[Skybird]

You have to tune the priority of combat zones, too. In the begining set all enemy territory to zero, and your own bordert territories to maximum. Have only aircraft sliders maxed, everything else on zero.

some hours later include the sectors where the front is, and include SAMs so that bthese could be targetted inside these sectors.

Next step is when these sectors are SAM-free - then you are deeper in the enemy'y territory, you still have Migs on priprity, and SAMs quite high, but you add the next chain of sectors to the active combat operaiton zones, and start to have airports included.

The trick is to prioritize the combat zones cleverly. what costs you many planes is deep strikes at the early stage of the war, when they still have to pass through plenty of Mig- and SAM-infested airspace.

I usually coordinate airport strikes with staritng to hit aircraft production. Until then, I first focus on defence: killing as many migs as I can, in the air, and second: preparation of the later offensive: taking out the SAMs. Not before Migs are taken out (especially the odern models) and all SAM batteries outside the airports have been deleted, I make all enemy country a hunting ground and start go for industry and airports.

the first day therefore is almost cp0mpletely dogfighting for all my units. After air superiroity has been totally established, it is almost completely mud moving only.

To ground battles you have to react depedniong on the situation. Take out artillery first, especially if it is in range to friendly units. They do the most damage, helicopter gunships also can be devastating. Next dangerous is armoured units.

Take note that there are two kinds of engineer units. Their presence close to a place can increase the repair of airfields and bridges.

In the Korean campaign I only destroy the bridges close to and directly north of Seoul, else the city get overun too easily. On the Balkans, I never bomb bridges. It hinders my own advance only, and there is no prressure by the enemy that forces me to do so in order to prevent a threatening ground developement.

In the early stage, focus on attacking ground units only if they are about to enter combat range to your own ground units. Do not let your ground units attack, the losses are needless. Pave them a way by air attacks, and let them just seize and hold ground. Destroying enemy units on the ground is the airforce's job, at least in this sim.

P.S. Move the sliders in quarters of the scale, to see some noticable difference between the settings. If you make finer tunings, chances are you won't note the effect. Don't be shy to give 0% and 100%. Combat zones where you want something getting achieved you should hit not with divided resources, but with everything you have. I use many sliders for switching between maximums and minimums. And CAPs I almost always locate manually where I want them. Line them up, regarding their timing, so that the relief force is already approaching a critical area when the current patrol is getting out. Else your airports can be hit, and when you have to live without AWACS for the coming 8 hours, it is a completely new ballgame.