Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: Waggle2 on October 11, 2004, 03:31:10 PM
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Obviously I’m missing something because I fire fire fire and fire some more at nme’s at close range and they NEVER die. I just emptied my entire load from a P51 into a B26 (little explosions everywhere on the B26) and he never even flinched.
I have one kill to my credit and that’s a proximity kill. :-/
I have my convergence set (in my P51) at 200, 400 and 600 to give me the greatest chance of scoring a hit at ranges less than 600 but it doesn’t help. Amazingly, my nme’s kill me with ease from 1k or greater.
A little background too. I am a decent pilot. I have decades of simulator experience starting with FS1 and various combat flight simulators.
So, what’s the deal? I know it’s not my flying because I am frequently inside of 400 on my nme’s tail with him in my crosshairs. Am I the victim of some sort of lag spiking or aimbotting?
Any ideas?
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1st, your convergence is wrong...your current settings minimize your killing potential...I'd set them all at 250. You can also set them 275/250/225 inner to outer or something similiar. You need to get as much lead as possible in 1 spot to cause catosrophic damage to one part of the plane...
As for your level of expertise, I suggest spending some time in the TA or Dueling Arena. If your as far along as you think you are a tune up never hurts. You'll find plenty of folks who can help you regardless of your skill level...
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Ok, I'll try the convergence settings you suggest.
Maybe you can also explain why I am getting slammed at 1K?
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Originally posted by Waggle2
Ok, I'll try the convergence settings you suggest.
Maybe you can also explain why I am getting slammed at 1K?
Waggle,I have the same problem that you have. I have spent a long time setting convergence and settings on my stick, and this has helped somewhat. My biggest problem is stick movement while shooting. I can't seem to keep it steady while I'm shooting. So dead band and ?? what ever the other setting is have helped. I have also fimed my rides and viewed them from out of the plane. What looks like "lined-up" from inside isn't when viewed from outside. You can also get a view the the nme's plane as well. I have tried to seperate flying skills from shooting skills. I have lots of sim time and lots of real time. It doesn't tranlate to diddle when it comes to shooting. As for getting killed from 1K I think that is luck, or ack. Good Luck
peace
Pillur
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Looking at your stats here (http://www.hitechcreations.com/cgi-bin/105score/105score.pl), I think you will find that you are not hitting nearly as often as you may think you are.
With 50's you want concentration. Try setting all guns to where you feel you will get the most shots. I use 300.
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Originally posted by Waggle2
Ok, I'll try the convergence settings you suggest.
Maybe you can also explain why I am getting slammed at 1K?
From a buff formation that isnt uncommon...from another fighter it is. But it does happen once in a while. Anytime your flying toward a buff your in range from 1.5...especially coming from anywhere in the tail area. Buffs have a damage multiplier on guns so hits do more damage. With a fighter your "in play" from 1.5 or so on a head on" from your 6 ~800 or so is max range...but remember lag comes into play...the guy you show as 1.2 on your 6 may show you as 800 or less on his machine.
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It surely must be server lag as you suggest as I regularly get snapshot/oneshot killed from 800 - 1k from behind while I am dodging like mad.
The thing is that my nme's are rarely on my arse for more than a few seconds while I'm pulling ever trick in the book. I have no trouble getting them off my butt. I just have trouble staying alive for more than 5 seconds.
Also, if it truely is server lag then shouldn't the server be determining a hit and not my nme's computer? Even if they show 800 and server lag is killer then they should be missing right?
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Something isnt quite right...almost nobody is hitting an evading target at ~800 yds any more with any regularity. Most folks arent even wasting ammo at that range. Film a few, I'd bet either they are closer than you think or your looking at 1 guy and getting killed by another.
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I found the answer in another post. The trouble appears to be that the "hit model/bubble" from someone's six is TINY to say the least but gets MUCH (not proportional to the size of the plane at that angle) larger from just about any other angle.
In retrospect, the only times I've been getting hit are when someone is not exactly "on my six". Also, I am almost always directly on people's six when I am firing.
IMHO it is a bug. HTC needs to make the hit model (or whatever method for collision detection they are using) to be more proportional to the cross section of the plane from the attacker's POV.
