HO Philosphy

[zack1234]

HO Philosophy?

I ho, therefore I am 

[The Fugitive]

I prefer to HO as it takes all the manoeuvring stuff out of the equation.

Barring a lot of radiator hits in my Tiffie it's a pretty succesful tactic.

One the dumbest statements ever in a game about combat!  


As stated by a few, this is a game, a game about combat. By going for the HO you are looking to avoid any combat <see above quote>. If you don't want to do "all that maneuvering stuff" go play MS Flight Simulator. It is also a sure sign that the player hasn't much skill in combat maneuvering and so rests all his fight on a 50/50 chance.

Personally, a HO is when you FIRE on a head on pass. To me it's a cheap shot and shows no skills as anyone can point and spray. I'll give the other the chance pretty much every time and NOT fire on a head on pass. If they do however, all bets are off and I'm not going to get a "fight" out of the loser anyway and I'll fire any time my guns are pointed at them. They go down, I go down, it doesn't matter. No winner because there wasn't a fight. You may get credit for shooting my plane down, but you didn't beat me.

I had a great fight against RAUH Saturday, I had my pony down to 50 mph in a climbing spiral turn into his torque of his K4. He had more power but couldn't fight through the torque to get the shot. It was 5 minutes long and we never got to finish it as "others" joined the fight. It was a blast, and not a single shot fired on a head on pass by either of us. Well worth my $15 this month.

In the 10+ years I've been here I agree that the frequency of getting HOed has gone up. When this game first started it was a bunch of history buffs looking to re-enact WWII fights and so they fought. You could have a fight with someone be low on fuel and call "bingo" and most guys would send you a <S> and turn off and let you rtb. As the game stayed around longer and longer it came up on the radar of youngsters who where being let out to rome the internet. In comes the players from WOW. A game, surprisingly where you do the same thing over and over again (sounds like a typical NOE horde mission, up hvy, destroy everything, capture, repeat....hmmmm), and a game were being killed off is a small inconvenience and if you respawn quick enough can get back in where you left. Apply that to this game and you have players that see a kill marked on their score sheet as the "end game". Dieing doesn't matter as long as your getting kills racked up. So we get more and more HOs. After all its the quickest easiest way to get a kill. You don't waste any time doing all that maneuvering for a shot stuff.  

[Torquila]

Fug; I dont think its a matter of combat being avoided or not.

You see; HO'ing is "combat" but we cant forget that flying is an art whereas killing is generally the science around here.

So; HO'ing and other tactics that pull you towards getting the 'instant-kill' satisfaction are generally geared towards those who don't want to enjoy getting the most out of the "experience" as it has been designed and just satisfy some lack inside themselves.

This is a common thing in life/etc, it doesn't mean they are bad or wrong, its just the way things are and is a result of the world outside ourselves.

If you think there is too much HO'ing going on, the only way is to lead by example!

[NikonGuy]

One the dumbest statements ever in a game about combat!  


As stated by a few, this is a game, a game about combat. By going for the HO you are looking to avoid any combat <see above quote>. If you don't want to do "all that maneuvering stuff" go play MS Flight Simulator. It is also a sure sign that the player hasn't much skill in combat maneuvering and so rests all his fight on a 50/50 chance.

Personally, a HO is when you FIRE on a head on pass. To me it's a cheap shot and shows no skills as anyone can point and spray. I'll give the other the chance pretty much every time and NOT fire on a head on pass. If they do however, all bets are off and I'm not going to get a "fight" out of the loser anyway and I'll fire any time my guns are pointed at them. They go down, I go down, it doesn't matter. No winner because there wasn't a fight. You may get credit for shooting my plane down, but you didn't beat me.

I had a great fight against RAUH Saturday, I had my pony down to 50 mph in a climbing spiral turn into his torque of his K4. He had more power but couldn't fight through the torque to get the shot. It was 5 minutes long and we never got to finish it as "others" joined the fight. It was a blast, and not a single shot fired on a head on pass by either of us. Well worth my $15 this month.

In the 10+ years I've been here I agree that the frequency of getting HOed has gone up. When this game first started it was a bunch of history buffs looking to re-enact WWII fights and so they fought. You could have a fight with someone be low on fuel and call "bingo" and most guys would send you a <S> and turn off and let you rtb. As the game stayed around longer and longer it came up on the radar of youngsters who where being let out to rome the internet. In comes the players from WOW. A game, surprisingly where you do the same thing over and over again (sounds like a typical NOE horde mission, up hvy, destroy everything, capture, repeat....hmmmm), and a game were being killed off is a small inconvenience and if you respawn quick enough can get back in where you left. Apply that to this game and you have players that see a kill marked on their score sheet as the "end game". Dieing doesn't matter as long as your getting kills racked up. So we get more and more HOs. After all its the quickest easiest way to get a kill. You don't waste any time doing all that maneuvering for a shot stuff.  

Hmm .. good reply Fugitive

If only HTC could award no points to a HO kill it may change things back, but I doubt it

[Raphael]

One does not simply HO in Mordor...

[Karnak]

The head on is a tool in the fighter pilot player's toolbox.  But it is not the only tool in the box and like a hammer is not suitable substitute for a saw, the head on is not a suitable tool in most cases.

