Strategy Guide to Taking on Mafia Pilots

[mir_us]

You can trust I'm very familiar with effective strategies for challenging Mafia Pilots as I put more hours into playing one than anyone I've met online. I'm writing this guide to both push up the challenge for all pilots as well as myself.

 

First and foremost, quit freaking out. Helicopters always seem more powerful than the actually are.

 

-------- Maverick Mafia Pros/Cons -----------

 

Pros:

• Can fly above traffic
• Can kill players/NPCs on foot with rotor blades
• Can provide limited disruption / blocking of vehicles
• Can provide safer passage for mission pick ups
• Can engage / disengage battle quickly

Cons:

• Requires 2-4 minutes round trip to acquire
• Fragile / easily crashes
• Requires regular health pick ups to maintain
• Many missions are impossible to complete
• Sometimes helicopter isn't available in designated locations

-------- General Strategy -----------

 

1) Understand the speed advantage isn't as much as it appears.

Helicopters seem to get wherever they intend to go on the map very quickly. This has a psychological effect on most players to shrug and give up before getting there as they see that blip seem to race at high speed to the mission point. But for as fast as they go horizontally, they have another obstacle with the vertical -- they have to land. Often, the landing is more difficult than one might think, giving you enough time to drive there and jump in the mix. Moreover, the missions are sometimes situated in alleyways or other difficult to get to areas. Knowing the maps can make all the difference.

 

2) Don't bother with missions it will get, go for enhancements instead.

On the occasions where you know for sure the heli will comfortably take down a far away mission before you get there (as opposed to #1 from above), instead grab weapons, armor, and/or a better position. Don't feel so discouraged if the two or three missions happen to set up really well for the pilot, know that most missions will be a bigger challenge. (See below)

 

3) Keep shooting it!

A good pilot can keep his cockpit out of the line of fire for most shooters, most of the time -- so eventually shooters stop bothering. Wrong! You should put as much hot lead into it as often as possible. Pilots are acutely aware of the damage they are taking and get nervous about it adding up. This can mean they will break away sooner to get health out of fear their next strike will hurt them too much.

 

4) Keep it under cover.

Try to herd your mission vehicles under overpasses and other obscuring structures as much as possible. For instance, try to force the armored car mission down while under a subway train track to ensure the heli can't get anywhere near you.

 

 

-------- Specific Tactics -----------

 

1) Sniper Rifles are evil -- in your favor.

You'd be surprised how often I've been killed in a not-the-heat-of-battle moment while quietly hovering. Even if you aren't able to pick one off, if you can land 3 or 4 shots from a sniper's high powered ammo, I guarantee they will start beeping and have to get health immediately. If you're patient and track a helicopter for a little while, you will find it eventually hovers in one place when surveying an area or waiting for a new mission -- that's when you can get a good bead on the pilot and take the shot.

 

2) Try to sneak an RPG on them when you can from a medium distance.

Make no mistake, they are watching and listening for RPGs as much as they can. But if you can shoot from a distance where the launching of the rocket isn't easily heard, only the searing through the air sound remains -- and often that isn't heard until its too late for them. Another great tactic is to fire at where they are, then immediately fire where you think they will go to dodge your first shot. I've been taken down a dozen times this way by very proficient players.

 

3) Go for the acquisition block.

Follow the pilot on his way to the helicopter and try to shoot him down or disrupt his path. Even better, try to camp on the copter he's going for and force him into a battle to get it.

 

4) Get your own helicopter.

This one shouldn't need to be said. But even if you have a beginner or intermediate player on your team, you can send him off to grab a copter and spoil the friendly skies for your opponent. I've had my share of noobs screwing around with me in the air, and while I did eventually take them down, they managed to burn a lot of my mission hunting time while I was preoccupied.

 

5) Suicide bomb where possible.

Again, pilots need to blow 2-4 minutes round trip just to get the helicopter in all maps other than Alderney. In a 20 minute game this is 10-20% of their total time -- for just one trip! That makes the option of suicide bombing them very attractive. Even if you lose $100 while getting the kill for $100 for a net even gain/loss, they are stuck losing the helicopter and have to put up with getting another one. Thus, in most circumstances, it is better to ignore both the pilot (if he's outside his helicopter while its landed) and even the mission to take out the helicopter itself.

 

There are two great methods of suicide bombing:

 

a) Grenade from a car approaching the helicopter.

If you don't have enough time to drop off and pass it, just ram into it while warming up the grenade and go up with it.

 

b) Shooting an RPG on foot at the last moment before being bladed by a helicopter.

This is one of the best ways -- as you know you are about to be sweeped by a helicopter with its blades, arm the RPG, wait until the last possible second, then pull the trigger at point blank range. This often takes out both of you at the same time.

 

 

-------- Missions -----------

 

Know the missions as they relate to the Maverick. This can't be understated -- the better you know what is easy or difficult for a Maverick pilot, the better you can develop tactics to take them down or ignore them altogether. Below I have ALL the missions in a Mafia Work scenario broken out into their respective risk categories as they relate to the pilot.

 

(Note missions that the total missions that have multiple locations are in brackets: [])

 

Risk Level: 1 ::: 24 Total

Here's all the missions the pilot likes a lot because he never has to get out of his copter and can attack from the air. (24) [10]

Get to the hitmen first. Close down the manager and his traders. Stop the LCPD. Take out the surveillance crew. Go and f*ck with the bikers. Take down Vasil and his fed handlers. Audit the accountant. Wipe out the dealer & his crew.Hit the Triad hit squad. Deal with the Irish hoods. Make an example of the scabs. Cull some of the Albanian hoods. Silence the blackmailer. Exterminate the committee. Clear out the gambler. Finish Councilman Rodgers. Take down the Jury members. Clear the area of the Triads. Deal with the hoods. Punish the stick-up men. Clean out the crack dealers from the area. Dump the boyfriend. Flush away the plumber. Crush the gang.

