The key thing to remember about the kind of information we are discussing is that to the military it is vital intelligence, to game players it might seem less important, perhaps just nice to have. However, for a business hoping to grow a player base, it is a little more than that. So this comment surprised me:
This is more critical when you only have one life but in game we can learn from our fatal mistakes.
This game has always had a steep learning curve. It takes time before new players figure out how to kill more and die less and thus take pleasure in success and enjoy the game more fully. That is a major factor in the high player attrition rate. Learning by trial and error is time consuming and while it is essential to be able to learn from our mistakes, because they are impossible to avoid, a key idea in education and training is to control how much of that is really necessary.
Unfortunately learning from mistakes isn’t always possible. I’ve encountered AH vets with many years’ experience consistently being out turned in their favorite aircraft because they didn’t know the best configuration as revealed after consulting an EM diagram. The problem with trial and error is that the outcome of a 1v1 engagement is the combination of pilot ability, initial conditions and aircraft performance. That means you may think you have learned something about an aircraft after lengthy trial and error, only to discover that it had more to do with the other factors after all. That may be why we see so much frustration and unwarranted accusations in the MA, even among seasoned players.
Even when mistakes aren’t fatal, they can often be costly. That’s why it’s called learning the hard way. Fortunately in a gaming environment the costs are mostly trivial such as a loss of perks, mission objectives, and enjoyment. More importantly, in a gaming environment I would argue that the most important loss is the time required before players can enjoy the game enough to continue playing long term.
Dale has referred to this attrition of new players coming into the game as being like baby turtles trying to make it to the sea, very few new players survive to return. That’s why every form of assistance that reduces the learning curve, including speed charts, climb charts and doghouse plots are all absolutely necessary.
while EM charts are useful they are not necessary
I would be confident in saying that every fighter pilot who has used doghouse plots since they were first used to compare the Spitfire and 109 engagement back in 1940, would consider them necessary and disagree with your sentiment. Indeed, when the method was first shared with the USA it was quickly used to provide intelligence from as early as 1943 and continues to have a profound influence on fighter tactics to this day.
Of course some lessons can be learned by trial and error eventually, but really… who would deliberately choose to die repeatedly to discover something they could have learned more quickly and easily before taking off. Trial and error is a slow and difficult process so in a game where reducing the learning curve is vital for player retention, I would suggest an idea like this is exactly what is necessary.
but dogfights tend to the vertical.
They can do but the real tendency in a dogfight over time, as each pilot exchanges energy for position, is to get lower and more horizontal. As speed and altitude are depleted fights tend to the horizontal. Everyone ends a fight in flat turns on the deck at some point. The more evenly matched the pilots and aircraft are, the more often it happens. The more often it happens, the more important a good understanding of EM theory becomes.
Of course, an aircraft with a Ps advantage, can climb during a hard turn relative to an opponent but where in the envelope that capability exists, and against which aircraft can most readily be seen on an EM diagram. Knowing when you can do that and when you can’t, without having to die over and over to figure it out is why EM charts are necessary.
You're also less likely to monitor your speed and G while keeping your eye on the bandit in a busy airspace.
All good pilots monitor their speed and G constantly during a dogfight. Not by looking at gauges, but in relative terms in comparison to whichever aircraft they are engaged with. For example, in terms of speed, having a sense of being too fast or too slow using external visual cues is key to success. Similarly with g loading, most pilots know that pulling too hard can be as bad as not pulling hard enough and they use external visual cues to monitor that constantly. The EM diagram is vital in that regard because an overlay shows at a glance if you have a turning advantage at lower speeds or higher so thinking in relative terms is key. For example, an overlay of the Ps curves for the P-51D and Me 109G6 reveals that while the 109G6 can easily out turn the P-51D at low speed, the P-51D can out turn the Me 109G6 at all speeds above 190mph. That can be seen from the point where the two Ps = 0 curve cross. The P-51D pilot doesn’t need to look at his gauge to know when he reaches that point because as they are fighting his visual cue for speed will be whether or not he appears to be gaining angles. While he is gaining, he knows his turn rate is higher and speed is therefore above that critical point, once the 109 begins to gain angles he knows he’s too slow.
The EM diagram also showed him that because he has a Ps advantage at higher speed, along with a higher top speed he has the choice to either zoom climb converting that excess power to an altitude advantage or extending and converting that excess power to acceleration and speed, depending on what else is happening around him. Many pilots learn to do this in a less precise manner without EM diagram overlays. But knowing what speeds are involved, what turn rates and if they are decisive or not and how steeply you can climb while turning and still match your opponent’s turn rate all add a degree of certainty and confidence that can lead players to enjoy the game more fully in a far shorter time.
Those things can all be learned quickly and with confidence from EM diagram overlays. Of course they can also be learned from trial and error, in some cases it can be painfully slow with much less certainty, if at all. The cost, is that the learning curve remains steep and new player attrition and levels of frustration remains high.
The scientific method used in WWII and elevated to new heights by John Boyd in the early 60's can reduce the learning curve and lead to a higher level of success and thus enjoyment in a shorter period of time. I've been sharing this information for a long time, and for many it has made the learning process enjoyable in its own right and in every case has helped improve their flying and made it more successful and enjoyable.
Sorry, but I've typed (and rambled) a little more than I intended, so in closing I would just like to add this:
I believe that AH already has an incredibly knowledgeable, well informed, talented and skillful player base. But sadly that player base seems to have stopped growing. The potential benefit for everyone in extending information and help to both new and old players alike would seem to be anything but unnecessary.
Kind regards
Badboy
