Head on Shots....why have them?

[Geoserp]

I cant understand why people do these shots. All it does is kill you and the enemy. I dont think they are realistic at all. The Germans use to head on bumbers before the B17s came around, but not fighter to fighter.

I wish ACES HIGH would turn off the headon shots like Air Warrior did. They make the game not fun. They are not realistic and are a cheap shot from dweebs that cant fly a plane tactically.

[Warpig]

Geoserp,

You may not like head-on, but it is a realistic attack, and as such shouldn't be removed. It did happen in combat. If you don't wish to engage in it, pull up, dive or turn away.
Simple eh? =)

Warpig
479th Raiders

[Geoserp]

No, try that, they just make it a point to purposefully crash into me. Its rediculous!  Maybe these dweebs can go fly Warbirds?  I am just SICK of head on shots, Period.

[Upchuck]

I'm not 100% certain, but I don't think it's possible for someone to crash into another player and cause them damage in AH.

I don't know the details of how collisions are tracked in AH, but if I'm not mistaken the reality of netlag means that it's next to impossible to 'crash into someone' and have that do anything to them.  

You may see them crash into you on your machine, and then you will die, however that requires you to fly into them, not them into you.  If they crash into you on their machine, they will die, but the reality of netlag means that you probably saw them a hundred yards or so away and then they just exploded for some strange reason.  

In other words, if they are HO'ing you, and they run into you and you die, it is your fault, even if they 'started' it, and you are trying to avoid the HO.  You need to be a bit quicker on the evasives, and get your own nose off of them.

[Hortlund]

Originally posted by Geoserp
I wish ACES HIGH would turn off the headon shots like Air Warrior did.

Uh...? Can someone explain this to me?

And there is a very very simple way to avoid the headon shot...manuver.

[Urchin]

Air Warrior had code so that a shot hitting from the front of the plane would do very little damage.  

And yes, it is fairly easy to avoid a Head On if you really want to.  I almost NEVER take a head on shot, and I refuse them when they are offered.  

Note- that does NOT include a shot during a scissor, when both planes may very well be pointing close to right at one another.  I'll take those, and anyone that wouldn't is silly (as long as you can take it without giving up a positional advantage).  

A 'joust' on the other hand, is VERY easy to avoid, and you will typically have the positional advantage if they try to turn hard (in any plane) to get their nose back on you after missing their kamikaze shot.  Geoserp, if you play in the MA you can look me up whenever.  I go by Urchin in there to.  I can show you some stuff that will hopefully make the Head On a little less traumatic .

[Geoserp]

Thanks for the advice. I DO avoid headon shots when someone comes at me with their Typhoon or Niki or other plane. Its just that sometimes even trying to avoid them, they crash into me on purpose. Its just very irritating to find these people all over the place trying headon shots and nothing more. Cant any of them fly a fighter with real combat air manuvers and not the dweeby head on shots?

[Warpig]

Again, the actual point is being missed. You may not LIKE the headon, but it is part of the game and a physical reality in an air combat environment. Whatever opinion anyone holds over it as an invalid or "dweeb" maneuver is irrelevent. Planes can crash into other planes. I can't simplify it more than that. And truthfully, it may not always be on purpose. You've got some quick thinking to do when 2 planes are heading towards each other at 500mph each. And you may not always make the right decision.

What if I decide that I don't like having a Focke Wulf B-n-Z me, then extend away so that I can't catch him? Should I lobby to have that maneuver removed from the game??? Nope, can't do it. Why? Because it's a valid maneuver in a combat situation. What do I do to avoid this situation? I maneuver in such a manner that the FW cannot obtain a firing solution.

Vulching has always been the pariah; through Air Warrior and into Aces High. Yes, it sucks sheep nuts to be vulched...but it's a valid maneuver, and is almost required for capturing a field. Can we have it removed? No. Why? See above.

Just avoid the head-on. You can.

*steps down from soap-box*

Warpig

[senna]

HOs are a reality. If I'm in a 190-A8 and I'm out of E and there is a Spit I'm tangling with, I'll HO him. Now I have my own opions concerning the ethics of HOing people in a 190A8 but it boils down to what I got. Hes in the infinately more maneuvorable plane so he should get out of my way and get on my tail not me on his. If he is unwise enough to fly head on with a 190A8 then he desves to ge wat he posiby has comig. How do you expect to get a 190A8 behind a spit in a knife fite? Spits have so many more options in a fite and room for mistakes. Sometimes the knowledge that I got 4 20mms is all you got in a 190. Right? The spit should avoid the HO and slip onto the 190s tail.  The 190 should make most use of what it has.

[HeLLcAt]

To avoid an HO,
 Do 1 of 2 things.
     1: Dive when they are 1.2 away and b n z them.
     2: If you are going at least 250mph zoom above them and than dive away if they catch you after they loop.

No matter what these should work and there is NO way they have a shot on you. I hope this helps.

~BlueiceJ~

[akak]

Originally posted by Geoserp
I cant understand why people do these shots. All it does is kill you and the enemy. I dont think they are realistic at all. The Germans use to head on bumbers before the B17s came around, but not fighter to fighter.

I wish ACES HIGH would turn off the headon shots like Air Warrior did. They make the game not fun. They are not realistic and are a cheap shot from dweebs that cant fly a plane tactically.

Head on shots were a reality in combat, some of the top U.S. aces used to use it as a viable tactic when the opportunity arose.

Head on shots are also easy to avoid since it takes two to make them work.  Practice using different merge tactics that takes away the opportunity for the enema's head on attempt.  If you are unable to create seperation before the merge, barrel roll or skid the plane on the merge to avoid the head on shots.  If you avoid the initial head on pass, you can rest with the knowledge that 9 out of 10 times the guy that tries the head on doesn't know a lick of ACM and will be easy to defeat.



Ack-Ack
479th FG - Riddle's Raiders

[Fester']

It always amazes me to hear the banter on CH 1 about HO dweebs.

As Ak Ak said, it takes two, if you are getting hit by head on attackes, and are not returning fire (reads: not HO'ing yourself) then you are seriously screwing the pooch  at the merge as HO are rediculously easy to avoid, Unless of course, it's me coming at you in a 110g2, in that case, kiss your bellybutton goodbye

[SirLoin]

I came from AW as well and at first thought the HO was dweebish.But they are so easy to avoid(touch nose down and break right/left,or half roll and pull).It's a manouver I rather enjoy doing and adds spice to a co-alt engagement.And like senna said,if I'm in an A8 I'm going to use my plane's strength's(2x13mm,2x20mm,2x30mm) and make you duck or die.

[Apar]

What Senna said,

Even if you are in doubt whether a merge will end up in a HO, maneuver out of it, if you don't want to end up in a HO.

I'm always surprised how many planes with good maneuver capacity will try to HO a 190A8, Tiffy, Hog-C or P-47. You don't want to HO those!!

[Apar]

Geoserp,

I find it very hard to believe somebody crashes into you on purpose.
Collisions are tracked on the FE, meaning that you crash when you see that you crash on your FE. Because of netlag it is highly unlikely that your opponent crashes into you too when you crash into him. Actually it is more likely that he will pass you 50-200 ft (or worse) while you pass him 0-10 ft.

I collide too sometimes, when i make a high speed pass, shoot, and evade out of the opponents line too late. Every time that happened (me colliding into him) I got the damage, and I died or humped back to base with a totally messed up plane.

Plp don't collide into you on purpose because they can't predict whether you will experience that collision too on your FE (because of netlag).