Its strange how life runs in its own cycles. Its seems that no matter what the indevor everything has a begining a middle and an end.....
The start of my AH career was a magical time. I had never experenced anything like it before. AH was the first and ultimatly the last online flight sim I took part in.
The initial realization of being able to online dog fight was overwhelming. It was all I wanted to do. I spent hundreds of hours online. Learning the different aircraft, making new friends, finding mentors to emulate. Always keeping an eye on the all important K/D ratio. I remember at first it took so much of my brain power to fly the aircraft that I couldnt possibly try to read the text let alone try to type anything
I find myself at a loss for words trying to describe the feeling I had playing this game for the first six months but then I realize that all of you had the same feeling I did and there is no need to try to put it into words.
Then one night I run into Leviathn
My AH world has now forever changed. I begin to realize the huge, gaping, collasal difference in skill that some players exibit. My hunger begins to grow. I wana be as good as that guy I thought. For a while I think that I can achive this by simply playing alot of hours and it will all come in time. In time though I realize that it doesnt just come after alot of time in game, tactics and training will be required. Not really sure how to get either I just keep enjoying the game.
My time in game runs from months into years. I begin to think of myself as a seasond vet. I have bounced to and from a few squads at this point. Im always looking for a reason to point out to people that my K/D is over 1. I have taken a real liking to the 109G10 and have got a good understanding on E fighting and Boom and Zoom at this point. The funny part is that at this point I cant seem to get what I really want..... Recognition from the AH community that I am a bad arse pilot.
I still think that skill level is tied to stats at this point.
A year or two goes by.....
Then I discover the Dueling arena. This is another life altering event. Stats? We dont need no stinking stats! Mano e Mano. The real fighting and learning begins. I get to know the real powerhouse players in AH. WldThing, Shane, BigMax, Leviathn, Fester, Urchin and many others.
It becomes like starting the game all over again. Playing until 2am on a work night is more the norm than the exception. I learn the merge, I learn stall tactics, I begin to learn what would ultimitly be the asset that carries me to the top of my ability.....I learn to react to other players actions instead of trying to impose my "moves" on them. (Thx Levi)
As soon as I realize that stats are not a real indicator of skill and I start to ignore them......... my stats triple. LOL life is ironic.
After learning in leaps and bounds for 6 or so months in the DA I am able to put up a heck of a fight with just about any opponet in the DA. However while I can put up a good fight I cant seem to really beat any of the top players with any regularity. Frustrated I look for something new.
Always looking for new people to duel I get in the habbit of doing some taunting on ch1 to get people to go to the DA. This is really just an excersise in ego building at this point. What I was really trying to do was get someone/anyone in the DA so they could tell me how great I was. It was a welcome change from losing to the big boys though and it was fun.
Through this type of behavior I meet my best bud in the game. "Jeffer" now "Morpheus" I train Morph for a long time. We duel and duel and duel and duel. In the process we become real good friends. I elevate his game and he elevates mine. We are always pushing each other, always competitive, always improvong. We are certified DA junkies
I look back on this time in the game as the best of all the years I played.
WldThing takes time with me in the DA and shows me some things that change everything. (thx Wld)
I start dueling the best again. Only now im beating them. Yeah, really. Im starting to give the big boys major problems now. Not just 1 or two of them either but all of them.
I start winning 2 and 3 and even 4 on 1s in the MA.
I start getting the community wide Recognition I had been striving for all along.
The pinicle of my AH career comes one night really not that long ago. Im in the MA and I private Leviathn and ask him to go DA with me. Its tough to get Levi in the DA sometimes but when you can get him in there its always a blast.
I had never beat him before.
I was ready. Hands were sweating, heart was pounding. Never mind the fact that I was half cocked on Capn' n Coke. WldThing was riding with Levi on the duels. We went for about 10 or so fights. Levi won 2 and I took the rest.
I had done it. For that one moment I was the best. Nobody could have beaten me right then. No one will ever take that away from me. I was on the top of the mountian. The once impossible was now possible.
Strangley soon after I lost the drive for the game. I quit for a month or two and then tried a comeback. I was back all of 2 days and I stupidly jumped on the dueling ladder and got a good butt whoppin by Shane. Frustrated, discouraged, and mad I put the game down and havnt really ever returned. Not to take anything away from Shane ... he is a great great stick. I was more mad at myself for jumping into something that I really wasnt ready for.
I realized after a while that what Todd told me was true. There is no "Best" pilot in AH. Just a bunch of fellas that can whip on each other on any given night.
So that became the end of my AH career. It ended on a down swing however the only regret I have is deleting those thousands of DA films I had along with the htc file. And also that I miss my friend Jeff.
Months go by now and I dont touch the game. The same game that a few years earlier I couldnt stand to be at work all day because I wanted to go home and play it for 10 hour blocks. I think my motives tward the end of my career were flawed anyway. After a while it stopped being fun and started being all about "Im better than you"
I spend more time with my children now. I dont need to tell you that is a good thing.
I started racing my sportbike at a roadtrack on the west side of the state recently. Something I would have never done while immersed in AH. (Ill post a pic or 2 soon)
The victories and losses are all in the past now and I look back on the highs with a big smile and the lows dont seem to sting nearly as much as they used to.
So that was my AH career in a nutshell. By the end it was all about ego and competition, but I guess so is life. I think ill jump in the game again sometime to see whats up but probably not anytime soon.
Im not sure why the AH chapter of my life is over but it just is. Im not even sure why im writing this except to share my story and get some finality to the end of AH for me.
And I guess to say good bye to all the friends and enemys I made in AH over the years. Especially you Jeff. Mail me bud.
dwisok@yahoo.comI know that I cant spell...... Sorry
Later......Dave A.K.A ...... Nomak