Go figure, it's actually bad tactics in AH to be on someone's six. Sigh.
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There is a rear view factor (objects in rear are closer than they appear), but I would be surprised if its average is more than 100 yds. Do some formation flying and I think youll find it not near the issue it was in older games.
Some guns are especially good at reaching out there. 20mm hispanos for one, and also any centerline mounted package. Ive blown up a p51 at 1.0+ with a half second burst in AH2, and commonly connect 800yd shots in the verticle. But then I fly the 38 which has 5 nose guns.
I agree stick movement can be a gunnery factor. Just like in rifle marksmanship, you need to learn to squeeeez the trigger. Not pull, not jerk, but squeeze. Also, you might want to check out the other thread on AH2 gunnery "How do you guys do it?"
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Thanks but something is desperately amiss. I just set my convergence on my LA7 to 250. I was 200+ behind a 26. He didn't know I was there. I fired most of my rounds, hit sprites everywhere!!!! He, calmly switches to gun view and fires for 1/4 of a second. I die and he is still flying.
Pure stupidity!
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Originally posted by Waggle2
I was 200+ behind a 26. He didn't know I was there. I fired most of my rounds, hit sprites everywhere!!!!
Bombers, especially 26s are tough. If you chaged one detail of the story to hit sprites all over 1 wing!!! it would probably have a different outcome. AH has a pretty specific damage model, 10 cannon on 1 part of a bomber is more effective than 20 on every part of it.
Btw, even long time players understand your frustration. Everyone has their periods of:
"I ping the crap out of him and nothing happens?"
"Geez I hit that plane 50 times and he still flyin, I take 1 ping and boom"
"Assist?!?!? WTF??"
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Couple idea, first off I'd say the chances of either lag spiking or an aimbot are remote at best, that's a whole load of crap that you don't even want to mess with. Secondly with 50 cal MG's I wouldn't set your convergence at 600 for anything, don't even bother at that range, all the damage on the MG's is done by kinetic energy and at 600 yeards the slug has just lost too much eneergy to do much damage. I would also look at setting all gun pairs to converge at one range. IMHO damage with the MG's is about concentration of firepower. What that convergence is, is largely a matter of personal preference. Most people would probably say somthing in the range of 200 - 400 yards. It sounds like you're getting lots of hits but relatively few hits in any one spot which is why you're not seeing a lot of damage, on top of thatin your example you're hitting a B26, which will take a lot of punishment..
*edit* well here we are 5 hours after I started this message... wow what a day at the office, but anyway I'm sure all of this has been gone over before by now but hey I tried. :)
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Well, I was just on and I proved a point ... well sort of. I let people get on my six. They couldn't hit me worth beans ... until I made a move and then I was dead in less than 1/2 second.
The moral of the story. For gods sake keep the nme directly on your six. Do so and they can not hit you worth beans. Move and you're toast.
Added: Lastly, I remember thinking earlier today. "What is wrong with these people? Why aren't they evading?". Now I know why?
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your problem with the 26s is the dead 6 attack you seem to be running, what you should be doing is a bnz style from the front, focusing your fire primarily on the cockpit area (pilot kill) or the wing roots (usually takes off the wing)
lead you just gotta practice till it becomes second nature.
for dead 6 attacks, place the center dot DIRECTLY on the target and fire only through your set convergance ranges, keeping the dot on it.
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"for dead 6 attacks, place the center dot DIRECTLY on the target and fire only through your set convergance ranges"
I'm not an experienced gunner in real life but when I fire at something that is at, for example, range 400 and continuously fire unitl range 200 (with convergense set to 250), I kinda expect my target to blow apart.
Also, if it takes me 1/2 my rounds (in a P51 and/or LA7) to make a kill I kinda expect the same from an nme. I don't expect to get killed in a matter of 1/4 of a second.
The above is just an example. I actually still don't have a legit kill (ie. not pure luck and/or a prox kill).
