I ask that when you post your personal attacks that you at least read carefully what I have written so you understand what I am saying. The HO in this game has taken on a moral dimension. If one HO's someone one is both morally bankrupt and unskilled in ACM. NOTE: I agree that the game would be boring if the HO were the preferred tactic, and that it is a risk fraught tactic that is best avoided and only used in certain situations. I do HO in these situations. I HO very sparingly and usually fly by, and duck (important: by dodging I CAN"T be HO-ed). So, on to the situations.
(1) When an HO isn't an HO. Many people don't seem to note the difference between a shot coming from the front quarter that isn't really an HO. If I can pull the trigger and hit you but you CAN"T get you guns to bear ---then you weren't HO-ed you were "front quarter deflection shot". One has to watch out for snap shots and late shots. Some 190 pilots are damned good at these and I <S> them. I think I have ducked under their nose but a burst removes the back of my plane.
(2) Plane type HO's. I tend to avoid getting in front of 110s, N1ks, Typhoons, F4U 1-Cs. I make it a point NOT to. I don't fly straight at them hoping the pilot will wave as I pass. I play because of my interest in WWII---I don't like games online, and I play no other. Read the Osprey books on WWII AC----they are FULL OF HO ATTACKS. See the Hurri Aces book---a guy in a Hurri I Ho-ing 110s (he got 2 before bailing). The HO was part of real life P-40 and P-38 tactics vs most IJ AC. Here is what I do. If my plane has a significant advantage I will take the HO shot. Especially if my situation is only going to deteriorate---ie enemy friends ib, or plane match up. For example---I like the P-40 E---if I'm Bnz-ing a Zeke---I take any firing solution offered---since with time I will lose E and the advantage turns to him as it becomes a turn fight. The durability of the P-40 and the range lethality of 6 x 50 cals ---I think gives me an edge over Zeke H2H.
(3) Situational HOs
I fly alone in a squad of one (insert insult/ joke here). If I am being hopelessly swarmed with no hope of flight or help ---I will take ANY firing solution---hell I gotta kill more than one person---no time to tool around while the other guy nails my six. So, I would think that here it behooves the gang to avoid my nose. In a CV furball with similar #s I don't HO---unless it is a buff IB to CV. Some large squads like the Muppets and Jokers seize bases with impressive efficiency and lethality. A cloud arrives and one does what one can to resist. In this situation I will HO. Why? Because each killed con has to restart at a base that isn't HERE so I'm helping my side hold the base because I CAN RE-UP HERE. Another situation where I HO---a "must kill" one. I came to a V-base in a Tempest with TwinTail in an A-20. To my great chagrin not only was he too slippery to kill (I did some ping damage) BUT he had me losing E and was damned close to killing me. Not only that he had killed some troops on ground as they ran and new troops were IB. I had an audience of 10 guys in GV's shouting: "c'mon Impakt kill that A-20". So, with 60 rounds left I gave up the BnZ and flew straight at him determined to have some result. He flew straight at me too and HO---he died and then I did. In my mind legit due to the base capture situation (he was only con and me only friendly plane). Finally, in this game I tend to BnZ (in WBs I turned/ burned), and HERE people fly straight UP at you. Now if the con is wobbling (ie he is stalling at peak of climb and I'm in a nice, stable, high speed dive---I will shoot the HO shot IF other situational factors say that I must---ie enemy friendlies IB and no time.
So---if I HO you these are the reasons why. I don't do it often, and if you doubt that look at my K/D whcih would imply that I'm either lucky or a great shot (neither). I wrote this since Rud3boy asked me on 200: "why do you HO?" As promised, I have answered the why and the when.
