So we've seen how to maneuver the formation in Beam Defense. Now what do you do if you're out of position?

In some ways, returning to formation in X-Wing is easier than it would be for real aircraft. In real life, aircraft are limited by drag, acceleration and deceleration, and other aerodynamic forces. Even in space there's limits in how a craft can move that in some ways provides X-Wing greater control. As already demonstrated with the Range 3 Tac Turn and Range 2 and 3 coordinated turns, the simplest correction to make when one ship is lagging behind is to simply stagger their speeds; have the trailing craft move faster than the one out in front.

However there is an alternative which is used in real life for small adjustments: The Check Turn.

The most important thing to be aware of when using the Check Turn is the concept called Angle Off Tail. Angle Off Tail is, simply put, the angle in which one craft is from the tail of the other, and ranges from 0 (directly astern) to 180 (directly ahead). Our Beam Defense position has an Angle Off Tail of 90. The image above shows an Angle Off Tail of 45 degrees, that is, the trailing fighter is stepped back 45 degrees off the lead ship's tail. This angle is significant because it's what determines how you will need to maneuver the ship in order to return to formation.

With this positioning, returning to formation is actually rather easy, because the X-Wing bank templates measure a 45 degree arc. All you need to do is have both craft execute a bank of the same speed to the inside, (towards the trailing craft) and they'll return to formation:

Now, because of the nature of the templates, it does give us one problem in that the formation will end up wider than it started. This can be corrected with a Barrel Roll in those craft capable of it if you wish to maintain the original spacing.

You can also use the Check Turn to correct for positioning in smaller distances:

In this case, the trailing ship was behind by about a ship length (Angle Off Tail of approximately 64 degrees). The trailing ship executes a 1 Bank, the lead ship a 3 Bank, returning to formation again. From this position, we don't even need to worry about recovering our spacing. As long as the spread between each member of the formation is correct, the Check Turn can be used to correct a stepped-back formation anywhere between 45-64 degrees Angle Off Tail. If the angle is greater than 64, or less than 45, you'll want to use the staggered forward movement to correct.

So what do you do if your formation is too wide or too close? This is where X-Wing makes regaining formation somewhat more difficult, since you're unable to make the sort of fine adjustments a craft can make in real life.

As we've already seen, the most efficient method is to use the Barrel Roll to reposition.

Simply have one (or both) craft roll to the inside or outside to adjust the spacing. This can be done both to correct your spacing after a maneuver if your ships are too close, or simply because you wish to change your spread (IE to concentrate your forward firepower if attacking a target, or to prevent an enemy from being able to target both ships at once).

Another alternative to using the Barrel Roll is to Boost instead:

One (or both) ship banks to the inside or outside, and then boosts the opposite direction to return to the original heading. However this method will be much more limiting unless you're having both craft reposition, since the nature of the templates will restrict what speed maneuver each ship can use in order to retain formation. A variation of this is to simply make two banks:

In addition to being a less efficient movement, this method will be significantly limited by the templates unless you're having both craft repositioning. It may also result in one craft lagging behind and needing to adjust position further.

There's another method by which the spacing can be adjusted, but that will be covered next time, as we begin to look at using Beam Defense to defend from an attack from behind.

Hmm, something interesting I just noticed thanks to these diagrams. When making a bank, the ending position looks to be 1/4*(template speed) small base widths from the associated front arc line. The right line for right banks, left for left banks. So a 1 bank would leave a 1/4 small base (1/4" or .635 cm roughly) after a 1 bank, 1/2 small base (1/2" or 1.27 cm) after a 2 bank and 3/4 small base (3/4" or 1.905 cm) after a 3 bank. This might help with maneuver estimations when prepping in the Planning Phase, just use the ship's arc to check where it crosses and you'll have a good idea of how much room there is.

The Beam Defense formation was particularly developed from the need to find a way for a slower, less-maneuverable fighter to defeat a faster and more maneuverable one. At the time Thach devised the formation, that meant the tough Grumman Wildcat against the sleek Japanese Zero; The Wildcat was by the standards of the day quite an agile — if underpowered (navalizing a fighter adds quite a considerable amount of weight) — and remarkably rugged aircraft. However intelligence reports on the Zero's maneuverability alarmed Thach, and he realized that one for one, the tubby little Grummans would be outmatched in a dogfight. Working with Butch O'Hare, Thach developed the Beam Defense formation. And it's in this context — two tough but less maneuverable fighters fighting against a weaker but more maneuverable one — that Beam Defense truly shines.

