tracers

[Anaxogoras]

Well, do you use them or not?  On the suggestion of a squad mate I tried turning them off today and my gunnery % dropped in half over 6 measly kills (compared to my ~11% over last tour).  Should I keep practicing with tracers until I really don't need them?  Or is this something that takes a whole tour to get used to?

thank you

[sunfan1121]

to each there own

[Gixer]

Never used them, even when I use to fly Pony B's and Tiffies years ago. And definetly not in the Yak.


<S>...-Gixer

[Yenny]

I always have my own, so I can walk my rounds. I have them on and off, it doesn't seem to much of a different, except for maybe 600 yards + where I have to walk my rounds. I'm usually around 12% on accuracy.

[Scotch]

I had them on, then off for about two tours, then back on. I like being able to see my stuff. Let's me take some longer range shots. Plus you can scare people in to doing things with them on. Though using a field gun with tracers off is funny as hell!!

[SD67]

Off.
I used to have them on, but I found myself depending on them.
I switched them off and it took a while but my gunnery improved. I think I'm actually landing more hits without tracers and it's definitely more surprising for the enemy if they cannot see how much you're missing

[Lusche]

<-  Usually on.

If I keep tracers off for prolonged time, my hit% will hide in the basement after a few days.

[VansCrew1]

I keep mine off 95% of the time. I only turn them on if im in a WW or a field ack. Turning them off surprisingly helps your hit %. Only difference is you need to get a little closer before you start shooting at them. Half the time if their not paying attention i could pick them off before they even have time to react. Ive had my tracers off for about 5-6 months now, it just takes some time to get use to it.

As Wolfalla explained to me the tracer round has a different velocity then a non-tracer round, and the tracer rounds miss the planes and you only see the non-tracer rounds hit. One thing that helps me is i use my page up button on my keyboard, i eve have it mapped to one of my hat switches. When i dive or get into a turn fight with someone it always helps me to see them better if i page up.

=S=
VansCrew

[Lusche]

I keep mine off 95% of the time. I only turn them on if im in a WW or a field ack. Turning them off surprisingly helps your hit %.

It may help your hit%, put that doesn't work for everyone.

[Scotch]

Tracers on/off don't matter much for a vultch-tard like vans....

[SD67]

Well the rounds hitting the runway are kind of like tracers anyway

[Ghosth]

Come into the TA, turn tracers off, turn lead computing gunsight on.

Practise, and continue to practise every day for a week.

Then load up one of the good offline missions. (Baumers missions rock)
Fly it once with tracers off, and once with them on.

Once you really learn to shoot without tracers, you'll find they are just in the way.

[Lusche]

Come into the TA, turn tracers off, turn lead computing gunsight on.

Practise, and continue to practise every day for a week.

Then load up one of the good offline missions. (Baumers missions rock)
Fly it once with tracers off, and once with them on.

Once you really learn to shoot without tracers, you'll find they are just in the way.

I did that at three different occasions during my AH career.

It did not work.

Every time I did it, I was fine first. I had no trouble hitting with the same accuracy the first sorties. But gradually, but steadily, my ability to hit began to decline, instead of improving as one may think. After a few days constant practice / fighting without tracers, I'm almost not able to hit anything anymore. It's getting worse from sortie to sortie.

It seems I definitely need the tracer feedback to keep my "mental image" necessary for gunning. And I guess i'm not the only one, so I am opposing the generalization "Tracers off will help you". It may, or it may not.

[RTHolmes]

i turned them off after a month or so, acc went up and ammo usage down

[SkyRock]

I'm usually around 12% on accuracy.

lolz, shooting planes on the ground or a (5th plane in) cherry pick doesn't take great gunnery, but looks like you've had alot of practice!