SA: Whose responsibility is it?

[Dodger]

It is 100% the pilots responsibility. That said the best skill to help SA is being able to kill quickly. Not only is your focus on the target ahead but the following con knows where you are going next.

[Waystin2]

In the end here is my biggest advice for a good first step towards strong SA. Check the following positions around your plane about every 15-30 seconds, any time increment longer and you allow the opportunity for a con to jump you or a squaddie.

1) Directly above your plane
2) Directly below your plane
3) Six o'clock
4) Three o'clock
5) Nine o'clock

If you check these five positions in a rotating manner regularly it will become habit and you will be more aware of what is going on around you.

Last thing to throw out there and that is about target fixation. If you see only one thing, then you see nothing. Think about it...

[Changeup]

I agree with everything said with one exception and it happens fairly regularly...at least from my perspective. There is no excuse for any of us getting whipped down low when we have the high ground AND we outnumber the red guys. We have just as many pilots that like it down and dirty as we do pilots that like it up with the astronauts to allow one, two, or three cons to enter airspace we clearly control. In my mind that isn't acceptable...not from the ballsy guys that fly with us.

There is a time to check 6 and a time to suck it up and come-on-down...but there isn't any excuse for any of us getting shot up in this situation. In 90% of these cases we get complacent...we control the airspace and we all get to bullshitting around on VOX while the guys that are low are finishing up the low cons and 2 or 3 cons slip in and wreak a bit of havoc on the guys down low. So I would only add this:

There are TWO types of SA: your situation and the real-time situation occurring in the total enforceable airspace and that is everyone in the squad's responsibility that happens to be on-station.

[HamHawk]

yeha I like to start high and work down usually as a fights wearing down I get too agressive and end up to far from any Pigs for them to help when I eventually get in trouble this is My fault I need to let them know Hey Im going to start a stall fight with this 109 on the deck in my pny please watch the Nikki and the spit that are down there aswell heh. Sa failure on my part.yes I know a pony aint a stall or a turn figther but Ive actually been doing halfway decent with it lately got into a few good fihts on the deck or mid alt im still not that great at acm but i am getting better t e retention
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[semp]

I have a pretty good sa, that's mostly because I flew by myself for a long time. I am usually giving check sixes to the guy that is behind me trying to clear my six. very seldom will somebody kill me without me seeing him first.

I like the way waystin puts it. imagine in your head where the enemy/friends are then plan your moves according to that. if you know there's 3 cons moving towards you, dont go chase that single guy by yourself. better to pull back a bit, get better position than to try to nail one, then die.

but really if you get killed often by cons you didnt see, then you should work a little more on your sa. also invest in trakir it will help you keeping track of cons in a furball. it's easier to move your head a bit than to press a button on our stick. it's 180 bucks shipped but well worth the money.

and follow the 3 1 1 rule. for every 3 seconds you look forward spend 1 second looking up behind and 1 second looking behind you. most cons will come either directly behind or dive from up above you.

and oh yeah the reason for check sixes is so you can look back and smile

[Pandora]

http://dasmuppets.com/public/Ardy123...garbageAim.ahf[/QUOTE]

That film is awesome .. and the guy who augered at the end, AHTolt is an old squad mate of mine, lol

But .. come on .. only 6 !

Pan <S>

[Pandora]

I was thinking about the amount of folks ingame and yes a few Pigs as well that get upset when an unseen con jumps them. I will put it out there that SA around your aircraft is absolutely the individual pilots responsibility. You need to be looking around your cockpit at all times like a nervous mouse at a cat convention. Having the Pigs around you is a second layer of defense and eyes, but in the end it is you that needs to keep up with what is going on around your aircraft. We all need to take the time to toss sixes, clear sixes, but more importantly call out cons as they enter our operations area. Keep it simple and informative like: Pony at 10,000 feet from the northwest. It is enough that if someone needs additional info they can ask. What are the Pigs thoughts?

Way

Totally agree with you, Wey. But it's still damn frustrating when you feel you should have had a call and don't get it. I emphasize "feel", not "think" ....

Pan <S>

[Rogent]

I have fairly good SA, and it is downright frustrating when on a good run, or just having a good day in general, when twenty guys are around and a con pops my wing off. Times like that, can't help but to get little urked.

My pet peeve on the game is when 20 guys are around and they don't bother to help.

[JunkyII]

Sorry this is definately bumping an old thread but I thought it was a very interesting thread.

Remember there are different levels of SA, Local..area...and map SA in the game of Aces High.

MAP SA is whats going on in the entire arena. It mainly helps you find fights and pick what field you want to get to the fight from. If you up at a base that is getting capped expect to have a higher chance of dieing.

area SA is what happening on your clipboard map in the grid squares around you. You see a red bar in the grid north of you that moves into your area...assume you may have a target coming from the north.

Local SA is what is happening in your lines of sight, 6.0 to 200k. This is by far the hardest and most important part of SA, but if your good at the other 2 you won't get yourself in bad situations and learn to give you the advantage going into the fight easier. I check my 6 about every 5 seconds when on an enemy craft, I assume he is screaming for help on his end. I find when you have to chase someone to kill them it puts you into a bad situation, learn to set up quick kills by learning angles of attack and reversals. Ardy was completely right when he talked about predicting the enemy moves, but remember you could end up being wrong so don't rule them out as threats.

Things we can do to help other members of the squad with SA is to give clear enemy sitreps..."Spit closing on you 1k out" This gives the person an idea of how long it will take for that spit to get into guns range(At 1 K out he should be already bstarting his break away or reverse pointing nose down ect ect)and how much longer he can engage the enemy he may be engaging.