So what does that mean for us?

It's inevitable that at SOME point you're going to end up with a bandit one the six of one of your ships. Maneuvering independently offers a wealth of options; K-Turns, T-Rolls, Repositioning moves, and a slew of possibilities for shaking him off and gaining a firing position of your own. However the Beam Defense position offers defensive possibilities of its own entirely from having a second ship for assistance. In fact, the Beam Defense was developed by Thach specifically for that purpose, as a means of two ships to cover each other if one was attacked.

Consider for example this scenario:

Here, a single TIE Interceptor has dropped in behind Red Two. Perhaps he just got into position and has already made an attack. Red One is in Beam Defense on Two's left. Now, one simple solution would be for Red One and Two to execute a coordinated K-Turn. But perhaps both ships are stressed due to a previous action. Beam defense offers a solution:

Red One and Red Two execute a turn to their right. The TIE, not anticipating a coordinated response, banks to stay with Two hoping for a chance to finish him off quickly. Although he remains in position on Two's six, he now finds himself caught in the middle of a Bracket Defense. Red Two is planning to use his X-wing's greater durability to give Red One time to either drive off of knock out the bandit.

Now, this works in a scenario when you already know or can anticipate which member of the formation is the target. But what do you do when you're not sure who the bandit intends to attack?

In this scenario, the TIE is approaching the formation from outside gun range. Red One and Two are flying close enough that even up through relatively close distance the bandit can target either fighter, so the player needs to either determine which of his ships his opponent intends to attack, or set up a scenario where he is forced to choose a target.

His response is to execute a Split Turn: Red One and Two execute a turn away from one another. This creates separation between them, and puts the TIE in a situation where he must either commit to one target, or blow through and hope to set up from a better position. This maneuver is best performed when the members of the formation are flying relatively close; if too far apart, after splitting it may be more difficult for them to support one another. Ideally it would also be done in a situation where you have some room between you and the incoming bandit so you can force his hand, while still having time to set up your response.

The same maneuver can also be performed using the Talon Roll.

Another variation could be to use the Seignor's Loop, however this may not provide enough separation to achieve the desired result.

Next time, the most famous Beam Defense maneuver of them all...

On 11/22/2018 at 1:57 AM, Ambaryerno said:

Next time, the most famous Beam Defense maneuver of them all...

Hey, when is "next time" happening?

Real life pilot formation tactics are about as useful in X-Wing as real life medieval warfare formations are useful in chess. Which is to say: not useful at all, unless you squint an awful lot and do some heavy mental gymnastics.

3 hours ago, GreenDragoon said:

Hey, when is "next time" happening?

Bear with me, the Thach Weave is complicated enough I'm trying to figure out how best to do the graphics. I may have to break them down in series.

6 minutes ago, Ambaryerno said:

Bear with me, the Thach Weave is complicated enough I'm trying to figure out how best to do the graphics. I may have to break them down in series.

Ok, cool. I just wanted to know whether you abandoned the topic or just got delayed. Also I understand if you don't have much time for it in December. I know I don't.

It's time for the big one.

The fullest expression of the Beam Defense formation is the Thach Weave, a defensive tactic developed by Navy pilot John Thach in the lead-up to World War II, and was the centerpiece of his strategy for how the tubby Grumman Wildcats could handle the much more nimble Zero. After demonstrating its effectiveness at the Battle of the Coral Sea, and later at Midway, the Thach Weave spread rapidly through the US Navy and Marine Corps, and was soon adopted by the Army Air Force as well, before eventually being passed on to other Allied forces. Even to this day the Thach Weave is a fundamental air-combat tactic that remains an effective means of defense by a two-ship formation. It's a maneuver that's both complex and yet inherently simple, and when executed properly creates a trap that even a wary opponent may not be able to escape.

The Thach Weave is a defensive maneuver that relied on two elements: The "bait" and the "hook." In this example, Red Two serves as the former, with Red One as the latter. Because of the nature of the board and how ships maneuver a traditional Thach Weave may not be the easiest maneuver to execute. It was certainly a challenge to diagram it in a practical manner. In fact the example here has a number or problems due to the spacing involved, (for one, the bandit is given FAR more Range 1 shots at the "bait" fighter than would be comfortable) but trying to do this at any other scale would have been implausible. But at the very least it will provide a guide for how the maneuver works.

