If I happen to HO you

[Reschke]

I don't care who, what, when or how. If you are dumb enough to come head on then you are going to get shot at. Also if I happen to only have a snap shot at the front of your plane then you will get shot at...yes I shoot head on and will continue doing so for as long as I am paying for my time in the game. My $ = my game play...you start paying my sub then I will play how you want me to.

[shiv]

Situational HOing eh?  I'm still against it.

[Soulyss]

Seems a pretty reasoned thread and I tend to agree.

1) I think this is the best possible definition of what constitutes a Head ON situation.  I think most HO arguments are from people who disagree on definitions and they just end up arguing semantics (actually you can substitute just about any subject and most of them end up being semantic arguments because people don't accurately define what they're actually arguing but that's besides the point here ).  If one plane has a solution and the other cannot get one before the merge then it's a front quarter shot.  Otherwise you may as well say anything in front of the 3/9 line is a head on because it's impossible to say "a HO is anything in a 20% cone from the nose".  

2) While I don't think the HO should be the first choice for anyone and is a tactic of desperation some people seem to not take this point into consideration.  Why oh why would I want to HO if I'm in a P-51? A plane that in most situations can exit the fight and control the fight because of it's speed. The historical argument makes less sense to me because the stakes aren't even remotely similar, I think there are times when a HO makes sense, but I can't think of any case where it should be the first choice regardless of the plane I'm flying and what the other guy is in.  

3) Situational considerations are where the decisions are made in my book, it's almost never my first choice but it may be what I feel to be my only choice depending on the situation.  If I just had a knock down drag out fight with someone that left me low and slow I may take a HO shot if a A6M bounces my 38G, I may not still depending on my mood but I can certainly understand if the 38 would try one in this scenario.  I'll also take the HO shot if I'm engaged with multiple people, to me the HO is no less dweeby than the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, guy who dives in once I'm already engaged.

I'll also add case #4 - sometimes I'm just lazy or in a foul mood.

[infowars]

That was a good post I'd have to agree.

People need an outlet for their frustrations and blaming someone else on a failed merge helps them feel better about suckage/lack of acm.  You can pretty much single out the HO whiners..lol  there's like 20-30 of them.  Its kinda funny to see someone complain about getting HO'd multiple times in a night when I don't seem to be encountering the same problem.  Makes me think they bring it on themselves.

Other than that I agree a HO is situational.

[PJ_Godzilla]

A true story from a few weeks ago:

player 1: You lame HOtard!
player 1: player 2 is a moron... weak hoer.. get some skillz!
player 1: *continues to whine, freak out, insult*
player 2: but you shot first, I pulled the trigger only after seeing you shooting
player 1: DO YOU THINK IM DUMB ENOUGH TO WAIT FOR YOU TO SHOOT?

Funny. We once had an honor-system vending box at Parklane Towers here. At first, people got their candy, chips, whatevah, and paid into the little slot box. Soon receipts in the slot box started coming up a little short. Some time soon after that, it turned into a free-for-all and both the snacks AND the money disappeared.

I always envisioned that, after the announcement that receipts were coming up short, some bright spark decided that he wouldn't be made a chimp - and so decided to preempt the competition by looting both stock and cash.

Of course, the system was shut down within days after being pillaged wholesale. So much for the honor of my officemates.

In any case, it's a decent illustration of what I call, "the race for the bottom". At that point, you just need to go with it and dwell there.

[Oldman731]

If we were fighting for our lives, everyone would HO. However we aren't, you get a new life and a shiney new plane every sortie. HO's take no real effort or skill, which is why they are looked down upon. It's a dead give away, no pun intended, that you're fighting someone with little skill or just plain desperate. If you anticipate it you can usually gain an advantage fairly quick. It's more of an annoyance than anything.

I'm with the bear on this one.

- oldman

[lengro]

If you are dumb enough to come head on then you are going to get shot at.

 

[ink]

... Some large squads like the Muppets and Jokers seize bases with impressive efficiency and lethality...

 




 

[grizz441]

Lol, I missed that one within the wall of text.

[oakranger]

there are times that i do a HO shot either by...1) it is a vertical situation and at time you just can not pull off on it. or 2) there are times that it looks i am coming on their six but realized they are coming at me. and 3) they do a turn on me, but for i can pull the triger, they end up HO at me.  

I hate HOing and there are a lot a AC out there that there is no reason to be HOing

[Vinkman]

Very well thought out post and well said.  

the nose to nose merge is the tough situation here.  I've noticed the veteran players, and those looking for ACM challenges in the MA can be identified by the nose to nose merge. They will nose down as if in the DA, which is the understood technique for a 'fair' merge to put the fight on equal footing, a preference of mine. The trouble is reading the opponent. Too often I attempt to enter this 'fair' merge only to have the bandit pull up over the top of me an shoot me in the cockpit or shoot my tail off. Hmmm did I miss read that? So on the merges now, I always feel the hesitation of trying to figure out if this is going to be a merge and a dog fight or if he's going to shoot me on the merge....

Never get it right.  

So now I just assume it's going to be HO and avoid head on merges. Apologies to those looking for DA style nose to nose merges, but it's just too hard to figure out in the MA.

[Yeager]

So now I just assume it's going to be HO and avoid head on merges. Apologies to those looking for DA style nose to nose merges, but it's just too hard to figure out in the MA.

Was this fella in MW who opined loudly one recent evening that everytime he went head to head with this other guy he ended up getting HO'd.  Apparently some well intentioned trainer in the TA had told this guy never to fire on the merge, that it was unsporty. Well, Duh.  I told the guy this wasnt the Dueling Arena and that he should expect to get fired on anytime enemy guns crossed his path.  In the MA anything goes.  Rules be damned.

[EskimoJoe]

Those points made seem like common sense to me.  's what I've been doing without being able to put the situation(s) in words.

This thread should be stickied 

[grizz441]

Was this fella in MW who opined loudly one recent evening that everytime he went head to head with this other guy he ended up getting HO'd.  Apparently some well intentioned trainer in the TA had told this guy never to fire on the merge, that it was unsporty. Well, Duh.  I told the guy this wasnt the Dueling Arena and that he should expect to get fired on anytime enemy guns crossed his path.  In the MA anything goes.  Rules be damned.

Kind of how I play.  I assume anyone I come in contact in with the MA is a skilless noob that will HO me the first chance he gets.  I make decisions based on worse case scenarios, not hopeful ones.

[EskimoJoe]

Very well thought out post and well said.  

<snip>

Never get it right.  

So now I just assume it's going to be HO and avoid head on merges. Apologies to those looking for DA style nose to nose merges, but it's just too hard to figure out in the MA.

I know how it is man, I've given up on the 'fair merge' as well.