Where should I start in Air Defender?

Give yourself one job

1. On the opening LOGIN / SETTINGS / EXIT screen, choose LOGIN. On Accounts, select or create your player profile. The main menu opens; choose BASIC TRAINING. Watch Radar Basics 001 first if plots and tracks are unfamiliar.
2. Choose a lesson and read its briefing and current objective. Follow its assessment instructions; a lesson can limit the information it wants you to consult.
3. To pause, press Escape and check that the main menu overlay has opened. If it only closes a smaller window, press Escape again. Close the menu when ready to continue; it restores the previous time state, so a lesson already paused stays paused. See pause and resume if needed.
4. When the lesson asks you to select a contact, left-click its position symbol or identity letter on the radar map. Read the shape and letter separately: the shape describes sensor information, while the letter describes identity or role. Where Flight Info is available, check the callsign before giving an order. The track number is on the scope data block.
5. Perform the requested action and check the objective status. Use the result screen to decide what to practise next.

Investigate more freely in a normal session

Outside a scripted assessment, read Flight Info and Aircraft Data, compare the height, speed and squawk, and call ATC and check the available evidence before changing identity. A missing value is not automatically zero. This wider checklist does not override a training instructor’s specific assessment instructions.

If the radar picture feels overwhelming

1. In an ordinary Easy or Normal session, click II to pause and check PAUSED. On Hard, the normal time bar is unavailable outside training; see the menu-pause exception. During a lesson, follow its current objective.
2. Choose one contact. If tracks overlap, use TRACK LIST to find its callsign or track number, locate it, then left-click the intended contact on the scope. Confirm the callsign in Flight Info.
3. For less text, open ASMA if needed (default M) and click A/C once to clear any single-sortie restriction. If ATC is selected, leaving it ends the current controller conversation. Press Delete and read the new reply. If it says TRACK DATA SOLO OFF, press Delete once more to enable solo mode. With TRACK DATA SOLO ON, data remains for your selection and all hooked contacts; other aircraft are still present. If several blocks remain, check your hooked contacts.
4. Read that contact’s shape, letter and data separately. Use the investigation steps before changing its identity or ordering an attack.
5. Press Delete again and check TRACK DATA SOLO OFF before returning to the wider picture. Other filters still apply; use the display-restoration checks if data is still missing.
6. When ready, click 1x to resume at normal speed where available. Read new ASMA reports and review nearby contacts. Reducing displayed text is not reducing the threat or the number of aircraft.

Know when to move on

You are ready for the next lesson when you can explain what one contact shows, what remains uncertain and which check you would make next. The controls guide gives the default keys and the route to your configured bindings.

Use the longer walkthrough as a reference

The developer walkthrough has chapters for Flight Information, ATC, hooked tracks, QRA and tankers. Its recording version is not confirmed; use the version-labelled written guides to check a procedure before repeating it.

Read the handover before giving orders

In an ordinary operational session, press M to open the ASMA message window. Choose the YOU filter and find HANDOVER BRIEF. Read it, then compare it with the live tracks and aircraft tasks. During training, follow the lesson’s own instructions.

A quiet screen does not answer every question

If you are waiting for something to happen, use the quiet-radar checks. They separate advancing game time, hidden tracks, normal event spacing, training and a loaded save before you restart.

How do I skip the opening logo?

1. When the ROTOR3 opening animation appears, wait about two seconds. Then press a key or click once to skip it.
2. The opening animation closes and the LOGIN / SETTINGS / EXIT screen appears. Skipping the logo does not start a game or complete a lesson.
3. Choose LOGIN, then select or create your player profile. When the main menu opens, choose a training lesson. The opening-logo skip is separate from the lesson-dialogue controls used during a briefing.

Which screen am I looking at?