Radar settings

[whirl]

i know this topic has been raised before.  i'm reiterating--  no dot dar(?)  bar dar only; local and country-wide.

i like to start my fights from the top and work down.  i spend time "grabbin." that usually means i have 1 clear sector of grabbing then i need to start scanning the skies.  this takes SA.  

with dot dar i just point in a direction  and watch the map. half the time i literally leave the room.  no SA  

i didn't think i would like dar bar only, but the fact is, i was much more interested in flying without dot dar.  the concept of a CAP, or combat air patrol, for those who may not know, does not exist with dot dar.  it's-point your plane at the red dots and grab as much alt before you reach-em.  this, i hate to say it, is VERY gamey.    

i also notice, without pre-fight SA working, i'm not as edgy initially.  i think i loose alotta quick kills this way.  

example:  a coalt merge with a 109 at 25k. instead of making a lazy 1/2 immel to rope, i throttle down and make a nice tight immel while throttling back up.  the 109's banked, so i kick the rudders(inverted) do a half-roll and whala, i've pulled an impossible reverse onto the 109's six and take the kill shot--well, i'm missing that kill shot and end up glued to a 109's 6 for too long.  

i believe it comes from no SA. i hadn't been scaning left-right-back-up-forward. i flew right to the dot and engaged.  this means i go from looking straight ahead for 20 minutes to looking up-back, then up-back-right , then up, then forward-up and then forward in a span of 10 seconds.!?  just think about that.  i spend the next few minutes recovering from that blitz of views and miss the sniper shots....      

believe it or not, this also takes the challenge out of setting up an enemy craft.  you never get suprised. of course, there are exceptions to the rule with dot dar...  but, ...generally speaking...  i like finding enemies at 5o'clock.  the options in a 38 with an enemy at that position are boundless.  once again; i could fly to a dot then turn, but its not the same.

well, i'm sure when i get back in the mood to fly, it won't matter.  i just like it when i can be drawn into the mood to fly, also.

[hblair]

Originally posted by whirl:
i didn't think i would like dar bar only, but the fact is, i was much more interested in flying without dot dar.  the concept of a CAP, or combat air patrol, for those who may not know, does not exist with dot dar.  it's-point your plane at the red dots and grab as much alt before you reach-em.  this, i hate to say it, is VERY gamey.

Yeah, it is.

Truth be told, when dot dar was gone, all I saw in the arena was positive comments from the pilots. I'm not saying that some didn't like it, I just never saw or heard from them.

[Kodiak2]

Yes I have to agree totally---especially after tonight.  I love to fly bombers.  I was rtb when I spotted a lone 109 following me.  We must have danced for 10 minutes--he kept trying to line himself up for a shot that wouldn't expose him to my tail gun but I kept turning with him.  He tried one run and I pinged him.  We dance again....then I spot a heavy cloudbank....voila!  I dive into the clouds then change course some---only to have the bastard know my every move through his "onboard 109 radar system".  When I finally came out, he ripped me to shreds.  Dump the in flight dar AH!  It's not realistic.