The MERGE

[HellFire]

Greetings 

This may seem 2b a stupid question but it HAS 2b asked!  "How does one execute a successful MERGE"?   It seems to be a moot point, however there are some pilots that pull it off successfully with deadly results to the opposition.

I read about it, practised it, used it but all with minimal results ending in total frustration.  People with more experience than I showed it to me but
I must be missing most valuable points!

In AH1 the classic version, Dano had some films showing the perfect execution of merges in his spit, but there are not too many in AH2.  Thx to Dano I was able to execute successful merges approx 25% of the time,
a dismal showing to say the least.

There was a female pilot teaching me or rather perfecting her deadly merging skills on me without showing me WHAT/How she was doing it,
filming it showed me nothing.   What, where, when or how was never revealed to me by her, thereby, my education ceased.

Would some experienced pilots successful in merges inundate me with their prowess by mailing me or posting their DEADLY films, so that I may study & practice them?  TY for ur kindness & courtesies.

[Ack-Ack]

You should take the time to read these excellent articles at Netaces.org before watching the films or having a trainer help you with merge tactics.  This way you'll be familiar with the subject and won't be easily confused watching the films or confused by what the trainer is trying to explain.  It will make the learning process much more simple and effective.

Mastering the Merge

Opening Moves

Lead Turn

Hope this helps.

ack-ack

[morfiend]

You should take the time to read these excellent articles at Netaces.org before watching the films or having a trainer help you with merge tactics.  This way you'll be familiar with the subject and won't be easily confused watching the films or confused by what the trainer is trying to explain.  It will make the learning process much more simple and effective.

Mastering the Merge

Opening Moves

Lead Turn

Hope this helps.

ack-ack

  Quoted for truth!


 Being familiar with the terms helps alot,it cuts into training time if the trainer has to explain each and every term.
 Some things to look for and understand,lift vector,3/9 line,hi/lo yoyo,breakturn,split ess and immelman,barrelroll and both flat and rolling scissor.Knowing what these are goes along way to helping the trainers help you!

    In an hour a trainer can show a player plenty,but if they have to explain terms it just makes the process take longer and there's much more for the player to digest,often too much.

  I know this doesnt answer the OP question but it's rather difficult to answer it with words and it's much easier to show and explain than to write a monolog on do's and don't's of the merge.



   

[JimmyD3]

You should take the time to read these excellent articles at Netaces.org before watching the films or having a trainer help you with merge tactics.  This way you'll be familiar with the subject and won't be easily confused watching the films or confused by what the trainer is trying to explain.  It will make the learning process much more simple and effective.

Mastering the Merge

Opening Moves

Lead Turn

Hope this helps.

ack-ack

Excellent information Ack-Ack. I bookmarked these pages! Thank you!

[Nugget]

i am way rusty with acm so keep that in mind, but the merge is the opening move between you and your opponent whereby you gain an advantage at the start and keep building on that advantage until you have guns solution on the bogie and shoot him down.  when done correctly against a competent opponent, the time between the merge and you shooting him down can take minutes, so there's a lot more to it than just the merge.

also, there isn't a standard merge tactic that can be applied to every situation.  you must know the opposing aircraft's strengths and weaknesses and how they stack up against yours, as well as their relative e state compare to yours.  those factors dictate what merge tactic you use.  sometimes, the best merge tactic is to keep going because the chips are stacked against you.

some examples are to perform a lead turn before the actual merge so you get started before your opponent.  sometimes, you do an immelman to bleed speed to decrease your turn radius, or do a split s to gain speed to increase maneuverability.  sometimes the merge is solely intended to get your opponent to bleed his speed so you can either outturn our outclimb him.  other times, the merge is to get him to slow down so you have the acceleration and speed to get away.

basically, i'd say if you have a plane with better climb rate but slightly worse turn rate than your opponent, don't keep turning with him because he'll get you.  instead, get him co-e then start a climbing spiral to get on top of him and bnz him to death.  if the roles are reversed and you see him going for alt, you need to kill him fast or start thinking about leaving.  if your plane climbs great but turns poorly, extend for alt and come back and bnz him.

i find the best way to practice merge tactics is in a training environment where you can eliminate as much variables as possible, and do so with an ideal setup.  once you have it perfected, do the same thing against an opponent with more or less e than you so you'd know how well, or how poorly, that one tactic works in those situations.  then keep changing things up until you find what works in which situation.

[HellFire]

Gentlemen:
Thx much for ur replies, as I stated in para. 2, that I studied, read & practiced everything I could find on performing a successful merge, however I didn't find success at the end of the rainbow!

Ur advice is appreciated.  Films are an excellent source of education, as one can study as fast or slow as u deem necessary, & at ur own time.

 

[uptown]

  Rapier wrote the write up on opening moves?! I guess the film I have of him running from me is his "opening move" then. 

[FLS]

Rapier wrote the write up on opening moves?! I guess the film I have of him running from me is his "opening move" then. 

That sounds more like his returning to base to land his kills move. Please post a link to your own helpful write ups, I'm sure we can all learn a lot from you.

[Zexx]

Gentlemen:
Thx much for ur replies, as I stated in para. 2, that I studied, read & practiced everything I could find on performing a successful merge, however I didn't find success at the end of the rainbow!

Ur advice is appreciated.  Films are an excellent source of education, as one can study as fast or slow as u deem necessary, & at ur own time.

 

Hellfire... I am probably one of the worst players on AH, but MY opinion of merges is simple: it's closure with an enemy plane. It's all in how you decide to close distance with your enemy and where. The way I see it: When your engaging any threat aircraft you're already committed to the merge no matter where you're at on the Clock, I think the problem isn't the merge but rather what you do AFTER the merge. A lot of this comes from experience (and I'm still learning. My kills versus sortie rates are dismal, and are proof of that). That being said MOST situations I have encountered are normally from the 11 to 1 o'clock position and one of you will over shoot, thus you will have to turn, climb, dive, whatever to reacquire the threat and re-engage. This is where situational Awareness is critical, as well as a modest amount of familiarity with your target aircraft and your own. The object is predict where your opponent will be and beat him to it and be able to survive it.

Learn your favorite Aircraft's cornering speed, rate of climb, and rate of decent. Make it a point to maintain cornering speed or the ability to get back to it quickly, turning fights always bleed speed eventually. Avoid them IF you can, or unless your plane is awesome at it even at low Energy states... (almost no lift, or air speed).  Offline practice is great, and helps with the merge in a turn, but the Main Arena is where you're going to get better at  how, when, and where to close  with your target. Its then the Hi/Lo yo-yo, Immelman, or even the split S, or even the scissors becomes valuable. Above all keep it simple, keep it direct.

The ways I ALWAYS blow a merge is too little Altitude or under/excessive speed. Getting to 5k- 9k in altitude as your Starting point is a great place to start, make sure you can get back there if you have to extend (leave the fight and out run your pursuer) to re engage IF at all. The best place to be on any aircraft is in the 4 or 7 o'clock positions ( a deflection shot from the rear) or 11 and 2 for head on  (trick keep your guns on him while the treat cannot keep his on yours). It takes practice, practice and more practice....

Again this is just my opinion ( as in experienced as it is).