Author Topic: what am i doing wrong all the time? (Read 1945 times)

wetrat · « **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2005, 06:50:24 PM »

If you're going a lot faster than whatever you're attacking, don't even worry about overshooting. Get in close, take your shot, zoom climb and try again. You can't complain about lousy gunnery if you're shooting from too far away and refuse to learn how to do it properly

Unless I'm flying with hispanos or 50cals, I don't even bother shooting as soon as the icon switches to 200 unless it's deflection. I like to get in a little closer so my victims don't have time to panic and fret over pings and superficial damage. I want them dead

DamnedRen · « **Reply #16 on:** March 17, 2005, 09:07:05 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by JB73

i wil say when trying for a shot, if i look to the side i lose all line of the lead, and usualy can't overcome. i just can't mentally work through it, and that is what probably makes me not look 6 as much as others. i gnerally have a mental picture of what the planes i can not see are doing, you can tell what some planes in general are going to do after a few years in the MA.

I disagree. As you mentioned after years of flying in the MA you should be able to determine "exactly" which planes are the threats and which are not. "In general" doesn't quite cut it anymore. The last thing you should do before taking a shot is a check 6 in heavy traffic. A full scan during the saddle up is also pretty much mandatory when lotsa of enemy planes are about. To do less invites disaster.

shooting:

i find it very diffucult to get much closer than D400 without overshooting, or running into the other plane. if im in a dora (which is my 80% usual ride) i can zoom closer, and wip past, in that 109E speed was not there to zoom up to a plane. i only fly the Emil at capped bases, because it can really suprise seafires, and turn inside them.

Do you have rudders? Or twist stick? Rudders can stick the fuselage into the slipstream and act like a huge airbrake.

the 205 i flew is my other "main" ride for a twisty fight.

i will try to get in closer to shoot, but if i start running into plane parts like i usually do i'll have to back off again LOL when shooting i try and "feel" when the icon is going to change from 400-200 and shoot then (which should be 299 yards if i understand the icon system properly) thats right at convergence, and should maximize the shot theoretically.

You can actually shoot all the way into 100 yard range if you:
unload
fire a 1 second burst
break hard away cause she's gonna blow!

I prefer 200-300 yds. If you don't know what 200 or 300 yards looks like make a sight with a 200 and 300 ring for the plane wingspan average. When they guys wings fill the circle you will know yer distance without a doubt and can blast away.

oh well off to fly and try

~~Feel free to join me in the TA anytime.~~

JB73 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 17, 2005, 09:53:39 AM »

Ren... i use a CH fighterstick, CH pro pedals, and an x45 throttle.

i know what you mean about looking back in a horde, but it is really hard for me to explain.... when on the 6 of a spit, im trying ot get the lead, and head where he is going, looking to the side / back, then forward again, i lose all orientation of where i was trying to get, and have to break off the attack.

it sounds stupid i know, but i cant really explain it better. kinda like vertigo, or something. look around, then go back to looking at something and it doesn not make sence anymore. like looking at a page of text, reading... get in the middle of a long paragraph, look up and around for a second, then find your place right away.

i can't do that, i usually have to start re-reading the paragraph.

as far as a burst then they are going to blow, i almost never blow planes up. the LW guns just dont have that punch, and i am nowhere good enough to hit the cockpit. heck hitting just the plane is hard enough i can not for the life of me figure out you guys that aim for the cockpit.

i will add, last night before the MA dumped, i ahd 2 good sorties winging up with a squaddie, made some shots, and got some kills. maybe the slump is over, maybe not. i did still have 5+ really bad sorties where i hit nothing and got killed easily.

mechanic · « **Reply #18 on:** March 17, 2005, 10:20:16 AM »

heres a tip no one suggested.

try taking up a P40E, a Hurricane mk1 or even a POS like the F4F.

you might suprise yourself.

seriously.

SuperDud · « **Reply #19 on:** March 17, 2005, 10:24:27 AM »

P40E isn't a POS!!! FEAR THE 40!#@!@#@#:D

JB73 · « **Reply #20 on:** March 17, 2005, 10:27:46 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by mechanic
heres a tip no one suggested.

try taking up a P40E, a Hurricane mk1 or even a POS like the F4F.

you might suprise yourself.

seriously.

squad does not allow non LW planes.

