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Author Topic: What does a furball mean to you?  (Read 5487 times)

Offline Dead Man Flying

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #60 on: April 09, 2006, 09:01:22 AM »
A furball is all things to all types of players.  It contains dogfighting, energy fighting, jumping the unaware, cherrypicking, fighting with an advantage, fighting with a disadvantage, going fast, going slowly, teamwork, and individual accomplishment.  It can be all of these things to one person in the span of just a couple of minutes.

-- Todd/Leviathn
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Offline Grimm

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #61 on: April 09, 2006, 09:42:38 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by DoKGonZo
My observation is that a typical furball is more like a meteorological storm cell than a cluster.  


Dok,  Great discripition.    I think we have the winner here!
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Offline FiLtH

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #62 on: April 09, 2006, 11:46:44 AM »
They do seem to appear like a storm...the night before last a small one, more like a dust devil appeared around me. It only lasted for a few minutes, but there were about 10-12 similar planes, all in the same E state, shooting and evading, callin 6. It truly does have a physical feel like a storm when it happens...because when it stops you say..wow that was fun.
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~AoM~

Offline Zazen13

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #63 on: April 09, 2006, 12:19:25 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Dead Man Flying
A furball is all things to all types of players.  It contains dogfighting, energy fighting, jumping the unaware, cherrypicking, fighting with an advantage, fighting with a disadvantage, going fast, going slowly, teamwork, and individual accomplishment.  It can be all of these things to one person in the span of just a couple of minutes.

-- Todd/Leviathn


Nice explanation...

Zazen
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Zazen PhD of Cherrypickology
Author of, "The Zen Art of Cherrypicking" and other related works.
Quote, "Cherrypicking is a state of mind & being, not only Art and Scienc

Offline Zazen13

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #64 on: April 09, 2006, 12:20:23 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by DoKGonZo
My observation is that a typical furball is more like a meteorological storm cell than a cluster. It's more dynamic than static, though it does retain a visual form, like a storm. Usually starts around 8-12K from the initial merge and it quickly drops down below 5K. Then more planes feed into this from above (B&Z planes) and below (T&B planes) or co-alt (either kind of plane). The median altitude can change depending on where people start dying, and what altitudes people come in at to feed the system, but everything pretty much funnels downward.

This means you have planes with a range of energy potentials all in the same space, depending on how recent they joined. It also means you have players with a range of SA because the more recent arrivals have a better sense of the big picture. SA, altitude, and energy all degrade the longer you stay inside the system. Now maybe some of those planes aren't classified as "furballers" but they are contributing to the system in one way or another.


As for looking down on killing the unaware, don't underestimate the satisfaction of dropping in fast and alone behind a flight of 3 or 4 La-7's or Spit16's on their way to your base, picking out the one who isn't paying close enough attention, and nailing him in one pass right in front of his wingmen. And then knowing that he's now on the radio about "Gee, thanks for the check-6 you guys."

A classic bounce is not the same as cherry-picking and it's awesome when you can pull it off given that there's neon.


I like that analogy alot, very insightful...

Zazen
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Zazen PhD of Cherrypickology
Author of, "The Zen Art of Cherrypicking" and other related works.
Quote, "Cherrypicking is a state of mind & being, not only Art and Scienc

Offline Zazen13

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #65 on: April 09, 2006, 12:22:45 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by FiLtH
Zaz...I've flown with you.  We are squadmates.

     Sortie for sortie, the faster planes will have a better survival rate.
    Better climb gets them to safer alt sooner and more often.  


Fast plane does not mean better climbrate. Take the Typhoon or P47 for example, they climbs like crap on a stick...Lot's of the slower planes climb like scalded monkies comparatively...

Zazen
« Last Edit: April 09, 2006, 01:12:27 PM by Zazen13 »
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Zazen PhD of Cherrypickology
Author of, "The Zen Art of Cherrypicking" and other related works.
Quote, "Cherrypicking is a state of mind & being, not only Art and Scienc

Offline Zazen13

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #66 on: April 09, 2006, 12:26:09 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by SlapShot
I agree ... a "bounce" is not a "cherrypick" ... a cherrypick is killing someone who is already engaged ... and your fellow friendly could be winning or losing in the engagement.


That's so very true, successfully bouncing a far more manueverable plane that is aware of you and re-acting accordingly can be difficult to impossible. There are a few people, very good sticks with very great SA, I have never been able to sucessfully bounce. If I want to kill them they will force me to equalize E states and turn with them to do so...also very difficult obviously...

Zazen
« Last Edit: April 09, 2006, 01:12:00 PM by Zazen13 »
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Zazen PhD of Cherrypickology
Author of, "The Zen Art of Cherrypicking" and other related works.
Quote, "Cherrypicking is a state of mind & being, not only Art and Scienc

Offline Zazen13

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #67 on: April 09, 2006, 12:40:24 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by FiLtH
    If someone gains kills off the unaware, or the busy so be it. But please dont call it being in the furball. Save that for the poor saps who crawl into and out of them.  Again..this thread is defining furball, not attacking how one plays, or even what plane someone should use.

   


I realise cherry-picking is not a pure kill in the accomplishment sense . But do you realise fighter tactics in general are specifically predicated upon the fundamental principle of mutual support in combat? Clearing bandits off of a friendly is the entire concept behind the wingman element. Skill being equal, half the cherry picks are actually people saving their teammate from certain death. A good fighter pilot can even specifically target only those enemy which do have an advantage, they can tell who is on whom, and leave the bandits that are about to lose the fight alone only attacking those about to kill their teammates. If people engaged with one another were not always potential targets for cherry-picking SA would be meaningless. Part of the beautiful balance of air combat is the fact that there is always a trade-off between total concentration on one opponent for a kill and dwindling awareness of the situation around you, including potential cherry-picks...If single combat were guarenteed MA fights would be nothing more than a giant duelling arena, where SA and exapansive attention focus is meaningless...

Zazen
« Last Edit: April 09, 2006, 01:14:06 PM by Zazen13 »
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Zazen PhD of Cherrypickology
Author of, "The Zen Art of Cherrypicking" and other related works.
Quote, "Cherrypicking is a state of mind & being, not only Art and Scienc

Offline Shaky

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #68 on: April 09, 2006, 03:27:54 PM »
Zazen and Dok in agreement

Can you feel the love in the air?
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Political correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Offline gatt

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #69 on: April 09, 2006, 03:43:59 PM »
I like very much Dok's description. I read for the first time something from Dok while trying to connect from Italy to AW during 1996. Go figure. I couldnt never get a good connx, tho. Then came WB.

Had a great time reading your sentences in the AW manual as well. As I had great time reading DocDoom tactics about the FW while flying WB1 .... ah the old times ... thanks God, then came AH :)
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Offline RTSigma

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #70 on: April 09, 2006, 03:44:40 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Shaky
Zazen and Dok in agreement

Can you feel the love in the air?



I already got an invitation. "RTSigma and guest". Wanna go?
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Sigma of VF-17 JOLLY ROGERS

Offline Shaky

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #71 on: April 09, 2006, 03:51:23 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by RTSigma
I already got an invitation. "RTSigma and guest". Wanna go?


You wear the skirt...I'm feeling "butch" :D
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Political correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Offline hubsonfire

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #72 on: April 09, 2006, 04:34:30 PM »
:lol
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Offline DoKGonZo

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #73 on: April 09, 2006, 04:43:03 PM »
This would redefine "shotgun wedding."
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Offline Billy Joe Bob

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What does a furball mean to you?
« Reply #74 on: April 09, 2006, 04:47:04 PM »
the thing my cat leaves at the bottom of the stairs for me to step in
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