Gameplay, incentives, HTC

[Urchin]

JMFJ -

Forgive my ignorance, I do not really have the patience to play around in the GVs.  I'd really love to, and I probably would if the T-34 had been made competitive.. but as it is now the only really viable option is the Panzer IV, which doesn't interest me all that much.

I would assume that the way to get a good GV rank would be to somehow get your panzer onto an airfield that has had the ack and VH knocked out, or to camp at a spawn point.  Both situations would lead to plenty of kills in a short (for a GV anyway) amount of time.

If we ever get a more diverse set of AFV's I'll probably try my and at GVs. Until then I probably won't, it is much to frustrating.

[Bronk]

Originally posted by WarRaidr
Urchin said

 

Look at his last camp, 588 of his kills were in a C Hog not exactly the fastest plane in the game and being in his squad i know that he flies alone a lot more than you're assuming. SHawk is a good virtual pilot with good aim and very good knowledge of the planes he flies and also what his victims are going to do. If you're lower or slower than the enemy would you press a losing position ? probably not so why bash SHawk for doing it ?

So by his score you would say that Shawk is better than say .... Levi?

How about better than Nomak.... Murdr?

The list goes on and on.

There are reasons people use their films ( Levi, Nomak, Murdr) as training aids.

I don't  think I have seen one Shawk film.  I suspect there is a reason why.

I have nothing against Shawk . I have only run into him a couple of times.
I know he doesn't seem to smack talk a ton. So I assume he plays his game and is having fun ( good for him ).

But to believe the best fighter pilots have the best game rank is silly.


Bronk

[DoKGonZo]

For almost 20 years, players who were going for a title or rank in these games have done so from a more defensive mindset. At some point many players grow beyond this and stop giving a damn about their rank or their score.

I'd like to see more titles, not less. Best Spit driver, P51, Fw190, etc. ... maybe it'd even help with plane distribution; there'd be a reason to fly a P40 for FM2 or C205 beyond novelty and perk-generation. Hehe ... swarms of SBD's and Vals upping to defend CAP'd fields in competition for "Best Carrier Dive-bomber" title.

[LYNX]

Originally posted by Urchin
Anyway, I imagine I lost my point in there somewhere so I'll try to restate it briefly.  I'm sure that this is true in all categories, but I know it is true for fighters.  Having a high fighter rank does not imply that you are actually any good.  All that it means is that you have figured out how to score highly in the subcategories.

Can't deny you made some valid point about "how to short cut" getting rank but none the less the vast majority of these guys are good at what they do.  Check out their hit %.  It's not 6 % or 8 %  it's over 10 %.  Thats in close and tight, shooting less than 300.  How did they get there?  If you think it's vulching well some of it prolly is BUT you have to be a wizard to attend every vulch fest available.  

Anyone worth their salt will NOT want to be in the crappy end of the situation.  Low and slow is death and another 10 min flight back to the battle.  Keeping smart with a good balance of SA and ACM in my opinion makes for a good pilot.  Sure enough some guys are just brilliant against all the odds but to say   Having a high fighter rank does not imply that you are actually any good. is just plain wrong.  You can't take a newbie or half skilled fighter jock and get him in the top ten.  With respect.... it just ain't happening.  

As for me listed number 1 bomber a few months back.  It wasn't nuka stuka's at ack factory it was 20K Lancasters nailing Cities, factories and towns.  Makes for good damage sortie / hit % but even better for your team when enemy Strat is down.  You may not believe this but you don't have to live in bombers to be number 1 bomber.  A bomb run a day is more than enough and I don't even think i did that on that occasion.

In short my point is you need to have "above average" skills to attain a good fighter / attack rank.  Be an accurate bomber and GV'er.  If you wanna call Strat bombing Milk runs thats fine with me.  Next time I'm 2 sectors behind your lines bombing crap outta your Cities and factories I'd be more than pleased to be ignored as a Milk runner.  Hey,  your Strat = my damge sortie / hit %

[Lusche]

Originally posted by DoKGonZo
I'd like to see more titles, not less. Best Spit driver, P51, Fw190, etc. ... maybe it'd even help with plane distribution; there'd be a reason to fly a P40 for FM2 or C205 beyond novelty and perk-generation. Hehe ... swarms of SBD's and Vals upping to defend CAP'd fields in competition for "Best Carrier Dive-bomber" title.