Maybe I'll stick to ground targets. I seem to have a knack for that at least. :-/
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if you getting that many hit sprites you might want to check to see if "vsync" is turned off, it should be in always on mode for your video card, just a thought
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Thanks but I doubt vsync would cause this kind of issue. Also, if vsynch was off and was causing trouble I would expect to see "tearing".
Not to mention that I have a high performance system. My FPS capibility of my system in AHII exceeds the refresh rate of the monitor. Excepting of course when AHII decides to load up some new textures just as I get in close. Darn it HTC! I have a 256 mbyte card. Just load them all in! ;-)
Thanks everyone for the help. It seems obvious from this and other similar threads that I'm expecting more than AHII is capible (e.g. If I fire from someone's six at my convergence settings and they are in my crosshairs, I should hit them ... always). Apparently most people have learned to ignore the six shots and wait for the player to make a move exposing a large collision model angle.
No worries other games have similar hiccups. For example, UT2004 for example allows players to shoot through corners of walls. I've used that bit of knowledge to my advantage many times.
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Sorry, but i dont quite beleave what you state. I doubt you get constantly shot from 1k, only if your tail chasing bombers. And if your so great.. then no one is on your tail with his gun pointing at you anyway.
Maybe you record a film and post the part where the other is shooting you down and where you shoot at the others.
Then put it up to view it for us.
Other than that, i rarely get shot down from more than 400yards from fighters, if i extend straight maybe at 600.
To shoot something down i get on its dead six with 100 distance, have my wings parallel to his and then pull trigger for half a second.
Also might want to practice with the target in training arena (.target 200).
ciao schutt
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Originally posted by Waggle2
Thanks but I doubt vsync would cause this kind of issue. Also, if vsynch was off and was causing trouble I would expect to see "tearing".
Not to mention that I have a high performance system. My FPS capibility of my system in AHII exceeds the refresh rate of the monitor. Excepting of course when AHII decides to load up some new textures just as I get in close. Darn it HTC! I have a 256 mbyte card. Just load them all in! ;-)
Thanks everyone for the help. It seems obvious from this and other similar threads that I'm expecting more than AHII is capible (e.g. If I fire from someone's six at my convergence settings and they are in my crosshairs, I should hit them ... always). Apparently most people have learned to ignore the six shots and wait for the player to make a move exposing a large collision model angle.
No worries other games have similar hiccups. For example, UT2004 for example allows players to shoot through corners of walls. I've used that bit of knowledge to my advantage many times.
You could not be more wrong here. What you are experiencing is just plain "newness" to this game. This is hardly a UT or Quake type game, where you can expect to have any degree of success after a month of playing. Give it 6months. You will find that with much time and exp, you WILL make those shots, and are able to kill that buff formation.
A few tips.
CHECK the vsync. that is very important. IT NEEDS to be on. Also check your Variance in flight. Is it spikey like a hear monitor (right click map, choose Net Status, and look at top graph)? If it is you have processes running in the background, and/or spyware on you computer, and AH2 is quite touchy re. that. IF it is all spikey, I would start turning off background processes and d/l a couple diff. spyware detectors. I don't care if you have Dual 3ghz cpu's with 2gigs o' ram, if your variance is off, you gonna suffer in AH.
I would spend alot of time making films, and watching them. Look HOW they are killing you when you turn. "I have alot of flight sim exp." doesn't really mean squat in AH. If you spend the time looking at HOW you die, you will see you are probably makin' obvious type turns that are ezy to 2nd guess, and are leaving yourself just hanging up there all 'purty like for your enemy. Also look at how your enemy is doing it's reverses, and work on it. Would be even better if you grabbed a trainer, or Shane, or even myself, and went into the Dueling Arena and filmed some fights. 1 on 1 training is essential in AH.
Set all guns to the same convergance. Many have given you that advice, and it's good. Myself, I have .50 cals set at 450 out. I tend to kill my prey with deflection shots, and it works for me. If you are trying to kill them as they run away from dead 6 (tough shot to make) consider setting them out further. When you shoot, make sure you are holding steady. Anticipate where the nme will be, and fire a nice burst smooth and steady right where they are gonna be. The consentrated fire will give you the results you are looking for. If you are bouncing and weaving, you can spray and spray all day, and do very little damage.
