Learning to HO

[sethipus]

I'm going to preface this post with the comment that I try to avoid the HO about 95-98% or so of the time, and successfully avoid it about 80-90% of the time.  And doing this, and saying it on this board, all make me feel just how above the hoi polloi I am.   

Seriously though, since you asked, here is a way to be "better" at the HO than most who do it.  Don't just go flying at the other guy with all your guns blazing.  Instead, aim just above his plane and fire a quick burst, then quickly drop your nose so that you avoid his response.  If you fire when he's still sufficiently far out, like 700-800 yards or so, you can often land a good burst on the guy and not have to take his fire in return.

That said, I seriously don't HO all that much at all.  I will pretty much always attempt to avoid it in any kind of normal 1v1 dogfight.  Pretty much the only time I'll ever HO is if I'm defending a base against a horde and a HO shot will kill a guy who has to fly all the way back from somewhere far away, when I can just up another fighter right there at that same base and keep fighting.  If the base is being vulched, I'll often try to up a Spit 16 with 50% fuel or something fast that has a chance to take off quickly and get some speed quickly, and break the vulch.  In a situation like that I'll HO everything I can, because if I can kill one vulcher every time I up a plane, they'll run out of vulchers because it will take them a lot longer to return than it will take me to re-up.

In a situation where you're trying to break a vulch, there's 0% chance of a real, quality dogfight anyhow, so there's no reason to stick your nose in the air and smugly declare that you just won't do it.  And since I don't really care about my score, I'm not afraid to up five or ten planes in a row sometimes to try to break a vulch.  That can be really fun.

So anyhow, it's pretty lame to try to HO people in a good dogfight, but that doesn't mean that there are no possible situations in this game where a HO shot can't be justified.  And, contrary to the opinions of many expressed in this thread, it is actually possible to be better at HOing your opponent, and coming out unscathed a clear majority of the time while killing the other guy.

[Cajunn]

I'm going to preface this post with the comment that I try to avoid the HO about 95-98% or so of the time, and successfully avoid it about 80-90% of the time.  And doing this, and saying it on this board, all make me feel just how above the hoi polloi I am.   

Seriously though, since you asked, here is a way to be "better" at the HO than most who do it.  Don't just go flying at the other guy with all your guns blazing.  Instead, aim just above his plane and fire a quick burst, then quickly drop your nose so that you avoid his response.  If you fire when he's still sufficiently far out, like 700-800 yards or so, you can often land a good burst on the guy and not have to take his fire in return.

That said, I seriously don't HO all that much at all.  I will pretty much always attempt to avoid it in any kind of normal 1v1 dogfight.  Pretty much the only time I'll ever HO is if I'm defending a base against a horde and a HO shot will kill a guy who has to fly all the way back from somewhere far away, when I can just up another fighter right there at that same base and keep fighting.  If the base is being vulched, I'll often try to up a Spit 16 with 50% fuel or something fast that has a chance to take off quickly and get some speed quickly, and break the vulch.  In a situation like that I'll HO everything I can, because if I can kill one vulcher every time I up a plane, they'll run out of vulchers because it will take them a lot longer to return than it will take me to re-up.

In a situation where you're trying to break a vulch, there's 0% chance of a real, quality dogfight anyhow, so there's no reason to stick your nose in the air and smugly declare that you just won't do it.  And since I don't really care about my score, I'm not afraid to up five or ten planes in a row sometimes to try to break a vulch.  That can be really fun.

So anyhow, it's pretty lame to try to HO people in a good dogfight, but that doesn't mean that there are no possible situations in this game where a HO shot can't be justified.  And, contrary to the opinions of many expressed in this thread, it is actually possible to be better at HOing your opponent, and coming out unscathed a clear majority of the time while killing the other guy.

To add one more situation is in trying to take a base and there is a enemy plane coming in to shoot troops I'll shoot them in the face but most of the time it's more of a high deflection shot because I have altitude advantage.

[WMLute]

To add one more situation is in trying to take a base and there is a enemy plane coming in to shoot troops I'll shoot them in the face

I do that.  Heck, I did it recently.

[StokesAk]

People who HO on any merge tend to lose thats why they do it 

 

[crazyivan]

If you're serious try learning in an IL-2.  Good 23mm gun package that is deadly and has range.  The IL-2 can take damage as well and keep flying.  On the other side, avoid HO'ing poor maneuvering big gun package planes who's best offense is the HO gun pass like 110 and IL-2 or anything with 30mm. 
   I dont like the HO gun pass and love running into a fight that we dont HO each other which is maybe +-25% of encounters.  The other guy is really exposing himself with flying directly in front of your guns and not breaking till wingtip to wingtip.  This shows some kinda mutual respect too minimize cheap shots.  Sometimes in a fight I do take minor HO deflection shots if the other guy didn't quite bring his turn around in time and same happens to me, this isnt really a true HO nose to nose but it may feel like it until you review the tape.   

ahh thats why you hoed me last night? hehe I got your 6 strong and the view aint bad from here.

[Ack-Ack]

Not an easy thing....but becoming necessary. Don't care anymore ...willing to try.

Very good at avoiding but have no experience in the actual act.

TIPS?

