Avoid Ho ing

[Yarbles]

Having reached the point where I want to dispense with the HO it surprises me that it seem about 80% of the MA are up for it

What is the best to avoid being Hoed at the merge. (Please anyone wishing to post a "trite" response save it for where it will be appreciated) And coan see this gets frustrating now.

[jerkins]

Here is a write up I did on a basic HO evasion.

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,237320.0.html

[Latrobe]

I think the most fun maneuver to do when in a HO situation is to do a simply barrel roll as soon as they get within 1.0K. So fun to watch as the tracers fly below your plane (when you're upside down). This won't work all the time though, such as if your opponent is intent on HOing and nothing else, and will push as hard foward on the stick as they can just to get you.

[uptown]

I just do a quick juke right or left as to not burn much speed and try to get behind him and stay there until he's dead.

[Yarbles]

I just do a quick juke right or left as to not burn much speed and try to get behind him and stay there until he's dead.

When? as in at what sort of range out? (Please)

[BaldEagl]

I either nose down under them or, more likely, do a simple barrel roll.  The advantage to the barrel roll is it uses less E and it gets your lift vector in rotation for a break turn on the HOer.

In rare cases, where I know I have a decided E advantage I'll pull up and Immel back down on top of them.

Of course, there are those times where you're too slow, too low or too close and all you can do is fire guns and pray.

[Yarbles]

Here is a write up I did on a basic HO evasion.

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,237320.0.html

I like the write up. At least if the Hoer doesnt get you you get a fight (usually) unlike the Bnz atacker whe can just run off with higher E.  

[Strip]

Yarbles,
I weave back and forth when they get within about 1.5 to 2k and I try to get them turned 180 degrees off of me. Havent been shot down by a true HO in weeks using this manuever. I will try to get some film posted soon.

A bonus with this maneuver is if they really try to HO you it leaves them in a really bad position.

Strip

[Yossarian]

Yarbles,
I weave back and forth when they get within about 1.5 to 2k and I try to get them turned 180 degrees off of me. Havent been shot down by a true HO in weeks using this manuever. I will try to get some film posted soon.

A bonus with this maneuver is if they really try to HO you it leaves them in a really bad position.

Strip

Do you mean do a flat turn?

<S>

Yossarian

[uptown]

When? as in at what sort of range out? (Please)

1000 to 1.0K . At that range you know for sure what his intentions are. Any farther out and he'll have a good chance of getting on your 6

[lagger86]

I'll dive left or right sometimes a lil of both to gain some seperation and start a high yoyo as he's passing me.
I sometimes here angry squeeks as they go by.
 

[Adonai]

Having reached the point where I want to dispense with the HO it surprises me that it seem about 80% of the MA are up for it

What is the best to avoid being Hoed at the merge. (Please anyone wishing to post a "trite" response save it for where it will be appreciated) And coan see this gets frustrating now.

What I mainly do is look for what the other guy does... for example, your nose on however he isn't, and he slowly noses on to you. A good sign he is most likely wanting to ho, what i mainly do is jynx in this case, throw him off balance - however I already know in back of my mind what move I want to pull to beat him in a dogfight. Honestly in my opinion - 80% that are willing to ho are using this as a situation that they run out of options - I take this as a last step to "losing a dogfight" regardless of how bad a situation really is. Just remember your basic elements - Whose around you? are there friendlies? mostly enemies? If there are mostly enemies then you gotta take account what is your best option... what plane are you flying and how can you win... if you have mostly friendlies simply dodging and split-s is enough to get you away from the danger. Again on a simple 1 on 1 and someone tries to "ho" either they do not know ACM or its a "I might win" case scenario - just know what you can do to beat his plane and execute while trying to dodge...and if he gets a lucky hit... so be it - you messed up and he got a lucky hit.

[The Fugitive]

The best way to avoid the HO is not to HO     If you don't point your nose at the enemy plane its not a HO right?

At a couple K out turn to the right, a good 90 degrees to your original flight path. Don't "yank" into it, but ease in conserving E. This makes it harder for the enemy to notice your turning. He will turn toward you, the later he realizes you turned, the more E he will burn to get his nose back on you. As he gets closer to guns, your crossing his T, and are already forcing him to make the moves you want. Point your wing tip at him as he fires giving him the smallest profile you can for him to shoot at. From here, you can barrel roll onto his six, or turn back into him forcing him to burn more E to get his nose back around.