If you are attacking bombers, take the time to set up a good shot. Do NOT attack from behind. Take the 5min to climb above them, get some speed, and dive in from above them and shoot ONLY at the wing root, or cockpit. Attack from the sides. Dive down, and come up UNDER them. Whatever you do, don't attack them from behind.
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. This isn't a game you well get down in a month, 6months, or even a year. There are many horrible pilots flying AH2 that have played for many years. Real dogfighting isn't easy, and neither is AH. Don't write it off to AH being buggy, or people cheating, and/or using "bugs" in the game. Couldn't be further from the truth. This game is HARD. Take the time to learn it. It is well worth it.
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On bombers, as flyingaround pointed out, aim for one part only.
Possible is Wingroot,Wingtip,Engine,Tail,Cockpit.
Cockpit shots are hard to do.
I am not sure if engine works on all bombers, but on some you can fire on one engine till it burns then he will explode soon.
When you spray all parts you can easy hit with all your ammo and its still flying.
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Point #1: If your FPS exceeds your refresh rate, than you dont have vsynch on. If you dont have vsync on, then you will miss horribly. Please search for a Skuzzy post on this to get the technical explanation.
Point #2: ah.. .Waggle how bout U load them in??? once you fire up AHII (dont go online), go to video settings. set your textures to 256, then check preload into system memory, and preload into vid memory....
Done deal.
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" If your FPS exceeds your refresh rate, than you dont have vsynch on"
You missed that I put "FPS capibility " rather than just FPS (i.e. if I turned off Vsnch then my fps would be greater than my refresh rate).
"Point #2: ah.. .Waggle how bout U load them in??? once you fire up AHII (dont go online), go to video settings. set your textures to 256, then check preload into system memory, and preload into vid memory.... "
Oops. You got me on that one. I didn't notice that setting.
" And if your so great.. then no one is on your tail with his gun pointing at you anyway."
The only times I have had people on my tail have been when:
A. I allowed them to be there for testing purposes
B. I intentionally put myself in danger for the greater good of the team (e.g. to bomb the city even though NME fighters were swarming it.)
C. I was just lazy and didn't keep track of the postion and energy of my opponents.
"I would spend alot of time making films, and watching them."
I will certainly do so. Thanks.
" Take the 5min to climb above them, get some speed, and dive in from above them and shoot ONLY at the wing root, or cockpit. Attack from the sides. Dive down, and come up UNDER them. Whatever you do, don't attack them from behind. "
Seems like good advice for most encounters give what I have come to call the "six bug".
"This game is HARD"
Yes but my beef with the game is more technical in nature (i.e. If I am getting one hit then why is it taking so many rounds for me to shoot someone else down when I am on their six, they are at my convergence and I have the crosshairs on them?).
Cheers everyone. Hopefully your suggestions will help.
Also, thanks for not posting any "Face it. You just suck. Posts. To be honest, that's all I really expected to get.".
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Hum... ok. It looks like you are flying mostly the P-51D and La-7. I checked your stats, I hope you don't mind.
Ok, let me start with the bad. If you are new, odds are good you aren't going to be able to hit the broad side of a barn, even if you were standing (well.. flying) inside it. Some planes are easier to kill with than others. Some planes are easier to live in than others. You seem to have gone with the "easier to live in" set.
Some planes can in fact kill with one hit. If you see "190" or "109" assume it can kill you in one hit until you learn to differentiate between the D model and the A model 190s (the D9 has a much longer, circus looking nose). "Spit"s and "Typh"s can kill in one hit, if a cannon round lands on your tail. Even an "F4U" or "P38" can.. if the F4U is the C-model (it has very large cannon barrels sticking out of the wings.. they are hard to miss.)
The one thing all those planes (except the 190/109) share is the 20mm Hispano cannon. It is hands down the best cannon in the game. One hit on the tail will net a kill about 50% of the time. Plus, it is incredibly easy to hit with, having a nice flat trajectory and high muzzle velocity.
The 109 and 190 have 30mm cannon that will give you a one hit kill about 75% of the time no matter where the shell lands. Until you get better at telling between the different models of 109s and 190s, just assume they can kill you in one hit, and try not to get in front of one. One the bright side, they have to get very close to hit you, and you have to fly very predictably even then.
