Yeah, but this only makes it worse.
Since the outcome is almost always determined by the first damage trade rather than a better long-term energy trade, it’s no longer worth it to take on some damage (or even risk it) by performing evasive and progressive maneuvers to secure a superior position, like working your way onto the enemy’s six. As a result, head-on engagements become the favored option: the lowest-effort, highest-reward tactic. Whoever shoots first or aims better wins, simple as that. That is the essence of low time-to-kill fight.
In a bomber, I can’t even force an enemy to overshoot so he ends up defenseless on my tail, simply because I cannot survive the initial pass anymore.
No matter how weak the guns are, if you couldn’t finish him off, it means you didn’t actually outfly your enemy. You did nothing to wear him down enough to turn him into an easy target where you could finally land a long burst; it simply means you just took a small window of opportunity to land a single hit.
It makes sense that a single success or a single mistake shouldn’t carry the weight of the entire outcome, because in the end, a true test of skill is ultimately about consistency. If you couldn’t land more hits, let the enemy slip away, or even allowed him to turn the tables and kill you, then you simply weren’t better than him, nor did you beat him, you just had luck.
Also, if the other managed to completely disengage and escape despite being at a disadvantage, achieving such a feat shouldn’t be considered a “mistake” that went unpunished, it takes skill to pull that off, you know?
No, I mean taking damage but still managing to turn the fight around because you were given the time to still stay in the fight and prove you were actually the better pilot
This can be compared to any sport. Imagine if football matches ended the exact moment someone scored the first goal, with no second chances. The game would become boring, slow and excessively conservative. No team would take any risks, since a single mistake would mean losing everything in an instant.