To be or not to be... honorable

[Arcades057]

I've been going through the posts on this board, trying to catch up and see what kind of community this is, and I have noticed something that seems to be rehashed every so often, and that is the notion of "honor," ie, Alt-F4ing to escape death, running from a fight rather than engaging, only to pounce once your "opponent" is busy with another con, vulching, HOing, and intentional warping.  As a newbie I've come to realize quite a few things that have become evident...


1) If I don't HO you, you will HO me.  I can't count the number of times I'm seeking the merge and I hear BABABABABABABa as they pass me, or lose a wing or some other damage.  I can avoid it around 75% of the time, but sometimes I get sparked.  I'm not counting a HO as one scored after a merge, that's just silly--after the merge everything's gravy.

2) Some people will try and land a shattered plane, thus not giving you the kill (if this will in fact still give you a kill, then I may have to add this to the next observation).  If I'm hit bad and I'm going down, lost a wing or my tail or what have you, I'll bail or just crash in as loud a fashion as I can.  I don't try to land.  If someone put enough work into me to make me go down, they deserve the kill.   I can't count the amount of times I've been alone in the sky and blasted a con w/ 20mms, watched them go down in flames or minus a wing or a tail and then waited for the kill... and waited... and waited...  I fly a Zero usually so those 20s burn up quickly; one or two lengthy engagements and I'm heading home, so when someone lands their battered plane or gets out of the kill, I'm out a couple minutes of my time flying there.  Whereas if the con had bailed, gotten the Shot Down by message, they could re-up and come back for blood.

3) Alt-F4/intentional disco:  Not good.  Nothing more to say besides that.  It smacks of bad sportsmanship and a childish mentality.  Unintentional discos suck worse.  I had a con vanish off my six last night in the MA and laughed pretty hard... I was bingo and on final approach when he discoed.  No way he planned that one!


These are just a few things I've noticed.  I've decided that, depending on my ride, I will HO only when the enemy appears to be willing to do the same, though I may also set up a HJO atempt, depending on my mood.  This is the internet; there is no honor system here when you can be shot down twice, only to re-up a third time and hit someone on RTB w/ bingo.  I will also endevour to crash as spectacularly as possible and as often as possible (and seeing as my K/D rank is sloooooowly improving, I'll be crashing a LOT!), hopefully filming some for my enjoyment!  I will also enjoy the heck out of being shot down three times by MX1, take up a LA7 and hunt him down... only to be shot down a 4th time by him!   for that, by the way, it was a learning experience.  

And most importantly I wil continue to enjoy my time here.   to everyone, even the kill-stealing, field-vulching, Alt-F4ing, alt-monkeying, GVing, LAmer-7-flying, kill-ditching, strato-diving, HOing folks.

[SuperDud]

Basically, play how you like...like how you play. In the end the question you should ask yourself is, "am I having fun?" If the answer is yes, than carry on.

[dedalos]

Originally posted by Arcades057
1) If I don't HO you, you will HO me.  

So?  The HOer just gave you the advantage.  Thank him and then kill him

2) Some people will try and land a shattered plane, thus not giving you the kill (if this will in fact still give you a kill, then I may have to add this to the next observation).  If I'm hit bad and I'm going down, lost a wing or my tail or what have you, I'll bail or just crash in as loud a fashion as I can.  I don't try to land.  If someone put enough work into me to make me go down, they deserve the kill.   I can't count the amount of times I've been alone in the sky and blasted a con w/ 20mms, watched them go down in flames or minus a wing or a tail and then waited for the kill... and waited... and waited...  I fly a Zero usually so those 20s burn up quickly; one or two lengthy engagements and I'm heading home, so when someone lands their battered plane or gets out of the kill, I'm out a couple minutes of my time flying there.  Whereas if the con had bailed, gotten the Shot Down by message, they could re-up and come back for blood.

Planes with a missing wing or tail cannot land.  If he was able to land, you did not do enough damage to deserve a kill.

3) Alt-F4/intentional disco:  Not good.  Nothing more to say besides that.  It smacks of bad sportsmanship and a childish mentality.

Dont think I ever had anyone disconenct intentionaly, but every time I got the kill.  Delayed, but I got it.  Not sure if you need to put atlist 1 round in them or not.

