Multiple Cons versus Me

[Mar]

Have you been in the TA? Why don't you grab a couple guys and meet me in there (pretty please? I get lonely in there...) and we'll practice ganging eachother. In there we won't have to worry about getting shot so much, instead we can focus on looking around and understanding what's happening first.

I betcha I'm a worse shot than you are.

[Someguy63]

Look at how many years the players offering advice have been around.

If you fight multiple cons from a disadvantage it's normal to lose if one of them knows what to do and you don't get him first.

I'll keep practicing then, it just gets tiring is all.

we ever fight before my hiatus?

Yes though I wasn't as good then as I am now, I'm better at a few things. It was that night like 12-1 in the morning we were in the DA w/ some TopGun members, Bone, Ghost, Poison, WarDogz and another I can't remember

[Someguy63]

Have you been in the TA? Why don't you grab a couple guys and meet me in there (pretty please? I get lonely in there...) and we'll practice ganging eachother. In there we won't have to worry about getting shot so much, instead we can focus on looking around and understanding what's happening first.

I betcha I'm a worse shot than you are.

I'll check the TA to look for ya whenever I'm on.

[ink]

I'll keep practicing then, it just gets tiring is all.


Yes though I wasn't as good then as I am now, I'm better at a few things. It was that night like 12-1 in the morning we were in the DA w/ some TopGun members, Bone, Ghost, Poison, WarDogz and another I can't remember

ill be back next week sometimes, lets go to TA and get some training in...work on timing and over shoots

[Mar]

ill be back next week sometimes, lets go to TA and get some training in...work on timing and over shoots

Can't wait!

[ink]

Can't wait!

thanx man...that makes 2 of us


you know you miss it when you find yourself going over fights from 8 years ago....when you are starting to fall asleep and bamm you are in the cockpit looking around and seeing a cloud of red...knowing you will die...but being the last fighter of the empire you know you must dive in and deal as much damage as you can,.....

[Kingpin]

I'll keep practicing then, it just gets tiring is all.

Anarchy, it has been said already, but I'll mention it again because there is an important factor to this: Get with one or two guys (preferably Trainers) in the TA and have them methodically show you how to set up reversal shots.

The problem with just fur-balling and hoping you finally figure it out on your own is that 1) you can spend a whole lot of time "practicing" the wrong technique without ever improving and 2) you will develop the muscle memory of doing it wrong instead of practicing doing it right.

The key is to see and do it right a few times FIRST -- THEN go out and practice it.  It usually takes someone methodically walking you through the process.  Get with 2 guys if you can and join the plane of one as he shows you how to do it, so you can see it done right from the pilot perspective.  Then try to do it yourself.  Once you can repeat the technique, THEN go practice it in a fur-ball.

There is a saying I like to borrow (from Cal Ripkin Sr., IIRC): "Practice doesn't make perfect.  PERFECT PRACTICE makes perfect."

Continuing the Baseball analogy, if you have a bad technique for fielding a ground balls and just practice over and over by taking thousands of ground balls, all you are doing is practicing bad technique.  They key is to first see and feel the correct technique, which takes INSTRUCTION, not practice, THEN go practice the correct technique by taking those thousand ground balls (or fur-balling multi-cons like crazy) until the correct technique is habit.

My two cents...

<S>
Ryno

[DmonSlyr]

Anarchy, it has been said already, but I'll mention it again because there is an important factor to this: Get with one or two guys (preferably Trainers) in the TA and have them methodically show you how to set up reversal shots.

The problem with just fur-balling and hoping you finally figure it out on your own is that 1) you can spend a whole lot of time "practicing" the wrong technique without ever improving and 2) you will develop the muscle memory of doing it wrong instead of practicing doing it right.



Continuing the Baseball analogy, if you have a bad technique for fielding a ground balls and just practice over and over by taking thousands of ground balls, all you are doing is practicing bad technique.  They key is to first see and feel the correct technique, which takes INSTRUCTION, not practice, THEN go practice the correct technique by taking those thousand ground balls (or fur-balling multi-cons like crazy) until the correct technique is habit.

My two cents...

