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MarkShot's STK/EAW Guide
By Mark "MarkShot" Kratzer
Table Of Contents Download/Print PDF Version
Some Moves to Watch For
Here are some moves you should watch for.
Fake Spins
Some players will initiate real spins, recover, but appear to still be spinning so that you are encourage to take a shot and fly by, or simply fly carelessly close to him. You should always treat shooting spinning opponents as overshoot situations. So, shoot, break off, turn, and climb.
Hammerhead Reversals
Some players will climb up sharply at very low speeds with you closely following on their six. He will stall first and execute a hammerhead turn so that his nose reverses and he has a forward quarter gun shot at you on his way back down. Unfortunately, I do not have much experience with this maneuver. So, I cannot explain exactly how it is done or how to defend against it. Although I can say that it is quite rare.
Black Outs
Beware of being forced into black out situations and loosing situational awareness. If you do, then you may crash or not know if your opponent is positioning behind you.
To address blackouts do the following:
- Pull gently and gradually on the stick so that you can maintain site. Better to maintain site and go into lag, then loose situational awareness.
- Know your altitude and how your plane is oriented towards the ground. If you are looping or diving, then be extra careful.
- Watch your altitude and speed, if you are getting too fast, climb. Avoid throttling back unless you can do that and still hold an energy advantage on your opponent.
- If you blackout, then center your controls. Then, immediately regain padlock of your opponent.
Looping Fights
In a looping fight, you may have the energy advantage or you may not.
If you have the energy advantage, but your opponent is dominating you from an angle perspective, then you can often address this by not pulling over the top with so much vigor. Instead let your plane come over the top in a lazy fashion, this will have the affect of dragging (displacing) the fight upwards. At some point, it will put you in a superior maneuverability situation.
If you do not have the energy advantage and your are not maneuvering well due to diminished airspeed, then you will need to begin flatten out the fight and initiate a strategy of emphasizing your maneuverability to capitalize on the fact that your opponent will probably end up being too fast.
© This STK/EAW Guide is Copyright 2000 Mark Kratzer. All Rights Reserved.