These are just a few things I've noticed.  I've decided that, depending on my ride, I will HO only when the enemy appears to be willing to do the same, though I may also set up a HJO atempt, depending on my mood.  This is the internet; there is no honor system here

You are absolutly right.  If you don't have a sence of sportmaship, honor, respect, or whatever you want to call it, you are not going to find it on the internet.  YOu have to bring it with you.  However, thats not a requirement.  Its up to you.

[Soulyss]

Everyone has their own line, what is an what isn't acceptable behavior... of the issues you mentioned alt-f4 is where I draw mine.  HO-ing I tend to avoid them only because I'm really bad at hitting planes coming towards me.  But I never asume my opponent will not fire because of some notion of honor.  I will always try to ditch a damaged plane if I can but I don't get angry when someone tries to shoot me while trying to do so, just like I will try and finish off an opponent who is trying to ditch in turn, unless they caught me on an overly generous night.  

Basically it comes down to having fun, but I do think some people would be hard pressed to argue that alt-f4-ing and other tricks as acceptable behaviour.

[eskimo2]

Intentional warping or Alt F4ing are pretty serious in everyone’s book; the rest is all personal preference.  It sometimes takes folks many years to realize that no matter what they do they will not be gallant knights in shining armor; it’s just a dumb flight sim after all.

eskimo

[Toad]

Originally posted by eskimo2
it’s just a dumb flight sim after all.

eskimo

Say it ain't SO, silk-scarfless Joe!

[BTW]

A couple of times in really slow fights I've accidently ditched a badly damage plane (it can happen). When I've exited to tower, the opponent got the kill.

[FBBone]

Originally posted by Arcades057

2) Some people will try and land a shattered plane, thus not giving you the kill (if this will in fact still give you a kill, then I may have to add this to the next observation).  If I'm hit bad and I'm going down, lost a wing or my tail or what have you, I'll bail or just crash in as loud a fashion as I can.  I don't try to land.  If someone put enough work into me to make me go down, they deserve the kill.   I can't count the amount of times I've been alone in the sky and blasted a con w/ 20mms, watched them go down in flames or minus a wing or a tail and then waited for the kill... and waited... and waited...  I fly a Zero usually so those 20s burn up quickly; one or two lengthy engagements and I'm heading home, so when someone lands their battered plane or gets out of the kill, I'm out a couple minutes of my time flying there.  Whereas if the con had bailed, gotten the Shot Down by message, they could re-up and come back for blood.
 

Are you kiddin?  If the bad guy on my 6 can't knock me out of the sky, Why should I bail?  If I can keep my ride in the sky long enough to get home, thats what I'll do.  How is this dishonorable?  I don't get it.  It seems to me that the two basic objectives to this game are:

1:  "Kill" other people.

2:  Don't get "killed" by other people.

If I can get away from you by diving faster than your Zeke, Thats the way I'll do it.  If you don't want to follow up on your kill, well too bad for you.  If my ride shows no signs of being conrollable, obviously I'm going in.  But if extra aileron, rudder or elevator input will keep me aloft, you'd better get back on my 6 and finish the job.  A6M has awesome range and you should be able to catch any fighter thats limping that badly.  Are you really suggesting that your opponent should bail just because you happened to ping him once or twice?  Thats obsurd.  Alot of guys have taken seemingly wasted birds home, minus various vital parts or fluids, and I respect their abilities alot more than someone who would just hit the silk.  There will be no "freebie" kills for you.

[Alpo]

Excellent observations for someone claming to be a newb.  Whether "honor" plays into any of it... that is anyone's guess.

Originally posted by Arcades057
 As a newbie I've come to realize quite a few things that have become evident...


1) If I don't HO you, you will HO me.
 

Learn to avoid it on the merge.  Quite frankly, if I hear guns blazing as the other guy blazes past, I'm prone to start drooling as I know it's not someone I would necessarily worry about.  It's the quiet ones that make me pucker  

Originally posted by Arcades057

2) Some people will try and land a shattered plane, thus not giving you the kill

I feel it's my responsibility to try and land a busted up plane... if nothing else, for the challenge.  Of course, I fully expect the other pilot to try and prevent this  If I manage to get down and not provide the kill to the enemy plane, I'll throw a generic salute on 200 to the Spit V at A71 from Rook Typhoon or whatever the matchup was.