Are you being ganged from above?  The head on may be your best bet to cut down enemy numbers while you still have E to work with.

Are you diving in to attack somebody?  All the head on will do is throw away your E advantage.

For me, personally, there are only two circumstances I will use the head on as my go to attack.

1) I am being ganged from above and need to cull their numbers fast.
2) My opponent is in an Me262 or Me163.  If the Meteor is added it will be on this list too.

[DrBone1]

I shot Titanic3 in the face when he first started AH and look where he is now. 

[Rich52]

Boy a thread where EVERYONE has an opinion, heres mine. I dont like them but think there are two examples where I dont mind them. #1 when your in an aircraft that has no other choice but to take any shot you can get. Example, B-25-IL2-Bombers.....ect. Or when flying against bombers. #2, When your trying to save troops on the ground and have no choice but to HO an IB fighter who is going to kill them. OH yeah, and a 3rd is when against a 262 or to save a crippled team mate or when "ganged against impossable odds".

The point is HO'ing all the time just isnt any fun. The other day I was in a Yak fighting a Spit-5 with another friendly with me. I refused to get into a slow turn fight with him and he was very good and it took us a while to put him down. Numerous times We both had opportunys for HOs, or semi-HOs, but neither pulled the trigger. The result was a prolonged fight involving 3 fighters with mismatched capabilities where nobody got the "6" of another, long enough for a kill", for about 5 mins. And all because all 3 refused to ruin it with an HO. Now that is "fun".

HO'ing is like vulching. I do it when I have to but as a general rule I avoid it. Ive seen prolonged vulches where a town isnt even touched. Usually I just bail and go try and find a real fight. I dont like doing either, vulching or HO'ing.

[Debrody]

I shot Titanic3 in the face when he first started AH and look where he is now. 

You shot my face too. I wasnt happy. Called you to the DA, you said, aye, sure then stayed in the MA and talked crap behind my back.
Why should i forget or forgive this?

[R 105]

 The HO is just the John Wayne merge, Face to Face Guns blazing mono a mono lol.

[ozrocker]

To me a merge with no Ho pass is more of respect more or less to say,
"Let's see what you got", makes the fight a lot more fun (especially with
multiple Ho chances but no shots taken).
Why fly 15k to get into a 1 second fight?
I learn from watching movements, not face to face.
Idk, lotta reasons why I don't Ho.
Was a less used shot in AH1 even.
True, was valid in WW2. That being said, I'm sure it wasn't
used nearly as much as it is in AH.
                                                                                                                                    Oz
                                                                                                                                             

[gpwurzel]

Will I ho - heck yeah, but only if seriously outnumbered or fighting a 262/163 - otherwise, I tend not to.

Is the way I play for everyone - nope, we all make our own decisions, play our own way. If its a newbie, who ho's every opportunity, good luck to him, if its a vet who ho's continually, he'll get enough grief from other players, or it could be borne out of frustration with being ho'd every other sortie.

Do I have skills? - nah, I play for fun, my version of fun being somewhat masochistic lol.........I'll fight anyone, in anything, win or lose.

Its like Oz said, I wont ho out of respect for my opponent, but, I will expect it every single merge. Some I avoid, some I dont - that part of the equation is purely down to me.

Wurz

[Big Rat]

Mate I hear ya .. is it just me or are 98% of the players now going the HO, I just don't remember it being like this a few years back .. !!  or maybe my memory is failing like my eyesight is lol

It's part of the trend that's been going on for the last few years.  I find a good number of your more expereinced sticks spend far less time in the Late MA anymore.  You find them practicing in custom arena's, side field of the DA, or TA, for FSO's and scenarios.  Not that you don't find HO's in FSO and scenario, but it's far less rampant then in the MA's, like someone mentioned before, you only have 1 life so people tend not to be nearly as risky with their merges.

 
BigRat     

[Shuffler]

I am asking a serious question here, so please no rants or belittling.

I don't understand why a HO upsets so many when:

a. It was used in actual combat
b. Pointing your guns at another opponent is an act of aggression

Its a tactic that for some reason in AH has this whole taboo stigma attached to it and based on point B. if an opponent attempts to point his guns at me, no matter from what direction then I will fire !!

I am also finding on occasion that after checking the film back find that the person making the HO claims actually fired themselves, which is beyond belief .. !!

Would love peoples thoughts

NikonGuy

People who like a good fight do not like a ho. When one hos in the game it is a sign they do not have the skill to fight or do not want to learn the skill to fight. The whole fun of the game to many is a good fight.

Anyone in the game from 5 year old to the eldest can ho. To set yourself apart takes learning to actually fight.

[Melvin]

I'm not a very good pilot, but even I know enough that, when I'm fighting multiple cons trying to HO me, the last thing I want to do is go nose to nose with any of them

A couple weeks ago I was in a Mossie VI, turning on the deck with a handful of Navy turny types. Yep, every time one of those idiots would turn into my gunsight I unleashed a stream of lead. I got a nasty little P.M. from one of them crying because I had HO'd him. He recommended that I learn some ACM blah, blah, blah.

I thought to myself, "This dolt is going to insist on going head-on to a Mossie and I'm the one lacking common sense?"


Anyway, had I had any ACM skills at all I wouldn't have found myself turning on the deck with a pack of blue planes. Somehow I managed to make my escape though.