Off Map Bomber Pilots

[Tracerfi]

This is something that I have seen for awhile and is quite gamey and annoying that people fly off Map to avoid detection and yes i know you have a big arrow telling you that someone is off Map but that is not the point. There needs to be a deterrent to prevent this.



In the screenshot I posted the pilot has been flying off map for 3 sectors by now and is heading to the City and HQ while still staying off Map until he gets to the strats.

I would like to have a meaningful Discussion about this but I have a feeling that wont happen   

[wil3ur]

Unfortunately there are those that choose to avoid combat by any means necessary.  The way the game awards rank is partially dependent upon deaths.  Since many of these people have never taken the time to learn how to shoot, or learn ACM, they've chosen to learn how to find ways to avoid combat.  Whether it's sitting in trees with your engine turned off camping a spawn, flying outside of the map bounds, or piling into a gigantic unstoppable horde, then end goal is to pad your score by limiting your exposure.

Judging by the months of lamenting the addition of GV dar, I can only imagine the whines that would ensue if things like an icon location were added when flying off map, or an invisible wall that dumps all ammo and ord when you cross it, or any of the other suggestions people have made over the years.

Best thing to do is try and keep an eye on them, up a 163 when they arrive and blast them out of the air so their extra time off map just means it took them longer to die.   

[Devil 505]

Flying off map should trigger killshooter for any gun or bomb damage. Need to make the repercussions for lame behavior sting a bit.

[molybdenum]

I used to fly off map regularly (don't play any more). Here's why.

Many strats on most maps are placed at the margins of enemy territory. What are the options for a strat runner? Head directly to target, with your bomber icon screaming "Kill me!" I'm slow and relatively defenseless!" and give defenders a swift and easy kill? Thus wasting the hour I probably took to get to target for nothing?

OR...make them WORK to kill me? They'll get me (if they want to!) AFTER I drop on the target I spent an hour to hit.

It's the same as the GV dar crap. We don't want to avoid a fight. We want a fight AFTER we have a chance to achieve the objective we put a lot of time and thought into attempting to hit.

Next you'll be saying that NOE flying is "avoiding a fight," devil. Jeez.

[serun]

My thoughts on this are that if you fly off the map your plane should just explode and send your silly behind back to the tower.

[Oldman731]

My thoughts on this are that if you fly off the map your plane should just explode

Agreed.  Don't really know why that doesn't happen already.

- oldman

[atlau]

What does the AH universe look like when you are off map? A black vacuum?

[eddiek]

I've gotten to where most times I might climb high enough to ID them, and then I go find fun elsewhere. 
Let 'em bomb.  They get a nice little message saying how much "damage" they did, which makes them feel like they accomplished something.  Our HQ was at 0% most of the day, if not all day.....still had dar, so no real effect on me.
I figure if they really wanted to fight, they wouldn't climb to the stratosphere.  Mathman used to organize missions, most would be around 20K or that vicinity, and it didn't matter if they reached their target, or were intercepted and destroyed, they fought their way in, even announced to the whole arena that they were coming.
Same with the GV folks......they want to accomplish their objective without, or before a fight.
Man, I miss the early days of AH and AH2.  The GV icons from 6K were a bit much, but a 3K GV icon would increase the number of fights, IF fights is what they are truly wanting.
Sorry for getting off topic.........let em bomb.  Things will be back up before they get their crates back on the ground, they will get the satisfaction of blowing something up, and everyone else gets to keep on doing what they like to do.

[icepac]

I routinely flew NOE over 100s of miles of terrain, bombed the HQ down, and flew home NOE.

No need to leave the map.

[Mongoose]

This is something that I have seen for awhile and is quite gamey and annoying that people fly off Map to avoid detection and yes i know you have a big arrow telling you that someone is off Map but that is not the point. There needs to be a deterrent to prevent this.

<some deleted>

I would like to have a meaningful Discussion about this but I have a feeling that wont happen   

  This has been brought up before.  The consensus in the past was that there simply was not a good way to stop this behavior that would not do more harm than good.  Many suggestions would be made, but each one would cause more problems than it solved.

[Mongoose]

I used to fly off map regularly (don't play any more). Here's why.

Many strats on most maps are placed at the margins of enemy territory. What are the options for a strat runner? Head directly to target, with your bomber icon screaming "Kill me!" I'm slow and relatively defenseless!" and give defenders a swift and easy kill? Thus wasting the hour I probably took to get to target for nothing?

OR...make them WORK to kill me? They'll get me (if they want to!) AFTER I drop on the target I spent an hour to hit.

It's the same as the GV dar crap. We don't want to avoid a fight. We want a fight AFTER we have a chance to achieve the objective we put a lot of time and thought into attempting to hit.

Next you'll be saying that NOE flying is "avoiding a fight," devil. Jeez.

The way you play will either have a positive impact on the game and the community, or it will have a negative impact on the game and the community.  The tactic and attitudes you describe have a negative impact on the community.

[Mano]

Easy fix 

When you fly off the map you instantly appear on the exact opposite of the map.
You would never leave the map. Ever.

Something else would result from this. We will be guarding all of of our frontiers.

 

[Vraciu]

My thoughts on this are that if you fly off the map your plane should just explode and send your silly behind back to the tower.

Or fly through to the other side like Asteroids or PacMan.   

[1stpar3]

I can see where you are coming from, I just dont see it like you do. I dont see off the map as a game play problem. On or Off the map, still virtually the same condition. Done right, and dodging radars is pretty much the same as flying off map, IMO. You still have to look hard to find them, no? Thats saying, IF any one wanted to defends strats. Thats seems a bit Hot/Cold, dont always see defenders upping to intercept raiders. So what is the harm to game play?

[Vraciu]

  This has been brought up before.  The consensus in the past was that there simply was not a good way to stop this behavior that would not do more harm than good.  Many suggestions would be made, but each one would cause more problems than it solved.

A gently rising mountain range up to 100K feet would do the trick nicely.