Why does it never happen to me???

[Ack-Ack]

I know you will HO me. So I do unto others before they can do unto me.

And that is why you'll never get out of the gutter of mediocrity. 

Instead of getting into the "If I can't fight 'em, I'll join 'em!" mentality, take some time to go to the TA and get with a trainer.  Also, go to the various websites like Netaces.org and read the fantastic lectures and write ups that have been gathered over the last decade.  Search the web and get your grubby fingers on any books about ACM and tactics you can find and read them over and over.  Sure, it can be a pain in the arse and it won't make you an 'Experten' over night but it will make you one. 

ack-ack

[CAP1]

Hi! I'm Riceball. A new player and I HO.

It's not because I prefer too. It's because often it's the only shot I get on the alt monkeys who think they have dogfighting skills in this game will allow.

In the MA. My job is to kill you. Not be your dance partner for ten mins. As I am most likely in my Zeek. I know you will HO me. So I do unto others before they can do unto me. I am defending or attacking a base. You need to be dead and gone.

I fly the zeek because I PREFER the twisting turning dogfight. I have killed, and been killed in many twisty turny fights. But if bnz is all the enemy is doing, then I'm taking the shots presented.

So lets put everyone on notice here. If your supierior ACM skills put you in a HO situation w/me. Pull the trigger. Because I am. If your hot on the tail of a teammate. I will drop in and attempt to kill you unless waved off by my teammate. You can call it picking. I call it your inability to reconize your situation.

I tried in my first weeks to play in the manner some here promote. I wound up HO'd and in the tower far more often than not. I realized the MA is not about 1 vs 1. But base taking and defending. The DA is a whole different story and I abide by the established rules. Written and unwritten.

go to the ta, and someone will teach you how to avoid the ho.

[CAP1]

Dunce (old 479th squadron mate) and I used to up fully loaded P-38Ls (100% fuel, 2 DTs) and fly to the nearest enemy HQ, cruising at bomber speed.  Sure enough, just like you described, some would up looking for an easy buff kill (this was before buff formations) and instead got the shock of seeing 2 P-38Ls instead.

ack-ack

yep...and then the fun begins. 

[Rising41]

And that is why you'll never get out of the gutter of mediocrity.

Instead of getting into the "If I can't fight 'em, I'll join 'em!" mentality, take some time to go to the TA and get with a trainer.  Also, go to the various websites like Netaces.org and read the fantastic lectures and writes that have been gathered over the last decade.  Search the web and get your grubby fingers on any books about ACM and tactics you can find and read them over and over.  Sure, it can be a pain in the arse and it won't make you an 'Experten' over night but it will make you one.

ack-ack

I am. Netaces is bookmarked and a daily read. I have saved Agent360's movies and I study the ACM used. (And i search these forums daily for new material.) I have asked on the forums for more Zero related advice. The HO is not my prefered shot, (as I stated.) But I am not above useing it when the target gives no other options. I could up a spitfire like everyone else. I don't consider it to be good starter plane. It's too easy. Shot opertunitys are few and far between in the Zeek unless you find em low and slow. I think surviving a furball in a zeek is a far better test to my skills than just about any other bird.

I don't think HO's would be such a bane to people if the pilots doing the HO would learn to turn away and not ram thier targets so much lol.

[grizz441]

I duel a couple of my good friends regularly who are very average pilots at best.  I tell them to hold on HOing on the first merge but any other chance they get to put guns on me, go for it.  This gives me the opportunity to craft my merges away from the instinctual flying style of just pointing your nose at the red dot any chance you get which has given me a very strong MA style of flying. 

There are 3 situations however I have come across where a HO is hardest to avoid. (Feel free to give me some advice or tips on these scenarios if you have any)

1) Deck merge (especially when slow).  You can try your best to avoid the HO but if they really want to shoot you, they usually can no matter how much avoidance you attempt.  (Are there any juke moves that will ensure a miss here?)