(except dweeb week last week of each quarter last week of march, june, september, december )

DamnedRen · « **Reply #21 on:** March 17, 2005, 11:02:23 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by JB73
Ren... i use a CH fighterstick, CH pro pedals, and an x45 throttle.

I use CH F-16 fighterstick, Pro Throttle and 12 year old TM pedals.

i know what you mean about looking back in a horde, but it is really hard for me to explain.... when on the 6 of a spit, im trying ot get the lead, and head where he is going, looking to the side / back, then forward again, i lose all orientation of where i was trying to get, and have to break off the attack.

I understand as we all have those kinds of concerns. I know you'll remember that lead, pure and lag pursuit doesn't mean you have to pull too hard in lead or ease off too much in lag. Sometimes just putting your sight on his nose is enuff to close the gap quickly yet not too quickly if ya know what I mean. What I'd suggest for now is before you really commit in on the guy confirm no inbound threats then only take a glance or two strait back just before you shoot. That, or as you said, a wingy will give you a heads up yer not gonna lose yer tail yet allow you a look without the vertigo. Don't look left or right for now, just strait back..no planes there, finish your kill.

it sounds stupid i know, but i cant really explain it better. kinda like vertigo, or something. look around, then go back to looking at something and it doesn not make sence anymore. like looking at a page of text, reading... get in the middle of a long paragraph, look up and around for a second, then find your place right away.

i can't do that, i usually have to start re-reading the paragraph.

LOL, the easist way I ever heard of getting vertigo (in RL) is to shoot an approach to landing when over water, at 1000 ft, pitch black outside, on 20 mile final. I guarantee if you glance out the window into the darkness vertigo can hit you square between the eyes. In order to minimize it always do a threat assessment before you get in. You will know where the closest possible threat is coming from. This limits yer required scan to just that view. You can do that and still get the job done.

as far as a burst then they are going to blow, i almost never blow planes up. the LW guns just dont have that punch, and i am nowhere good enough to hit the cockpit. heck hitting just the plane is hard enough i can not for the life of me figure out you guys that aim for the cockpit.

Do you use your lift vector to align yer view? If you're roll in hot on some guy and fire a one second burst just pitch up, chop throttle for a split second, roll to put yer lift vector on him and pull right back in. If the first bust didn't pop his bubble you are right back in with a second shot. No wasted views, time or energy.

i will add, last night before the MA dumped, i ahd 2 good sorties winging up with a squaddie, made some shots, and got some kills. maybe the slump is over, maybe not. i did still have 5+ really bad sorties where i hit nothing and got killed easily.

There's the value of a good wingman. However, since we're all human don't get too carried away expecting a wingman to clear your 6 everytime. You still need SA. But he can still call inbound bogies if he is a dedicated wingman. He's the guy that has been following the fight so he also sees the same threats you see, unlike some other guy 2k away who doesn;t even know if the bad guy is behnd you or you;re behind the bad guy. Hmmmm remember this also...a drag you set up is not a drag if you die doing it.

Hope this helps

SuperDud · « **Reply #22 on:** March 17, 2005, 11:19:27 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by JB73
squad does not allow non LW planes.

(except dweeb week last week of each quarter last week of march, june, september, december )

I fought a few who broke the rules last night

101ABN · « **Reply #23 on:** March 17, 2005, 11:56:59 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by JB73
mere words alone can't express how badly i fly nowadays.

is it time to give in and give up? i will never be a top rated dogfighter, and setteling for bottom of the barrel is too distasteful for me.

3 more sorties, i wont bother posting the films, all 3 deaths not a single kill.

dora, spent all my cannons (down to 110 left, not a kill or damage to enemy plane).

something in me tells me there is no hope to make me "better". gunnery is a trait, it has been discussed a quadrillion billion zillion times. i DONT have whatever it is to shoot right. i dont get it mentally. to shoot i have to be zoomed in, and take every ounce of my brain to make the shot, and i miss it 95% of the time (hit % less than 5% usually around 3-4%)

it is actually worse than that because i artificalyl "pad" my hit % by going full into a bomber wasting every last round on a hit to pop him even if i die 90% of the bulltes on him hit.... thus im really down around 1-2% hit in fighters VS fighters.

all my convergences are set to 300 all guns. i actually went offline and manually set them for every plane even though i fly LW only in my squad.