Bombers can kill you in one "burst" if you happen to run into a decent gunner and you fly straight and level behind them. This is because you are flying straight at them, which adds to the tail guns hitting power (imagine getting punched just standing there, then running flat out into the same punch). Plus, you are sitting in the biggest and easiest part of the plane to hit from their point of view.. so pilot wounds and outright kills are fairly common, along with engine damage.
So, my advice to you would be to avoid flying right behind enemy bombers for a while. A long while. Unless they are bombing or shooting at someone else.. and even then you don't want to camp out there. Fly in, shoot, and dive away before you get hosed.
Now, for my advice. If you are looking to kill people, fly something with Hispano's, or fly a Niki. The Niki's guns aren't as good, but the plane is fairly manueverable (almost on par with a Spit 9), and it has some sick amount of ammo for the 4 20mm cannons. If you want a fast plane that you would fly something like a P51 or La7, try out the Typhoon. It has 4 20mm Hispanos and it fast and accelerates well. And you will kill people in it, simply because you've got 4 guns that can all kill in one hit.
The P-51 has incredibly nice guns - once you have good aim. If you have poor aim, each individual rounds does fairly insignificant damage.. so if you are landing a lot of rounds but scattered all over the enemy plane.. you aren't going to kill anyone.
The La-7s guns are considered "hard" to hit with.. I don't agree, but they are harder to hit with than Hispanos.
Anyway, welcome to AH. It does have a fairly steep learning curve, and it is full of bitter 'vets' like me that usually can't be bothered to give advice.. but once it gets you you stay got. Enjoy the ride.
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" I checked your stats, I hope you don't mind. "
Of course not. :-)
"...decent gunner and you fly straight and level behind them"
In one case yesterday I was below him coming up at a 45 deg angle and in the other case I was coming at him from behind straight on but had ping the heck outta him before he fired once.
"So, my advice to you would be to avoid flying right behind enemy bombers for a while. A long while."
Yes, gotta try and stay outta the kill zone.
"try out the Typhoon. It has 4 20mm Hispanos and it fast and accelerates well. And you will kill people in it, simply because you've got 4 guns that can all kill in one hit."
I'll give it a go.
Cheers Urchin.
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Originally posted by Waggle2
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Yes but my beef with the game is more technical in nature (i.e. If I am getting one hit then why is it taking so many rounds for me to shoot someone else down when I am on their six, they are at my convergence and I have the crosshairs on them?).
.".
Sometimes when think you are dead on their six, they are still angled off a little bit from you. If your crosshairs are dead on them at that time, you will miss.
I'd suggest going to the offline mode, and turning on the "lead computing gunsite." It shows you very well where you SHOULD be aiming, even when you think you should be aiming "dead on." Even though I'm still a rather sucky shot, this helped me out quite a bit. I can't remember off hand how to set that up, but if you do a search, you'l find it described for you.
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Thanks. I'll try that.
Great help guys!!!!!
I am getting more kills by using your suggestions. The last two times out I killed 5 without getting killed myself. Unfortunately I was forced to ditch (at a friendly airfield) each time due to damage but ......
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I've only been playing for a month, and I haven't found the game too terribly difficult. I'm already in the 300s as far as rank. I had the exact same problems you did when I started. Even now, at least once a week, I'll hit a 2 day dry-spell where nobody seems to die, I randomly explode, and lose planes to stupid mistakes (like turning of combat trim accidently).
3 things improved my game a whole bunch, and got me a decent rank pretty quick.
1) Everybody has said it. I'll say it anyways. Convergence. All my guns are set to 400. I ZnB 90% of the time, so the setting works pretty good for me.
2) Started out flying mostly -51D's. Then, I started flying a 190A-8. Not the best performer in the world, but the 2x30mm & 2x20mm damage help cover the gap in my atrocious accuracy. You also get quite a bit more perks in an A8 :)
3) I bought a Saitek X45 setup. I had a tendency to get excited & hit my rudder (had a twist-grip ms sidewinder) during the boom part of the run. Cost me more than a few kills. Now I use trim on hat switches to smooth out the merges and haven't accidently hit my rudder once. If you can get used to the setup, it does improve your game.
