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General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Tjay on January 18, 2002, 02:19:54 PM

Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Tjay on January 18, 2002, 02:19:54 PM
New thread 'cos the other one was getting overlong.
If someone seriously damages an nme to the extent of blowing large bits off it, won't they be awarded the kill regardless of anyone subsequently taking potshots at the falling wreckage. I confess to having fired a short burst into a a 'dead' plane on the odd occasion just out of frustration at not being the one to kill it. I wasn't trying to steal the other guys kill - I assumed by that time it was already his. But if that's bad form I won't do it in future.

Btw, if anyone sees me in a 1 v 1 situation, regardless of who appears to have the advantage, please don't stand on ceremony - come and give me a hand. I am probably scared cheeseless, low on fuel and nearly out of ammo. If you get the kill, you are very welcome and I'm happy if I get an assist!
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: JimBear on January 18, 2002, 02:26:35 PM
Have shot the wing off of a B17 at 20k, climb up and look over my shoulder and see a "friendly"  dive in and follow the plane 15k down shooting at it the whole way....he got the kill    (that was the most blatant steal I have seen, but it was sorta funny)

C'est la Guerre
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Tjay on January 18, 2002, 02:43:33 PM
Didn't realise that could happen. Not right, surely? But I won't do it any more just in case...
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: K West on January 18, 2002, 02:43:44 PM
 If the enemy "pilot" rides his wreckage down and a friendly persues him, after you've broken off,  the friendly can still kill the enemy "pilot" (aka PK) and get the kill award.  A "PK"  is the highest damage you can do.

 So the moral is;  Make them "pop"!  Because then there are no scraps for the hyenas to squabble over.


 Westy
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: MrLars on January 18, 2002, 03:02:17 PM
Quote
Originally posted by K West


 So the moral is;  Make them "pop"!  Because then there are no scraps for the hyenas to squabble over.


 Westy


I think the best thing to do is hope and whine for refinement of the damage model so that as soon as a bird is unflyable the kill is awarded. The stealing is getting so bad in the MA that even vets from well known squads are doing it :(
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: muckmaw on January 18, 2002, 03:12:03 PM
I can understand the frustration of those having kills stolen from them.

Personally, I could care less if some moron wants to waste his ammo, fuel, and E chasing a dead bird, just to get another notch in his belt.

No matter what my score, I fly away with the satisfaction of knowing I got the kill.

Perfect example. My favorite kill of all time was not even a kill. I was flying a B-26 on a mission when we were jumped by an Me-262.

Surprisingly enough, I survived the first pass, and was able to line up a shot with my top turret. I put enough rounds into him to see 2 trails of smoke coming out of his engines. I expected to see him descend into the ground, but he somehow maintained control and disengaged. A gaggle of friendly fighters (who came out of nowhere) chased the wounded 262 out of sight.

Did I get the kill. Nope. Did I ping up an ace? Maybe. Did I save my own bellybutton against the hottest ride in AH? Damn right.

Best un-kill I ever got.
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: K West on January 18, 2002, 03:13:16 PM
Oh, I agree Lars. 100%.     But in the meantime....

Westy
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Kratzer on January 18, 2002, 03:19:34 PM
If you drive a pony, making them go pop isn't too big a deal, but if you fly something like a 109, you don't really have the luxury of spending a lot of ammo.
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: K West on January 18, 2002, 03:23:29 PM
Well I usually fly a Yak.  What I wouldn't DO for the ammo load of a 109 :)
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: MrLars on January 18, 2002, 04:55:09 PM
Quote
Originally posted by K West
Oh, I agree Lars. 100%.     But in the meantime....

Westy



Yep...we just have to suck it up and just shake our heads at the truly "gifted" kill stealers :cool:
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Wlfgng on January 18, 2002, 05:14:21 PM
I fly a 109 a lot.. just take a potato gun...

usually takes like 2 pings then BLAM
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Tjay on January 19, 2002, 06:01:49 AM
Quote
Originally posted by MrLars


I think the best thing to do is hope and whine for refinement of the damage model so that as soon as a bird is unflyable the kill is awarded. The stealing is getting so bad in the MA that even vets from well known squads are doing it :(


Hear, hear. (HTC - any comment?)
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: qts on January 19, 2002, 06:24:50 AM
The obvious retort is, "If a plane's still flying, it's not been killed." I've landed bombers with significant damage - eg the Fortress was famous for its capacity to fly when damaged.

Indeed it's actually a lot of fun trying to land a damaged plane, especially when you've got a couple of killstealers on your tail. About two weeks ago I was in a Lanc after an aborted bombing run with severe damage - two engines out, some control surfaces missing, yada. I'd jettisoned the bombs to lighten me and was running for home. I winged one plane from the rear turret but I was saved on two occasions simply because friendly fighters were coming my way and the 'killstealers' didn't want to chance it.

