Armchair Psychologist Needed …

[Zazen13]

I think you are mis-interpreting the scope of what teamwork is. I am not speaking of teamwork as merely 'winning the war'. Maps come and go, fields come and go and most of us can get FAR more perks in an hour or two of flying than a reset will award.

Teamwork as it relates to fighting itself is what I am talking about. When on Knights, generally speaking, it is as though you are a hermetically isolated node of fighterdom. There is little in the way of impromptu 'loose deucin', droppage of altitude for six clearing, rope detection. Or, any other co-operative fighter tactic that would indicate to me that my fellow Knights are even paying attention.

Coming from my Rook background I am even amazed after a year at how little Knights communicate in a complex engagement. I am often the only one calling out bandits, telling others on range I have a target roped if they wish to pick him off or calling out check 6's. This is the teamwork I am speaking of. This kind of teamwork has a profound impact on every single fight except a 1 vs. 1's. This kind of teamwork goes a long way in determining the outcome of each and every multi-plane engagement in the MA.

Zazen

[Arlo]

Originally posted by Zazen13
Possibly, I hate that I am forced to stoop to the level of my detractors on occassion. A necessary evil in some isolated situations as a re-buff in kind is the only thing they respect. Sort of like how the only thing a violent man respects is a good, thorough bellybutton kicking. You will never 'talk' him out of his antagonistic, violent ways unfortunately.


Zazen

You're not "forced" to do anything when it comes to posting or replying on internet forums. Unless it's your ego "forcing" you. Or mine, for that matter. Maybe we can fool ourselves about it. It's probably alot easier than fooling others. But when it comes down to it, if a poster doesn't understand you it may not be because the can't. And if you end up "stooping to their level" to "prove" your point then it's just as likely that you don't actually understand the point you're trying to prove all that well, either. If you did, you wouldn't give up so easily. Then again, some of us aren't really trying to prove anything at all. We're just "forcing" others to try.

And I gotta tell ya ... you can't really kick anyone's bellybutton through your monitor. Even "metaphorically" speaking. MrBlack tried that on more than one occasion and failed miserably.

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

I find the idea that the Knights don't care about the war and winning it both interesting and amusing.

I find it amusing because at times they are as guilty as anyone about hordes and steamrolling.

I find it interesting in that there may indeed be groups on at times who honestly don't care about the war and just care about even fights. However, I seriously doubt it is restrticted to any one country, despite what supposedly pious devotees might have anyone believe.

There is a big problem with the ENY system helping those just looking for an even fight. It only limits planes and not numbers. A fight against 3/4:1 odds even when the enemy is flying planes with an ENY of 15 or 20 less than you are is still bad odds. And when the "horde" is eventually forced to learn to fly "junk" well, it will still be a terribly lopsided fight. Or they'll just get twice as many to attack. What then? Run the ENY to 60? Invent yet another device to "penalize" or "punish" someone?

I'm still of the position that the ENY system is a "quick fix" or a "band aid" that does not really deal with a core issue that is the problem.

While I am entirely opposed to having anyone be able to "exploit"  "features" of the game in order to create Bravo Sierra results and ruin things for others, I am entirely opposed to "features" or "mechanisms" designed to handicap a player who plays one style legitimately in order to make another player who plays another style happy.

Oddly enough, I find myself holding the middle ground. I like a good even fight. I like taking bases. I like massed attacks, whether they are spontaneous or carefully planned. I'm not on any one side here.

The ENY system doesn't often affect me to any real extent most often, I don't fly anything with a lower ENY than the P-38L, and I readily move to the P-47D or the F4U. I'm not much of a pilot anyway.

As it stands now, most of what I see is already LA7's, P-51D's, and Spitfires, along with an all too generous helping of Nikki's. This is not just the case when numbers get out of whack, it's the case all the time. Should the ENY limit pass 40, I'll just call it and log. Should it become the rule rather than the exception, I'll fly a lot less.

The current ENY limit system has more loopholes in it than corporate tax laws. It needs SERIOUS work as far as I'm concerned, I don't know if the mechanisms for what is needed are already in the game or not.

[Zazen13]

Originally posted by Arlo

And I gotta tell ya ... you can't really kick anyone's bellybutton through your monitor. Even "metaphorically" speaking. MrBlack tried that on more than one occasion and failed miserably.

Well, I've always referred to this as 'Word Warrior', ever since my days in 'Air Warrior'. In a way you can kick someone's ass. You do it by intellectual debate punctuated by air-tight logic substantiated by proof that cannot be refuted.

It is at this point, the person that just got their bellybutton kicked, attempts to un-kick it.  They do this by the coy use of  'subject-deflection', casting the postings into a realm that entails personal slights, insults,  derogatory one-liner remarks accompanied by comical pics dredged off the internet and overly judicious use of emoticons.

