If you're like me, you probably came into Nuclear Option (or "N.O.") thinking it was going to play an awful lot like Ace Combat. Then, during your first few hours, you may have become annoyed and frustrated; "why does nothing work like it's supposed to?", "why is my plane moving like that?", constantly pressing the wrong buttons, crashing etc etc.

So let's explore the main differences you'll need to account for, if your mental model[fs.blog] for arcade-y flight games is based on games like Ace Combat (henceforth referred to as "A.C.").

Please note the following:

• This guide will use Xbox Controller terminology, because controllers are what many people, myself included, use to play Ace Combat. You'll have to translate this to your control scheme of choice. Apologies.
  
• I initially wrote this guide having only played like 5 hours of Nuclear Option, but have become much more familiar with the game since then. There may be quirks/inaccuracies in this guide needing correcting, or esoteric knowledge that I've missed. If you're not sure, feel free to ask in the comments!
  
• Some controls are uniquely mapped to the keyboard and mouse, and aren't available via the controller. Be aware that using a controller means you will need to switch hands to your keyboard and mouse from time to time! (as of Version 0.29.2).
  
• You can play with solely via mouse and keyboard, but I have never done so. You should try both K&M and a controller (and a joystick if you have one!) to see which one you enjoy more.
  
• This guide was initially written on 17/02/2024, and was updated 10/12/2024 to reflect Early Access Version 0.29.2 (released 02/12/2024).

A brief overview of the major differences between Nuclear Option and Ace Combat:

Imagine a spectrum.



At one extreme is the likes of DCS, which is a full blown simulator. Very not fun complex, DCS has a goal of being as true to life as possible. If you want to fly something, you'll need to read a 600 page manual first.

At the other extreme is the likes of Ace Combat, which is more forgiving and "arcade-y". Planes regularly carry 200 missiles and can take a lot of (unrealistic) damage before you die. Ace Combat's goal is to forsake realism in favour of fun as a video game.

Nuclear Option is somewhere between these two extremes. Keep this in mind going forward.

In my opinion, if you are bored of Ace Combat and looking for a slightly more involved, more complex aerial combat process/gameplay loop, Nuclear Option is the game for you.

Nuclear Option is a physics-based game.

This means that things like lift, stress on the airframe, crosswinds, and combat damage all directly impact your aircraft, just like how YOU impact the aircraft by controlling it.



Observe this BDF Revoker as it flies through severe turbulence and the nastiest crosswinds I can set in the game's mission editor. In conditions like these, perfectly stable straight and level flight like in Ace Combat is pretty much impossible thanks to PHYSICS!

This means you will need to compensate for these external factors, and sometimes it'll mean you will feel like you're "fighting" your aircraft trying to get it where you want it to go. You will especially notice this whilst yawing (using the rudder) your aircraft.

This is intended behaviour. At first you might think "the controls are broken/bugged!", but remember this is not Ace Combat. Straight and level flight is not easy when you got all these physics affecting your aircraft.

To destroy the enemy, you must first know where they are.

In Ace Combat, typically you have perfect awareness of every enemy in a given mission, and all enemies are marked on your radar map. This is done via an abstract method*, and involves no actual simulated detection by you or your allies. Awareness is simple, and has no complex systems behind it.
*The typical in-universe lore reason is that your AWACS ally is detecting and tracking everything for you.

If an enemy unit ISN'T on the map in A.C., they aren't physically in the game world (notwithstanding the times when a mission-specific gimmick makes enemies disappear and reappear on the map), and won't be until the mission script spawns them in.

In Nuclear Option, things are very different. Entire armies, airbases, fleets (and missiles!), can be physically present and simulated in the game world without appearing on your map. And by that virtue, can be a threat to you without you being aware of them.



This means you must find the enemy first! You do this by detecting them via two methods.

You, and every ground/air unit in the game, have a visual sensor. If an enemy unit gets close enough to you or any allies, they'll be spotted (and thus able to be designated for your weapons!)

Visual detection range varies by vehicle, and also by what is being detected (i.e. buildings will be visually spotted from further away compared to a jeep). In my basic very unscientific test mission, a LCV45 Recon Truck was spotted by each aircraft currently in the game in turn, at these approximate ranges:



This is an extremely simplistic overview of the visual detection system in N.O. - under the hood it's a lot more complicated, but that's outside the scope of this guide.

Some units and planes are equipped with a radar. This detects aircraft only, by sending out a signal and watching for whatever bounces back.

This detection system is also simulated to a high degree of complexity, so to keep it simple:

• Most radars (land or air-based) will detect you at around 40km. This effected by several variables, like your type of aircraft and radar cross section.
  
• You can detect the presence of a radar from roughly twice the distance.
  
