Deflection shots FTW?

[Kingpin]

Hello all,

Lately it seems I am getting more kills using deflection shots, rather than straight 6 shots.  In the past I have almost exclusively tried to fly to a con's 6 in order to saddle up before shooting.   However, lately I have found that if I can set up a nice deflection shot, I am seeing what seems to be better damage results.

For example, from the 6 postion, it seems I can fire solid bursts at D300-400 (near convergence), while getting steady hits, often with little to no effect.  Whereas, if I can catch the con in a turn/scissors and make a solid deflection shot on the wing surface, the wing seems to come right off.  As a side bonus, I am also getting more PK head shots this way too. This all seems a little odd to me, because I get PW'd or even PK'd from straight 6 shots out as far as 800 all the time.

Relevant questions:
1) Does this have something to do with how damage is modeled in the game, i.e. hits on a wider area of wing surface are actually more effective than hits in a single rear area?
2) Is the cockpit more vulnerable in a straight 6 shot than I think, and I should be aiming there rather than wing roots?
3) Is pilot head postion actually factored into the damage model?  (In other words, does looking back make you more likely to be brainboxed rather than hunkering down behind your pilot armor?)
4) What other factors might be at play here?

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[ink]

well the hardest shot to make is a dead 6 shot.

a deflection shot gives you a much bigger target

[Kingpin]

Thanks, INK.  I do understand the sight profile difference and how that might be a factor.  However what I seem to be experiencing is getting hits (seeing hit sprites) in both situations, but that the deflection shots are more EFFECTIVE (doing more damage) than hits from the 6 position.

So, that got me thinking, and raised the questions that I posted about the damage modeling.

Thanks for the response, sir.  

[ink]

Thanks, INK.  I do understand the sight profile difference and how that might be a factor.  However what I seem to be experiencing is getting hits (seeing is hit sprites) in both situations, but that the deflection shots are more EFFECTIVE (doing more damage) than hits from the 6 position.

So, that got me thinking, and raised the questions that I posted about the damage modeling.

Thanks for the response, sir. 

No prob....what I think is happening is you are just landing more rounds thus getting more damage, I used to be all about saddling someone to get the kill, but not anymore it is all about the angles now and deflection shooting is 99% of how I make my kills.  the one issue is you will have a lot more cry "HO"

[Tigger29]

Also a deflection shot gives you a much higher chance of getting cockpit hits which can get you a pilot kill (instant death).

While I don't know the technical info on these planes, I also have a feeling the top of the planes are more fragile than the rears.

[Midway]

No prob....what I think is happening is you are just landing more rounds thus getting more damage, I used to be all about saddling someone to get the kill, but not anymore it is all about the angles now and deflection shooting is 99% of how I make my kills.  the one issue is you will have a lot more cry "HO"

Very true.  I get a lot of that crying.

[Kingpin]

Very true.  I get a lot of that crying.

There is a reason for that which is unrelated to the topic of dead-6 shots vs. high angle deflection shots on cold/defensive AC, and the relative damage results.  You could start another thread on that, though, where it could be discussed.   

[JOACH1M]

Crossing shots are the easiest, because it gives you the while profile of their A/c. The only problem is if u have 50cals it is harder to kill them.


I try to aim for the wings, I think it's a bigger target and easier to break the wing

[mechanic]

Hi Kingpin,

I was my understanding that the balistics model is actualy quite detailed in this game. For instance the angle which rounds hit an object plays a part in how much damage they do. Just like a tank round hitting on an angle may bounce off an area that it would penetrate at 90 degrees. I could be wrong but I believe that from dead six the rounds are capable of richochet when hitting the wing at that angle.

Another fact is that from dead 6 the energy is reduced due to the target flying away from the direction of the round. In head on shots the energy is increased. So in deflections the round is often more damaging than dead 6 shots. Again, I could be wrong but that is how I understood the game to be modelled.

[Spork]

Hi Kingpin,

I was my understanding that the balistics model is actualy quite detailed in this game. For instance the angle which rounds hit an object plays a part in how much damage they do. Just like a tank round hitting on an angle may bounce off an area that it would penetrate at 90 degrees. I could be wrong but I believe that from dead six the rounds are capable of richochet when hitting the wing at that angle.

Another fact is that from dead 6 the energy is reduced due to the target flying away from the direction of the round. In head on shots the energy is increased. So in deflections the round is often more damaging than dead 6 shots. Again, I could be wrong but that is how I understood the game to be modelled.

That is a great theory and I would be very interested in if this is correct or not. Anyone know?



Quincy

[Ack-Ack]

well the hardest shot to make is a dead 6 shot.


a deflection shot gives you a much bigger target

The dead six shot is not the hardest shot to make, fighter pilots were taught to approach a bandit's dead six position slightly off angle to present more of a profile and larger target.

ack-ack

[ImADot]

Would the stress on the airframe during scissors add to the ease of getting the wing to come off from a crossing shot versus a dead-six shot on a barely manuvering plane?

[grizz441]

The dead six shot is not the hardest shot to make, fighter pilots were taught to approach a bandit's dead six position slightly off angle to present more of a profile and larger target.

ack-ack

It's the hardest 30mm shot within close range.

[ink]

The dead six shot is not the hardest shot to make, fighter pilots were taught to approach a bandit's dead six position slightly off angle to present more of a profile and larger target.

ack-ack

hmmmm....ok

[2bighorn]

The dead six shot is not the hardest shot to make, fighter pilots were taught to approach a bandit's dead six position slightly off angle to present more of a profile and larger target.

  If it's off angle it isn't dead six