Zazen

[DipStick]

Originally posted by Zazen13
Coming from my Rook background I am even amazed after a year at how little Knights communicate in a complex engagement. I am often the only one calling out bandits, telling others on range I have a target roped if they wish to pick him off or calling out check 6's. This is the teamwork I am speaking of. This kind of teamwork has a profound impact on every single fight except a 1 vs. 1. This kind of teamwork goes a long way in determining the outcome of each and every multi-plane engagement in the MA.

Zazen

They must not like you Zaz. I always have comms going on, lots of ch6s and setups. Maybe you were flying with the wrong crowd.

As far as Knits go, I'd say about 80% or so don't care about 'the war'. We like to fight and we're good at it. I've many times seen 4-5 Knits wipe out 12-15 Bish/Rooks with good comms and teamwork.

That's the fun for me and it's been good lately. Having a blast with more even numbers.

[Zazen13]

Originally posted by DipStick
They must not like you Zaz. I always have comms going on, lots of ch6s and setups. Maybe you were flying with the wrong crowd.

 

It has nothing to do with me, I can hear anything on range channel, no one is speaking to each other either. I can't fly worth a crap, but my SA is top notch, very few are employing mutually supportive fighter tactics either. The only exception I see to this is if there's several people in the same squadron involved in the engagement. Also, up until very recently I had not let it be known what handle I was flying with while Knights, so it is not simply a manifestation of the 'anti-Zazen' phenomena. If anything I'm getting more co-operation now that most Knights know Lexus is usually me (or my wife).

Dipstick, I know you have flown Rooks a little, spend a few days there. The communication/co-operation level between fighter pilots in Rookland is head and shoulders above anything Knights or Bishops do, even on their best days. I think that's partly the big attraction to Rooks and why most fighter pilots prefer to stay there. If Bishops and Knights really, one invdividual at a time, worked on this single aspect of AH gameplay there will cease to be a numbers imbalance.

Zazen

[Arlo]

Originally posted by Zazen13

Possibly, I hate that I am forced to stoop to the level of my detractors on occassion. A necessary evil in some isolated situations as a re-buff in kind is the only thing they respect. Sort of like how the only thing a violent man respects is a good, thorough bellybutton kicking. You will never 'talk' him out of his antagonistic, violent ways unfortunately.
 

Also originally posted by Zazen13
Well, I've always referred to this as 'Word Warrior', ever since my days in 'Air Warrior'. In a way you can kick someone's ass. You do it by intellectual debate punctuated by air-tight logic substantiated by proof that cannot be refuted.

 

Really now?

[DipStick]

Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts
I find the idea that the Knights don't care about the war and winning it both interesting and amusing.

I find it amusing because at times they are as guilty as anyone about hordes and steamrolling.

I find it interesting in that there may indeed be groups on at times who honestly don't care about the war and just care about even fights. However, I seriously doubt it is restrticted to any one country, despite what supposedly pious devotees might have anyone believe.

The only time I help steamroll is to prove "we can do it too". On the few occasions the BKs, AOMs, 13th, etc... help in mission thingys we completely lay waste to the countryside gathering many sheep as we go.

I'm sure there are groups in other countries who just like to fight, otherwise it would be very boring for us, no?

to those who live for the battle. Air to air combat in (the best) virtual WWII aircraft to be found.

[Arlo]

Originally posted by DipStick
... gathering many sheep as we go.

That is a VERY important distinction. Sheep gathering is to be honored and respected.

[Ack-Ack]

Originally posted by Zazen13


When on Knights, generally speaking, it is as though you are a hermetically isolated node of fighterdom. There is little in the way of impromptu 'loose deucin', droppage of altitude for six clearing, rope detection. Or, any other co-operative fighter tactic that would indicate to me that my fellow Knights are even paying attention.



Zazen

They probably recognized your shades account.



ack-ack

[Zazen13]

Originally posted by Ack-Ack
They probably recognized your shades account.



ack-ack

It's not a 'shades' account, I let it be well-known I am Lexus. Sometimes it is my wife though.

Zazen

[Ack-Ack]

Originally posted by DipStick

As far as Knits go, I'd say about 80% or so don't care about 'the war'. We like to fight and we're good at it. I've many times seen 4-5 Knits wipe out 12-15 Bish/Rooks with good comms and teamwork.

Yep.  Just the other night, Pellik and I held off the Bish hordes at A42 for a couple of hours until they finally managed to overwhelm us and sneak the base capture.  And last night the Bishops tried again for A42 and only a handful of defenders held them off while being at a 3-1 disadvantage.  Great teamwork on the part of the Knight defenders.


ack-ack

[Arlo]

Well .. the part where sometimes you're your wife was well known, at least.

[Zazen13]

Originally posted by Arlo
Well .. the part where sometimes you're your wife was well known, at least.

You're lucky I have a sense of humor!

Zazen

[Arlo]

Originally posted by Zazen13
You're lucky I have a sense of humor!

Zazen

I wasn't sure you did. And I'm not sure about why I'm lucky because of it yet I'm kinda glad you do.