• Some radars can see all 360 degrees around them. Plane radars (except the Medusa's Radome) tend to scan a 45 degree cone emanating from the aircraft's nose.
  
• Radars cannot see through terrain, and cannot track anything flying below 20 meters from the ground.
  
• You can turn your own radar OFF, which can come in handy when you want to be sneaky.

Your HUD will display any radars pinging you like this:


Map visualisation, and HUD visualisation, showing both a SPOTTED and an UNKNOWN radar source.

but be aware that your HUD will NOT confirm whether those radars have actually detected you.


Lastly, the core component to N.O.'s detection system: the Datalink. The Datalink allows any allied unit to report perfectly any spotted enemy's position and orientation to all other allied units.



Any enemy that has been spotted by any friendly will show up on your HUD and map thanks to the Datalink, regardless of how far away that enemy is. Also, that red marker denoting an enemy will NOT disappear off your map for any reason, unless it has been destroyed.

Thus if a a unit manages to escape from being detected by every unit on the opposing faction, it's map and HUD icon will "freeze" - this is the Datalink reporting that enemy's last known position, but that enemy will not be in that position in reality (unless it is holding position in that spot). If you or an allied unit rediscover the missing enemy unit, the Datalink will update with the true position once again.


Someone has lost track of this convoy...

In Ace Combat and similar games, every single enemy in a level/map/mission is already "tagged", ready for your aircraft's weapon systems to lock-on to. You aim your nose in the vague direction of the target you want to lock-on to, then mash Y/Triangle/etc until the specific enemy you want is highlighted.

In Nuclear Option, YOU, the pilot, are responsible for finding and selecting the targets for your weapons. You cannot just press Y/Triangle/whatever to cycle through every enemy in range until your systems lock-on to the one you want. You (and your friends) need to find enemy units first (see above!), then pan your cockpit view around and look at the specific enemy you want to designate as a target, or use the map. And you need to do this whilst flying your aircraft!

This definitely takes some getting used to, but persevere and you'll be a pro in no time.



Nuclear Option requires use of the Designator Diamond, a UI element which appears in the centre of your screen whenever you look around with the right stick. You may notice that looking around the cockpit feels very sluggish. This is intentional, to help you accurately paint targets.



The process in Nuclear Option is:

1. When flying, look around off the centre axis to show the Designator Diamond.
   
2. Move the diamond over a potential target, and press X to Select Target to designate it as a target for your weapons. (CAUTION: You can also designate friendlies as targets!)
   
3. You can designate multiple targets at once.
   
4. Position your aircraft for firing, and release weapon when appropriate. If you have designated multiple targets, your systems will release one munition per target.
   
5. Cancel Targets by pressing B to cancel the last designated target, or hold B to cancel the entire queue.

NOTE: You can still designate whatever is directly in front of you without the Designator Diamond appearing or otherwise looking around. Just press X as usual.

Targets may also be designated via the Map:
1. Press the left stick (L3)
2. Your cursor will appear and default to the centre of the map.
3. Pan the map with right stick and move your desired target under your cursor. Press X to designate, and B to cancel (just like using the Designator Diamond).



A good procedure is to select your intended targets before you even take off. The Map makes this easy.

Sometimes targets are too tightly clustered together for you to select a specific one, regardless of method. This is where the Target Filter comes in. Access it via the Map, and press the "TGT" button:



You can now block particular types of targets from being designated. Handy for when you want to focus on destroying AA units, or pluck out a single Radar unit amidst an entire enemy airbase, for example. The filter will function if designating via the Designator Diamond or the Map. Remember to reset the filter if needed!

Press A to fire your selected weapon at any time. Unlike Ace Combat, there are no separate controller binds for guns and missiles.

You must have a target designated for any guided/homing weapons to function properly!

You must also keep a close eye on your HUD to tell you when to fire, otherwise your weapons may be ineffective. There is no "lock-on" confirmation like in Ace Combat (e.g. a red square with an audible buzzing sound etc). Instead, Nuclear Option uses a Range Display and other HUD elements.


Here is an example of the Range Display HUD, firing an AGM-48 at a radar truck. Look at the GIF closely and we'll break down the elements:





Designating a single target will cause a "TGT" arrow to appear on the range display to the right of your HUD. This arrow will tell you where the target is in relation to your current selected weapon's effective range, getting closer to the bottom "MIN" as you get closer to the target. ("MIN" and "MAX" being the weapons minimum and maximum range.)



The numbers next to "MAX" and "NEZ" are dynamic and constantly recalculated. Try changing your speed and altitude to see how they effect your weapon's range.

The giant "X" in the middle means you should not shoot yet. Along the top the HUD will display the reason. Correct this and you should see the "X" disappear, and the word "SHOOT" appear.




