to ho or not to ho

[mikev]

  with the skill level in this game and me now entering my 4 month playing and starting to feel comfortable flying i run into this question . i have been told hos are bad and show no skill so i dont even if the odds are against me. as of late im getting tired of being mr nice guy. last night  with 3 against me alone i tun into a fight knowing the odds and the first guy hoes me and i have no chance to work on my skills. so afterwards i send a pm  hey dont you have any skill?  with the learning curve as high as it is i think its time to stand up against these score hungry chest beaters. or should i forget what i have been told and just play cutthroat because it sure is getting frustrating.

[Kruel]

Hehe, the people who usually try to get others not to HO are the first ones that do it. Do what you want bud, no matter what someone will find a way to complain about it. I love it when I win them and shrug em off when I don't.

You will find that some folks playing this game excel at complaining.

[Coalcat1]

Only HO noob uber turns planes, KI-43, A6Ms, and brews, and 262s first pass. That is, unless you are in a mossie, then HO away! I try not to HO, but if someone HOs me, next pass I'm holding down the trigger. Just my thoughts .
                                         

[RotBaron]

hmmm, how to answer this question.

I have had different feelings about the HO over my almost 2yrs on my 2nd AH career. I HATE them, they are lame and seriously a waste of both individuals time. Some seem to be just fine with wasting their time though.

It depends on the bird I'm in and the situation I've put myself in for me to make the decision to avoid, pretend to avoid, go guns blazing or give a feint with some pepper to fool.

Cannon birds are a bad choice to try to HO if you have 50's; vice versa. To make matters worse, there are some sticks good enough to give a HO attempt and still make a decent acm to your disadvantages.

Bottom line is you need to make the decision for yourself and all situations are different, in one instance may not apply to another.

Some are going to tell you they are completely avoidable and takes two to HO; nonsense. When you are engaged with multiples, it only takes one determined (paraphrased from Dolby) HO'r to ruin it.

If I see someone make the effort to point their nose right at me instead of set up a post merge move, then I begin to make different decisions.

Don't HO though, I think it only begets more.

 

[Zoney]

If you open the fight with a HO against me, then the fights over and I just fly away, heck, I figure you didn't want a fight anyway, you just wanted a kill at all costs.  I've got no interest in playing chicken.  If we are in a fight and you HO, the first one I chalk down as a mistake or just bad timing, the second one, fights over and I just fly away.  I'm in no hurry to get a kill and don't care what my kill per hour is, so I understand this option is not for everyone.

[Triton28]

HO's are frowned upon because they're basically a coin toss as to who will win.  I don't know what your definition of fun is, but flipping coins isn't it for me.

Some HO's you can't avoid, but most you can.  Work to avoid them, but if you must, HO away.  Just make sure you let the other guy fire first so you can put up a video on YouTube.  That's what cool kids do.  

[DmonSlyr]

Some advice,

HOing is never a good idea. Against an opponent who knows that they are doing, they will always gain the advantage if they see you are about to go for the HO shot. So what you need to do is nose down to the left or right of the enemy as they are coming near you. When they are about to shoot for the HO pull up and do an emmal (half loop) and you can possibly gain their 6 . there is a lot to explain but I'm at work at the moment. Basically, you can avoid their HO and gain the advantage by performing this trick. It will give you a slight head start when engaging in the fight. Once you learn how to use ailerons better you can flop a bit to make it harder for them to hit you. And you won't have to worry about getting shot in the face.
Once you get good at this you will be able to dodge 98% of HOs while also getting a  jump for the advantage.
If you get really pissed though, up a 190a8 with full gun loadout and go on a HO rampage and just HO every freaking plane you see. That's always fun!

[waystin2]

Avoid if at all possible, but it will happen on occasion.   You are just as likely to be damaged or destroyed as the person making up the other side of the Head On pass. Never merge nose to nose.  Offset your plane left/right/up/down from the plane you are merging with and most Head On situations are eliminated.

[Aspen]

3 great reasons not to HO:

#1  Often your opponents insistence on trying get a gun solution at the merge allows you to set yourself up an advantage after the merge.

#2  The amount of white knuckle, sweaty palm fights that never happen because they ended at the merge with a HO shot is a tragedy.

#3  Winning one is lame, losing one is lame.

There is a time and place for the HO shot.  He already HOed you, you're way outnumbered and wounded, you're in a bomber or you had a bad day and need to HO the piss outta somethin'  because it beats punching a hole in the drywall again.

[Zerstorer]

In general I avoid nose-on-nose shots because it its a stupid way to fight i.e. because its dumb to let your opponant have a chance to shoot back at you.




Unless, of course, you are dumb enough to point your nose at me and I'm in a 110.  I consider taking these shots a community education service. 




Other front quarter shots are valid but frowned upon by the community.  It's best to avoid these.  They tend to generate ch200 whinefests, "Yo mama so ugly..." jokes, cause liver damage, rapid ear / nose hair growth, and a host of other ailments.

[Badger85]

I generally agree with the comments that have been made above. In my experience, 98% of HO shots can be avoided, as stated above. But I do think there is some skill in a HO encounter and it's not just a 50-50 coin toss. You have to know how to minimize risk while maximizing payoff, avoid colliding, aim and lead the shot well, and set yourself up for the next maneuver after the merge.

Although I personally don't get as mad as others when someone tries to HO me (fighter pilots in WWII, after all, wouldn't cry foul when their enemies employed this historical tactic) I do avoid using it myself as a courtesy to other players. I will HO, though, under certain circumstances:

• When my wingman (or squadmate) is in imminent danger of being shot down
• After the merge when the fight has already been under way for a while, especially when...
• I am losing all other advantages in a fight (i.e. on the deck and am beset by multiple opponents)

What do you guys think of my "exceptions" to the no-HO rule?

[Debrody]

I was only afraid of those spits who did not ho.

It might ring a bell.

[morfiend]

 One mans ho is another mans acute frontal attack!


  First we need to define what a ho is,personally I hate the term and call it a John Wayne merge,where you both come in guns blazing. While it's not to difficult to avoid getting shot in the face at the merge,most just fly their gunsight at the other guy. After the merge I will take any shot that is presented!  

  It's been explained already how to avoid so I wont go into that but to the OP,if you have a shot take it,if the enemy goes down and send a pm to rant,kindly reply that you cant hear them because they are in the tower!


    

[guncrasher]

when in doubt ho.  when you are sure ho.  when you arent sure then dont ho as he got the advantage on you.


semp

[kvuo75]

One mans ho is another mans acute frontal attack!


  First we need to define what a ho is,

I always have gone by "both opponents have gun solution on each other"

in which case, it is a stupid attack because basically a gamble.

some people whine to another degree and consider any shot from in front of their 3/9 line a ho.. I disagree.