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Originally posted by indy007
I've only been playing for a month, and I haven't found the game too terribly difficult. I'm already in the 300s as far as rank.
3 things improved my game a whole bunch, and got me a decent rank pretty quick.
indy007, glad you are coming along nicely with in a couple of months..just don't put alot of thought into RANK.....it can ruin the rest of what the game has to offer.......alot of the best players are ranked well higher than 500..........and the RANK and SCORING is easily manipulated by different factors.......
join the scenarios, fly the snapshot events, do the monthly KOTH tournyments etc.........if you fly for RANK as your main goal the game can become pain stakingly irritating ........check out all the venues Aces High has to offer and you will enjoy AH that much more!
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i think a huge part of your problem is not concentrating the firepower on a specific part of the plane. when shooting down a buff you can knock it's winf off you 68- good concentrated hits, but if you hit it all over you could get 30-40 hits and cause no serious damage. i have found most people new to th egame think just because they land hits something should go down. you most concentrate young grasshopper :) i didn't read all the posts, but i'm sure someone wrote this, just reiterating the point. good luck!
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Originally posted by TequilaChaser
join the scenarios, fly the snapshot events, do the monthly KOTH tournyments etc.........if you fly for RANK as your main goal the game can become pain stakingly irritating ........check out all the venues Aces High has to offer and you will enjoy AH that much more!
Thanks Tequila, I'm actually waiting on the big bomber raids I've heard about in the CT, and looking forward to the scenarios. I was lucky and brought into the ShiznotZ by a friend the day I started playing, so my learning curve was more accelerated than normal. As for the rank, can't help but watch it daily. I'm a retired CPL counter-strike player, I need instant gratification & tangible scores to keep me content :)
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Waggle, shoot off bombers' wingtips. Fuselage, firm; wingtips, fragile.
Hap
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I see alot of people set their convergance to 250.
I have mine setdepending on plane from 400 to 600 and get way more hits/kills then I did at 250
reason I have them set that way is when they are set at 250
After 250 the bullets are now spreading out meaning your more likely to miss after 250.
I find at 600 the bullets are still converging as oppsed to separating
I still get my kills at 250 plus my guns are still fairly accurate out to the 600 mark.
Most of my kills I get are between 300 and 600 yards
Also I dont set my convergance differently for each gun.
I set them all the same that way, when I hit at range I more often then not hit with everything.
I thinik how you set your convergance should be based on how you as an individual fly.
Pay attention to the range you usually start firing at and set your convergance to that range.
remember the closer you are within that range the more likely it is your hits will be deathblows as the bullets are more concentrated within that range.
The farther the target is beyond that range the less likely it is you will do any serious damage as beyond your convergance point the bullets are spread farther and farther agart and become less concentrated.
I think most people who have problems hitting targets is they have their convergance set too close.
After all how often is it really your 250 out in a fight?
Normally I find Im 350+
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Originally posted by Hap
Waggle, shoot off bombers' wingtips. Fuselage, firm; wingtips, fragile.
Hap
exactly and this doesnt just hold true for bombers but fighters also.
As NHattila said people especially newbies tend to think that just because they hit a plane it should go down.
Not alwasy true.
Its not so much that you hit the plane but where you hit it.
You can unload all kinds of ammo into a target only to see it keep flying simply because all you managed to do was poke alot of holes in the sheetmetal and didnt hit anything important
By contrast it only takes a few rounds of any type into the right location to score a kill. A single bullet inot the cockpit is enough to make the plane go poof.
bombers unless you have a headon shot never get on a dead six and shoot at the body. Odds are you wount bring it down.
I know I've unloaded all my rounds f from a FW cannon included only to run out of ammo and see him fly off.
Aim for the wings.
If your comming in at a 10,12, or 1:00 position then you can aim for the nose and try to get a cockpit shot.
