How long did it take you to learn ACM?

[SAS_KID]

See set title for question for your posts to relate to.








Have a nice day.

[Soulyss]

your title implies that I'm not still learning.  

[4deck]

I still didnt know ACM:cry

[TexMurphy]

two weeks...

[Kazaa]

Always learning ACM

[Lusche]

You would you define the point at which someone has learned ACM?

I'm still learning...

[parin]

Almost have the Head On shot down;)

[Shifty]

Started this stuff in 1992 on AW DOS. I'm still learning ACM. Hell I'm lucky I can even spell it.

[DREDIOCK]

I've always done what seemed to make sense to me to do at any given time.
It wasnt untill sometime later that I leanred there were actual names for some of the things I do LOL

I've gottent o be ok at ACM. Just picked up a copy of Shaw that Im going through so Im hoping ot get to be better then OK.

I think ACM is a continual learning proccess. That you can never quite master in the absolute as there are too many variables.

I would venture to say that nobody ever has perfect ACM mastery at all times. Again. too many variables
And there is always room to improve

[coinbird]

it took about a month for me to kill enough goblins to level up.

oh wait,

[Gumbeau]

From my experience it takes a year of daily practice with competent teachers to become proficient at understanding and applying the body of knowledge that is considered by most sources to be the most commonly used tactics and maneuvers in air combat online.

Very few EVER put that effort into it. Most people know a little. Many know how to fly their specific model to its strengths.

I've seen guys fly online for 10 years and never get past simple concepts and attacks.

It takes a concerted planned effort to become really good but that skill is only marginally useful in the arena if landing your sortie is the measurement of success.

Landing requires a mental aspect that runs counter to the premise of the game, getting into a fight and having fun.

The biggest obstacle to getter better is blaming someone other than yourself for getting killed. Once you can admit you died because you screwed the pooch you will automatically start trying to figure out where you pooched it.

After you can admit failure is your fault find someone who really knows how to teach and get them to walk you through the material.

It really isnt a lot of stuff. It IS a lot of practice to get good at it.

[AquaShrimp]

It took about two years for me to get on the level of the top 50 best fighter pilots in AH.  I didn't consciously study ACM, I just saw what worked and what didn't.  Things would have progressed much faster if I had picked up a book on fighter combat.

But that being said, I was a very good pilot.  The AH pilot that I had the most trouble defeating was Shane.  I think hes probably the best, ACM wise.  There was also this guy who was some kind of P-47 fanatic, he gave me alot of trouble too.

[Gumbeau]

Oh....and if you don't practice regularly your skills will deteriorate pretty rapidly.

[SKurj]

Originally posted by AquaShrimp
It took about two years for me to get on the level of the top 50 best fighter pilots in AH.

Unfortunately being in the top 50 in AH does not mean you know ACM...  Not saying you don't, all I am saying is, its no way to measure your knowledge of ACM.


I've read Shaw's book a few times, I do ok in the arenas though low and slow I'll die 4 out of 5 times.

There is one thing more important than all the ACM stuff and that is Situational Awareness.

[Drano]

I'd have to agree with those that say they're still learning. Think of it as you're starting off as sort of like putting together a picture puzzle without any of the pieces. As you learn you start accumulating pieces to the puzzle and in time you'll have some sections that look like something.

I don't think anyone's puzzle is finished at any time. There's so much to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of each plane and how they relate to each other. So many different variables insofar as the situation you might be in from minute to minute. All of this would dictate what you should or shouldn't do anyway and that's a constantly changing thing. The ability to track and understand what's going on around you (aka Situational Awareness or "SA") is the single most important thing you can learn and that will only come from flying--a lot.

Knowing which maneuvers to do in what plane and when comes with experience. I started over in AW in the mid 90's and it took me probably over a year of constantly getting clubbed in the head and spending time with trainers before I could even defend myself fairly well! I like to think I've progressed somewhat but my total lack of stick time in recent months is killin me. It was rough going in the early days but I was still havin a blast.

Hang in there, film your fights, watch the films, ask questions (pay no attention to the doofuses that tell you to "alt+F4") and eventually you'll be able to recognize what you're doing right or wrong in your films. From there you'll be able to transfer that knowledge into staying alive and from there to being more of a kill-er than a kill-ee.

The short of it is there's no easy road to learning how to do this. That's what attracted me to it actually.

Good luck.

Drano