Cobra,
Icon settings are currently way too long, maybe it's to make things easier for newbies. And icons by their very existence are a reminder that visual realism can only be poorly simulated on a 2D monitor. It's tough to say the words 'icons' and 'realism' in the same sentence.
That said, there's still a basic argument to be made that icons are more realistic than no icons: icons lead pilots to develop realistic ACM tactics, no icons leads to weird gamelike tactics.
With icons on, we learn that energy management is the key to long-term success, furballing is done only for fun or as a last resort, or to seal-club some poor enemy who have squandered their E.
With no icons speed and altitude are reduced in value, stealth suddenly becomes important. With BnZ so difficult, furballs are the rule, and then plane color becomes a major factor. Plane color should not be a factor in a furball. I've never heard of a daylight furball in the real world where the aircrafts' paint jobs mattered.
I also have to wonder how many people in the no-icon HA are leaving icons off all the time. Turning icons on for 3 seconds could make all the difference, and I'm cynical enough to think that many people are yeilding to the temptation. So what we have is a 'mostly no icons' HA.
One thing that does work well with no icons is a 1 v 1 between 2 P-51s. These planes are easy to see so the lack of a range icon is not a big deal, and with only 1 opponent you don't have to worry about a ghost sneeking up on you from out of the murk below. The most egregious problem with icons is that they are a 'shoot here' indicator during deflection shooting, flying without them is a whole new game.
ra
