Surviving the MA lonewolf

[nimble]

Lots of threads/arguments happen over getting HOd or gangbanged on forums or 200. I used to do it myself a lot until I realized(and matured) it was my own damn fault. When you take a plane up, you decide your situation for the most part. I know there are a lot of better pilots than me, but I thought I'd share my philosophy of handling the MA with the hope that maybe one of the newer folks could benefit. More busy than usual at work, so I'm just going to make a list instead of wordsmith. Most of this is just picked up from reading various sources with maybe(stressed) some of my own experience thrown in. I apologize to Steve in advance.

1) Understand that SA deals with the macro as well as the micro. You need to consider(regardless of how much you may think it sucks) that the MA has HOers and gangbangers. It's reality, if you disregard it, that is your own fault.

2) If you get HO'd, it is your fault for not saving enough E to avoid it. Just because you have someones 6 doesn't mean you need to hit the deck with them in order to get the kill. If there is a big darbar, figure out what it consists of before commiting to a kill. If someone finds you low and slow and HOs you after you spent all your E chasing a con who was no longer a threat(ie blew his E to run) for a kill, your bad, bro.

3) Alt is life, the more you have the better. You cannot manuever underneath the ground(well, usually, hi FireHwk!). 99% of gangbangs happen because a pilot made the bad choice of not storing enough E relative to the size of the darbar, or didn't take the time to get a good grasp of the situation before engaging. 10-15k is usually sufficient to get a good eyeball for the situation and still be able to avoid a gangbang.

4) don't enter a fight climbing. Get to your desired alt before entering the engagement with speed built up.

5) If you are flying alone, be wary of the line directly between contended bases. If the enemy base has radar up, move in and out of it in relation to the direction of the fight. If the main fight is happening east to west, brush the radar north or south. This will generally get you some easy kills on people who ignore #3 or think you are a bad c47. You get the idea. This not only helps you live as a soloist, but it draws resources(pilots) away from the main fight. Work those edges, brosef. It's very rare for someone to not come and investigate.

6) if you do decide to enter the main fight flying solo, adjust your attack path so that you are not flying towards either base on passes. If the fight is happening east to west, attack the line between from the north and south. This is especially good for finding a good 1v1 outside of the DA. Someone will eventually get mad enough to follow you away from the fight, seperating them from support coming into the fight and from being gangbanged by you own team.

7) Always keep some E around the main furball area, it helps a lot with the seperation tactic in #6.

8) Use a fast plane or one that dives well with good high speed response.

I'll add more later maybe or get rid if the post later Oxys are a hell of a drug. I'll ignore the don't post unless you are totally sober rule for today.
  

[Greebo]

Good write up Nimble. That's pretty much how I fly in the MA except I don't fly a fast plane (F6F). Often the other guy starts with alt and its a question of using his excess speed to force an overshoot. Most opposition I come across is faster and runs away ASAP if I have alt.

Sometimes I'll take rockets to an enemy field and kill the ord to protect a CV. Its surprising how often someone will then immediately up as they think you are simply a toolshedder.... 

[nimble]

Good write up Nimble. That's pretty much how I fly in the MA except I don't fly a fast plane (F6F).

Why I added the or dives well caveat. Nothin like outurning a spit16 or 8 becauseche is unable to at high speeds and then finds himself unable to burn it off before you

And thanks, a thumbs up from an uber pilot like yourself means a lot!

[Nemisis]

Don't forget rule #1: whining changes nothing.

and maybe something about vulching?

[nimble]

and maybe something about vulching?

Very rarely do I participate in that, not my area. I suck at porking, bombing, and anything else that really doesn't deal with plain fight sweeps, feel free to add your own tips to the thread though!

[Nemisis]

I don't vulch either, but its simmilar to being under attack by an alt monkey and fits with #3.

[nimble]

I don't vulch either, but its simmilar to being under attack by an alt monkey and fits with #3.