The maneuver begins in its setup: Red One and Two are flying in beam defense formation, when an enemy fighter closes in for an attack from the rear. Ideally, it should be evident which member of the formation is the target, but it can be performed even if this isn't apparent. In this case, the bandit is turning onto Red Two from outside the formation.

The first turn requires both fighters to turn into each other. In this case, Red One executes a Right 1 Bank, while Red Two takes a Left 3 bank. The bandit, perhaps anticipating Red Two trying to open distance with a hard straight maneuver, pursues Two with a right 3 bank. From this position he still has a shot on Two, but One just catches him at the edge of his arc. And this is the important aspect of the Weave: Providing the "Hook" fighter with a shot against the bandit in an attempt to clear him off his wingman's tail.

The maneuver continues, as Red One and Two cross flight paths to set up their reversal, while the bandit continues his pursuit of Two.

Red One and Two execute their reversal. What I like about opening the maneuver with a bank is that it nicely sets up using the turns to reverse. The bandit is left with a choice: He can continue his pursuit of Two and expose himself to more fire from One, or he can attempt to break off. However even in the latter case, he may still present the "Hook" fighter with a shot, if not set the "Bait" up for a counter of its own.

The nature of maneuvering in X-wing certainly adds a number of further wrinkles, with maneuvers such as K-Turns, S-Loops, and T-Rolls, along with repositioning actions like Boost and Barrel Roll. However as I said this was just a simple chart of the maneuver.

24 minutes ago, Ambaryerno said:

In this case, the bandit is turning onto Red Two from outside the formation.

I'm curious how the formation would respond to the cut in on Red 2 being a feint and the TIE/IN pilot instead performing a 2 straight for a range 1 shot at Red 1 when the Reds begin their turn ins?

In that situation you're pretty much on an audible, and are getting out of Beam Defense and likely into a Loose Deuce/Double Attack situation.

44 minutes ago, Ambaryerno said:

In that situation you're pretty much on an audible, and are getting out of Beam Defense and likely into a Loose Deuce/Double Attack situation.

🤨 Audible = pilot with eyes on the bandit calls out location and vector? No clue what Loose Deuce/Double Attack translates too.

11 hours ago, Hiemfire said:

🤨 Audible = pilot with eyes on the bandit calls out location and vector? No clue what Loose Deuce/Double Attack translates too.

It means "Oh crap, our plan didn't work, now what? Better make a new one up fast."

Loose Deuce is an approach to combat where, rather than maintaining a set formation, a two-ship section trade off the lead and wing positions, depending on who has the angle.

IE lets build from your scenario:

As you said, rather than turn onto Red Two, the TIE pushes past onto Red One as both fighters begin the weave. On the first turn One and Two don't have many options but to Focus.

One and Two evade on the next turn by breaking INTO the bandit in hopes of cheating him of his angles. In this case, depending on pilot initiatives, the TIE can't go right without risking a bump. And going left risks putting him under the guns of Two. Instead he decides to blow through. Red One is clear but is now heading away from the engagement. Two now has the better position, so in this case would take on the lead role. On the next turn, he could follow with a Turn to his right in an attempt to put the TIE back into his guns (if the TIE makes another straight or goes to the right). It's going to take another turn for One to get back into the fight. However he can use this opportunity to set up his next move.

Red Two anticipates the TIE either running out straight or going left, so cuts a 2 Turn to the right to bring the TIE back into arc. However the TIE successfully anticipated this move, so goes right with a 1 Turn. Red One needs to get back into the fight as quickly as possible, so he Talon Rolls to his left, taking the Stress to reverse his course and set up for the next turn. He's also working with Two's maneuver to box the TIE in.

Although the TIE managed to disrupt the Thach Weave by going for One, he's now on the defensive. Two turns wide to the right to box him in on the left. One Destresses with a 2 straight to cut off any attempt by the TIE to go to his right.