NO WAY, never give up. Ive been playing for a while now and im still not, in any shape or form, a good fighter pilot.. heck not even remotely decent.. I have my times where i have shot down a top ace (god was in my corner). Heck wing up with me and we can die in style. ha ha

Dead Man Flying · « **Reply #24 on:** March 17, 2005, 02:14:31 PM »

A few things, JB73.

First, you can learn aim. Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise, and don't convince yourself that you can't improve on what you already do. First, try something different for a change. Turn your tracers off and bring your convergence settings way in. Try that for a month and see how you do. You could do worse, but then you already feel you're as bad as you can get. What's the harm?

Second, your main problem seems to be situational awareness. You have guys pulling lead turns on you as you fly past them, and you aren't even snapping your views to follow them or adjusting your flight path. I found that I was working the views in the film almost completely differently than you did. You weren't marking people as threats who were, in fact, the biggest threats. You were also diving into impossible situations where no player would succeed in that plane.

As for slumps, we all go through them. Just play through it and don't let it get to you. Find the humor in it rather than the frustration. All slumps come to an end eventually.

-- Todd/Leviathn

Zaphod · « **Reply #25 on:** March 17, 2005, 03:38:18 PM »

Call me anytime...I'll play target for you in the TA. That's what works for me when working out gunnery, practicing reversals etc.

The TA is low stress enviroment where you can focus on gunnery or whatever it is your working on in a controlled enviroment until it becomes more second nature to you.

You might also try riding with another LW flyer and see what they are doing.

Zaphod

wetrat · « **Reply #26 on:** March 17, 2005, 03:40:04 PM »

Best way to break a slump is to try something new. My Ki84/109G2 flying was getting sloppy, so I decided to master taters in the G6/10. When that starts getting sloppy, I fly spit14's for a bit, then go back. Best way to kill your lousy flying is to change things up.

And for god's sake, pay attention to what's going on around you

Schaden · « **Reply #27 on:** March 17, 2005, 04:00:09 PM »

Feel free to hook up for a flight anytime, I fly rook, mostly D9 or G10...with a little Tiffie and P51 sometimes....I have 260 odd kills this tour, fighter ranking for what it's worth in the 20's.

After 6 years of online sims my strengths are good SA and good gunnery, acm is slightly better than most but not in anyway good.

I agree with what others have said but would add that perhaps think about looking at the MA in a slightly different way.

Instead of trying to simply outfly or outfight yr opponents rather think of trying to create situations, using speed and energy where you force them to either to make a mistake or to lose sight of you for that 3 seconds you need to kill them.

You also need to practice both range and defelection shooting, I set my guns at 600 and can kill a stable target out to 800, a climbing or turning target at 400 and a manouvering target at 200 to 300.....it is a critical skill that enables you to swat down 3 or 4 opponents in a furball while everyone else is flopping around and looping their little hearts out.

The trick is of course not even to have to worry about actually flying and shooting, just let that happen, watch and wait for the chance to kill and get away with it and then reposition yourself for the next chance.

wetrat · « **Reply #28 on:** March 17, 2005, 06:07:09 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Schaden
Instead of trying to simply outfly or outfight yr opponents rather think of trying to create situations,

If you're flying LW and you're trying to outfly people in the middle of a gaggle, you haven't planned your sortie right

Outflying people is for 1v1/2/3's away from the big hordes.

Blue Mako · « **Reply #29 on:** March 17, 2005, 08:11:03 PM »

Some days the best decision to make is to stay in the O'club and have a pint or two.

If you're getting frustrated at your flying it will only make it worse.

Take a week off, catch up with some reading or some TV watching, talk to the wife/girlfriend and let them know that you are indeed still alive and still living in the same house.

Come back refreshed and ready for a clean start. Practise offline or in H2H to get your shooting skills honed then hit the MA with only one intention: good fights.

Don't try for kills, try to have a good fight.

Enjoy the sortie for what it is, not what the score board says.

After all, isn't a sortie where you get killed after a closely fought battle much more satisfying than a sortie where you mindlessly vulch baby seals? (although the seal option can be fun too!)

Just try to have fun and it will get better again, you'll stop rushing engagements and flying into hordes without a good situation merely to chase kills that won't appear...

My 2 cents, YMMV.