If you designate multiple targets, the "TGT" arrow will turn into a bar, which conveys the full extent of the range of all your selected targets (i.e. the size of this bar is determined by your closest and furthest targets) with the average distance of all your targets marked by an "AVG" arrow.

Weapons, both yours and the ones used against you, are more complex than in Ace Combat. Missiles in A.C. have no complexity to how they lock on to targets, whereas Nuclear Option's arsenal of player weapons feature FIVE simulated methods of guiding themselves to targets, each as quirky as the last, and none that is a 100% a sure thing to hit when launched.

These are the guidance methods that weapons used by you, the player, use:


Will home in hot things, and likely miss cold things.


The AAM-29 Scythe will use Datalink for guidance until the final 10km to target, where it will switch to it's internal radar.


All bombs use optical guidance.


ARAD-116s can be launched without designating a target, and will naturally home in on the first radar emission they find.


Cruise missiles are intended for use against static targets, like buildings. They do not "track" targets - they are told once where to go, and that's it.

An N.O. pilot has the complete freedom to use any weapon against any target, but don't be surprised if that slow lumbering cruise missile doesn't manage to hit a fighter jet, for example.

Rather pleasantly, missiles in Nuclear Option will properly lead their targets, unlike their tail-chasing brethren in Ace Combat. The missile knows where it is.

Dodging missiles in Nuclear Option requires more thought and gritted teeth than in Ace Combat.

In A.C., turning very hard is often all that is needed to evade lots of enemy missiles.

In N.O., dedicated AA missiles can turn extremely tightly (see the "Delta-V" statistic in the in-game encyclopedia) and are pretty much impossible to dodge by manoeuvre alone. You will need to turn, pop the CORRECT countermeasure, potentially throttle down your engines and/or be going along an advantageous heading (e.g. perpendicular to any radar that has spotted you) in order to successfully evade.

The art of evading missiles could be the basis for a whole guide on it's own. And it is! Read this multiple times: https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3054393630
So, your HUD is flashing and beeping alarmingly at you. A missile is coming your way! Let's summarise with the most simple, rough and ready strategies for each type of missile threat:




Someone shoot an [IR] missile at you? Throttle down to reduce engine heat, and pop flares whilst turning to give the missile something else to look at. Keeping popping flares until the threat disappears.


Throttle down...                           pop flares...                              and turn!

Protip 1 - Present a side-on profile to the IR missile threat to improve your flare's effectiveness.
Protip 2 - "Pre-flaring" (launching flares before an IR missile is fired at you) can be very effective and prevent enemies from getting a lock, or otherwise cause a fired IR missile to lose lock immediately. Try it launching once every 1-2 seconds.




Someone shoot a [SARH] missile at you? Break line of sight with the radar guiding the missile using terrain, or fly below 20m ("ground clutter").
Alternatively, or "notch" the missile by flying 90 degrees (perpendicular) to the radar in question. A yellow dotted line marking the ideal heading will appear on your side map. Hammer your Radar Jammer countermeasure all the while, until the threat disappears.
BE AWARE - If the radar guiding the [SARH] threat starts tracking you again within 3 seconds, the missile can reacquire you! Continue notching and jamming for at least 3 seconds after the [SARH] threat disappears.


Break LOS...                                or notch...                                   and jam!

Protip 1 - R9 Stratolance Launchers (which use a big long range SARH missile) will not fire on any target below 50m, but you will still need to get below 20m if they have fired at you.
Protip 2 - The Radar Jammer countermeasure can raise the height at which "ground clutter" becomes effective, but this will degrade as the charge in the jammer depletes.




Someone shoot an [ARH] missile at you? Until the missile is within 10km of you, treat it like a SARH missile, but note that it will initially be guided over datalink, not radar, until it gets within that distance, so you have to break line of sight with every enemy unit (basically disappear off the enemy's map) to break lock.
Within 10km, the [ARH] missile will switch to it's own internal radar to guide itself, whereby it may now be evaded using the same tactics for [SARH] missiles (see above).


Break LOS...                                or notch within 10km...                  and jam!

Protip - [ARH] missiles can be fired at you from a very long way away. Don't panic until it closes to within 10km of you (when the audible warning gets more "serious".)




Someone shoot an [OPTICAL] weapon at you? Simply perform any evasive manoeuvre - optically-guided weapons are usually meant for killing ground units and have very little manoeuvrability (Delta-V) on their own, unlike dedicated AA missiles.


Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and uh, dodge!




Someone shoot an [ARAD] weapon at you? Turn your radar off.


Hard to demonstrate this in game and be entertaining, so have a Simpsons GIF.

Someone is shooting at you with guns? Fly hard, evade, get away.


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Protip - Screaming may or may not help.

Friendly units may also sometimes shoot down any enemy munition which they can target, so flying towards friendlies can help!

Here are other important gameplay elements that are different from Ace Combat.