This is only one idea, but the main idea here is to give him something other than his HO. From his HO shot, he pretty much know what his next move is..... if he missed the HO and so did you    By Starting from a different position, he has to think of what hes going to do next instead of reacting. Thinking can bring mistakes 

[mtnman]

While I have many, many, many people try to HO me, I can't say that I really see it as a problem.  Only about 1% of them actually hit me.  I doubt I have more than 1 or 2 deaths per month from HO's, and those are generally when I'm knotted up in a many on 1 with several guys fighting over who's gonna get my scalp.  Those guys obviously don't want a decent fight anyway, so who cares how they shoot you?

Number one rule when it comes to not getting shot- stay out of his gun solution.  If you're getting HO'd, sure, the guy is a dweeb for taking the shot, but then again, so are you for giving him one.

If you think about it for a minute, what's the easiest HO shot to make from your perspective?  Obviously straight on from the front.  Any deviation from that makes it more difficult or impossible to hit.  You don't need to do any fancy jinks or barrel rolls to avoid the HO, just don't attack him from the front.

If you're taking HO-type hits while merging, you just need to adjust your merge seperation.  You can merge lower or higher than your opponent, or off to one side.  The merge from a position lower than your opponent is obviously the safest, and leaves a lot of options.  The common DA style merge where both planes pass nearly nose to nose works fine if both players agree to a guns-cold merge, but it relies on a "gentleman's rule" that doesn't (and IMO, shouldn't) exist in the MA's.  I'm not saying I'll HO-shoot you if you try it with me in the MA, 'cause I won't, I'm just saying that if you present me with a shot, you SHOULD be shot.  So, IMO, if you're taking hits from HO's, you SHOULD be, hehe!  It's nice to see an opponent pass up an opportunity for an HO shot, but never assume he will.

The easiest option to avoid the HO and still do a "normal" merge, is to merge from the lower position.  When approaching your opponent, dive down for speed, but make sure you go/stay lower than your opponent.  Basically, try to fly UNDER him, not AT him.  If he wants to HO you, he needs to fire while pushing forward on the stick, causing him to red-out and/or just plain being a very tough shot to make.  Some guys can still hit you here, but if you just put your plane slightly over to one side or the other, it makes the shot even tougher.  So, in essence, try to fly under one of his wings.

Now, ideally, start to bring your nose up as you get to within 2k or so from him.  Aim for a spot about 2 plane lengths behind his tail.  Still fly under him, but be on your way up into an immelmann.  This does two things- makes his shot even tougher, and sets you into your reversal, while he's actively pushing forward for his shot, which is actually forcing him AWAY from his reversal.  This is going to allow you to easily swing over the top behind him.  If he tries an immelmann as he passes you, so much the better, you'll be given a nice shot straight into the top of his canopy.

I'm starting my dive 5k out or so, leveling out at 3k or so, and starting to come up under him at 2k, aiming to come up behind his tail.

I see lots of guys who try to HO me, they just so seldomly succeed that I don't see it as any big deal.  There are a lot of options for merges, don't get stuck doing that DA style merge in the MA unless you want to be frustrated.

MtnMan

[mtnman]

Nothing too spectacular here, but these two fights show how I merge with some seperation to avoid the HO.  Preferably below my opponent, and to one side.  Both of these guys try to shoot me HO-style on the merge.  Neither is a true HO, since I simply don't allow it.  Do you see how the attempt itself allows me to position myself to my advantage?  They waste time and position on the HO attempt, and it hurts them.

In both merges I had other options as well, had my opponent chosen to try something else.  I read my opponent as we merge, and make a judgement call on whether he's going to try an HO or something more effective.

http://www.mediafire.com/?0wbl1zntmn4

http://www.mediafire.com/?eg2n9ymizzn

There is no "masterful" flying here, and these aren't very exciting fights.  If you get anything out of them, it should be seeing how very simple techniques/ACM can be used to beat the vast majority of HO attempts.

MtnMan