Not sure if this was a jibe or not. Altitude is necessary when you are a soloist in the MA. Plain and simple. Alt monkey is just a derogatory term for someone who flies intelligently. 10-15k is not that severe when the reality is that you will be meeting cons at that altitude or higher. It's all about accepting what you are going to be facing in the MA. Plain and simple. There will be high cons, that's just a fact. Nullifying their advantage over you to at least some degree is just part of the macro SA if AH2 and accepting it as a necessary evil. That, and I hate dying. Especially to someone who on even terms would be in the tower after a merge or two.

Without people flying in this manner, you have no one to push down the alt monkies of the opposing country. High cap is just as important to a furball as the furball is.  People with altitude have a much better chance of notifying people who are about to be towered by a con, as well as being the ones who have the highest chance to successfully thwart those trying to end the fight with bombers. With the current mechanics, you need folks at varying altitudes. It's pretty elementary.

[Steve]

Good posts.  A couple of off the cuff ideas of my own

don't enter a fight climbing. Get to your desired alt before entering the engagement with speed built up

You are much more dangerous at 8k and 400 mph than you are at 12k and 150 mph.

if you do decide to enter the main fight flying solo, adjust your attack path so that you are not flying towards either base on passes

Always know which way will allow you egress and plan for this ahead of time. Running toward your base but under a cloud of enemy is no way to  stay alive. Know where the blue skies are.

10-15k is usually sufficient to get a good eyeball for the situation and still be able to avoid a gangbang

IMHO, 6-10k is plenty unless you are looking for buffs.   Also, at 400 mph and 6k- 10k, the 20k alt tards are not going to consider you a good target and will look for other prey.

If you are flying alone, be wary of the line directly between contended bases. If the enemy base has radar up, move in and out of it in relation to the direction of the fight.

On your way to the base, avoid the first tempting targets as any protracted fight will  attract enemies with E/alt. Start your solo fight at the enemy base/far side of the fight and work your way back. You path of egress can change, keep a constant eye on DAR and your views to be aware of this.  

In a furball, look for the helper kills first. What I mean is, instead of the easiest target in a furball, find the ones that help your team first.  For instance: clear your teammates 6's first, even if it means skipping that juicy C47.  Look for the enemy who is picking the furball and get rid of them. Find the friendlies in trouble and help them out. Really, even though you are solo and outnumbered, it is ultimately a team game where cooperation leads to better chances of success/survival.  Also, the very guy you clear will probably be in line to save your tail some time down the road.  He's probably going to remember how you jumped into a hairy mess in order to save him. Again, even for us loners, it really is a team game. Besides, it feels good to help your teammates out.
 

Always keep some E around the main furball area, it helps a lot with the seperation tactic in #6.

Again, a picker over the furball is going to go after slow planes/easy targets.  Keep enough speed so you do not present a juicy target for them. Almost no pickers are skilled enough to hit a plane who is aware and able to evade. You will really be surprised how you can fly around  while garnering little attention in the form of attacks if you simply do not make yourself an easy mark.

If you loiter at a base/fight for more than a couple of minutes, be aware of the payback factor. The payback factor is the guy you killed 10 minutes ago who comes back in a high tempest or other monster and he is looking to for some payback.....looking for you.

Make good decisions on who you choose to target: i.e is this target worth the E investment to attack?  will attacking him limit or eliminate my egress chances? Is a teammate already saddled? Is the guy obviously RTB and as far as I know fought the good fight?  Obviously you have to make these decisions quickly and will not always get it right so keep in mind your egress, always.

when I make a pass at an enemy in a furball, I try to have a 2nd or even third option in mind.  If the first guy evades or even dies before I have a solution,  I wont waste the pass if I have a second or third priority target in mind.

