HO's and Hoards..

[toonces3]

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[toonces3]

Originally posted by SlapShot
First, the HO is a great opening move on the merge. Shaw encourages it. It sets the other guy on the defensive and, assuming he doesn't want to get shot down, gives the attacker the advantage on the merge.

Not from my experiences ...


HOers are counting on landing the HO and have not thought past that point ... that is what gets them killed ... they have exhausted their bag of ACM tricks with the HO.

 

Then I don't see the point of even playing AH- might as well play Warcraft or something if that's the extent of a player's ACM skills.

[Engine]

I was gone for about a year, maybe. Since I've gotten back, I've noticed that the quality of gameplay has dropped since I left, and finding a good fight has been tricky. There's only been a few guys I've seen lately who tell me by their skillful merge they're going to be a tough fight. Mainly, I've just seen guys in spit16s doing nothing but pulling their sticks back as far as they will go and hoping they'll magically pull an angle on you, or guys in ponies doing no maneuver but a shoddy attempted HO (and firing at 1.5k out), then extending.

Most importantly, the amount of people declining a fight even when I'm deliberately coming in with less alt and less E has been very depressing. Just two days ago, -every- single plane attacking the base I was a weakly-flown high-powered BnZ ride (mainly ponies), and they all stunk horribly.

There was ONE guy in all 20 not flying a pansy ride, and who was willing to come down and play. He's the only one out of the bunch I respect.

[SuperDud]

This is an interestng thread. As I read it I looked at the dates and strangley enough a theory I always had seemed to be working.

The original poster is starting to "get it". There were also some 06ers that are still kind of on the fence. They don't mind the horde, they can deal with it but you can tell they are starting to want more too.

Then you have all the pre-06ers. Agreeing with the original poster. Not all will but from what's been seen in the thread, most do.

Finally you have the 07 guy comes in saying it's fine.

My theory is that it takes about 1 to 1&1/2 years before you finally start yearning for more. To finally want to learn more than just sitting in a horde of people fighting each other for a kill. Look around a bit crokett, there are people who will help you.

PS: toonces, the HO is the worst opening move you can do. All it shows me is that the guy is clueless. It's easy to avoid and why you're wasting time trying to shoot me I'm already working on coming around on your 6.

[Spatula]

This is a ridiculous thread. Its the same old complaint: "People wont fight the way i want them to", or "its never a 'fair' fight", or something similar. Get over it. Not everyone will share your thoughts on what is 'good' flying and what is 'appropriate' tactics. People dont always want to give you a fair fight. Theres a DA for the purists.

So lets see people are complaining that people now dont have any ACM 'skill'. Well, ok, so those that actually dont have any skills should be easily killed, and if you die at their hands you either underestimated them or did something terribly wrong either way its your fault not theirs.

Secondly, not all the time is appropriate to use 'ACM' and angle-fighting skills. You could be so outnumbered that any serious maneuvering will just end up with 5 people on your 6 guns blazing. So, you may only have BnZ or the HO-the-lot-of-em suicide option. I say shot em the face if they let you if you dont mind taking the risk - espc if your defending your own base if you die it only takes a few seconds to get back into it where as if you kill an enemy by ho'ing they have to spend several minutes getting back into the frey. So it makes perfect sense to thin out (HO) hoards vultchin a feild. And for those who moan on 200 "Nice HO" or whatever, well, take a look in the mirror, it takes 2 to HO - simple. Besides HOers are easily defeated with lead turns.

And as for hoards, well, thats a sad reality thats theres not a lot anyone can do and its a product of human nature - we all like to hang out in groups. When we check the map we take a look to see where we should go most will go where there's plenty of friendlies for mutual support. This leads to 'hoards' it doesnt correlate to individual skill levels at all. What can anyone 'do' about hoards? Dont join in where the biggest furball is widen the front, go in search of new fights. If more of us did more of that, there would be less hoarding. The buck stops with YOU - all of us.

Quit blaming others for your perceived woes. Maybe just maybe your a part of the "problem" as well??

[5PointOh]

Originally posted by tedrbr
Just worry about your own personal conduct in the game.
If it's 6 on 1, break off, and look for the other side's cherry picker.
If it's a 1 on 1, ask if friendly needs help, or just fly his wingman position, don't take the shot.
Don't fire past friendlies while chasing a target (as often as I see the 3rd or 4th plane back in conga line doing that.....).
If I'm in a B-26 or A-20, and that Niki tries a HO me.... I'll accept (and giggle like a little girl when I dissect his ride out from under him).
Check Six whenever possible (you've got to see it to call it.... some victims don't get this part when they complain about not getting a 6 call).
Don't complain when you don't get a 6 call (yes, you were probably just "bait" to "friendlies", but you've got to watch your rear if not flying with a wingman, no one else's responsibility).
a good fight - win or lose.
Have fun.