 

Risk Level: 2 ::: 24 Total

Here's all the missions he has to land for so that someone can get inside. (24) [4]

Hook up with the wannabe gangster. Escort Petrovic's girl. Take the bridge partners to the game. Take Vanya somewhere to dry out. Pick up the recruits. Convey Petrovic's nephew and his friends to him. Take the associate to hospital. Escort Petrovic's daughter and her friends to where they want to go. Link up with the hip-hop posse. Collect Petrovic's wasted crew. Fetch some prostitutes for Petrovic. Rendezvous with the game designers. Take Igor's buddies to him. Escort Petrovic's mistress out of the area. Take Petrovic to see his bitches. Take the doctor to Vitali. Meet up with the Jamaicans. Escort Jacob to the deal. Meet up with the stuntwoman. Take Gordon out whoring. Bring Petrovic's men to him. Take the Commissioner to Petrovic. Take the creepy guy out of the area. Take Juliet home.

 

Risk Level: 3 ::: 21 Total

Here's all the missions he has to get out for. This leaves him more vulnerable (see below strategies) (21) [9]

Steal a SuperGT for Petrovic. Help yourself to a sniper rifle. Take one of Vanya's cars. Take Ivo's car. Deliver the ecstasy. Take some crystal to the bikers. Deliver the prototype gun to the buyer. Deliver the bribes to the dirty cops. Get rid of the decapitated head in the river. Deliver a re-up of marijuana to the dealers. Steal the cash and the product. Steal Petrovic's car. Distribute the marijuana to the dealers. Help yourself to some grenades. Collect the protection money. Deliver Petrovic's laptop. Steal the race bike. Grab the dirty weapons. Steal the deputy mayor's car. Grab a cache of weapons. Help yourself to a rocket launcher.

 

Risk Level: 4 ::: 22 Total

Here's all the missions he has to either (a) get out for, and shoot something or (b) attack from the air but with great difficulty (22) [9]

Destroy the delivery of vending machines. Destroy the biker's chopper. Destroy the campaign posters and take out his campaign manager. Kill the hacker and take his laptop to Petrovic. Kill Anton's murderers then bury Anton's head at sea. Destroy the vehicles and take out the workers. Get rid of the other Sultans. Destroy the illegal booze. Take down the bachelors and rescue the girls. Destroy the Voodoos. Destroy the stolen cars. Destroy the politician's car. Destroy the arcade machines. Destroy the hot dog stands. Destroy the property firm's advertisements. End the garbage collectors' careers. Destroy the motorcycle. Destroy the marble statues. Take the accountants computer to Petrovic. Destroy the business's vans. Ice the tweakers and destroy their merchandise. Steal the biker's bike.

 

Impossible or nearly Impossible ::: 30 Total

Here's all the missions he can't complete (if he wants to keep his copter) (30)

Steal the vans for the job. Steal the stolen cars or destroy them if you can't. Silence the associate. Return the Cognoscenti to Petrovic. Move the cars with heroin in them. Put the rigged vehicle in position. Stop Anton getting to hospital. Wipe out the bikers and steal the chapter leader's bike.* Exterminate Boris the rat.* Clear out the bikers.* Steal a pink Feltzer for Petrovic's daughter. Get one of the vehicles. Get the FIB agent's car. Wipe out the dealers and steal their vehicles. Sink the cars in the river. Get rid of the manager from the fast food joint. Destroy the garbage trucks. Clean up the dirty cops. Steal the trucks. Steal the moped. Silence the woman. Take down the thieves and return the stolen vehicle. Take down the pornographers. Deliver the armored vans to Petrovic. Get rid of cops guarding Yuri and take the cop car with him in the back.** Deliver the sports cars to Petrovic. Get a sexy truck for Brucie. Take the beaten up sedan. Steal the detective's car. Take down Sergey.

 

 

-------- Conclusion -----------

 

The more you understand Mavericks in Mafia, the better you will be at playing against them, period.

I play experts all the time who employ these strategies. I'm very comfortable on the ground taking on Mavericks for the very reason that I know what has worked so well against me. And while it is true more and more games are having Maverick pilots -- no worries -- they often cancel each other out. Just make sure you know what to do if they don't.

 

Happy hunting!

[Booze]

Nicely written, nice layout, detailed... I think this should be added to the URBAN WARFARE: Survival Guide. I've already messaged that topic's creator. Good job!

Edited January 18, 2012 by Booze T

[A J]

Yes, nicely created post mir

 

I look forward to your "Guide for supporting Maverick Pilots"

 

 

[ZDANZ96]

Awesome strategy guide, mir.

 

I think I already did risk 4 another day. Kill the hacker and take his laptop, I did even kill a guy that was behind me, and got back to my chopper completing the mission.

 

But you are the master of it, since you did complete the nearly impossible with heli, stopping Anton to get to the hospital.

Edited January 19, 2012 by ZDANZ96

[mir_us]

Yes, nicely created post mir

 

I look forward to your "Guide for supporting Maverick Pilots"

Forthcoming!

 

(And I'll expect all my Damned to read it. )

[mir_us]

But you are the master of it, since you did complete the nearly impossible with heli, stopping Anton to get to the hospital.

I've probably watched that video 30 times. I still can't believe it myself. But sometimes you just have the right mojo going + a lot of luck and something really crazy happens.

 

 

 

... and that's about when you thank the Gods you have a PVR!!!