[Shuffler]

2) If you get HO'd, it is your fault for not saving enough E to avoid it. Just because you have someones 6 doesn't mean you need to hit the deck with them in order to get the kill. If there is a big darbar, figure out what it consists of before commiting to a kill. If someone finds you low and slow and HOs you after you spent all your E chasing a con who was no longer a threat(ie blew his E to run) for a kill, your bad, bro.

3) Alt is life, the more you have the better. You cannot manuever underneath the ground(well, usually, hi FireHwk!). 99% of gangbangs happen because a pilot made the bad choice of not storing enough E relative to the size of the darbar, or didn't take the time to get a good grasp of the situation before engaging. 10-15k is usually sufficient to get a good eyeball for the situation and still be able to avoid a gangbang.

4) don't enter a fight climbing. Get to your desired alt before entering the engagement with speed built up.

5) If you are flying alone, be wary of the line directly between contended bases. If the enemy base has radar up, move in and out of it in relation to the direction of the fight. If the main fight is happening east to west, brush the radar north or south. This will generally get you some easy kills on people who ignore #3 or think you are a bad c47. You get the idea. This not only helps you live as a soloist, but it draws resources(pilots) away from the main fight. Work those edges, brosef. It's very rare for someone to not come and investigate.

7) Always keep some E around the main furball area, it helps a lot with the seperation tactic in #6.

8) Use a fast plane or one that dives well with good high speed response.

  

For a total new person this may be fine. They won't learn much but they'll live a little longer.

For anyone else it is just plain timid flying.... and you won't get any better.

[toonces3]

Great post Steve (and nimble).

I like to plan my passes such that I'm working towards friendly skies.  

I have also noticed that it is, indeed, possible to fly around and not attract a lot of attention, especially at lower/mid alts.  If you're sitting at about 6k, you have a lot of space to work with; yet, someone sitting up at 15k is unlikely to come all the way down to get you.

I STRONGLY prefer a lower/mid alt in a good climber like a spit or, especially, a 109K4.  Especially because the K4 can't dive well.

Just my opinions.  

[nimble]

Good posts.  A couple of off the cuff ideas of my own
 

You are much more dangerous at 8k and 400 mph than you are at 12k and 150 mph.

Always know which way will allow you egress and plan for this ahead of time. Running toward your base but under a cloud of enemy is no way to  stay alive. Know where the blue skies are.

IMHO, 6-10k is plenty unless you are looking for buffs.   Also, at 400 mph and 6k- 10k, the 20k alt tards are not going to consider you a good target and will look for other prey.

On your way to the base, avoid the first tempting targets as any protracted fight will  attract enemies with E/alt. Start your solo fight at the enemy base/far side of the fight and work your way back. You path of egress can change, keep a constant eye on DAR and your views to be aware of this.  

In a furball, look for the helper kills first. What I mean is, instead of the easiest target in a furball, find the ones that help your team first.  For instance: clear your teammates 6's first, even if it means skipping that juicy C47.  Look for the enemy who is picking the furball and get rid of them. Find the friendlies in trouble and help them out. Really, even though you are solo and outnumbered, it is ultimately a team game where cooperation leads to better chances of success/survival.  Also, the very guy you clear will probably be in line to save your tail some time down the road.  He's probably going to remember how you jumped into a hairy mess in order to save him. Again, even for us loners, it really is a team game. Besides, it feels good to help your teammates out.
 
Again, a picker over the furball is going to go after slow planes/easy targets.  Keep enough speed so you do not present a juicy target for them. Almost no pickers are skilled enough to hit a plane who is aware and able to evade. You will really be surprised how you can fly around  while garnering little attention in the form of attacks if you simply do not make yourself an easy mark.

If you loiter at a base/fight for more than a couple of minutes, be aware of the payback factor. The payback factor is the guy you killed 10 minutes ago who comes back in a high tempest or other monster and he is looking to for some payback.....looking for you.

