent likely won't be using pods, and will turn tighter.

 

Point remains, if you want max performance in American planes, select partial fuel loads. Half or less.

[jollyjack]

11 hours ago, unlikely_spider said:

Yes, because the good thing about the P-38 is that they will try to shoot the middle of your plane, but what they don't expect is that there is no middle part in the P-38 so the bullets just pass right through.

 

Be warned, they might fix that in the next damage model ..

 

I like it as SP, very destructive if you like blowing up stuff and get out fast. Use 20% flaps maybe for narrower turns?

My fav is still the Spit ixe clipped wings, with rockets, especially for ground targets. The P38 comes close however.

[Jaegermeister]

18 hours ago, jollyjack said:

Use 20% flaps maybe for narrower turns?

 

In the P38, the first down notch of the lever was referred to as "combat flaps". It was designed that way.

[Denum]

Yes and no, 

If you can manage to never get hit yes its fun. 

If you can't not get hit, it kinda sorta feels like the thing is packed with C4 and pretty much explodes the first 20mm... 

[Zeev]

Its a flying tank, just like or even better than IL2.

[KG100_Brannon]

It is not the aircraft, it is the person that "flies" it.  Having a good situational awareness of events going on around you is very important.  There are pro's and con's to any aircraft in this simulation.  The P-38 is a fun aircraft to fly in general but success or failure depends on your tactics and who or what aircraft you are flying against.  Just my opinion here.  

 

[ATAG_Headshot]

I love flying the P-38. It may be outclassed a little, but I've had a lot of success with it in multiplayer, especially since many German pilots seem to underestimate it and get sloppy. If you have good deflection shooting skills the plane is quite deadly from a long ways out as well. I think the thing I love about it most though in this sim is the sound. When you start spooling up the engines the sound of the turbo's right beside your head is just unbelievable. I've taken that plane up at times just because I love the sound of it so much while flying. It just feels so alive! I've also been able to absolutely toy with FW-190 A's in it. Sure, it's not the best plane, but it's competitive and amazingly fun. 

[gorice]

People put far too much stock in the details of performance. As others have said, it's a good plane and will do well if flown well. The real disadvantage to taking it online is that the plane is very visible and attracts lots of German fighters; you'll need to stay high and/or keep a friend handy to clear your 6 if you want to survive.

 

[edit to add] It's been a while since I've flown it, but IIRC the P-38 gets even better sustained turn performance if you go full flaps. If you're stuck in a protracted turning fight, you can get a bit more out of it that way; just make sure to tuck them back in pronto before you pick up speed, or they'll jam.

Edited April 30, 2021 by gorice

[162nd-YU-Markoni]

I bought the damn thing. So you can stop arguing

See you in the sky

[ATAG_Headshot]

I don't think you'll regret it ?