How is it done?

[Bizman]

Does having a high refresh rate monitor help like a 120?

If the overall image quality is better, determining the direction of the target might be more realistic. If your computer and monitor are able to redraw the picture 144 times in a second instead of 60, you are able to see more subtle movments. If you were able to see the movement of the control surfaces of your opponent before his plane actually turns, it might help to estimate the lead. In my case it wouldn't, it would take me a minute or two to figure out what his resulting direction would be...

As you supposed, several small factors make the advantage. Having a 144 Hz monitor doesn't help if your video card only can give you 30 FPS. The fastest video card wouldn't help if your processor can't calculate the angle, speed and direction fast enough. And so on. Even if you had the best possible system, your and your' opponent's connections may cause issues.

Like Lusche, I live in a country with a higher ping time and more lag. The best pilots can take even that into account when estimating the lead. We mere mortals tend to stick to what we see and acting accordingly, the best ones intuitively calculate and add the Internet lag for each of their opponents separately. The spooky thing is, they don't know how they do it. Androids???

[hitech]

I keep thinking it is not one single advantage but a combination of several small factors to get shoot solution before the other guy.

The lag is not an advantage. He is most likely having the same lagged view as you are. I.E. you also are shooting him at angles he sees can not hit him.

HiTech

[Lusche]

Like Lusche, I live in a country with a higher ping time and more lag. The best pilots can take even that into account when estimating the lead.

This could be a confusing statement to the casual reader. Just to be clear: The shooter does not have to take lag into account when leading his target. When shooting, what you see is what you get. You always aim for the representation of the enemy on your own screen. 

[FLS]

I expect that most players with noticeable input lag get it from joystick damping.

[Tumor]

I've seen something like this... once.  I was coming out of a very fast dive (P51 over 400) and into a slight climb towards oncoming "player".  Oncoming player was in a dive towards me... not true "ho" though, he was about my 11 o'clock in an F4u (don't remember variant), so I figured he was gonna go right on by, which he did.  I didn't so much as wiggle as we passed (I wouldn't exactly call it a merge). When he went by off my left wing, we were going exactly opposite directions.  "Player" managed to do a 180 and and shoot me down inside of 5 seconds.

I was never entirely sure if it was lag (him having ruddered over for a HO shot), or "something else".  I have no idea of his speed, however he was and had been in a dive and there's no way that "reversal" happened in a remotely realistic manner.

In fact, I know of a couple other players who manage impossible "reversals" routinely.  Is this a bug or glitch exploit?

[FLS]

How long should it have taken? 6 seconds?

[DmonSlyr]

I've seen something like this... once.  I was coming out of a very fast dive (P51 over 400) and into a slight climb towards oncoming "player".  Oncoming player was in a dive towards me... not true "ho" though, he was about my 11 o'clock in an F4u (don't remember variant), so I figured he was gonna go right on by, which he did.  I didn't so much as wiggle as we passed (I wouldn't exactly call it a merge). When he went by off my left wing, we were going exactly opposite directions.  "Player" managed to do a 180 and and shoot me down inside of 5 seconds.

I was never entirely sure if it was lag (him having ruddered over for a HO shot), or "something else".  I have no idea of his speed, however he was and had been in a dive and there's no way that "reversal" happened in a remotely realistic manner.

In fact, I know of a couple other players who manage impossible "reversals" routinely.  Is this a bug or glitch exploit?

Define "impossible"? Obviously it's a game and some things will have gamey effects or unrealistic nuances that you simply cannot control. Most of the reversals I've learned may seem as though I lagged on an opponents six because they have lost sight of me for a quick second. If they lose sight on me it would sure seem like I lagged onto their 6 by how fast it happened. I have seen people actually lag when I'm about to shoot them but they certainly don't lag on my 6 and gain any sort of advantage from it. However, I would miss my shot and that would be aggravating.

In my opinion it's just a lag issue. I believe that one person's connection is lagging behind the others when you get really close to an opponent. It seems to happen only when the opponent is very close to you. I've seen it a # of times when they hit you after they have passed you.

I don't really know how computer and internet things work but what I can tell you through the experience I've had with the game is that it doesn't benefit either player and on their side they made a clean shot. There is nothing you can do to really make this a consistency when you play, it just sort of happens, I guess.

[1stpar3]

I have come to understand that the radio shows LAG like nothing else. It can be as long as 20 seconds of lag just in the radios on AH. When I hear the radio chatter getting strung out I always have odd angle hits on my plane soon there after. How many times have you given or received a check six call that seems in time just to be told "thanks anyway"

[The Fugitive]

I've seen something like this... once.  I was coming out of a very fast dive (P51 over 400) and into a slight climb towards oncoming "player".  Oncoming player was in a dive towards me... not true "ho" though, he was about my 11 o'clock in an F4u (don't remember variant), so I figured he was gonna go right on by, which he did.  I didn't so much as wiggle as we passed (I wouldn't exactly call it a merge). When he went by off my left wing, we were going exactly opposite directions.  "Player" managed to do a 180 and and shoot me down inside of 5 seconds.

I was never entirely sure if it was lag (him having ruddered over for a HO shot), or "something else".  I have no idea of his speed, however he was and had been in a dive and there's no way that "reversal" happened in a remotely realistic manner.

In fact, I know of a couple other players who manage impossible "reversals" routinely.  Is this a bug or glitch exploit?

He most likely did what you posted, ruddered hard to slide and raked your plane from nose to tail. On his computer/view he may have don this move 200-300 out from your merge, but with lag you didn't see the maneuver. Given the closing speed of the planes, about 700+ mph (your 350 plus his 350) it doesn't take very long to cover that space, were talking about 800+ feet a second, so a quarter second lag between BOTH of you and you don't see his rudder kick until he is past you.

At least that is the way I've always thought it worked

[Scca]

The lag is not an advantage. He is most likely having the same lagged view as you are. I.E. you also are shooting him at angles he sees can not hit him.

HiTech

Respectfully disagree a little, at least in my case...

Part of my fighting style is to sucker people in by giving them what looks to them like a shot, then I try to maneuver just out of gun range.  Often I can get an overshoot or a reversal because I make them commit to a high E bleeding turn and I flip them to a defensive posture.  I have found players with higher ping times/greater lag are able to get me because I don't see them where they see themselves.  For example, it looks to me like they are not able to get the shot, but I end up in the tower when they aren't even pointing their plane at me (from my perspective at least).  Sure, when I am on their six, the same applies to them, so it's fair, so to speak.  When they are on your six, it's an advantage, when you are on theirs, it's a big disadvantage.

To be clear, I understand it's a limitation of an internet game, and I am okay with it.  This is not a complaint, but a reality one has to be aware of.  Sometimes things aren't exactly what they appear to be, and you have to compensate for it.   

Disclaimer: Just my observation, I could be wrong.

[hitech]

When they are on your six, it's an advantage, when you are on theirs, it's a big disadvantage.

So you wish your internet conection had more lag?

HiTech

[Dragon Tamer]

So you wish your internet conection had more lag?

HiTech

If that's the case, may I suggest:

[FLS]

So you wish your internet conection had more lag?

HiTech

I believe he's just describing what happens.

It's probably part of the reason for the popularity of creating an overshoot.

[Scca]

So you wish your internet conection had more lag?

HiTech

Nope.  Why do you ask?

[FLS]

Nope.  Why do you ask?

Probably because he said the same thing you did and you said you disagreed a little with that.

If you had more lag you'd see less variation in total lag from different players.