Newbie Etiquette

[trianglemoon]

Hello!

As a green recruit, I thought I'd ask a few questions about entering the Main Arena.

Are there any do's and dont's that newbies should be aware of?  (all jokes aside, please. )

When should new players consider entering the real battle?  I personally feel my flying skills are decent, but I don't know how I can possibly judge my dogfighting/combat skills without actually experiencing it.  It seems you aren't supposed to bomb facilities in the Practice Arena (???), and I haven't really found anyone to dogfight with yet.

Is there anything I can do as a newb that is helpful to others?  For instance, does it make sense for me to man a gun in a bomber, by joining someone?

Thanks for the assist, again.  I'm excited to join the real battle.

Trianglemoon

[SuperDud]

Nope, just go out and fight. In there, everything is fair game. Only thing I might suggest is finding a good squad to learn the ropes. And also hook up with a trainer in the Training arena if you can. If you get your butt handed to you, maybe ask the guy who did it if he'll help you. Some guys won't, some will.

[lagger86]

I'm pretty darn green, and my skills....well I'm working on those. The way I see it is if you wanna jump in, just do it. People on here seem pretty cool, and most of the time they help you out.....the enemy however hates you and tries to kill you constantly. I'm helpful to others by absorbing alot of enemy ammo with my plane that might be shot at someone else.

[trianglemoon]

I meant to have one other question in there.  I hear about getting troops into the map room....how is that done?  Are "troops" physical players?

Lots of chatter about getting troops to A17 last night...

Thanks again!

[Goomba]

First, for the respect and simple good sense to even ask.  You'd be amazed at how few do.

I don't know how to really summarize, other than to core dump a bunch of stuff, so forgive any disjointedness in this running list.  It will almost surely be followed by more advice from a bunch of others.

1)  Don't ask all your 'how-to' questions in the MA.  Occasional questions are perfectly acceptable, but nobody likes a newb who can't be bothered to RTFM.  Make sure you check out all the help files, then go to http://www.netaces.org for a ton more information and advice.  It's worth your time.

2)  When entering an area with a fight going on, it's considered bad form to swoop in from altitude and leap on the enemy you see being engaged by another.  Ask if someone needs help with the bandit, so you don't get accused of killstealing.

3)  Ignore the griefers when it comes to fighting style...i.e., your choice of high-e, boom-n-zoom vs. turnfighting.  Both are valid, both are appropriate for different kinds of aircraft, and both were typical of RL.

4)  Even when B-n-Zing, stay engaged.  Don't make a pass and run away to your base, unless damaged.  Once you've picked a fight, you need to come to it's conclusion, good or bad.  Extending away to reengage is fine, just come back..don't head out 5k away before you turn back, tho.

5)  When level bombing, try not to drop fighter hangars just for the sake of it.  You may shut down a furball that some are enjoying.  Personally, I don't like an endless furball with attempt to take the base, but many do and are entitled to do their thing, too.  Ask for a necessary target when entering the area, or know that you're participating in an effort to take the base...then drop everything you can hit!

5A)  Do not dive bomb in heavy level bombers...it may work, but nobody appreciates it, and it makes you look bad.

6)   Ignore the griefers who complain about choice of fighter.  They're all here for a reason, so fly what you like.

5)  Do not tune to channel 200.  It's the 'everybody in all countries' channel, and you'll get more grief from every internet tough guy out there.  Not to say everyone is like that, but the most vocal and snotty are enough to put you off the game.  Stick to range radio and your own country text.

6)  Vulching (hovering over a base to shoot nme aircraft as they lift off) is considered bad form, unless you're helping to cap the base as part of a capture.

7)  Don't send a join request via the clipboard to a player unless you've asked, via vox or text, first.  It pops up a big dialogue box in the middle of the screen, which can be...inconvenient...when dogfighting, or hunting for a Panzer thats sitting in ambush.

8)  Gunning can be helpful, if you can hit targets.  Use it for observation in a low danger environment first (with permission), then you'll get better and be able to hit incoming fighters.

