Will it ever get better???

[LtPillur]

Ive only been at this for ~3 months. And at that don't practice as much as others. I just can't seem to get all this together. I can't hit a target with a gun, I still can't figure out what a con is doing. Is he passing at D5000 or , wait now hes 3000, 1500, I'm dead. When I realize I have have someone on my 6 I cannot shake him, let alone convert it to my advantage (change defense to offense). I try to record my fligths and review them. 15 minutes of flying 10 seconds of death!:( I would like to hear how people have gotten to be good. There are a lot of you out there. I thank all in advance. And be safe up there:)
Pillur

[_Schadenfreude_]

practice, lots and lots of practice.........

[Mike_2851]

Originally posted by _Schadenfreude_
practice, lots and lots of practice.........

Yep! What he said. I've been playing this game for a year and a half now and I get killed a lot more than I shoot others down. With that said-I know that over this time that my "game play" has improved.

I would suggest hooking up with a squad. It helps with the learning curve quite a bit.

Good luck to you and keep trying

[_Schadenfreude_]

if you can't join a squad then make a point of playing on a regular basis for the same team, preferably at the same time each day.

You'll start to recognise people and they'll start to recognise you - it will feel less like you fresh bait dropped in to chum the waters as it were.

Check out netaces and sort out your views so that they are mapped to your stick - start flying a reasonably easy plane that will allow you to stay alive long enough to keep you interested and get the odd kill - P51 D is good.

Practice gunnery offline vs the drones untill you can kill them at various distances and angles learning to lead the target - ie fire at a point so your bullets and the target intercept in space in the time it takes for both the target and the bullets to meet.

Also you need to learn to use the views - take off offline and fly around the airfield climbing and diving, rolling and looping but you have to use the views to keep a point on the field in view all the time - say one of the hangars or the tower.

Remember you going up against people that have years of practice in a number of online sims - for a total newbie it can take a while to get the hang of things, when I started it was six months in Red Baron, after a couple of years I moved to Fighter Ace - took a month to change, then after three years in Fa moved to AH and it took me two weeks to get the hang of full cockpit.

Just started IL2 FB online and am doing ok after a weekend - getting the odd kill and landing them.

Most people remember what it was like being new so when you start just go onto country channel and ask if you can wing up with someone to gain experience - am sure someone will offer to help.

[Eagler]

pick ur fights
dont jump into a horde of bad guys and expect ot live

it helped me to turn tracers off, made it easier to get hits

gl

[Virage]

beg someone better than you to go one-on-one in the DA or TA.  Film every fight.  Copy. Copy. Copy.  Think of every death as a learning tool.. don't get frustrated.

[Adogg]

...I've been at it 4 months and only recently found my play improving. I'm now bouncing other players, misleading, dodging, living long enough to make myself a nuisance to anyone who lets their attention falter. The key is knowing when you're likely outclassed and disengaging to fight again as best you can.

Definately go to net aces and check out Soda's aircraft profiles as well. The profiles will give you a good idea of each plane's capabilities...I'll find the link shortly and post it when i get home.

Other than that keep reading here as well. You'll likely discover things you didn't even know you should be finding out about.

Best of luck.

[Adogg]

http://www.telusplanet.net/~dsoder/models.htm

[Soulyss]

Filming is always good, but simply reviewing your own films may not help too much unless you understand why  and how you lost.  Sounds like from your post (I'm making a presumption here, not entended to to be an insult) that you lack a certain understanding of some of the mechanics of how air to air combat in AH works.  If you have these films of fights that you lost see if you can find someone who would look over them for you.  Then get a dialogue going, that way you can ask questions and get specific answers.  

Try not to get frustrated there is A LOT to learn.  I've been at this for years now and I'm still learning.  I got better (and I'm not a hot shot by any standards)  by dying... a lot.  Then after I had calmed down and picked my joystick up from the corner across the room (I have no idea how it keeps ending up over there)  I'd come to the boards and read, I'd look up websites like Netaces  and read some artricles then I'd head back in and try and put them to use and after many more engagements (read hurtling towards the earth in a flaming wreckage that used to resemble a plane) I'd pick up on somthing.  Be patient, ask questions, if you can find someone to kinda hold your hand through the tough begining part so much the better.  Finding and joining a squad also helps, safety in numbers sorta thing.  You'll do better when there are a couple people around to watch you back and bail you out when you need it.

[Drano]

Originally posted by LtPillur
Ive only been at this for ~3 months. And at that don't practice as much as others. I just can't seem to get all this together.
Pillur

Believe it or not Pillur this is pretty much the normal process of evolution. All of us were new pilots at one time and all of us played the part of target drone for a while until we either picked up the tune or came across some guys that were newer at this than we were.

The learning curve in a combat flight sim such as this is steep. No way around that. There's so much information to learn initially that it can be fairly overwhelming and it takes quite a while to digest it all to the point where you're not having to think about it every second of an engagement and it's become more second nature. There's no cheat code. Only way to get good is to study the strengths and weaknesses of all the planes, get some training on ACM and (seriously) go out there and die--a lot. Dieing is part of the process. Eventually you'll become more of a kill-er than a kil--ee, but that involves sticking with it and having a positive attitude.

When I started years back in Air Warrior I hung out in a small arena where a lot of the better sticks were. They beat me unmercifully for many months. I clearly remember asking them one night what you did--"will I EVER get any better at this"? They said, "Yeah, but the thing is--we get better too!" So factor that in. There's always someone better than you as a lot of these guys have been doing this for a long, long time.

I'm a trainer and am glad to give you a hand. I generally try to make my nights in the TA Tuesday and Thursday. Look for me after about 10:30 eastern. If not send me some mail to   drano@hitechcreations.com   and we'll try and get something set up for you.


Meanwhile hang in there and have fun.

      Drano

[Engine]

Definitely check out Soda's page above.  It was invaluable when I was first starting out.

[simshell]

agree with all the aboves

my 1 tip is dont fly perk planes untill you feel you can handle the bounty on your head and some of the extreme aircraft like the ME163 and ME262

[Soda]

Remember that you are flying against some pretty good opponents in the MA too... many of the guys you will meet have hundreds, if not thousands, of hours and are very fluent in most aspects of the game.

A good idea is like drano said, ask for some help from a trainer or read some of the materials on Netaces.  I'm a trainer also so feel free to email me at soda@hitechcreations.com .  Usually, a trainer will make some observation flights with you and take that information and help show you a few things.  You can also send questions you may have and get them answered or get into some general discussions.

Don't get frustrated though, there are typically a few phases that many players have to pass through in AH.  Having a little frustration after a few months is not unusual but it may not be anything that difficult to get you past.  Sometimes the difference between feeling like a "minnow" and a "shark" isn't as large as you think.

[LtPillur]

Originally posted by Soulyss
Filming is always good, but simply reviewing your own films may not help too much unless you understand why  and how you lost.  Sounds like from your post (I'm making a presumption here, not entended to to be an insult) that you lack a certain understanding of some of the mechanics of how air to air combat in AH works.  

No insults taken!! I think that is the problem. I can execute a double dog-dare, but I don't think I know when it's THE thing to do. So hence I use it at the wrong times. Or second guess. I'm also a perfectionist that really likes to pick things up quickly! So much for that part of my personality!!:(

[LtPillur]

Originally posted by Engine
Definitely check out Soda's page above.  It was invaluable when I was first starting out.

I actually printed the thing and put it in a notebook by my computer. I was amzed with the amount of information it contained. Heck just as a "cool" refernece manual it's worth having.