HO fighting....

[Verbal]

I am asking opinions on this, NOT DEFENDING A POINT.

i was wondering what the general concensus of players opinions was on HO fighting. it seems to boil down to 2 points of view.

1) If you a poor flyers, or just plain old pathetic and underhanded you go with the HO kill. and most times you'll get a collision . and this undermines the  gentlemanly nature of the game.

2) a kill is a kill. HO fighting is a proven way to kill someone. and yes sometimes you collide, its the nature of the beast.

I wont elaborate on either, i just want to see what everyone thinks on this matter???

[SunKing]

I'll try to answer.
General concensus is....

If you lack ACM you HO.

HO is a quick out, no skill tactic and looked down on when used primarily.

[sullie363]

It takes two to HO.  The one getting shot is just as much to blame as the one shooting.  As lame as a HO might be, you only become a victim of one if you set yourself up for it.

[Chalenge]

I most often see people trying to ho when their base is under attack. It makes sense in a way but it is cheap. I mean the attacker has to fly a long ways to make it back to the field. The guy that is trying to ho everything in sight can just come right back up again if he can avoid getting vultched. Sometimes its easy to avoid and other times not. You read posts where someone says all ya gotta do is this but thats too general I think. Like I said in another thread I can see circumstances where avoiding an ho is very difficult so the reply prior to mine is a generalization at best.

[Donzo]

Ho fighting....

[TinmanX]

Was cruising along at 17k earlier today in a 38J. Spied a lone 51, he spied me, no other planes around looked like a good fight was in the offing. Went to merge, we were both fast and coming at each other head on. I dipped my nose a little and my right wing to show I had no intention of HOing. He dipped his nose and left wing, matched my course and lit me up.

That is a HO in my book. That is showing no intention of tying to fight our pretend planes until skill decides the winner.

Incidentally, I still beat him and took great pleasure in taking every peice off of his plane until he bailed, then I shot down his parachute. yes, I was bitter.

[Dichotomy]

if I'm red to you shoot me down.. HO, deflection, on my six, I don't care.  You get the kill, I go to the tower, reup, get a beer, and I should have been paying attention to where you were and taken the appropriate offensive or defensive action.  As neophyte as I am in this game I've already figured out that the HO is pretty much the easiest attack strategy to evade.   Unless, of course, I was in the process of evading or chasing someone on your team in which case you were covering his rear same as I would.  *shrug*

[Guppy35]

Had a similar experience last night.  I was up and about in the 38G when a guy way up high in a 190D9 spotted me.  I turned into him in plenty of time.  I ducked his HO's 8 different times before he got one hit that gave me a PW and started my right engine smoking.  He would literally 'extend' 3-4K before reversing.  He had all the speed and I wasn't going to outrun him.  Because of the performance gap in the two planes he controlled the fight.  I guess in that regard he did fine.

One time he tried to go vertical and turn in on me and I reversed while blacking out from the PW and got a hit on his cockpit.  He then went back to coming in guns blazing nose on.  

I did everything I could to avoid the HO shot and looking at the film of when he hit me and I was wounded, it was a million to one shot as I'd avoided him again based on the angle.

I think it was just hard as all he knew was full throttle and HO away.  Ultimately he got me on the 10th HO as I was blacked out.

I can see why it might drive guys into LAs and 51s just to run these guys down, but I refuse to be dragged out of my 38G

I probably shoulda just starting HO'ing back but somehow it seemed wrong to get suckered into it under the circumstances.

[Saxman]

Problem is, some planes have this nasty capability to turn a full-plane shot into a HO before you can react (Spits, Il-2s and Hurricanes in particular are bad about this).

And I maintain this position:

In spite of ALL the vets that say to the contrary, I HAVE NEVER ONCE been in a nose to nose merge where the other plane has NOT taken the shot, even if I showed no intention of a straight HO by going high, rolling, ducking under, whatever. I ALWAYS see the muzzle flash.

[x0847Marine]

You'll find people with no real training, or much skill that has equated to real life success, endlessly dwelling on ch200 how well practiced they are at this game. Probably because they have exactly nothing to brag about in real life...

The mouthiest digital warriors were too chickenfece to join the military, washed out in police processing, got fired as mall security, and their only sexual conquest is Rosie Palm and her 5 sisters. Yet when logged on to AH, they have something, finally!, to yammer about... and they do.

The idea it takes skill to master a game most any child can become good at is laughable at best... none-the-less these folks cling desperately to their perceived AH community status as a 'skilled pilot', which I'm sure has every KIA WWII vet spinning in their respective graves.

