So what is the mentality behind ack running?

[Copprhed]

I have 2 things to say about ack running.

1) Boo!!!
2) Turn and fight

If you're already at a disadvantage due to numbers, energy or altitude, it's suicide to just turn and fight, and frankly as I stated in another thread there are many who look at the MA as much strategically as just pure fighting.

[Randy1]

Latrobe, I think you are being a bit dramatic with a touch of chest beating. 

I get on to fellow country men when the vox rings with "Look at the ack huggers." when we have a fighter cap.  Hell yes I will use the ack to my advantage anytime I can.

Using the ack shield on a field of CV is like using the speed of a mustang or the pure climb of a 16 or k model.  You use what you got.  No difference than dragging a plane over flak or under another fellow countryman.  No difference when you are in a turny plane and want your enemy to play to your plan's advantage.

[Muzzy]

We complain about it when the other side does it, but a lot of us still do it. Again, I do it to reset a fight and honestly against a decent pilot that's all that's happening. It's not much worse than having someone clear your six in my opinion.

Hugging ack, however has far less tactical value. If a plane is pinned to the field it can't stop a goon and it has very little chance of any offensive action. All an ack hugger does is act as a distraction and a lure to sucker desperate pilots into making a questionable move.

[Tilt]

CV ack seems to be 10 times more lethal than ground ack.

[Shrike]

If you're already at a disadvantage due to numbers, energy or altitude, it's suicide to just turn and fight, and frankly as I stated in another thread there are many who look at the MA as much strategically as just pure fighting.

You never know what will unfold in a fight.  I've been in a number of hopeless situations where the tide has turned in my favor.  It's a feeling you can't obtain without that experience!  It may unfold this way 1 in 50 times but for me it's an addiction which yields a greater high than just trying to save chicken skin.   

I suppose one could determine a socially acceptable matrix for why someone might run to ack.  Out numbered, poor E state, Winchester, low fuel, damaged flight controls, ect..  It can be discussed all day long but it's simply just part of the game.

The mental image I had in mind was a fight were E states are similar and someone runs to ack or where your outnumbered and the red guy runs to ack after getting beat in the merge.   To this I say boo and kindly suggest the red plane turn and fight.

[Arlo]

Of course, then there's pilots like me who aren't running to ack as much as to a runway to land on before the final PW pass-out to the great beyond occurs. Ack would be just a bonus. (And oft my runway is a moving deck.)

[ink]

most people just cant fight there own battles plain and simple...

that's why there are squads ingame...

and Gangs/associations in the real world.....


I personally think and dont care who gets offended....its the core reason this world is in the state that it is in....cowards

ya I said it cowards...and I mean come on how friggen cowardly do you have to be to worry about a death in a silly game...


this world has been breeding cowards for decades now......who would rather call the cops then take care of themselves.

or jump on someone with there 10 friends....




this game is no different then the world





if the truth hurts....change your reality.

[Someguy63]

On most players, it wouldn't have any significant impact on score. In fact, if you never leave ack your score/rank is going to be horrible.
It's just the desire not to get shot down by the other guy. It's more psychologically than anything else.

Generally, I think the impact of score in the MA tends to be overrated. People do so much that's 'bad' for score (bomb'n'bail, or dropping troops&bail to stop base from flashing, suicide dar porking, bombing somehting else than town centers, neglecting some score categories and so on)

I agree with this. You know the mentality of some here. Typically when I see someone run to ack to get away they either (and rarely) have kills to land, or just don't want to be killed by "that tard", hacker, any other thing you can come up with.

I don't understand it thoroughly though. I would be happy to ask.

[Tilt]

this world has been breeding cowards for decades now......

Millennia even.... In fact the ability ( or sense) to run away and return when the stakes are to your advantage is core to the survival/creation of the greatest of empires if not the supremacy of the human race upon this earth.

 Cowardice as many see it is just the implementation of the survival instinct. Which is a bit silly when viewed from the perspective of a game such as AH where success is determined by the individual (if he or she is of strong enough mind) and not the babblings of those that want others to play as they would so wish.

[Canspec]

I'll chase the coward into his ack and kill him or as others have said just take down the ack.
Now I have ran to ack a few times simply just to get my speed back up and alt after losing all that fighting on the deck and then get back into the fight

It used by everybody.....the game is shifting.......turn fighting is becoming old and energy fighting is taking over.....people want score and achievements....that's truly what the game is about and the way HTC is taking the game...........a lot of us who have been here for a while don't care about score, taking bases or winning the war..... but the new people do.....

[XxDaSTaRxx]

Do not run.

Face your opponent with all you have.

If you die you have something to learn.

Latrobe, you once said this to me. I have not forgotten it since.

[Drane]

Here's the main reason I will run to ack. Most of the time I up planes with bombs and rockets. If ords get porked, don't want my plane damaged or shot down to leave open the option to re-arm. Ack can be an awesome wingman.

[ink]

Millennia even.... In fact the ability ( or sense) to run away and return when the stakes are to your advantage is core to the survival/creation of the greatest of empires if not the supremacy of the human race upon this earth.

 Cowardice as many see it is just the implementation of the survival instinct. Which is a bit silly when viewed from the perspective of a game such as AH where success is determined by the individual (if he or she is of strong enough mind) and not the babblings of those that want others to play as they would so wish.

we see what happened to all the great empires of the earth so far.....

[kvuo75]

this world has been breeding cowards for decades now......who would rather call the cops then take care of themselves.

wait.. didn't you spend time in prison?    


i actually tend to agree with you in your approach to the game.. fight for yourself, don't gang, make it a test of individual skill. etc.

it's a game though. not everyone is good enough to cut it by themselves. they need help (squads, ganging)

i don't know what people who have less skill in this game than others using whatever method they need to get an advantage has to do with your perception of the state of the world. no matter how lame their tactic.. call it lame, and move on. don't read so much into it lest you become bustr.

[scott66]

hi my name is Scott and I'm an ack runner! now let me tell you why. .the knight's like to de ack the base and cap it. .but they will leave the town alone they are not interested in actually taking the base most of the time. which means they like to come in with alt and  E and then the vulch light is on. .and when they really feeling like being stinkers they even dropped the fighter hangers limiting you to up in somethin big fat and slow ..so if I can get my b25 off the ground I'm heading to town ack to get my fight on. .chances are Latrobe you are at a enemy base and I doubt you are on the deck looking for a fight lol you come in with every advantage you can and so must the uppers. .I don't mind upping from a capped base but I will use every tool at my disposal and when I'm in a fight and I can tell I'm losing I'll hit the deck and try to get distance to reset and re merge  ..PS. that's the only time you will see me ack running at a capped base I don't mind dying but I'm taking a few of you with me BTW it happened last night at 71 they left the FTH up and I had a blast died 47 times in 1 hrs and got the 3 kills lol and Lazer, razer and  dodger can kma