2) In a turn fight enemy out E's you and is above you and coming down at you.  You have enough E to point your nose up at him which might work in a duel, but in the MA it seems this is futile.

3) Reversing a sharp turner.  Early in a fight you reverse, say a spit9 or a n1k2, and come around and are 'waiting' for him to come into your front view and instead of him coming in, he finishes off his turn sharper than you anticipated and comes right up at you and shoots you. 

Most other situations I feel like can be easily avoided without giving the enemy any tactical advantage.
If you are constantly finding yourself in head on situations, your tactics may be off.  I'd go see a trainer and ask him to teach you how to avoid HOs and gain advantage in doing so. 

Here's a very short film on how to avoid a HO and gain an advantage on the deck when a plane is trailing you.
http://www.speedyshare.com/810218191.html

[CAP1]

And that is why you'll never get out of the gutter of mediocrity.

Instead of getting into the "If I can't fight 'em, I'll join 'em!" mentality, take some time to go to the TA and get with a trainer.  Also, go to the various websites like Netaces.org and read the fantastic lectures and writes that have been gathered over the last decade.  Search the web and get your grubby fingers on any books about ACM and tactics you can find and read them over and over.  Sure, it can be a pain in the arse and it won't make you an 'Experten' over night but it will make you one.

ack-ack

I am. Netaces is bookmarked and a daily read. I have saved Agent360's movies and I study the ACM used. (And i search these forums daily for new material.) I have asked on the forums for more Zero related advice. The HO is not my prefered shot, (as I stated.) But I am not above useing it when the target gives no other options. I could up a spitfire like everyone else. I don't consider it to be good starter plane. It's too easy. Shot opertunitys are few and far between in the Zeek unless you find em low and slow. I think surviving a furball in a zeek is a far better test to my skills than just about any other bird.

I don't think HO's would be such a bane to people if the pilots doing the HO would learn to turn away and not ram thier targets so much lol.

i saw a couple pretty good answers in your zeek thread...i put one there with my feelings on how she flys.....but....

have you checked out this thread? http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,253819.0.html

this one is almost information overload....and DTango does an excellent job of explaining along with pics, and a video near the end of the thread.

[CAP1]

I duel a couple of my good friends regularly who are very average pilots at best.  I tell them to hold on HOing on the first merge but any other chance they get to put guns on me, go for it.  This gives me the opportunity to craft my merges away from the instinctual flying style of just pointing your nose at the red dot any chance you get which has given me a very strong MA style of flying. 

There are 3 situations however I have come across where a HO is hardest to avoid. (Feel free to give me some advice or tips on these scenarios if you have any)

1) Deck merge (especially when slow).  You can try your best to avoid the HO but if they really want to shoot you, they usually can no matter how much avoidance you attempt.  (Are there any juke moves that will ensure a miss here?)i try to "slip" or roll to one side or the other.

2) In a turn fight enemy out E's you and is above you and coming down at you.  You have enough E to point your nose up at him which might work in a duel, but in the MA it seems this is futile.try to make yourself skinny. don't point ur nose up at him, but rather try to turn in such a way as to soil his shot on you. sometimes you can regain a bit of speed in the process too.

3) Reversing a sharp turner.  Early in a fight you reverse, say a spit9 or a n1k2, and come around and are 'waiting' for him to come into your front view and instead of him coming in, he finishes off his turn sharper than you anticipated and comes right up at you and shoots you. loose sight, loose the fight.

Most other situations I feel like can be easily avoided without giving the enemy any tactical advantage.
If you are constantly finding yourself in head on situations, your tactics may be off.  I'd go see a trainer and ask him to teach you how to avoid HOs and gain advantage in doing so. 

Here's a very short film on how to avoid a HO and gain an advantage on the deck when a plane is trailing you.
http://www.speedyshare.com/810218191.html

now, those suggestions being put out......i generally suck at avoiding the ho, but i keep trying.