Originally posted by Arcades057

3) Alt-F4/intentional disco

As some of the other replies have stated, I haven't seen this lame behavior for a long time.  I tend to see a C47 land and exit to tower more often than discoing in flight.  Still sad... nothing shows a lack of imagination more than NOT trying to get the other guy to auger while you are in a goon

Originally posted by Arcades057

And most importantly I wil continue to enjoy my time here.   to everyone, even the kill-stealing, field-vulching, Alt-F4ing, alt-monkeying, GVing, LAmer-7-flying, kill-ditching, strato-diving, HOing folks.

That's what it's all about, "enjoy my time here."   LOL... LAmer-7... you sure you're a newb?

[Paul]

Oh wait... wrong thread.

My bad

[LYNX]

You bet your your arse I'll try and land.  Althougth this is a game I try my best to stick to the ethics of the scenerio.  I don't bail to get the next ride even if a goon is needed ASAP.  I don't bail or ALT F4 (giving kill away) because 3 or 4 guys will kill me.

If my plane is shot to hell I'll take the CHALLENGE of landing it,as so many real WW11 guys did.  Remember the craft is valuable, needed, not easy to replace etc.  You can ping me up as much as u like but if i'm too damaged to fight the planes getting landed.  Your loss my gain.

Never take the HO off the bat.  Judge the merge make the plan get the 6.  However, a 2, 3,4 on 1 will at some time actuate a HO.  I would take the shot because the chances of living are slim.  "Take two with you" was a moto.

As for Zero pilots I ain't come across one yet that doesn't stop fighting even though is arse is blazing.  Those things burn for about a 40 to 50 seconds.  Enough time for the chard pilot to kill U!:o

As 4 AH pilot ethics this can be summed up in 2 ways.  There are those that pay $15 to play a WW11 combat sime or there are those that pay 25 Cents.  Unfortunatly 25 cents ethics dominate.

[38ruk]

Originally posted by Arcades057


2) Some people will try and land a shattered plane, thus not giving you the kill (if this will in fact still give you a kill, then I may have to add this to the next observation).  If I'm hit bad and I'm going down, lost a wing or my tail or what have you, I'll bail or just crash in as loud a fashion as I can.  I don't try to land.  If someone put enough work into me to make me go down, they deserve the kill.   I can't count the amount of times I've been alone in the sky and blasted a con w/ 20mms, watched them go down in flames or minus a wing or a tail and then waited for the kill... and waited... and waited...  I fly a Zero usually so those 20s burn up quickly; one or two lengthy engagements and I'm heading home, so when someone lands their battered plane or gets out of the kill, I'm out a couple minutes of my time flying there.  Whereas if the con had bailed, gotten the Shot Down by message, they could re-up and come back for blood.

This is just silly ,so your saying just because you have badly damaged a plane that they have no right to try to rtb?  Guess Robert Johnson should have augered his 47 ,after it was pounded so bad that it never flew again, instead of trying to rtb . LOL

[Arcades057]

This is just silly ,so your saying just because you have badly damaged a plane that they have no right to try to rtb? Guess Robert Johnson should have augered his 47 ,after it was pounded so bad that it never flew again, instead of trying to rtb . LOL

Robert Johnson was a real life pilot; this is not real life.  You can do what you want; it's your dime.  I won't deny another pilot their kill.  I bail or crash.  What you do is what you do; doesn't mean I can't have a preference.

Alpo:  I'm new to this game but I've read up on the boards a little and I played the original AW back when it was free, so I know a bit about flight sims, and I'm always learning.

[Kweassa]

Us Asians consider "honor" as "giving the enemy an honorable death so he will not be shamed"

 So, no conflictions of 'honor' when we play AH. Just kill the guy, and you're doing him honor

[Guppy35]

Getting this battered 38G down was an accomplishment

Not that I'm not used to being in a shot up 38G, but just the same.....

It was after getting HO'd however so I didn't feel bad that he didn't get the kill.

I keep the guy in the bottom image in mind whenever I'm in that spot

Dan/CorkyJr