Author Topic: Tracers, do you use them or not? (Read 3084 times)

GtoRA2 · « **on:** March 26, 2004, 04:19:13 AM »

When I play enough my gunnery is OK I turn them off.

What about you guys?

Pro and cons here?

Is there a thread about this? I searched but did not really find one?

hogenbor · « **Reply #1 on:** March 26, 2004, 05:19:41 AM »

I have experimented with switching them off. My experience was that I shoot better with tracers on, they help me (adjust) aim. I'm told that this isn't really historically correct as tracers have different ballistic properties than 'real' bullets. But in AH it works. I CAN live without them but once I bounced a P-38 in a P-47, got a few pings in but basically misjudged lead. I overshot and the P-38 shot me down. Turned out to be Ack-Ack, one of the most experienced P-38 drivers around. Since them I have tracers on, all the time

Swoop · « **Reply #2 on:** March 26, 2004, 07:09:08 AM »

On.

I like scaring the crap outta noobs who havn't seen the bounce coming.
I'll get em on the next pass......

ra · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2004, 07:09:58 AM »

I shoot better with tracers off. Plus tracers give you away when your first burst misses your target. I've been saved many times by the sight of tracers flying past my plane.

ra

Ghosth · « **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2004, 08:17:43 AM »

Off since the first day we had the option.

How many people duck, or don't duck a HO based on if they see tracers coming at them???

Even if its 1 in 10.

Not to mention all the other reasons.

Don't "walk" your fire onto target.

Put your fire out there & let them run into it.

Dead Man Flying · « **Reply #5 on:** March 26, 2004, 08:25:48 AM »

Off for two reasons.

First, turning tracers off tends to improve aim because you don't "walk" the tracers to the target. Also, turning off tracers forces you to get in closer for a better shot, thus increasing both your hit percentage and your lethality. Second, tracers tend to clutter the front view. I find this very distracting when trying to aim or function well in a furball.

-- Todd/Leviathn

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #6 on:** March 26, 2004, 08:38:46 AM »

I find it doesnt matter from either and offencive or defencive standpoint.

I use them because it gives me an idea as to the general area where my bullets are going in relation to the object im shooting at

Defencively I find even when people with tracers turned off jump me if I dont see the tracers I hear the bullets wizzing past the cockpit. which is just as good.

Eagler · « **Reply #7 on:** March 26, 2004, 08:42:45 AM »

off

you can see better that way

gofaster · « **Reply #8 on:** March 26, 2004, 08:58:56 AM »

I found that having tracers off was a huge advantage in a bounce because if I missed, there weren't any stray bullets to warn my prey that was I come up from behind in their blind spot.

Then I started jumping around from plane to plane and had a hard time judging bullet trajectory, particularly in the 30mm-equipped 109s and the Yak-9T. I've always had to have tracers on for shooting anything in the Ostwind. Now I just leave them on because I forget to turn them off.

MotorOil · « **Reply #9 on:** March 26, 2004, 09:13:41 AM »

Usually depends on what kind of mood I'm in lately. I've had them off for entire tours and had the best hit % I've ever had. However, as of late, I seem to have nights where I'm holding the trigger down and hitting nothing. So then I turn them back on. Deflection shooting can be more difficult with them off as well as those 600-1k shots!

sax · « **Reply #10 on:** March 26, 2004, 09:41:18 AM »

Off--my gunnery sucks with them on.

In AH2 i turned them on and couldn't hit anything but the ground.

Like Leviathon says--to distracting when you need a quik kill.

Zazen13 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 26, 2004, 10:02:23 AM »

Definately OFF. After playing for years you just KNOW what the proper lead for deflection is, keeping tracers on is pointless. I've found that having them on makes you lazy with regard to your shots. You tend to start shooting when you are 'close' to the proper lead, then drag your sparkly glitter hose around until you hit. With tracers off, as Levi said, you tend to get in closer, you tend to concentrate on proper lead more, and you tend to fire shorter and more lethal bursts, all good things for gunnery. With tracers on it is often hard to discern subtle enemy plane manuevers, hit sparks and control surfaces flying off, the tracers tend to overwhelm your forward field of vision. I've flown both ways for extended periods, and OFF is a definate advantage over ON.

The only exception I can think of would be switching between planes with nose or cowl mounted guns to wing mounted guns and vice versa, this wreaks havoc with your gunnery, and may require the use of tracers for an adjustment period. I tend to just fly planes with wing mounted guns for this reason.

Zazen

mars01 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 26, 2004, 10:03:15 AM »

I just turned them on after about a year with them off. Helped me refresh my gunnery and solved some problems I was having. I will go back to tracers off and see if there is any real difference.

Tracers off seem to help when your cherry picking and bouncing people, but since I'm a knight and I hate to climb above 10k I 'm always the one being bounced so it makes no difference here.

SirLoin · « **Reply #13 on:** March 26, 2004, 10:07:02 AM »

On always..Unless I'm flyin a 2 vs 2 in DA..Then it is best off.

Halo · « **Reply #14 on:** March 26, 2004, 10:07:42 AM »

It varies. Flew with tracers off for long time. Clear views, great for sneaking up and hosing prey before victim aware being shot at.

But lately turned tracers back on. More spectacle. More fun watching targets react to being shot at. Can spook targets into turning instead of running.

Also used to link cannon and machineguns into one trigger, but lately have kept them separate. More fun to apply advantages of cannon and mg separately, or even just better manage loads of all machineguns.