Ok so AHII is a bit more difficult…

[Zippatuh]

But damn people, it seems harder to get someone to engage now with II than it was with I.

It’ more difficult for everyone, the only way you’re going to learn is to jump in and try.  I pull a 190 over the water away from any support and what happens?  The tide turns, I get the advantage, and he starts running back to friends.  Did you not see that I was intentionally pulling us out away from everyone?  It was a decent fight until he ran.

Second, fallow a 51 around for about 25 miles thinking that sooner or later he’ll turn.  He has the distance, a little bit of altitude.  Yeah, I was on his 6 but from 2K away.  In my book that gives the lead the advantage, not me.  What did he do, make a nice lazy turn back to his base.

Grow a pair people!  Get in the fight!  Hell, even at 18 last night more people were concerned about vulching the field than CAP around it.  I’m all for a good vulch but I usually pay attention to the guys inbound as well.

One note on the “floppy fish” that seems to be happening.  I think it’s still the learning curve.  I got into a vertical stall while fighting a P38 and once nose down I started flailing about.  Not normal for me but I’m still adjusting to the new stall characteristics.  Some may be doing this on purpose but I think it’s just another learning curve issue.

So what’s the moral of the story, FIGHT don’t run away… we all might learn something.

[Hyrax81st]

I think this is a flip-side rebound of the complaint in AH1 that there were too many HO dweebs and pilots who flew planes without regard to landing kills. Now, even skill-less HO'ers wonder whether they will be able to land the knockout punch in a 1vs1 (before they die) ....LOL !

In AH2, gunnery is a little tougher (as is the flight model). I think the divide will become even more pronounced (in MA) between those pilots who will "stretch" beyond their current capabilities and those who will backslide into mob flying where they fly thru cherry-picking whatever is offered (and avoid any personal risk or embarassment).

If it does continue this way, it will breath even MORE life into the CT and Tour options of AH2.

[Westy]

In AH-I I used to get abut 250 from the ass-end of a target before opening fire. Yak's did not have buckets of lead for some spray and pray target shooting.  Anyway. I found the same exact habit works just as well in AH-II. But had to laugh the few times I was on at the .50 and hizooka shooters having kinniptions from missing with the new ballistics.

[OIO]

Like wise ol' Fatty once told me..


'Dont shoot until you see the white of their buttcrack'

[dedalos]

I am not saing that people don't run, but . . . did it even cross your minds that the guy that in your opinion is runnig may be out of ammo, fuel, or plane parts?  For example, I took a 51 up the other day and went towards the red darbar.  I got a couple of easy kills on 2 F4somethings.  Then an F4U4 a NIK and a spit cought me low and slow.  Long story short, the fight went on for about 10 15 mins.  The F4 left smoking and the other two were dead.  Now I have 20 rounds left, just enough fuel to make it back, missing an elevator an aleron and half my landing gear, and a Hurri about 4k on my tail.  So, I start going home and the whines start.  Hey 51, r u going to fight or run.  Followed by the name calling and bla bla bla.  
The point is, who ever you are, no one is afraid of you.  You are not that great to make people run on sight.  You may think I am running but if had a few more rounds you'd probably be complaining about the way you died.

[dedalos]

STEVE -  you did not tell me 51s can turn like that.  Did the FM change?

[TweetyBird]

>>So what’s the moral of the story, FIGHT don’t run away… we all might learn something.
<<

That or get a faster plane...

[Zippatuh]

Ummm, no.  I can tell when someone is heading out because of amo or fuel.  They usually head right for home.  In the case of the 51 it took awhile for him to turn that direction.  Pretty much when he realized I wasn’t going to back off.

It was a decision to run for help, not reequip.

Westy, yup.  I realized pretty quickly that I needed to change my gun convergence, now set for all 6 at 300.  The old adage of being at 600 is good to open up at has changed.  I wait till 400 or closer now and have given up on the 1K shots that used to do enough damage but now do not.

I’m learning and having fun with it.  It’s just odd to me that others wouldn’t do the same.

[TalonX]

One sometimes hears how undermodelled the 50 cal MG are...... I tended to think that way, as well, and generally I fly with something with cannons.....

In AH2 I now have to fly up someone's 6 to think about a kill......This closing to under 200 yrds has made the 50's far more effective.

