The neverending HO discussion...

Bottom line - until HT decides to write an "anti-HO shield" like we had in Air Warrior, it will be part of the game and you're going to have to deal with it. I do my best to avoid the HO like the Spit did but when you do, it presents the quartering shot the 38 took, normally a good shot if it hadn't been on the initial merge. I don't like'em but HOs were used in WW2...or so they say in several documentaries.
The question is; do you want realism or good game play?
HT has a setting to turn friendly fire on and off and the only reason for the option is to improve game play. Every bellybutton in here would be shooting all the friendly planes just because they could. I don't like the idea but I'm beginning to think they may need to program in the "shield" so it can be turned on and off as needed (certain days, times, etc.). This will allow us to merge head on with no threat of dying. Otherwise one of the players has to avoid the HO, putting their plane at a disadvantage with a quartering canopy or underbelly shot.
Again, I don't like the HO but it's going to happen. You put yourself at risk by merging co-alt or you climb high so you have enough E to avoid. Of course you climb above 10k, would then be called the astronaut, alt-monkey cherry picker by someone because they didn't want to spend 5 or 10 minutes climbing out. Either way, someone is going to squeak and complain.
Cya up there…

TITAN