From another time: 'Umm... I've got no flaps. OK, I'll open the bomb doors instead.'

Should there be Perkies for landing damaged planes?
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: K West on January 19, 2002, 07:23:40 AM
"..just shake our heads at the truly "gifted" kill stealers "

Until HTC changes the system that's about all we can do.  I tend to mock them. Talks down to them a bit and tell them if they're good, rollover, then situp and speak I'd get them another bone to play with.
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: SOB on January 19, 2002, 09:15:49 AM
Tards.  What ever happened to the satisfaction in a job well done.  Why, when I was a kid . . .

If anyone would like to finish off any flaming wreckages I leave plummeting to the ground, you're welcome to them.  Hell, they deserve it for getting killed by a dweeb like me anyhow.  I may give you toejam just for the sake of giving you toejam, but I promise not to pee my pants and get all emotional on ya.  On the other hand, if they happen to bail before you get to the wreckage . . . STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY CHUTE!

That is all.


SOB
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: J_A_B on January 19, 2002, 11:29:58 AM
"The obvious retort is, "If a plane's still flying, it's not been killed."

That's true in certain circumstances.  A smoking B-17 with damaged flaps and on 3 engines is still a fair target, IMO. However, a piece of falling burning junk with its tail or wing missing IS a dead plane.

I agree with the idea posted earlier in this thread--once a plane is damaged to the point of becomming unflyable, a kill should be awarded and that plane's ICON should disappear so people don't mistakenly chase it.

J_A_B
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Bullethead on January 19, 2002, 12:36:52 PM
I like things fine the way they are.  Don't count the kill until the pilot dies or bails.  Let kills stay up for grabs until then.

Why?  Simple.  This is a 2-way street.  And I can assure you, I get more kills than I lose because of the current system.  I bet you all do, too, but just don't realize it because you're so torqued by the few you lose.  I mean, I hardly ever lose a kill to kill-stealers because I fly planes with big guns.  The target usually blows or is so full of my bullets that it can't be stolen.  But I do get a lot of kills in other situations.

How do you get kills with this system?  Simple--you just stay alive as long as possible.  As long as you're alive, you can score, even if you're just falling wreckage.  Here are some rather common examples:

1.  Exploiting Kill-Shooter
Kill-stealers, being concerned only for themselves, have no compunction keeping them from cutting in front of each other in their rush to put bullets into your dying ass.  As a result, those by-passed frequently kill themselves with the kill-shooter, giving you the kill.

2.  Exploiting the Ground
As you slowly flutter to earth minus empennage or your rear fuselage, would-be kill-stealers will swoop down on you.  Being so fixated on perforating your remains, or not realizing your true condition until too late, they quite often scream right by you and into the ground below.  This happens a lot, probably because when you're in this condition, you're not smoking and are thus attract "normal" pilots who mistake you for a legitimate target.

3.  Exploiting Trajectories
How many times have you pulled up to meet a diving HOdweeb and gotten mutual destruction at the merge?  But guess what?  He's heading down at high speed while you're heading up.  So he hits the ground first, so you get the kill.

4.  Exploiting Turn-Around Times
You and a buff simultaneously cripple each other.  Or maybe you got the worst of it and are going down, but the buff is in no shape to continue the mission.  This is usually at fairly high alt so you've got lots of time before you crash.  But if the buffer is in a hurry, as many are, they don't want to waste time trying to fly home.  Instead, they want to start the time-consuming alt grab of their next hop as soon as possible.  So quite often they bail very quickly, again giving you the kill.

The morale to all this, of course, is NEVER bail.  You are giving up all kinds of kills if you do.  Call it vengeance from beyond the grave :cool:
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Tjay on January 19, 2002, 02:40:17 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Bullethead
The morale to all this, of course, is NEVER bail.  You are giving up all kinds of kills if you do.  Call it vengeance from beyond the grave :cool:


Hmm. I thought not bailing, which results in a 'You have been killed' message would have a more adverse effect on your K/D ratio than bailing, which - assuming you remember to open your chute and some dweeb doesn't kill you - results in a 'You have bailed successfully' message.

I guess that in the case of mutual destruction, if you don't bail and that results in a kill simply because the other guy hits the ground before you do, it WOULD work in your favour. But don't you get the kill even if you bail and pull and the other guy hits the ground while you are serenely floating to earth? Or can't you be awarded a kill once you have bailed?
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Bullethead on January 19, 2002, 02:56:27 PM
Tjay said:
Quote
Hmm. I thought not bailing, which results in a 'You have been killed' message would have a more adverse effect on your K/D ratio than bailing, which - assuming you remember to open your chute and some dweeb doesn't kill you - results in a 'You have bailed successfully' message.


Depends on how you figure your k/d I guess.  I figure you lost whether you go down with the ship or bail, so to me it counts as a death either way.  