1HungLo posted a film awhile back showing how to use Head On attacks.  No joke, totally serious.  Was supposed to make you a HO marksman afterwards.


ack-ack

[A8TOOL]

Seems like a waste of ammo and I don't like the 50/50 average.

Avoiding the HO and then trying to find a way to use heavy rudder to get the shot might work but I think whats really needed is TrackIR or Free Track to compete with the AH gamers of today.

Products like these will allow players to get that gun sight moving side to side from window to window. They even allow you to look up and over the nose of your aircraft to take those impossible blind shots. No more guessing and where ever your gun sight goes your barrels will follow.

[Twizzty]

 

[Yeager]

Products like these will allow players to get that gun sight moving side to side from window to window. They even allow you to look up and over the nose of your aircraft to take those impossible blind shots. No more guessing and where ever your gun sight goes your barrels will follow.

I always thought the gunsights were bolted onto the instrument panel and that the guns were bolted into position in the gun bays?  

How is Track IR going to move the gunsight (and the guns) outside the constraints of their mounts?  These things are not flexible.  If stretching your neck around and moving the sight picture within your forward view is what you are talking about then no big deal....otherwise wtf?

[Lusche]

Avoiding the HO and then trying to find a way to use heavy rudder to get the shot might work but I think whats really needed is TrackIR or Free Track to compete with the AH gamers of today.

Products like these will allow players to get that gun sight moving side to side from window to window. They even allow you to look up and over the nose of your aircraft to take those impossible blind shots.

That's nonsense.

TIR doesn't allow you to "move the gunsight" from window to window. You can move the dot / crosshair over the gunsight's glass, but that's about it. You still are restricted by the same limitations as any non-TIR user.

Example: 109G. I move and turn my head to the left side. See the crosshairs disappear.

[BnZs]

The "impossible" blind shots are best taken by using an alternate "look forward" head position with the head raised all the way up and the cursor marking the center of the screen....but really, even in the planes that have the best "over the nose" view this only does you a limited amount of good on one specific kind of shot. No TrackIR necessary. I can see why TrackIR would make dealing a crossing shot easier, especially when it comes to dealing with all the ^&#&^^& frames in the way of your vision.

Seems like a waste of ammo and I don't like the 50/50 average.

Avoiding the HO and then trying to find a way to use heavy rudder to get the shot might work but I think whats really needed is TrackIR or Free Track to compete with the AH gamers of today.

Products like these will allow players to get that gun sight moving side to side from window to window. They even allow you to look up and over the nose of your aircraft to take those impossible blind shots. No more guessing and where ever your gun sight goes your barrels will follow.

[sethipus]

Tool, I don't use a TrackIR, though I'd like to get it someday, but I have a button on my CH throttle that I push when I want to see over the nose.  To program this, you need to program the Look Forward command. 

Once this button was programmed to Look Forward, hold the button down, and raise your head all the way, and move it all the way forward, and hit F10 to lock in this head position.  Now, whenever I need to look over the cowling, I push this button, and my head goes up and forward for a better view, and when I let go of the button my head returns to its natural position in the cockpit.

I seriously doubt that a user of TrackIR would be able to get their view over the cowling to be any better than this, since they too are limited to the amount of head freedom that we are allowed using the head movement keys.

Thing is, when I take off in a fighter, I open up my E6B and then close the map with a key on my throttle (so I can look at the E6B while flying without having to use my mouse again), and then I'll set the mouse pointer tip right on the center of my gunsight.  With the mouse pointer thus set, if I use my "look over the cowling" button, and the gunsight graphic goes off screen because my head's too high, it's OK because my mouse pointer is still pointing where the gunsight is. 

Sure, it's a little gamey, but it doesn't bother me, because without trackIR we're so limited with respect to our views and such that we can achieve during combat in this game that it's just one little advantage we claw back out of a lot of disadvantage.

[JimmyC]

its worth considering practice Ho`s, do this while walking down the pavement (sidewalk) on the way to school, kindi or candy store.its good to pick the right target, pick out your target and run straight at them shouting abuse, if you chicken out and dodge em rather than just bundle straight in to them you will never be an ace HO`er..if you aim your sights too high initially you could come off worse.(never try it with the local bully until at least the second pass).
once mastery of the pavement move on to when your on your bike or skateboard.practice on parked vehicles, very similar to gv`s, then progress to the highway.If you are successful in this endeavour you can "borrow" your folks car and try it with the big Riggs on the motorways(freeways). you could be an ace HO`er...all it takes is practice
Have fun out there
<S> Jimmy

[save]

if we had no range icons - HO would be much less of a problem. Gunnery will be harder and targets will be harder to stop, but rewarding for them who wants more realistm and fun.

[AWwrgwy]

Seems like a waste of ammo and I don't like the 50/50 average.

Avoiding the HO and then trying to find a way to use heavy rudder to get the shot might work but I think whats really needed is TrackIR or Free Track to compete with the AH gamers of today.

Products like these will allow players to get that gun sight moving side to side from window to window. They even allow you to look up and over the nose of your aircraft to take those impossible blind shots. No more guessing and where ever your gun sight goes your barrels will follow.

Just a guess, but this is T00L's latest conspiracy theory, since this is his second thread with this theory.

Apparently, if you have TrackIR, you look to the left and your guns shoot to the left.

I'm still waiting to see the films he's mentioned.

 


wrongway