I have intentionally fired ONLY the 50's from under 200 and find a high degree of fatality (not like a cannon, but effective).

I used to curse the ineffectiveness of 50's.... I now realize that I was not flying close enough.

Finally!  I may get some kills!  

[Sikboy]

Originally posted by dedalos
 
The point is, who ever you are, no one is afraid of you.  

But after last friday, I'm affraid of you! lol. Serriously, those were some great fights, even if the ending was sad and pathetic for me.

In the first fight, I though I had you when you tried to set a rope, and I had more e than you thought (well from my end thats what happened), I couldn't close enough range for the kill, so I turned off giving you the 6 shot, figuring I'd lure you in for some turn-n-burn fun. As you came down fast on my, I went for a barrell roll to initiate the overshoot/scissor fight and you popped me like I were standing still lol.

I took off mad as hell and went haul assing back looking for you. Unfortunately, I found you pretty quickly. This time, I got the turn fight I was looking for the first time, but as I tried to roll over you, I don't know what went wrong, but you wound up stapled to my 6. I took an oil hit, and you pulled off to go after someone else. I should have made for base, but thought "what the hell, I might as well try for the kill" I have a few shots on you, but soon realised that both my Cannon and 1 of the .50s was out. I really should have checked the damage list lol.

I tried to run for home but no dice lol.

Anyhow, it's rare that I remember a fight with as much detail, but that one was memorable, for me.

-Sik

[dedalos]

Originally posted by Sikboy
But after last friday, I'm affraid of you! lol. Serriously, those were some great fights, even if the ending was sad and pathetic for me.

In the first fight, I though I had you when you tried to set a rope, and I had more e than you thought (well from my end thats what happened), I couldn't close enough range for the kill, so I turned off giving you the 6 shot, figuring I'd lure you in for some turn-n-burn fun. As you came down fast on my, I went for a barrell roll to initiate the overshoot/scissor fight and you popped me like I were standing still lol.

I took off mad as hell and went haul assing back looking for you. Unfortunately, I found you pretty quickly. This time, I got the turn fight I was looking for the first time, but as I tried to roll over you, I don't know what went wrong, but you wound up stapled to my 6. I took an oil hit, and you pulled off to go after someone else. I should have made for base, but thought "what the hell, I might as well try for the kill" I have a few shots on you, but soon realised that both my Cannon and 1 of the .50s was out. I really should have checked the damage list lol.

I tried to run for home but no dice lol.

Anyhow, it's rare that I remember a fight with as much detail, but that one was memorable, for me.

-Sik

Ah, you must have been the yak.  Good fights indead.  I remember the first one cause I was looking back thinking, oh s**t, I am dead.  Then you turned away.  All you needed was one more second and I would have fallen off the sky.   On the second one I think you might have turned too tight or too much and you got in front of me.  Lots of luck on my part on both.  I usually don't survive yack encounters, lol

<>

[Kweassa]

It's because the arena is pushed into true blue 1945, and the increased realism in the gunnery department made speed an incredibly important  asset to the fighters.

 In AH1, you could hit and kill at longer ranges up to about 500 yards easily. Better experienced pilots can intentionally hit things at 600~700 yards with .50s or Hispanos, and underexperienced pilots can also expect a kill with a bit of luck. And if one gets really really lucky, he would be able to kill something at 800~1000 yards with freak shots.

 Now what this meant, was when the E states are about even, no one can really run away - if a chaser was inside 1000 yards, people had to start considering whether they should initiate a break turn, admit that they've failed in running away, and have to engage.

 Usually around 700~800 yards the chaser would lob a few rounds as a threat, and the chased one would turn around and start evasives.

 ....

 Now in AH2, most people can't hit shi* outside the 400 mark. Having to close in an extra 600~700 yards than it used to be in AH1, into a plane like the P-51D or the D-9 or the La-7, can easily take some extra 1~2 minutes longer. It takes longer time to get into range when the enemy decides to run, and very slight jinks are enough to evade most attacks upto 400 yards.

 So, what happens in those extra 1~2 minutes? Planes like P-51 or the Fw190D-9, La-7, with deck speed pushing over 360mph, can cover at least 6~12 more miles in distance.

 So, what happens if they can run away 6~12 more miles? They meet help, or a friendly base(assuming two hostile planes met somewhere in the middle of two hostile bases).