But your best bet is always the wings
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I know for myself I actually wait till I get a maneuvering bird instead of direct 6 shots. For me it seems to be easier and alot more of the enemy is exposed. If I'm going to take a direct 6 shot I will do a short burst with only primaries to get range and then open up with all guns.
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Greetings fellow frustrated pilots,
I believe, based on film data and flight hours, the profile of the planes changes depending on whether you are shooting at them from the front or the back. It would have been nice to know this sort of thing a few years ago and would have saved me a lot of frustration. Even today I feel I am still struggling with the gunnery system in AH.
A couple of gunnery points I noticed are:
Dead six shots are a waste of ammunition if the nme knows you are there. If they are oblivious to you, you can kill them. Hits from a bomber gunner (while you are pointed towards the bomber) are very likely to kill or damage your plane. Dive away and you are safe (never been killed diving away).
I hear various statements that six shots are cake and it takes two to HO, but that has not been my experience. I have to suspect (I am cynical) the people who claim HO are uncommon and hard are the ones who exploit this "game feature". I now make the HO'er pull negative g's which solves the HO problem.
Unfortunately for me I am one of those left brain types, so the notion of plane "hit area" profiles being different whether viewed from the front or back was not something considered. Plus, all the apparent detail placed on gunnery realism does not point towards this “game feature”. But now, with no other explanation and plenty of game time and film data, I think that is the case. I hope I am not breaking some code of silence in talking about this.
I would prefer to see this changed, but I believe it’s an institution (with me being oblivious for so long).
Regards,
Malta
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Originally posted by stantond
Greetings fellow frustrated pilots,
I believe, based on film data and flight hours, the profile of the planes changes depending on whether you are shooting at them from the front or the back. It would have been nice to know this sort of thing a few years ago and would have saved me a lot of frustration. Even today I feel I am still struggling with the gunnery system in AH.
A couple of gunnery points I noticed are:
Dead six shots are a waste of ammunition if the nme knows you are there. If they are oblivious to you, you can kill them. Hits from a bomber gunner (while you are pointed towards the bomber) are very likely to kill or damage your plane. Dive away and you are safe (never been killed diving away).
I hear various statements that six shots are cake and it takes two to HO, but that has not been my experience. I have to suspect (I am cynical) the people who claim HO are uncommon and hard are the ones who exploit this "game feature". I now make the HO'er pull negative g's which solves the HO problem.
Malta,
your assumption is correct on having a bigger target area HO or from the 12 oclock position, vs the 6 oclock, you have even better target area if you are able to fire using a crossing shot or deflection shot vs the HO or 6 shot. the deflection , crossing or even belly shots gives you the biggest target area because you have more plane surface in your crosshair
The Head On or front quarter shot is prob about 10 times easier to hit then trying to get hits from a dead 6 position or near 6 position. In return this makes it to where many of your encounters will not try for anything else, they know how easy it is and do not bother trying for any other shot. Really amusing if you ask me :D
try not to force shots, do not fire with steady streams of ammo, but use SHORT BURST, if you are off target realign and fire a short burst again, this will save your ammo and help you learn or recognize "The Kill Picture" meaning where and what shape of the plane is in your sights when you are connecting, once you can get this vision stamped in your head then you should see a big improvement in your gunnery.
as for Neg G dive, this is some what good, but be ware some flyers will push neg Gs too, harder than you even to the point of RED out and still hold the Trigger down firing away, and rake the topside of your canopy, so throw in another mve along with the Neg G dive, turn and twist/roll a little so it is harder for them to track you when redout.
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Thanks TC,
I can always count on you as a "straight shooter"! :aok I am not sure the exact words Hitech (Dale, etc) uses to describe the plane hit area model but I think it is misleading. Whether this is intentional or not I cannot say, but after putting some time into the game it is clear something other than ordinary plane surface area is used to register hits.
Amazingly, there are plenty of threads implying that the frontal hit area is the same as the rear. It all seems reminiscant of a scene from a science fiction conspiracy movie :D. Maybe its a matter of 'paying your dues' and time spent online to ferret out this information. I never was one much for that.
While I am not enamored enough to write a users/players manual for AH as some historical games had, I am happy to share any game 'secrets'. AH is a fun game.
Regards,
Malta