In Ace Combat your standard missile is capable of taking out both air and ground targets. Not so in Nuclear Option. Each weapon is either effective against air targets or ground targets, so don't waste your AA missiles on a tank, or your AGM's on a plane.

Nuclear Option's aircraft have a realistic ammunition capacity. No 200-missiles-in-a-plane here. You will need to be discriminating in what you blow up first, and return to base often to rearm and respec your loadout, in response to the changing battlefield.

Nuclear Option has a much more complex damage model than Ace Combat. In A.C., you get hit, your damage percentage goes up. If it hits 100%, you die, but damage has no other gameplay impact. Damage also comes along in smaller chunks, and there isn't usually anything in A.C. that will one-shot you.

In N.O., damage can affect the handling of your aircraft, lower your engine output or cripple engines entirely, set you on fire, lose weapon pylons, crack your cockpit glass, bluescreen your targeting screens, and so on. A single missile can explode your craft to pieces, or otherwise send your plane unavoidably tumbling into the ground with no hope of regaining control.

Therefore, damage is something to avoided far more in N.O. than in A.C. Fly cautiously, and practice on switching to evading incoming threats at a much lower threshold than you're used to. You won't be able to just plow ahead unthinkingly like in a lot of Ace Combat missions.

Protip: Missiles can target missiles.

Nuclear Option tends to have more distance between opponents in a given engagement than Ace Combat. Missiles have established ranges of multiple kilometres, and you will want to use every single one of them. Almost every missile has an effective range far in excess of the 2km of Ace Combat 7's standard missile.

Getting close to enemies Ace-Combat-style is risky and may prevent your own missiles from targeting correctly. Flying over an enemy ground formation of tanks, IFVs etc is fun/harmless in Ace Combat, but potentially deadly in Nuclear Option.

Plan ahead, start considering threats and engagements way earlier than usual, and always be willing to avoid flying in a straight line to the nearest fight. A more circuitous route, taking advantage of the terrain, may be more favourable to you in a given engagement.

Ace Combat makes a mini-game of landing and rearming, and can handle the entire task for you if you want to skip it.

In Nuclear Option, it's up to you to return to base and land competently. You have control over your aircraft's landing gear (D-Pad DOWN), so remember to use it! And use the HUD landing assist elements when landing on carriers!



Position yourself to make the Glideslope line as short as you can, and keep the AOA Indexer showing yellow. (Red = too fast, Green = too slow, Yellow = correct speed)

These functions are NOT automatic once you've have landed at a friendly airfield. You will need to approach within 300 metres of any nearby HLT Munitions/Fuel Trucks to rearm and refuel respectively. Alternatively, you can issue move orders to friendly units via the map - tell that truck to come to you!



There is no repair function in Nuclear Option Instead, press CTRL+SHIFT+E to "eject" your pilot(s) when landed and stopped and a friendly airfield to pick up a fresh plane via the Map.

WIP

AC - Campaign, narrative, lore, is big deal and central to the AC experience. Missions are scripted and story driven. Lots of voice acting. Often AI allies are invincible (and de facto ineffective, leaving you to do all the work). Little to no resource management, apart from husbanding your ammo.

NO - No campaign, as of yet. Just individual missions to showcase the vibe of the game. Missions are dynamic, with light scripting, and barebone narrative elements. No voice acting. AI Allies can die, and can be very effective in assisting the war effort. Money-based resource management - buying planes and their munitions costs you money, so come back alive! Kill enemies to make money. More need for husbanding ammo due to realistic plane loadouts, so returning to base often is necessary.

The central experience of NO is the "Escalation" mission - this is a lengthy affair that plays a little like League of Legends - ground and air units from the two sides will spawn advance autonomously to their scripted objectives over a very large map, and it's your job to help them by doing all sorts of things as per your best judgement; perform close air support, knock out logistics, destroy spawning buildings, destroy the factories that MAKE those spawns, prioritise air-to-air combat, shoot down munitions, pull AWACs duty, etc. None of that is scripted, and can be done in single or multiplayer.

WIP

Hopefully this guide will have given you a good starting point on updating your "mental model" from Ace Combat to Nuclear Option; on what thought-processes you need to change, or habits you need to drop, in order to be a successful pilot.

Remember, this game is in Early Access at time of writing, so a lot of these elements can change. But I think this game already stands alongside A.C. as a great (and accessible!) aerial fighting game, especially with the Mission Editor, and the potential new features that we'll be seeing from Shockpoint Studios.

One last piece of advice. Doing all of the training missions, and the single player missions IN ORDER, is the best way to ease yourself into Nuclear Option without getting frustrated. Just keep trying, and in no time at all, you'll "get it"...

...And wonder how you were ever satisfied by Ace Combat.

Good luck!