Lately I have picked up using FlyCasual to try out different versions of my lists against different archetypes. I find it really useful even if it's no replacement for training against real players.

But after a few games where my last ship ended up destroying all enemies I realized that's a really fun game in itself. So I started just doing that, picking a single ace and running it against multiple enemies. So far I've done it with Luke and Jake, usually against a bunch of Ties, or Drones but even Boba and a Fang, usually 50% more points than the ace. It's kinda like a video game but it's a good exercise where you just focus on one single ship and try to plan your maneuvers ahead.

Has anyone tried something similar?

Yep, in the FlyCasual program I did something silly with Vader (fully modded out) in his Defender against a butt load of Z-95s. Bested a group of 9 once, which took forever. You basically have to move in, shoot one, fly away, rinse and repeat until there are only 3 or so left and then you can be way more aggressive. Otherwise, if you are too careless early on they will annihilate you quickly if you get caught in a bunch of arcs.

3 hours ago, Jo Jo said:

Yep, in the FlyCasual program I did something silly with Vader (fully modded out) in his Defender against a butt load of Z-95s. Bested a group of 9 once, which took forever. You basically have to move in, shoot one, fly away, rinse and repeat until there are only 3 or so left and then you can be way more aggressive. Otherwise, if you are too careless early on they will annihilate you quickly if you get caught in a bunch of arcs.

For a real challenge, try it the other way: a single Z-95 against 9 TIE Defenders.

I've been using it to field test units I don't have yet (but have on order) against various opposing configurations. And learning that I misread how Focus tokens work. I thought they only let you alter one die, thus thought the AI was cheating. Till I looked through the rule book again and realized I was wrong. Huh, good to know. it's also shown my why people consider Han Solo to be such an amazing pilot for the Modified YT-1300. It's not too hard to get him near an obstacle. And the ability to reroll without it counting as a die modification is amazing. Granted, Lando's pilot ability is also pretty good. But using it makes it easier for your opponent to out maneuver Lando.

I have noticed some flaws in Fly Casual though. The A.I. doesn't seem to know how to use actions like Boost and Barrel Roll. It also doesn't seem to know how to use linked actions, probably because those appear to often be linked to a boost. Which means the A.I. can't take advantage of upgrades that are centered on Boost or Barrel Rolls such as Supernatural Reflexes. It also wouldn't help you prepare for a tournament since the A.I favors Wall & Stall tactics, which look to be illegal in tournaments.

I'm hoping Online Play gets implemented in the near future cause that will be amazing.

EDIT:

Woot! My first win against the A.I.! Only had the Falcon left with one Hull point remaining. And I managed to take out 3 Imperial aces while running around an asteroid over and over. Cluster Missile and Han Solo as gunner paid off dividends.