I'm very much in favour of it

[Lye-El]

Originally posted by SkyRock
the best example to use of lamer fighter score-padding is pacerr.  Shawk will at least fight you.  All I've ever seen pacerr doing is vulching/cherry picking/RUNNING!:aok

I see him doing a lot of field defense AGAINST vulchers.

Just saying.

[Dead Man Flying]

You can shortcut rank, but you can't shortcut skill.  People know who the good players are regardless of rank.

-- Todd/Leviathn

[Kurt]

This was a fun read.  I'd like more threads like this one please, will the rest of the dual account dweebs please post their gloating, self-rightous admission of guilt also.  You can't deny, its entertainment value.

[Retired]

About SHawk.  Yes, he is the king of cherry picking, vulching, and runnign.  However, he has never claimed to be the best or an 'Ace'.  If you some how kill his budies and manage to corner him, he can and will fight you.  If HT wants to post SHawk on their BBS as the best af the best, that is not SHawks problem.  The guy is just having fun doing what he does best.  

It seems to me that even though no-one cares about the scoring system and being #1, everyone has something negative to say about the guys that manage to be #1.  Yes, I know how they do it and the lameness of it all, but score means nothing to us and we don't care about being the best, remember????

What needs to change is the scoring system, not SHawk.

[DaPup]

Originally posted by Dead Man Flying
You can shortcut rank, but you can't shortcut skill.  People know who the good players are regardless of rank.

-- Todd/Leviathn

I agree with you there, but I've flown with SHawk for a long time and while he isn't up where you are Levi(is anyone?) he is damn handy to have watching your back...he'll never leave you behind and to me that is a great player. The ranking system has flaws but I have yet to play any game that doesn't have a scoring system of some sort in place, even chess has a winner (if you can stay awake long enough to see who it is).

[Dead Man Flying]

Don't take my statement to be a criticism of SHawk.  I've flown with and against him many times, and I've found him to be funny and self-effacing.  He's my favorite little score potato!  

-- Todd/Leviathn

[DaPup]

I didn't take it that way at all Levi, I have alot of respect for the way you play the game. I think that some of the guys taking shots don't have a clue what SHawk is really like in the game though.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Urchin
No offense to Shawk, but he is a perfect example of a "smart" (or timid, depending on your PoV) flyer who plays for rank.  He flies a fast plane, he flies in a pack, and he never engages alone.  If he is caught with his pants down (lower than an enemy plane) he runs until he gets some friendlies to come in, then he comes back looking to cherrypick.  He "extends" indefinately.

And the masses think he is a good fighter pilot and strive to emulate him.  That is what disgusts me.  I'm alright with a few pilots doing the whole timid thing because that is what they like to do.. but an arena full of people who fly that way because "thats how the aces fly" is just absurd to me.

You can take the whole "play for rank thing" to an extreme and only do things if they'll help your rank.  

You are wrong.  When SHawk had his 100+ kills and never was killed, I had two bogies on me.  It was a "furball situation" over an enemy base.  SHawk came in and helped me, WITHOUT myself asking for it.  As he has since I have played this game.   Furthermore, that VERY SAME hop, he had a Hurricane all over his arse and was saying, "he's gonna get me K".  I had JUST enough luck to get the kill on the 190A8 with a snapshot.  

Problem I have with some is their ego's get to big for the game and for the BBS.

SHawk has NEVER given me ego, nor have I in return.   My guess is this Urchin, you treat others like ****, expect to be treated like ****.    

SHawk, Stang, Morpheus, Wax, Levi, Bodhi, Odd, Xbrit, SaDs, ROC, Roo, Mn7, MGD, BJ229, SkyRock and a host of others have "lent a hand" without question, and I in turn, do the same.  

<> SHawk.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Dead Man Flying
You can shortcut rank, but you can't shortcut skill.  People know who the good players are regardless of rank.

-- Todd/Leviathn

A F**king MEN!

[Urchin]

I actually don't have much of an ego Karaya.  

I'm good compared to the masses, I'm not as good as I was a couple years ago, and I'm not as good as the current "top pilots".  

Like I said before, if I've somehow misjudged Shawk then I'll apologize.  Every time I've run into him when he was alone he comes in looking for an easy kill, then hauls bellybutton for friendlies as soon as it is apparent I'm not AFK.  Since he obviously doesn't know it is me, I can only assume he flies that way much of the time.  I call em like I see em.  

I've never been much of an asskisser, so if you are a great hordewarrior I imagine I probably offended you sometime in the past by telling you that.  You can join my fan club if you want, send a PM to Storchita, he is the founding member and current President.