Competitive

[caldera]

Dying doesn't teach you anything.  Understanding how and why you died is what will make you better.  A few quick pointers from a trainer or veteran player can pay big dividends. 

Nobody likes dying.  Just try not to avoid combat in order to avoid dying.  To quote the guy that inspired Indiana Jones: "You lost today kid.  That doesn't mean you have to like it."

[waystin2]

So, I wan't to say this flat out, I'm really REALLY competitive and getting stomped over and over in AH has its pros and its cons. On one side you learn from your mistakes and on the other you have to re-up from a base and climb back out, (I only say that as a con is because im lazy). Now with this stated, is it your fault for getting shot down. I am not looking to get bashed just to start a civil discussion on who's fault it is for getting shot down. For the older players how do you deal with getting shot down and do you have any tips/tricks for a newbie? 

First thing I do is admit the reason I am climbing back out or in the tower is because I made a mistake.  Not because some someone else HO'd, or someone else picked, or someone else was an alt monkey or the other players plane was faster or the other pilots plane turned better (you get the picture).  Figure out what that mistake was and do not repeat it.  Lift that plane and go at them again.  Do not get upset and just have fun. You are gonna get whooped, we all do.  My A** has been kicked in some of the best fights I have had...

 

[Snork]

Do you all look in the mirror and say to your selves I must succeed 50 times before you log on

You lot need to get out more

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."

[The Fugitive]

But then you get the really REALLY forceful people about it, instead of constructive criticism knowing my luck id just get nitpicked or just bashed for my lack of a certain something instead of explaining how to do it right. Its just people who don't want more people to fight against or risk losing their spot too

As with anything, you have to take the good with the bad. Sure your going to get a few guys being A holes, but for the most part your going to get tips from some pretty good players. On top of that it usually starts a conversation and more small tips pop out in those.

Getting hammered whether here or in the game is going to happen and learning to deal with that will help both here and down the road in life (who knew youd get life lessons in a game!). Face it, your going to get shot down a lot! This isnt nintendo where you can learn a few moves..... up,up,down,left,A button, A button, right B button and be a top stick. It takes practice to learn the moves, and then more practice to learn WHEN to use the moves.

The more info you can soak up and learn to apply the better you will get. Get with a trainer to learn the moves, to learn E management. Fly WITH your squad mates not just along side them. Learn how to support their fights and they can support yours. Film everything and watch them. I film every fight still. Sunday mornings is my debriefing to see what I screwed up, and this is after 12 years of doing this. Post your films for more input.....if you can handle it 

Dont worry, landing kills will come, but you have to learn to walk before you can run.

[Simon]

My advice is don't fly angry. Sometimes the ultra competitive types act from frustration. Most encounters require patience and preparation.

Everyone gets shot down, a lot. Some days I'll die 4 or 5 times before I get a kill, and that's after 20 years' practice.

Acceptance doesn't come naturally at first. Whenever I find frustration setting in, I create a mental picture of the guy that's shot me down. Usually that makes me smile, considering he's probably very much like me; some middle aged dude sitting at his desk with a joystick, thousands of miles away, sharing this moment.

That never ceases to amaze me.

[Soulyss]

Get with a trainer.  A couple of 30 minute sessions can save months of frustration.

This.  If I would have taken this advice early on it would have saved me weeks upon weeks of time being little more than a target drone.

[TWCAxew]

What me helped in the beginning was talking out loud to myself. Not the crazy talk do haha.

No, i mean what the opponent is gonna do, where he is gonna be next/his move and how i should act to counter it / get an advantage in a way. This really helped me to understand my fights and how to react in an combat situation. It also helped me to understand what i did wrong and how to don't make the same mistake next time. What it also does is identifying what kind of player your up against. Is he flying like a vet? Will he saddle up on me or will he keep Booming and Zooming me? Will he make any mistake i can capitalize on?

Also i really agree with Simon don't fly angry. Give it time and it will come to you. And like stated earlier try and get some help from a trainer.

I'm gonna talk to myself again, back into training modus haha. And i hope this is helpful.

See you in the sky sir 

DutchVII

[DmonSlyr]

1. I'd recommend trying to join a squad. Many squads will teach you quite a bit about the game you didn't know. Maneuvers, Jabo, bombing, base taking, situational awareness, and will help you not get ganged on so easily. This also makes the flight out not feel so long.

2. Ask. Don't be affraid. The best players have learned from the best. Ask if you can join their plane and watch how they fly. Type .join (name)  this will allow you to see right from the cockpit how the player flies. A guy named Rum asked me if I could show him some maneuvers the other day, so I took him to the Match Play and showed him a few beginner maneuvers, some defensive tricks, and why vertical maneuvers are important. Now he has some things to practice and work ok to become better.

3. Look at the size of dar bars and the distance from the bases. As a new player, I'd recommend you roll when the green dar is bigger than the red. This means there are more of your teammates than enemies. This will help you stay alive a good bit longer. If you roll into a hoard of a lot of red guys without your teammates, you will die quickly every time. It is better when you are learning to fly with a lot of green guys, so that they can clear your 6, and keep you in the fight longer. Most of the time, attacking bases where the enemy is lower, is the best place to be, follow a bunch of green guys to a base and watch, listen, how they interact, this will help you get more kills and not die so quickly.

4. Read about the planes. Watch videos about ACM. Read about ACM. Practice ACM. This will help a good bit for your overall flying and undertsanding of air combat.


It's a really hard game and can be very frustrating. Try not to take it too seriously and don't give up. Everyone dies!!

[Lazerr]

Drink a 6 pack of beer and have fun.  I find it helps my aim.

[EagleDNY]

1. Film your sorties for a while.  When you get shot down, go back and look at it from the enemy perspective to see what you did that allowed him to get you. 
2. Pick a ride that you like and stick with it - learn its' good and bad points so that you know what you can and cannot do in it.  I would also suggest you pick something that has excellent pilot visibility from the cockpit to start off with so that you can see what is happening around you.
3. The guys that say study ACM and practice are not wrong - do it.  Practice gunnery too - and get CLOSE before you shoot. 
4. Wing up - either with a squad or get together with other players while they are working on some objective (like taking a base, or a strat bombing run, etc.)  It is more fun that way.
5. Special Events - sign up for FSO and the various special events when you can.  They are LOADS of fun and you can learn a lot from the guys you fly with. 

For me it stopped being about landing kills and getting my name in lights a long time ago.  I'm mission oriented now - if my mission is to sink your CV and I sink your CV but get killed I count that as a success.  If we are on defense and my role is resupply, I'll do it and count the success of not letting the enemy capture the base. 

[Becinhu]

Drink a 6 pack of beer and have fun.  I find it helps my aim.

But......you fly a bomber........


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[nrshida]

But......you fly a bomber........

Fuss!

What a great community. Some stirling advice here.

[nrshida]

Except for Zack of course. He's just grumpy because he rides a Heinkel scooter to work 

[bozon]

Drink a 6 pack of beer and have fun.  I find it helps my aim.

It also makes women look a lot hotter! 

[thndregg]

  I find it helps my aim.

She might disagree..