To see alleged adults bragging, to the point of pride, they have the skills of most any kid.. is telling.

A HO shot is considered amateurish to the self appointed AH elite, so is playing the game in a tactful manor. Regardless of how you cause their digital demise, HO shot or otherwise, they will go to emotional poop on 200 suggesting you surviving the encounter was somehow cheap. Giving up all advantage, rolling over and allowing them a free easy stat is the only acceptable outcome.

You can decide to listen to them, or not... it's your $15. Laughing profusely at how serious these little men take themselves is worth $15 alone.

[lagger86]

I have been told to avoid Ho's, but it seems that every time I try to get an angle on someone they turn around and come straight at me...(well the good one's don't, they just disappear and end up about 200 behind me as my wings and tail blow off) but when faced with a plane coming at me, what are my options, I dive...I lose a tail, I climb...I lose a wing....I shoot and I die in a collision. I'm doing my best to avoid head ons, but it seems like alot of people don't. I `guess it takes time and practice...and to all the people I've ho'd...sorry, I'm really trying to avoid it.

[RTSigma]

A HO happens from time to time and the best way to get through it is to just accept it. What did you do to put yourself into a position to be HO'ed?

If I am defending a base (usually in an IL-2 since the FH's are first to go next to the VH's) I'll do my best to defend it in any way possible. Doing complicated manuevers against the odds takes up time, kills me E and will generally put me in a position to be picked apart. If I want to win the battle I have to adapt.

[Geary420]

Originally posted by Guppy35
Had a similar experience last night.  I was up and about in the 38G when a guy way up high in a 190D9 spotted me.  I turned into him in plenty of time.  I ducked his HO's 8 different times before he got one hit that gave me a PW and started my right engine smoking.  He would literally 'extend' 3-4K before reversing.  He had all the speed and I wasn't going to outrun him.  Because of the performance gap in the two planes he controlled the fight.  I guess in that regard he did fine.

One time he tried to go vertical and turn in on me and I reversed while blacking out from the PW and got a hit on his cockpit.  He then went back to coming in guns blazing nose on.  

I did everything I could to avoid the HO shot and looking at the film of when he hit me and I was wounded, it was a million to one shot as I'd avoided him again based on the angle.

I think it was just hard as all he knew was full throttle and HO away.  Ultimately he got me on the 10th HO as I was blacked out.

I can see why it might drive guys into LAs and 51s just to run these guys down, but I refuse to be dragged out of my 38G

I probably shoulda just starting HO'ing back but somehow it seemed wrong to get suckered into it under the circumstances.

10 Bucks says it was oDALLASo?

[Yeager]

in my considered opinion this is what I have to say about that:

I am playing a game that simulates the physics of flying a WW2 combat airplane with guns.  I shoot the guns at whatever shot presents itself.  This could be a top to bottom shot, a right to left shot, a left to right shot, a front to back shot, a back to front shot, a high forward to low aft shot, a low forward to high aft shot, a back to back shot, a front to front shot......you get the picture........I will take WHATEVER shot presents itself.  Having said that, I will try to avoid a collision.  I especially like to burst em at about 1.2 and then do a quick break.  At least thats what I remember doing.....I dont buy into the HO is evil cult but there is such a thing as a well executed HO shot.

thats all I got to say about that.

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by x0847Marine
You'll find people with no real training, or much skill that has equated to real life success, endlessly dwelling on ch200 how well practiced they are at this game. Probably because they have exactly nothing to brag about in real life...

The mouthiest digital warriors were too chickenfece to join the military, washed out in police processing, got fired as mall security, and their only sexual conquest is Rosie Palm and her 5 sisters. Yet when logged on to AH, they have something, finally!, to yammer about... and they do.

The idea it takes skill to master a game most any child can become good at is laughable at best... none-the-less these folks cling desperately to their perceived AH community status as a 'skilled pilot', which I'm sure has every KIA WWII vet spinning in their respective graves.

To see alleged adults bragging, to the point of pride, they have the skills of most any kid.. is telling.

A HO shot is considered amateurish to the self appointed AH elite, so is playing the game in a tactful manor. Regardless of how you cause their digital demise, HO shot or otherwise, they will go to emotional poop on 200 suggesting you surviving the encounter was somehow cheap. Giving up all advantage, rolling over and allowing them a free easy stat is the only acceptable outcome.

You can decide to listen to them, or not... it's your $15. Laughing profusely at how serious these little men take themselves is worth $15 alone.

Just a tad bit defensive aren't ya?  Something strike a chord?