9)  Feel free to enter the fight as soon as you've got a plane in the air...there are plenty of folks who can use another target and, for a while, you'll be it ;-)  Don't worry about how good you are compared to others...everybody has a different learning curve or interest level.  You will get your butt handed to you a LOT at first, but this will change

10)  Don't shoot chutes, unless tey are enemy troops dropping on a friendly base for a capture.  If an nme pilot bails out after you've blasted him, some consider it bad form to kill him in his chute.  However, others do not agree, so you takes your chances.

11)  Take a while to listen to the 'dynamics' of local vox...there's a certain amount of chatter that is fun, engaging and apprpriate...but too much will not win friends.  And don't start yelling everytime you see something.

12)  Try to avoid the 'armchair general' syndrome.  Some players will constantly berate the entire country for not doing what they think ought to be done.  Don't be one.

12A)  Just because some guy gets on text and SHOUTS IN ALL CAPS THAT WEE NEED TO GET ON THE ATTACK RIGHT NOW AND TAKE BASE XXX CAUSE IF WE DONT WERE GONNA LOSE THE WAR YOU IDIOTS!@!! doesn't mean you really have to listen to a thing he says.  Use your judgement, and you'll be able to decipher what to be involved in.

13)  DONT TEXT IN ALL CAPS

14)  Don't accept the first squad invitation you get right away.  Fly with a couple different groups, to get a sense of the squaddies, their game style and organization.  See if you like it.  Some are very loose, others fairly rigid in their controls.  Different strokes, and all that.  Ultimately, I recommend the squad experience.

15)  Go to the Training Arena, or email a Trainer and spend some time with them.  Big help for getting up to speed, and always a good source of info.  There is a LOT of stuff to pick up on, and the TA can help.

You'll never really stop picking little tidbits up...and there are a bunch of people who've been playing this game, or it's predecessors, for many years.

You really can't do too much harm...look and listen alot, join in and give it your best, and have a blast!

Feel free to look me up online (use the roster on the clipboard), if you have questions, or want to saddle up for a while.  I'm sure you'll get similar invitations from other, more capable folks as well.

Good Luck!  This is a great time, and hopefully you'll get just as addicted to the Aces High crackpipe as the rest of us...then you're doomed!



PS...don't be surprised if anybody disagrees with any of the above.  Lots of different points of view, and you'll soon see a bit of all of them.  You'll develop your own sense of fairplay, and stick to it.

[Goomba]

Capturing a base requires that ten of your country's troops enter the maproom of the enemy base.  If it's an airfield, the town outside the base must be entirely destroyed...one building standing and no joy.

The troops are carried by C-47 (air) or M-3 (ground), and are equipped in the hangar.  Once the base is supressed (so its safe for the troops), and the town is down (doesn't apply to vehicle bases), then deliver troops.

To deliver in C-47 you must either drop from the air from at LEAST 800 ft AGL, (but not too high or they'll hang there forever as big juicy targets) or you can land near the town and let them out.

To deliver via M-3, drive as close to the maproom as you can, stop, open doors and let em go.

If you are too low, too fast or anything else out of profile..they won't do the job and either die on impact, fail tocapture, or die in place.

Typically, a base capture is a team effort, as you need to suppress fighters, drop all vehicles and the hangar they spawn from, escort the troops, supress anti-air (which is also effective anti-troop) fire, then defend the inevitable assault to come after a successful take.

Many have no use for taking bases, but personally, I like the satisfaction of seeing a job finished.

[trianglemoon]

Great comments, Goomba!

Just to clarify -- Troops = a loadable commodity on particular vehicles--it doesn't mean 10 players lined up in your fuselage?

As a newb, is a Bomber a reasonable place to start?  And, in either case, what sort of altitude is considered "normal" for the level bombers to do their deed?  I've been trying from 6k and 10k feet, with good success.  I recently read that in Japan during WWII, a level bomber from 30K had only 2% of its bombs hit within 1000m of its target.  They brought the B-29s down to something like 7000 feet after that.

I'll look you up sometime online.  My callsign is trimoon (I wish I'd picked something else, it looks like TRLMoon on the screen, except lowercase...

TriangleMoon

[Goomba]

Thats correct, Tri, a loadable commodity in the hangar, only available to appropriate vehicles when selected.

Bombers are definitely a reasonable place to start...the slower speeds and long distances give you a little time to think.