Besides, bailing has real negative connotations to me.  There are 2 types of bailers that annoy me:  score potatos and wusses.  The former are more concerned with salvaging points out of a losing situation than the fact that they lost in the first place.  They should take their lumps as incentive not to lose next time.  The other type leads you on a long chase and then bails just before you catch them rather than die like men, or even maybe win.  

Certainly, many people bail for legit reasons, such as just trying to be realistic.  That's cool with me.  However, there are enough of both of the annoying types around, and I find them so offensive, that I never bail just to ensure that nobody ever mistakes me for that type of pilot.  And because I never bail, I reap the benefits I described by prolonging my agony :).

Quote
I guess that in the case of mutual destruction, if you don't bail and that results in a kill simply because the other guy hits the ground before you do, it WOULD work in your favour. But don't you get the kill even if you bail and pull and the other guy hits the ground while you are serenely floating to earth? Or can't you be awarded a kill once you have bailed?


I know WB was that way.  You'd still get kills from the prior hop after you died and re-upped.  But as far as I can tell, that's not the case in AH.  Once you die or bail, that's it for your killing that hop.  I've never seen a kill message, or even an assist message, come up after I've died in situations where I would have in WB.
Title: DOH
Post by: Yeoman on January 19, 2002, 08:40:19 PM
I just now realized that there were points in this game :P  That does suck though, I thought I left kill stealing behind in Everquest/dark age of lagalot.
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Dead Man Flying on January 19, 2002, 11:03:37 PM
Geneva Convention be damned... all chutes must die!

-- Todd/Leviathn
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Hamish on January 19, 2002, 11:04:23 PM
Never Bail. Don't give an FDB the satisfaction of shootin' yer Chute.
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Tjay on January 20, 2002, 09:40:46 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Bullethead
Tjay said:


Bullethead,
Thanks for your input.
I appreciate your feeling about those who bail after a long pursuit without any attempt to engage. But I do know one pilot who reckons that players (P51 drivers in particular) who pursue a retreating nme across four sectors while closing at 1 yard per minute, when they should have reversed and gone back to the job in hand, deserve it. I only bail when staying with the plane would result in certain death.

Now I had assumed that bailing out to live and fight another day had some sort of positive effect on your K/D ratio. Anyone know for sure if a bail = a death, or not?
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Fatty on January 20, 2002, 01:13:09 PM
A bail doesn't equal a death, it only counts as half a death, if you make it to the ground okay.  So everyone should bail out more.
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Hangtime on January 20, 2002, 01:27:21 PM
Quote
If anyone would like to finish off any flaming wreckages I leave plummeting to the ground, you're welcome to them. Hell, they deserve it for getting killed by a dweeb like me anyhow. I may give you toejam just for the sake of giving you toejam, but I promise not to pee my pants and get all emotional on ya. On the other hand, if they happen to bail before you get to the wreckage . . . STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY CHUTE!


^^^^^^^

Yep; thats pretty much my sentiment.

Quote
A bail doesn't equal a death, it only counts as half a death, if you make it to the ground okay. So everyone should bail out more.


Yah. Thats the smart thing to do. (licks chops) Bail. Save yer score. And if somebody shoots yer chute, be sure and announce on chan 1 how yah feel about it. Name names. Lets arrest this mindless chute shooting before it becomes tasty... err rampant.
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: JoeCrip on January 20, 2002, 01:47:36 PM
Yea, there have been situations where i have made a cigar outta a plane, then some niki dives on the falling cigar, explodeds the plane i shot up, and gets the kill. And the sad part about it is, the people who kill steal are ususally in the Top 500, so they know kill stealing is worng, but they do it anyway.
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Otto on January 20, 2002, 02:16:04 PM
I never shoot over your sholder. I wouldn't fire at a flaming wreck.
     But, whenever I try and save your bellybutton you always give me 'Heck' :rolleyes:

    Or something like that.......
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Oldman731 on January 21, 2002, 10:55:30 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Dead Man Flying
Geneva Convention be damned... all chutes must die!

-- Todd/Leviathn


As a newcomer to AH, I can't tell you how pleased I am to hear this.  I had begun to think that there was no Pointmongering Resistance Movement in this game.

- oldman
Title: Kill stealing
Post by: Modas on January 21, 2002, 12:22:52 PM
Quote
Originally posted by J_A_B
"The obvious retort is, "If a plane's still flying, it's not been killed."

That's true in certain circumstances.  A smoking B-17 with damaged flaps and on 3 engines is still a fair target, IMO. However, a piece of falling burning junk with its tail or wing missing IS a dead plane.

I agree with the idea posted earlier in this thread--once a plane is damaged to the point of becomming unflyable, a kill should be awarded and that plane's ICON should disappear so people don't mistakenly chase it.

J_A_B



I LIKE that idea!!!

Modas
8=X Cutthroats