I don't particularly care for the arena caps either, but honestly can't think of a more effective way to do it. I liked it better with one MA, but understand why Hitech made the change. I hate being "forced" to go to an arena with low #'s, especially if my pals are in the "full" arena.
I for one seldom will actually log into the arena with low #'s. I've found too many times that these seem to be full of people doing sneak attack base captures against undefended fields, often against a team that only has a few folks even logged on. IMHO, they may as well be playing offline. But- "different strokes for different folks", right?
My answer to the issue is to "quit", and relog into AH as many times as it takes to have a slot open up in the "full" arena. Boring? Yes. Not any more boring than playing in a low-population arena against folken who are avoiding actual fights. I grab a book, and click away until a slot opens up.
On the assist thing. I truly hope it doesn't change.
For one- I think the issue is vastly overstated. Sure, I get the assist message here and there too, a few times a night. Looking back at the last two months stats, I have a total of 1129 kills, vs 148 assists (just fighter and attack sorties). By my math, 11.58% of the planes I make fall down turn out to be assists. Oh well. On the vast majority, I get a kill credit for them. Could it be the .50 cals? If you're getting too many assist's, check your convergence and gunnery. You're likely pingin' your opponent, and letting him get away to to be killed by someone else. Then you'll get the late, surprise "Assist" message instead of the "Kill" message.
Generally, I even have a good idea when I'm likely to get an assist. I shoot the guy anyway to "help the team". I get kills "stolen" too. That happens to me about once per month. Not enough to upset me all that much. Greed doesn't win you any friends. I deal with the "kill-stealing" issue by calling planes out as I render them "flightless". For example, after you clip the tail or wing off of a plane, simply say something like "Niki's dead" over range vox. It tells others he's not a threat, and they will generally leave him alone. It also implies "ownership" of a kill. Most players aren't going to try to steal a kill from me if all the other players in range know I've already shot him down. It also helps others by supplying SA information. If you're chasing an enemy plane along with 5 other friendlies, you're a fool if you expect to get the kill credit more often than not.
The newbies who steal kills will generally stop if I politely explain over range vox why that is frowned upon in the game. Even if they don't, the pilots who resort to kill stealing are mostly of a skill level that guarantees they will very shortly be in the tower, and too far away from me to steal very many.
"But folks do that a LOT in this game. I see more "Kill stealing" than I do out-and-out killing." -Krusty
That is quite the exageration, isn't it? For that to even be possible there would have to be vastly more planes falling to the ground in pieces than "healthy" planes. People would need to be ignoring the healthy planes to chase after the ones falling as wreckage! Gotta get 'em before they hit the ground! LOL, good one!
In order for you to get an assist, you have to finish off a plane that is already suffering with 51% or more lethal damage. Judging by what my plane flies like after taking damage, that shouldn't earn you the kill. Planes likely to give you an assist often are smoking, missing ailerons, flaps, elevators, rudders or wingtips. Not exactly tough kills. Some may appear healthy to you, but that doesn't mean they do to the pilot flying them!
Also, if I inflict the majority of the damage to a plane, and then land or die, I won't get the kill anyway. The guy who should have gotten the assist will! Oh well. Lots of red guys out there to keep me occupied...
Let's leave the kill vs assist reward alone!
MtnMan