Use auto takeoff (even the bestest will often leave it on) for simplicity's sake.  Try to judge fuel load based on your round trip distance...don;t always haul several tons of unneeded fule around by always loading 100%.  Kills climbout rate, too.

I'm a bigtime buffer, and usually like 10-15K, with 15 being sort of a standard.  You still get very good precision (we have no wind drift or real big dispersal factors), but few pilots will have the patience to come up and attack, and if they do...they are usually too impatient to set up the attack correctly, and end up slow and hanging on your six...which equals dead meat!  

I wouldn't bother with anything over 25K, as it simply past the point of effective returns(almost no enemy), although it can be fun to try once or twice, for kicks.

You're correct on your citation of hit percentages, and dropping the altitude drastically improved results.  The overall package of strategic and tactical changes to bombing were a huge part of what made Curtis LeMay such a big impact on US strategic bomber command.  Of course, when you come down lower, you'll get jumped more frequently.  There's always a price...

Would be glad to help out anytime...provided you're a Knight.  If you got your citizenship papers from somewhere over on the dark side (rook or bish), you're SOL, pal...  

Seriously, hope you enjoy it!

[Murdr]

Originally posted by trianglemoon
It seems you aren't supposed to bomb facilities in the Practice Arena (???), and I haven't really found anyone to dogfight with yet.
B]

Don't bomb Airfield A1.  Feel free to practice on A1 town, or the other airfields and strats.  I don't know what time you fly, but most evenings USA time, there are pleanty of people willing to practice dogfighting with you in the TA.

[TexMurphy]

Few things that I think is important.

1) Call check six to your team mates.

2) Dont call too many check sixes. One max two is enough.

3) Dont fly infront of someone who is shooting at an enemies six. The killshooter rule (friendly fire does damage to the shooter in AH) is on and will cause frustration to the shooter.

4) For your own sake learn to avoid Head On shots instead of making them your favorite shot. Read on this forum how to avoid them or ask here if you dont know.

5) Dont salute a pilot you shot down by kill stealing. Salute when the enemy shot you down or if you won a tough fight.

6) Use range vox with wisdom. Be short and informative. Dont clutter the public vox with babbling, ranting or other obnoxious things.

7) Most importantly use common sence. If a vet does something it does NOT mean its ok, smart, polite or nice to do so.

Just the fact that you ask here on the forums is a great display of character imho. The thought of asking doesnt even cross many peoples mind.

Welcome to AH.
Tex

[trianglemoon]

5) Dont salute a pilot you shot down by kill stealing. Salute when the enemy shot you down or if you won a tough fight.

6) Use range vox with wisdom. Be short and informative. Dont clutter the public vox with babbling, ranting or other obnoxious things.

7) Most importantly use common sence. If a vet does something it does NOT mean its ok, smart, polite or nice to do so.

Just the fact that you ask here on the forums is a great display of character imho. The thought of asking doesnt even cross many peoples mind.

Welcome to AH.
Tex

Thanks, Tex.  I learned long ago, the forums are the best place for real information.

I'm not sure what you mean by Salute.

Range Vox (F12) vs. "T" -- What's the diff?


Thanks to all for the great response to this thread!

TriMoon

[Murdr]

.s   followed by a players game id will put out a salute on the open channel.
also means salute.

F12 keys range channel which can be heard by everyone in the same room, or if in flight all friendlies within 6000 yards.

T keys the "tuned" channel.  This is the V channel on the far right when the radio box is brought up.  It will only be heard by those tuned to that common channel.  Or you can type in a persons game id for the channel, and only they will hear the transmission.

One other note on the MA radio.  The "All" channel is disabled.  The open channel in the MA is channel 200 if one wants to talk to enemy players.

[SAS_KID]

F12 is like people withing like 6k of you or something or is it by sector? But T is your tuned private vox channel. Sorta like a "teamspeak" But im happy to help anyone who needs it.



Goomba *cough* Get in a fighter *cough* Goomba to much gv'ing will make me the main escort.


My ingame name is SASKID.

[ridley1]

I found that joining a mission is good.

Just go along with the crowd, listen and learn.


Nothing is going to teach you more than experience on line. The one thing about upping with a mission rather then by yourself is being in a herd, you'll probably have a flight that'll last a little longer

[Max]

Goomba...that's a great post. Should be a "stickey"