Just some advice...
1: Treat your fellow pilots with respect. Nothing will sour a day or evening of AH faster than some braindead, foul mouthed person, who has an infantile need to demonstrate and assert his lack of class and education. Some players, mostly younger new players (newbies), think this kind of interaction is 'cool' and believe that they are receiving positive attention because of their aggressive, obnoxious behavior. In fact, they are seriously jepardizing their future success in the game by alienating more experienced players who will simply ignore them on the radio and refuse entrance into a quality Squadron, regardless of their skill. (Not to mention they make excellent targets due to their constant mindless chatter and its inherent weakness, a lack of Situational Awareness)
1A: In an expanded thought, always try to remember the following; due to Aces High's inevitable combative and conflictive nature, and the degree of seriousness which some people apply to it, it is not unusual for tempers to flare. This sometimes manifests itself in angry, mean spirited, radio confrontations consisting of unacceptable language. If you feel the need to get involved in one of these...DON'T! The rest of us have better things to do than listen to alot of raw four letter whining. If it simply won't go away, take it into a more private setting or to settle it, fight a 1 on 1 duel in the DA. Talk it out via email. Anything, just keep it off the radio in the arenas! Nobody wins in these useless arguments and everybody looses. Final thought on this. If one individual is constantly irritating others with TOS (Terms of Service) violations or other unacceptable conduct, he will soon be reported to HTC (who quietly cruise the arenas regularly anyway) and can be banned from AH. No joke. No refund either.
2: AH is not just an airborne shoot-em-up. Learn the strategic aspects of the game. Just flying around aimlessly, looking to kill anyone not on your side is pointless, not to mention pretty boring after a while. Know who controls what base or airfield. Keep track of what resources have been hit or are still functioning at any base or zone in your immediate operating area. Look at the maps and try to understand why taking and holding a certain base is beneficial or even critical in some instances and less so in others. There is alot involved if you take the time to look for it and understand it. It will increase your enjoyment of the game tremendously.
3: Keep your eye on the radio messages. They serve two primary functions. First and foremost, they keep you informed of what is currently happening in the arena. Concentrations of friends or enemies, bases that are currently under attack or that are operational or nonoperational, approximate locations of incoming targets, what needs to be destroyed at a certain base, etc. The second reason for a new player to pay attention to his radio, is to get a sense of who is an experienced player and who isn't. Experienced, well grounded players will normally be very willing to help you with questions you may have and won't reply with "try Alt-F4". The difference between just asking anyone and asking an experienced player is that you'll probably get the right answer first time. Not much point in a newbie asking a newbie. There is a big down side to watching your radio, however. It means you aren't watching the sky around you, and that boys and girls, is deadly. Situational awareness is the key to survival in AH and survival is the key to success. At first, try to find a comfortable balance between learning and playing AH. After a while, you'll be able to do both without neglecting either.