[Bronk]

Honch’s Guide to HO’ing
 
#1 Use a plane with 50 cals.  Do not fear the heavy cannon planes like 190s and Typhoons. A 20mm, 30mm or 37mm cannon does no damage if it never hits you and if you follow the steps below they wont.

#2 Turn off tracers – so the other pilot won’t know when you start shooting.

#3 Set your convergences to the maximum distance allowed on your 50-cal plane of choice.

#4 To set up the shot, enter a dive until you are below the target then turn up into them so that when you will approach the other HO’er you will be in a slight climb. That way, if you both get damaged, you’ll be on the way up and they’ll be on the way down, ensuring that they smack the ground before you and thereby getting the kill (and the inevitable whine)

#5 Line up the shot so that you have the other plane in your sites at d2.0.

#6 Zoom in and target their left or right wing.

#7 Begin firing at d1.5 – Cease firing at d1.0 and veer off.  Your 50s will continue on their laser-guided course until the other guy flies right into them.

#8 Use the ‘F’ key on the keyboard to fire so that your trigger finger doesn’t unsteady your shot.

#9 Turn fast and flat to avoid their cannon trajectory then turn back to them so that they cannot gain angles if they happen to survive.

#10 Be gracious when they whine.  If they say “Nice HO jerk”, or something similar,  Say: “Thanks! I use Honch’s guide to HO’ing!”  -S-
 

Remember, it always takes 2 to Head-On so Happy HO'ing!

 

[grizz441]

now, those suggestions being put out......i generally suck at avoiding the ho, but i keep trying.

Yeah well those are generally my tactics but I don't think their success rates are very high in those particular circumstances (maybe like 50%).  #3 it's not really a matter of losing the plane, but more so of him turning sharper than I anticipated.  And vhooom, he flies into me or below me and shoots me. 

[Shuffler]

Iam. Netaces is bookmarked and a daily read. I have saved Agent360's movies and I study the ACM used. (And i search these forums daily for new material.) I have asked on the forums for more Zero related advice. The HO is not my prefered shot, (as I stated.) But I am not above useing it when the target gives no other options. I could up a spitfire like everyone else. I don't consider it to be good starter plane. It's too easy. Shot opertunitys are few and far between in the Zeek unless you find em low and slow. I think surviving a furball in a zeek is a far better test to my skills than just about any other bird.

I don't think HO's would be such a bane to people if the pilots doing the HO would learn to turn away and not ram thier targets so much lol.

Ummm the zero is another very easy plane... but you keep on trying to learn.

[Yarbles]

go to the ta, and someone will teach you how to avoid the ho.

Thats the spirit.  The alternative is to leatn some basic ACM"s and then whinge on here enlessly abour HOtards in La7's along with the rest of the herd.

The point is with the HO people who are less skilled will sometimes win. The answer is move up to the next level and learn to overcome or anoid the HO.

[Bruv119]

The answer is move up to the next level and learn to overcome or anoid the HO.

are you saying that you believe you have reached this new level yarbles?,  seems a long time since we had that little spit 1 vs a6m2 fun.  We should go again soon 

[CAP1]

Thats the spirit.  The alternative is to leatn some basic ACM"s and then whinge on here enlessly abour HOtards in La7's along with the rest of the herd.

The point is with the HO people who are less skilled will sometimes win. The answer is move up to the next level and learn to overcome or anoid the HO.

actuaslly, i've seen some very very skilled people ho. that pisses me off more than the new players, as they have no excuse, and can easily maneuver for the kill.
 i get help from squaddies, and on occasion, when i've been in multi-con engagements, had one of em actually giving me tips. apparently, he was watching me, as he was fighting too.

[dedalos]

  Sure enough, just like you described, some would up looking for an easy buff kill (this was before buff formations) and instead got the shock of seeing 2 P-38Ls instead.

ack-ack

Ahem, that IS a buff formation

[CAP1]

Ahem, that IS a buff formation