Originally posted by Gulp
No idea how auto AA "aims", ....
HT has explained how acks work in the past, and I think he discussed it at the last convention...which I got to hear thanks to an attendee's podcast. So here's the scoop.
Ack does NOT aim. HT said that he started with "aiming" programming, and worked on variations of it for years. (Newer players may not realize that HT has been programming online air sims for more than a decade.) The algorhytms for aiming either resulted in unreasonable laser guided accuracy, or gunners so stupid that they could be ignored.
Instead, we have an "area probability" system. Your likelihood of getting hit by an individual shot is considered statistically, not tracked like an aimed shot. There are three factors that priamrily affect your chance of getting hit:
RANGE from the firing gun;
SPEED that you are travelling; and
G-FORCES you are experiencing.
You are more likely to get hit when you are close, slow, and straight. You are less likely to get hit when you are fast, farther away, and pulling Gs. And that about sums it up.
EDIT:
And about the "myth" and the arguments that followed...your experience is real, but it isnt for the reason you think. You're not "hiding from the ack by being low, because the shot isnt aimed. Instead, a diving firing pass followed by a high speed exit means, well, that you're fast and extending the range. You can maximize your chances by additionatlly pulling some G's right when the next shot is due.
