What the hot topic of the day comes down to is a clash of playing styles. Such clashes are a constant of the game. The most pervasive clash is the strat vs furballer conflict, or 'win the war' vs 'I just want to fight'. That conflict can often be entertaining to track. The furball is often viewed as a drain of resources that the strat believes they are entitled to. When the furball is shut down by the strats for that reason...start poping the popcorn.
However this instance is a disagreement on a more micro-level, though participants from both primary styles still chime in. I find this one even more entertaining as it finds its roots in fighting the 'community collective'. I find this an amusing concept because the specifics are subject to an experienced eye to determine the nuances between what is "Ok" and what is not. So now it's a debate on a subjective topic, where the terms are defined differently by level of experience.
Take the HO for instance. It is a valid tactic. In many instances it is not the smartest tactic to choose. That choice of 'what is the best tactic at this time' is highly dependent on the detailed specifics of the situation. The inexperienced player does not even have the finely tuned SA to make that distinction. The more experienced players that do have the SA, among themselves draw that decision line differently by slim margins which leads to minor disagreements.
So rather than wade through the specifics of the topics, lets look at the idea of fighting the 'community collective' through discussion
If we are going to discuss playing styles, we will need a standard to reference to. I am arbitrarly going to use the following:
Originally posted by SNA on dasnakes.com and later furballcentral.com for "Pilot Rankings" by other players
[Class 1] fluff'n Dweebs:
These "pilots" have no idea how to fly and their first kill is probably one of their teamates. Their first contact with other pilots looks something along the lines of ''''''///@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%SFA@#%%!@!!. They never stop getting vulched, other players from the other classes always like to see these guys log on. If they dont get some training or help soon they usually lose interest or get pissed off and leave the game alltogether.
[Class 2] Plain old Dweebs:
They have figured out how to get a kill and usually do one of two things; 1. They become a buff "artist" and usually join people as a gunner or decide to milkrun ungaurded bases; 2. They become a poser or a follower and hang around with some of the better pilots picking off the wounded. They usually try to start a squad and then ask everyone they see in [the tower] to join whether they know them or not.
[Class 3] Vulch/Alt/Gang Dweebs:
These pilots have learned that the easiest way to get a kill is to always have the advantage. To repay their old "buddies" they like to setup the enemy and call it roping. The only real rope they know is to go up and stall, zoom the enemy, go up and stall, and continue that process thinking they are kicking their ass. The ***** tulips and runners fall into this class. They think that the more points they have the better they are.
[Class 4] Furballers:
When Class 3 has learned that nobody really respects the way they fly, they usually will fall into this class and prove themselves worthy. They will go into a fight no matter what. This class hates BnZers and would rather die in a 5 on 1 then land 8 kills. They have found the true sence of the word "FURBALL". I respect this class just as much as Class 6.
[Class 5] ACE (Alt Monkey):
This class knows how to manage E and how to use ACM to the point where they are just about unkillable. Any time they die they usually come up with an excuse like "the phone rang". They will never admit they ****ed up. Just a little different then Class 3, they are both point mongers except the ACE cares about his ratio too. This is how they can tell if they are any good, if they have more kills then deaths and more then a 1:1 [k/s, k/d] ratio.
[Class 6] Vet:
These pilots you will usually find dieing for anyone. They can pork, kill, BnZ, rope, just as long as it gets the job done. They dont care if they die in a buff or in a spit, they are there to have fun with their squadies and teamates. These pilots recognize skill and are usually the most benificial to their country. They like to go up against the pilots from classes 3 4 and 5.
Using this standard of player styles/progression, something classes 4 5 and 6 have in common is that they have put extensive time into understanding the arts of both energy and angles fighting.
Not everyone aspires to move beyond class 3. Despite the negative light that class 3 is put into in that quote, the idea of 'team play' and extremely cautious flying is perfectly valid gameplay. The same applies to class 2. If one enjoys being a buff artist, and is having fun, more power to them.
I cited this quote earlier:
Originally posted by hitech
There are other's like you who there goal is to fly like a real WWII pilot but there are also a lot of people who simply wish to learn and have fun at ACM they enjoy learning the different plane types and there strengths and weekness. To accomplish the ACM skill set taked a lot of engaments, and like training the more you die the faster you learn.
With the point being that among the varying facets in the design of AH, one facet is with consideration of "people who simply wish to learn and have fun at ACM". Those people are not really satisfied until they reach class 4, and there are 2 more classes beyond that who share a commonality of interest.
That ACM crowd factors heavily into the 'community collective'. By that I mean there are enough like minded people to loosely form an etiquette on certian aspects of gameplay. If someone calls foul based on etiquette, it neither makes them right or wrong. They may in fact have no clue what they are talking about.
If there is a consistant cry of "foul" then obviously you are going against etiquette.
Is that significant? Not really. It is your subscription and you can play however you want within HTC's guidelines. Are you entitled to not listen to players critiquing your gameplay? Sure, you can choose not to tune to open channels, and use squelch. Are you entitled to keep them from voicing their opinion? Hell no. Are you entitled to the respect of other players based on your own standards? Hell no.
I have to say that if you are consistantly getting feedback from other players, comming to the boards to change their minds is an excercise in futility. They are obviously members of a sub-community within the game that you do not belong to. The various sub-communities within the game are well entrenched and often a permenent fixture within the game.
I find it especially entertaining when a newer player who knows everything already decides to challenge the existing community make-up. It is all I can do to not reply along the lines of "go pound sand n00b".
Getting clearifications on the details to at least understand what causes the rub may not be a bad idea...But campaining to change players who have been here for years to your way of thinking? Have fun on that hampster wheel. I had mine
now I am stepping off.
