1): Enemy plane takes off from a field you are just ariving over. There's no one else present, just you and the guy barely off the ground. Your altitude is 6,000 feet, airspeed is 265mph cruising.
Dweeb: Cut throttle and vulch the pilot.
Ace: Wait until he's got a little more alt, and speed, before diving in. Salute him if I get the kill or he kills me.
Experten: Set-up a wide orbit and wait for him to be in position for a perfect bounce from above and out of the sun. Salute him if he kills me.
Ace. Done it exactly as described.
2): Enemy bomber is above your field. You've got less altitude than he does, but more speed. Several other pilots are present over the area, one in a position for a diving attack.
Dweeb: Try a dead-6 attack and cuss out the BUFF pilot for killing me. Then come to the BB and whine about BUFF guns being overmodeled.
Ace: Pull off to one side and accelerate past the BUFF. Contact other friendly pilots for help killing the BUFF. Man above dives in just before I turn around for a head-on attack. Salute both the BUFF driver and the pilot who helped me out, regardless of the outcome.
Experten: Do the same thing the Ace does, only I tell the friendly pilot to dive on my call. He agrees and as I turn around to come head-on I call and he dives in. The BUFF dies and I salute the friendly pilot for the help.
I do sometimes try a 6 attack on a bomber (When I'm in a Zero) but I never cuss at him or whine about bomber guns on the BB. Between Dweeb and Ace I guess.
3): Vulching pilots are roaming over your field. It's been capped completely, with little hope of getting up and not being killed.
Dweeb: Try to takeoff 15 times, dying every time. Then I cuss out everyone for not helping, for vulching, and my own inability to think.
Ace: Switch to another field close-by and try to gain a little alt before engaging. Maybe call for help if there's too many enemy planes.
Experten: Call other pilots to join up at a field farther away from the one under attack. We get a plan together for a 3-way strike to break them up. Alt and speed advantage is on our side.
Ace. Done exactly that once again.
Now for some opinions:
Favorite tactics:
Dweeb: Vulching mostly, and spraying everything around me when I can't get a good shot.
Ace: Up and Under attacks, bounce, a few aerobatic maneuvers when I've got the speed. Plan things out if I've got time and a wingman.
Experten: Strictly bounce, Up and Under, and wingman strikes all at high speeds. Plans are done enroute to the battle with my wingman / wingmen. I prefer to think before I act, in order to have an advantage over the enemy.
Ace, mostly.
Bad habbits:
Dweeb: I lose my temper every time I get shot down. People vulch me or insult me becaue I vulch, which gets me even more angry. They're the dweebs not me!
Ace: I sometimes lose my SA at bad moments. I get a little frustrated when some moron decides to not help others too. But at least I don't raise Merry Hell over the radio about it.
Experten: I have on occasion not given an enemy pilot enough time to prepare. This is my fault and I realize it. Comments about others I keep to myself, unless they're funny.
Ace, except I don't think others are morons.
Thoughts on Vulching:
Dweeb: Great way to rack up a kill streak! Plus I don't have to worry about being shot at by him.
Ace: Vulching? As long as it doesn't happen to me I really don't care.
Experten: That is not a tactic, it's a simpleton's cheap kill! Only people that can't think and fly at the same time do it. People who vulch should have their scores docked to reflect it.
Ace, its too easy to avoid simply by taking off from a field thats not capped.
Thoughts on score:
Dweeb: Scores mean absolutely jack squat.
Alt-Dweeb: I want the biggest kill streak ever!
Ace: I check my score at least once a week to see what's going on. I can find out where I need to improve, and what I'm doing right.
Experten: Scores mean two things: One; how you are performing against the other pilots. Two; a record of your ability to think and act in combat. I don't believe your score is your only way to show off. That's where tactics come in.
Ace, because the way scores are tallied here is really just a reflection on how much time somebody plays.
Favorite aircraft:
Dweeb: Spit 9 and Zero. I don't need much speed most of the time since I can just out-turn him. If that doesn't work I'll just vulch him on takeoff or landing.
Ace: P-51, P-47, maybe a 109 G6 if I need a good dose of speed. In a way, I'm like the Experten; we both want to have an advantage before we fight.
Experten: Any aircraft with a good climb rate, and high speed. Fast turning helps in some situations, but speed can get you out of most any situation. Spitfires are nice for most any fight. 190s and such if you want to only boom and zoom.
I don't know. I like the Spitfire and the Zero, but I don't vulch. I also grab a 109G-10 for its climb and speed, P-47s for their base killing ability and Tiffies for their groud attack capabilities. Ace I guess.
Thoughts on guns:
Dweeb: Hispano and .50 cals rock!
Ace: Unlike the Dweeb, I can fire a burst and actually hit something. .50 cals are nice, so are the MG 151s for close-in work. I'll use a Tiffe on occasion for jabo stuff, since those Hispanos can do a number on anything.
Experten: Any weapon is fine with me. Accuracy, not firepower, is what will bring kills. You can kill with MG 17s just as you can kill with Mk-108s. The only difference is the time it takes to inflict major damage. If you can be patient you'll be able to kill using any weapon.
Dweeb kinda. Don't like the term "rock". I do use other aircraft and haven't found the Type 99 M2 or the Mg151/20 to be unusable. I'm not very accurate, but I am trying to get better.
I don't think I can be considered an Ace. I'm not a Dweeb and certainly not an Experten. I don't think that people can be catergorized this easily and I don't like the pro-Luftwaffe bent these things usually seem to take. This one at least acknowleged that Experten can fly non-German aircraft. Its about time that one of them did.
Sisu
-Karnak