<S>
Ryno

I like the baseball analogy. I was a pitcher for 16 years. The way my father taught me to pitch was reading a book about using the proper mechanics and perfecting the proper form to pitching. There are so many short falls for pitchers like short arming or not following through all the way, or throwing curve balls the wrong way. That is really a major down fall for pitchers. Like any sport, there are people who know how to train correctly and some who don't take the time to learn it properly, they still consider themselves pitchers, but one clearly understands the craft better and thus has better results on the field.

Experience always plays a major roll. Being extremely use to your stick layout and feeling of the planes with that controller make a huge difference.

A lot of things in AH require timing. It is something that just takes experience.

[Someguy63]

Anarchy, it has been said already, but I'll mention it again because there is an important factor to this: Get with one or two guys (preferably Trainers) in the TA and have them methodically show you how to set up reversal shots.

The problem with just fur-balling and hoping you finally figure it out on your own is that 1) you can spend a whole lot of time "practicing" the wrong technique without ever improving and 2) you will develop the muscle memory of doing it wrong instead of practicing doing it right.

The key is to see and do it right a few times FIRST -- THEN go out and practice it.  It usually takes someone methodically walking you through the process.  Get with 2 guys if you can and join the plane of one as he shows you how to do it, so you can see it done right from the pilot perspective.  Then try to do it yourself.  Once you can repeat the technique, THEN go practice it in a fur-ball.

There is a saying I like to borrow (from Cal Ripkin Sr., IIRC): "Practice doesn't make perfect.  PERFECT PRACTICE makes perfect."

Continuing the Baseball analogy, if you have a bad technique for fielding a ground balls and just practice over and over by taking thousands of ground balls, all you are doing is practicing bad technique.  They key is to first see and feel the correct technique, which takes INSTRUCTION, not practice, THEN go practice the correct technique by taking those thousand ground balls (or fur-balling multi-cons like crazy) until the correct technique is habit.

My two cents...

<S>
Ryno

Will do Ryno I'll find time for it

[BaldEagl]

I'll keep practicing then, it just gets tiring is all.

When I first jumped into AH I always upped in the area that we were most outnumbered, thinking that would be the best way I could help my country; by starting to even out the odds in those areas.  That meant I was always fighting outnumbered.  It didn't matter to me what the odds were.  I knew I could affect the outcome of the war by focusing the enemy on me.  Along the way I got to a point that I could win almost all 1:2's, most 1:3's and an occasional 1:4.  Anything more that that's just attempting to survive and distract the enemy.  Anyone who tells you they can consistently beat odds of 1:4 or greater is lying.  At least they're not doing it by scrumming in the dirt like I typically was.

Later I went through phases playing for score (I was consistently a top 10-50 player overall) and phases flying every plane in the plane set until I landed multiple kills in each (I did several rotations through the plane set like this).

Now I mostly play for scenarios but for a long time when I upped in the MA I didn't know what to do.  I had no set objective like I always had so I went back to my earliest days of trying to even out the odds.  There's nothing like staying alive in a 10-20 on 1 and making the opponents think who's that?

Here's a few things I've learned over the years, many of which have already been stated:

1.  Know everything there is to know about the plane you're flying.
2.  Know most of what there is to know about every plane in the plane set.
3.  Maintain altitude to the best of your ability.
4.  Manage E effectively so you can go vertical if you have to.
5.  Keep your head on a swivel.  The one con you didn't track will kill you.
6.  Never stop maneuvering, even for a second.
7.  Don't saddle up unless the opponent is always maneuvering and then, only for a second or two at most.
8.  Be unpredictable.
9.  Think two to three moves ahead.  Plan, Execute, Evaluate, Adjust, Execute... never stop.
10.  Stay skinny.  Give them a side profile just as they line up for the shot.  A side benefit is being able to roll the opposite direction for the overshoot.
11.  Kill targets of opportunity (crossing shots, high deflection, high lead turn shots, overshoots...).  Defense first, offense second, always.
12.  Try to coax bigger threats into becoming targets of opportunity but don't lose sight of the bigger picture.
13.  Kill quickly and effectively (in the most difficult situations to do so).
14.  Keep everyone in one view if possible (I prefer front quarter).
15.  Don't worry about score.  It won't look good.

If you can do all those things you can effectively manage a multi-con engagement but don't think it will come easily and without pain.

Now let me tell you about the day I killed five Brewsters in my Spitfire...

[Someguy63]

I have some films I will post here later.