The TIE knows he can't go left; Two will still have him in his arc. He correctly predicts that One is going to cut him off any breaks to his right. Instead he decides to burn straight through. Unfortunately, even a 5 straight is insufficient to clear him out of arc, and both One and Two have shots. He can take an Evade token, but if both One and Two roll well on their attacks and he rolls poorly — especially on the first attack — that may not be good enough; the first shooter can force him to burn his token to set up the second shot. This means he may want to reposition instead. Boost alone won't be sufficient to clear him out of One's arc. A Barrel Roll to the left clears him out of One's guns, but he'll still be in Two's. To the right keeps him under the guns of both ships. He may need to use the Interceptor's ability to double-reposition, taking the Stress to Roll and Boost out of arc. However this means he'll now be Stressed on the next turn, which is going to limit his options.

This is the Double Attack. There's a load of variation, but the key is that a two-ship section keeps up a high tempo of attack to pin down the target. Historically this meant forcing a target to constantly maneuver to bleed it of energy, while the attackers maintain theirs (when an aircraft turns it loses speed. The harder the turn, the more it sheds. Speed is vital in air combat because this is your energy; it's what allows you to maneuver. The less E you have, the fewer options available to you). MAYBE both ships won't have a shot at the same time — one variation is for the first attacker to make his run, then pull off when the target breaks rather than burn E to pursue. Meanwhile, the second attacker sets up his own run, entering the attack when his wingman pulls off — but that's not important. The idea is that no matter what maneuver the target makes he's either going to end up with guns on him, or his efforts to AVOID that situation will limit his subsequent options until he can no longer escape.

That's what's happening here: The TIE is forced to maneuver in such a way that his ability to avoid damage is limited. Either he Stresses himself, limiting his options on the next turn, or he takes the Evade and risks taking fire from both X-wings.

1 hour ago, Ambaryerno said:

In this case, depending on pilot initiatives, the TIE can't go right without risking a bump.

Going from here it looks like the Interceptor is an I1 Alpha Squad and not an I4 Saber. Pitty, a right S-loop instead of the 5 straight feels like the preferred option to me there. Still, instead of the 1 Right Turn after the first 5 Straight there is room for the 3 S-loop Right at that step.

43 minutes ago, Hiemfire said:

Going from here it looks like the Interceptor is an I1 Alpha Squad and not an I4 Saber....Still, instead of the 1 Right Turn after the first 5 Straight there is room for the 3 S-loop Right at that step.

For simplicity's sake, I specifically used maneuvers that wouldn't cause overlaps because I didn't want to mess with trying to chart out bumping in GIMP, lol. In which case yes, it does rely on the Interceptor having lower Initiative, and that would certainly affect the flow of combat.

I'd say the risk of the 3 S-Loop instead of the 1 Right is that the TIE might not clear Two's arc after the maneuver, (it's hard to eyeball it from here) in which case does he want chance a head-on attack against the X-wing while Stressed and unable to take an Evade token? What if Two has a Target Lock and is packing torpedoes? He could then Focus on top of the TL, improving his chances for an Alpha strike. And even if the TIE's maneuver does clear, if the X-wing has higher INIT he could just Barrel Roll after his maneuver to bring the TIE back into arc and force the head-on shot anyway; Unless he's already badly damaged the X-wing can afford to take a couple hits, but the TIE not so much.

Alternately, Two could take a Talon Roll to the right rather than the 2 Turn, in which case the question of whether the S-Loop will keep the TIE out of arc is moot, and his best move would have been going to the left (either the S-Loop, or a bank or turn) after all.

At that point we're kind of getting pretty well beyond the purposes of this thread, lol.

12 minutes ago, Ambaryerno said:

At that point we're kind of getting pretty well beyond the purposes of this thread, lol.

Only slightly.

RE the S-Loop Right: There's also One to consider. Although he'll be out of range on that turn, on the next he'll be able to close to gun range if he forgoes Destressing with a 4 Straight or a 3 Bank, depending on where he anticipates the TIE to move.

7 minutes ago, Ambaryerno said:

RE the S-Loop Right: There's also One to consider. Although he'll be out of range on that turn, on the next he'll be able to close to gun range if he forgoes Destressing with a 4 Straight or a 3 Bank, depending on where he anticipates the TIE to move.

The Alpha has plenty of time to adjust for Red 1. Honestly it looks to me that Red 2 wouldn't have a shot on the Alpha without Talon rolling if the Alpha did a S-Loop Right instead of the 1 hard right.

Looking forwards to your next formation flying break down.:)