Personally, I'm always looking for "good" fights. It's impossible to have a "good" fight against an idiot, or against someone flying like an idiot. I expect / demand the best that pilot can give, and so I must also give my best. I want a "chess-match" fight where both pilots use their brains to outsmart / out-fly their opponent.
The majority of pilots in this game fly like idiots, and as such are not possible to have a "good" fight against. You may as well send them back to the tower quickly, and save everyone from wasting their time. Plain and simple, "picking" them is really devoting all the energy they deserve or require. Why waste an aerobatic routine on them? All you need to do to avoid being picked is use your brain and your six view.
Many fly stupidly out of a sense of glory- diving right into a swarm of enemies hoping to kill a few before they get killed themselves. I think the vast majority of these guys are using that tactic as an excuse for dieing. "I didn't die because I suck, I died because I took on an impossible fight!" They like nothing better than to be given a handy excuse for dieing. It takes the blame away from their poor flying and / or SA, and hopefully makes them look like it took lots of luck to kill them. "You picked me!"
The average guy coming into this game has a sense for what "dogfighting" is. This is the classic idea of TnB. Most never progress beyond this point. It is the most "instinctual" method of fighting, and as such needs less "thought". Those few that actually use their brains in this type of fighting will shine like diamonds, but they are the minority for sure. Generally, they'll tell you they're studs, so you won't have to try to figure it out for yourself.
The next step is getting sick of dieing quickly, pointlessly, stupidly, etc... A desire to live longer, and land a few kills is spawned. This leads to flying fast planes, and taking minimal risks. Some research is likely done in an effort to get better. This leads to BnZ fighting. Fairly boring, but probably the easiest to master, and easiest to succeed at with minimal deaths. Once mastered, these guys will be known as dedicated pickers, and be labeled as "scum". How dare they attempt to progress beyond BnZ???
Those looking for a go-between between TnB and BnZ will eventually discover E fighting. This is the toughest to master, and IMO is the most rewarding. It offers the best of both worlds, and IMO is the most fun. It is the only way a "poorer" turning plane will consistantly "out-turn" a "better" turning plane. Or that an outnumbered pilot will have hope of winning. The guys that get this type of fighting figured out are the "dangerous" guys in the game. The ones that constantly pull themselves out of the hairy situations with kills to show for it.
Assuming equal pilots- in a pure TnB fight, the zeke beats the corsair every time. In a pure BnZ fight, the zeke dodges the corsair every time. In an E fight, the corsair can prevail. In an 8v1, the numbers will always beat the single plane (again assuming competent pilots on both sides). In an 8v1, if the single plane uses BnZ tactics, he might get a kill or two. It'll be tough though, because the 8 will be giving six calls, and eventually will chase the BnZ'er from his post.
An E fighter in a similar situation will kill several of the 8, and won't allow them to chase him off. If he kills enough of the 8, he might even thin their ranks to the point of being able to have a "good" fight before RTB'ing. Chances are the remaining fighters at that point will be alive because they are also using their brains- and E fighting tactics to survive.
Of course, if the 1 gets a little too impatient, blows his E, or dives into the swarm, he's an idiot, and won't be worth attempting to have a "good" fight against. Might as well pick him off of one of your buddies, send him back to the tower, and hope for a better opponent next time...
Sounds like the C205 has his E fighting figured out! I'm guessing he'd be a dangerous opponent in any plane he chooses, and would be a prime candidate for one heck of a "good" fight! (If any of those lower guys would show him they deserve to have a shot at it!)
MtnMan
