Head on Shots....why have them?

[Pongo]

Historically HOs are not only realistic, they were doctrine.  Especially on the allied side where the Germans often arrived with alt and advantage. Turn into them and stare them down. At least you are messing up their bounce.

In a game playing sense..HOs are like a phase that most pilots go through.  So is complaining about them. Its frustrating but what do you want..the other guy to play your game..he is doing what he thinks gives him the best chance for the highest return. In many situtions he is infact giveing up the advantage...but he will learn.

They certainly can be avoided with a very high chance of success most of the time. And they give you a huge advantage over the other guy..from the moment he goes out of his way to try to force an HO you know he is probably very predictable in what he will try next...what more do you want in an enemy? Predictablility is death in this game...

[spiffykraits]

Originally posted by Urchin
Air Warrior had code so that a shot hitting from the front of the plane would do very little damage.  

Headon shots were quite feasible in Air Warrior as a CM could set it 100% if they wanted to by altering the arena settings.  In practice headons were enabled for fighters headoning buffs (this was standard practice in WWII by the LW on large B17/b25 formations (it was probably the safer approach (for them) as the closing speed was high and gunners would have very little time to track them). The percentage setting was set for this around 30%. ie. only 30% of hits were registered, and combined with the randomizer it would be less.

For fighter/fighter the standard arena settings for headons were set very low indeed, and limited to a fairly small cone angle (we could set that too) though for center firing fighters they got a slightly increased percentage.  So fighter/fighter headons you would be a particularly good shot in AW to score hits HO, so most folk went for the angles rather than a headon.  

Because collisions were not modelled in AW as in AH it was probably the best compromise, but HO shots could be turned on/off and any percentage set, also the cone angle, so it is not true that HOs didn't happen in AW -it depended who set that particular arena setting, but for standard arenas it WAS enabled, but at a very low setting.  

[Lephturn]

Originally posted by WildBlue
Okay, no problem, that all works fine and pretty when the bad guy does what you want him to... but what about when he doesn't? No matter how far out I start my avoidance, no matter what I do, they ALWAYS get a high angle shot on me that either takes out something or kills me... should I just say to hell with it  and just fly a friggin jug so I can always win ho's? I'm really getting tired of it, all I see anymore are damn HO attacks... it's getting REALLY old! What happened to the FIGHTS we used to have here? Every now and then I make it work... I end up on the guys 6 with some e, and wax his butt, but taking every fight from the HO is old... sure, I try to pull to the side, or under, or whatever, but the guy just keeps pointing his friggin nose right at me. It's getting on my fragile (lol) nerves! I'm tired of it... it does only get me sometimes, but still... it's silly... all the guy has to do is keep his nose on me and if he has better guns, he wins... BS. Eh, screw it, my whining ain't gonna change a thing... disregard.

You seem to be doing something wrong here.  It looks to me like you are either pulling your evasive to early, too late, or maneuvering more than you should pre-merge.  When done right, the fact is that you will avoid the HO 99% of the time and gain an advantage on the enemy if he goes for the head-on.  Folks keep doing this to you because I bet you are making a mistake there somewhere regularly, and they are going to capitalize on it every time.  Heading into a true HO, you should be executing a small roll-pull at about D1.5k to spoil his shot.  Although it seems weird, after he passes about 1.2-1.0k, you can flight pretty much straight and level and he can't hit you.  Because of the lag delay, your little evasive at 1.5 will be happening just as you come within effective guns range.  As mentioned above, a very small roll-pull, even a 0G push with a 20 degree roll will normally do it.  This is only a very small move to throw his guns off, after this, you need to be transitioning into your upwards merge move.  What will happen is that he will pass you going for the HO with guns blazing.  If you've done your part right at this point, you will be lead turning him in the vertical while he overshoots slightly below you because he had to point his nose down to get a shot at you.  You now get an angles advantage because you start your turn earlier, and you get an energy advantage because he overshot below you.  If you've entered this fight with any kind of an advantage to begin with, you should kill him shortly.  Often you can nail the guy that tried the HO right after the merge.  If not, you've at least given yourself every advantage at the merge, and you can use that to either kill him, or bug out when you lose the advantage.

Bottom line is this.  Guys that try to HO you are handing their bellybutton to you on a platter if you know how to play it.  If you try what I suggest and still keep getting killed, please film it.  Send me the film so I can see what you are doing wrong, and we'll work it out in the TA.  I guarantee I can change your mind on this.... 'cause once you learn to handle the HO, you LOVE when they try it... it means the other guy is easy meat.  I don't get worried when I guy goes for the HO... I get worried when he mirrors my evasive move, because a guy who evades the HO properly is going to be tough to beat, likely a cagey veteran.