I think that is the best statement I have seen in a long time <> you Sir.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Vudak
Crockett, don't even bother getting upset by it.

Take a plane, (fast prop perk planes work great),

Go into a horde,

Drag one out, ignore what he says on 200 about you being a runner,

When his buddies are long gone, turn around and kill him

 

LOL I love doing that. There is always some idiot that just doesnt know when discretion is the better part of valor  and just HAS to keep following you long after his friends have gone

[x0847Marine]

Originally posted by crockett
Seems like blah blah silly rules

I do not obey your silly rules.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by toonces3
Then I don't see the point of even playing AH- might as well play Warcraft or something if that's the extent of a player's ACM skills.

Like I said. They are watching too much history channel that seems to emphasise the HO on nearly every "Dogfights"
 show or whatever the hell its called. And not bothering to learn any other ACMs.

When I first came here I used to HO ALOT.
It wasnt untill I deliberately decided I wasnt going to HO that I started getting any better at ACMs because I forced myself to get better at something else.

After a while I noticed I startd getting alot more kills then I did when I HOd also.

Now you rarely see me try for the HO even when engaged with multiple cons
And when you do. Its usually out of retaliation

[Toad]

Tired of the hordes?

The solution is quite simple.

Way back in the caveman days of AH, when everybody flew Pterodactyls, having 50 on in the single arena was not all that unusual.

Amazingly enough...and this is almost unbelievable.... we still had a lot of fun and really great fights. Why there were even uninterrupted 1v1's and people asking before jumping in.

Guess what?

That opportunity still exists in a hidden part of AH.

Next time you log in, try the MW or EW arenas. You're current LW fave plane usually has a slightly earlier varient in one of these places.

Yes, there are a large number of fraidy-cat milkrunning dairymen in there just trying to build perk points and score to get their name in lights...ignore them.

Because there are also enough people in there to fight. They'll come at you fangs out, till death do you part.

Why complain? Try something new. You may like it.

Cya there.

[Eagler]

AvA is another room if you catch it with the right numbers can be the best AH has to offer someone looking for a great a2a fight. Pretty matched a/c and usually better than average players.

[halcyon]

I'm seeing a lot of different opinions flying around, so I'll chime in with mine.

Here's what I think about the HO:

Historically, it was used in WWII. Now does that make it okay all the time? Well that's what's up for debate.
Now personally, I do not HO unless I'm in the following situations:

- outnumbered, low and slow on the deck while 5+ aircraft continually try to pick me off. In this case ACM can't even be used against any of my targets and the only choice is to take at least one down with me

- flying a P38 (or maybe even a 110), in which the ballistics of the aircraft allow a much farther convergence point past 1,000m, which gives you the ability to at least distract your target (if not kill him or grease him) at farther then 1k without the risk of taking damage yourself (**just to note, I hardly EVER fly the P38 so you will almost never see me doing this**)

- trying to clear a buddy's six if you're coming at him. Sometimes the HO fire (hey I might re-nickname the spit16 that) at his 12 will cause him to break off pursuit of my ally

In all other cases I try to avoid HOs, and usually the 1 or 2 seconds my opponent is using trying to get me in a HO shot are now wasted on his part at attempting a basic ACM for a six lineup. Now I have 1 or 2 extra seconds to begin my ACM for a lineup on his six.

Overall, the point of aerial combat is to nuetralize your opponent, right?
I don't see what's wrong with using tactics that allow you to do this, but ONLY if you put your own safety and your plane's safety first.

It's for this very reason I'll never even attempt a HO in anything that has a convergeance point of less then 1,000m, because at that point it's a 50/50 scenerio...who will get the lucky shot first?
Not to mention that even if you manage to not get hit, 9 out of 10 times you're going to collide with the other aircraft, and that's just the sign of a noob pilot.

The only time you should be colliding with aircraft is from any direction but your 12 o'clock, in which case you didn't see the other aircraft (I find most of my collisions are from aircraft smacking into me from my low 6 during ACM or if they tried to BmZ but botched it).

Bottom line, you should only be using tactics to kill your opponent that require you to put your own safety first.

Unfortunately, this game allows for unlimited life so the dweebs don't care if they ram someone on a HO. (I'm hoping CT, if it's ever released...will change the way combat is executed)

[ghi]

[devild0g]

I am one of the phew who have the ballz to follow someone all the way to there base, like in that map that is sorta split with ocean in middle on the right side, everyone stays on there own side, and attacks other guy and runs, A guy attacks my side I am gona pwn his arse or whoever is wagging their butt in my face, i wont wait around for it to be safe, I can follow that guy above his base. Pop him along with 3 of his friends, than with 8 of the people who where waiting all fighting to shoot me down. I just return to my side let the noobs waiting take care of them and go and land and get a new plane that is re-armed

[weazely]

if u really have to just ask some vets to go into the DA and have some good fights




-Jokester