Make good decisions on who you choose to target: i.e is this target worth the E investment to attack?  will attacking him limit or eliminate my egress chances? Is a teammate already saddled? Is the guy obviously RTB and as far as I know fought the good fight?  Obviously you have to make these decisions quickly and will not always get it right so keep in mind your egress, always.

when I make a pass at an enemy in a furball, I try to have a 2nd or even third option in mind.  If the first guy evades or even dies before I have a solution,  I wont waste the pass if I have a second or third priority target in mind.

definately a good compliment to the original post. Hey, maybe a future guide is in order

[stodd]

Good posts.  A couple of off the cuff ideas of my own
 

You are much more dangerous at 8k and 400 mph than you are at 12k and 150 mph.

Always know which way will allow you egress and plan for this ahead of time. Running toward your base but under a cloud of enemy is no way to  stay alive. Know where the blue skies are.

IMHO, 6-10k is plenty unless you are looking for buffs.   Also, at 400 mph and 6k- 10k, the 20k alt tards are not going to consider you a good target and will look for other prey.

On your way to the base, avoid the first tempting targets as any protracted fight will  attract enemies with E/alt. Start your solo fight at the enemy base/far side of the fight and work your way back. You path of egress can change, keep a constant eye on DAR and your views to be aware of this.  

In a furball, look for the helper kills first. What I mean is, instead of the easiest target in a furball, find the ones that help your team first.  For instance: clear your teammates 6's first, even if it means skipping that juicy C47.  Look for the enemy who is picking the furball and get rid of them. Find the friendlies in trouble and help them out. Really, even though you are solo and outnumbered, it is ultimately a team game where cooperation leads to better chances of success/survival.  Also, the very guy you clear will probably be in line to save your tail some time down the road.  He's probably going to remember how you jumped into a hairy mess in order to save him. Again, even for us loners, it really is a team game. Besides, it feels good to help your teammates out.
 
Again, a picker over the furball is going to go after slow planes/easy targets.  Keep enough speed so you do not present a juicy target for them. Almost no pickers are skilled enough to hit a plane who is aware and able to evade. You will really be surprised how you can fly around  while garnering little attention in the form of attacks if you simply do not make yourself an easy mark.

If you loiter at a base/fight for more than a couple of minutes, be aware of the payback factor. The payback factor is the guy you killed 10 minutes ago who comes back in a high tempest or other monster and he is looking to for some payback.....looking for you.

Make good decisions on who you choose to target: i.e is this target worth the E investment to attack?  will attacking him limit or eliminate my egress chances? Is a teammate already saddled? Is the guy obviously RTB and as far as I know fought the good fight?  Obviously you have to make these decisions quickly and will not always get it right so keep in mind your egress, always.

when I make a pass at an enemy in a furball, I try to have a 2nd or even third option in mind.  If the first guy evades or even dies before I have a solution,  I wont waste the pass if I have a second or third priority target in mind.

I often think about this as im diving in on a con who is clearly damaged. I wonder to myself, did he just win a challenging fight, taking a few hits in the process. Or did he just HO' someone and took a few return hits.

Great post.

[Nemisis]

No it isn't a jibe nimble, all I was saying is the situation is simmilar, you are lower than your attacker, you have less E, sometimes MUCH less depending on how long the dive was in both situations. If you've been vulched but found a counter move, then please share.

[nimble]

No it isn't a jibe nimble, all I was saying is the situation is simmilar, you are lower than your attacker, you have less E, sometimes MUCH less depending on how long the dive was in both situations. If you've been vulched but found a counter move, then please share.

Up from an uncapped base nearby

If dealing with someone with a huge amount of alt, well they can only use so much until they start getting diminishing returns. I like to keep at least 7-8k and over 250 in my jugs. It's very easy to equalize energy states in that particular bird, but that's for another thread

[awrabbit]

Great Post Nimble and Steve,

When I forget these general rules I tend to get into trouble.
 Luck and skill ( mostly luck ) will determine how much a person can work outside of these simple rules to live by.