The actions of JB77 bother me not because it is a sad and utterly pathetic way to garner ill-deserved recognition and reward, but because it totally undermines the efforts of the other 3,000+? paying customers. While only a percentage play with Fighter rank in mind, fighter rank is one of the more meaningfull and sought after sub-ranks. Many, like myself, use fighter rank and it's various constituent components as one tool to measure improvement and overall effectiveness of oneself in the MA from camp to camp. Having an individual like Jb77 abuse the system in this way is an insult to those who pursue simulated WW2 fighter piloting as a favorite pastime and hobby.
If morally bankrupt individuals such as JB77 are permitted to bastardize the statistical framework of the game I fear Aces High will undergo a gradual degradation into something more akin to a first person shooter arcade game. The devoted players, the WW2 historian types, and the military and private pilots that play to get absorbed in the finer points of air to air combat could soon become disillusioned and seek their entertainment elsewhere.
Of course, there are those that will say, "It's his 15 bucks, who cares if he gained a top ten fighter rank through cheating." But what would those people say if instead of just this one 'found out' individual, others start copy-catting him, what if 100s of people did this camp-in camp-out? The integrity of the game would be entirely compromised, the effect would be as profound as if someone had hacked the Aces High server. There would be no faith in the system and instead being a game that focussed on the finer points of air to air combat, Aces High would devolve into a, "Who is willing to devote more money,time and energy into cheating" contest.
It is my personal opinion that cases like these, where there is irrefutable evidence that cheating has been occurring for extended periods of time that the culprit should be removed from the game permanently. If not, there is no disincentive to prevent others, perhaps many others from doing the same thing as Jb77 effectively ruining the game for the rest of us. In the final analysis of this sad tale, we all pay 15 bucks a month, just like Jb77. As paying customers yes, we all have the right to pursue pleasure in the game in a miriad of ways, but cheating is not one of those rights. The rest of us have a right to some assurance that the service we pay for is maintained and the integrity of the game preserved, if not, Jb77's $15 a month is allowed to undermine the $15 X 3000 players ($45,000) that HiTech Creations receives from the rest of us, JB77 has NO right to do that, and in my opinion Hitech Creations would be incredibly irresponsible to permit him to continue to do so.
Zazen
