A word, if I may

[heythere]

why be bothered with what anyone types on any channel?  if you succumb to jibes or taunts who is at fault?  who controls your actions?

[Larry]

Originally posted by 1cajun
I appreciate all the hard work by the AvA staff, but the attitudes of a select few have not changed.  Drove people out before and will continue to do so in the future.

When someone PM's your squadmates to run you down it has gotten to a new low for me.

Please tell me why people have not stoped flying in the MA? The "to many people talk smack" whine has been played out and is useless. AHII is the one who drove people out of AvA then the CT. We have 30-50 people in there a night in old AH, but when AHII came out some peoples computers could not run it. That coupled with the lack of maps pretty much killed the CT, and only the true CT supporters stayed.

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by heythere
why be bothered with what anyone types on any channel?  if you succumb to jibes or taunts who is at fault?  who controls your actions?

This is not rocket science.  Trash talking simply makes the atmosphere less pleasant.  No one is going to need therapy, but no one is going to think, "Hey, cool, he really got me with that one!  Hope he does it again!"

Granted, the abusive behavior is worse, pound for pound, in the MAs.  So what?  That doesn't make it more enjoyable to hear it in AvA, where it's actually more noticeable because the text buffer isn't scrolling by at warp speed.

Here's a question:  Viewed from the opposite perspective, what is the enjoyment gained by calling another player names?  Does it make the taunter feel superior, or clever, or a hero to his fellow flyers?  I haven't been able to figure out the motivation.

- oldman

[captain1ma]

actually its just fun, but whats more fun is the reaction you get from the other guy.

i dont do it on a regular basis. i actually stay off of 200 as much as possible. but on occation i have been known to taunt a bit.

[Chapel]

Personally i'm more concerned with how new players to the AvA and to the game AHII see "smack-talk". People don't want to join up into a new atmosphere that's hostile.

If you're lookin for a good time, and a tasty beverage...
And you walk into a new bar in town, only to get kicked in the nuts and handed your hat when you order your favorite beverage (regardless of what it is), that doesn't make you feel very welcome and want to return.

Saying someone needs to head back to the DA or that thier squad is full of "so-and-so's" isn't competitive, it isn't intended to be playful or have any effect except being negative. If you find it fun to beat up on less skilled, and experienced pilots....why stop there? Why not go find a grade school and beat up some little kids?

Point is, negativity doesn't do anything to promote good competition and a better challange and great fight,  which is what i've heard many, many, MANY times from Vets of the AvA. You truely want a better fight on your hands, then be proactive and give some advice on what a pilot might do better, instead of telling him/her to hit the DA.

Respect is something you have to earn, it isn't given just because you're better.

[republic]

Edit: Post deleted for reasons of national security, and to protect the innocent, and to stop global warming, and to save the burying beetles of Oklahoma.

[KONG1]

From Wikipedia

"Trash-talk is a form of boast or insult commonly heard in competitive situations (such as sports events). It is often used to intimidate the opposition, but can also be used in a humorous spirit. Trash-talk is often characterized by hyperbolic, figurative language, e.g., "Your team can't run! You run like honey on ice!" Puns and other wordplay are commonly used. However, citing information about a rival's weaknesses would not be characterized as trash-talk, but could be described as a "discussion topic" (which might foster a trash-talk situation)."

in cricket it's known as sledging:

"Sledging is the practice in cricket of insulting opponents to break their concentration and cause them to make mistakes. Sledging is effective because the batsman stands within hearing range of the bowler and certain fielders. The aim is to intimidate or distract the batsman into making a fatal mistake and being dismissed. Sledging thus tries to "break the flow" of the batsman's game.[citation needed] There is debate in the cricketing world over whether this is poor sportsmanship or good-humoured banter.

Although sledging is most well-known within cricket, it also happens in other sports, notably rugby, basketball (in which the similar practice of trash talking takes place), and football (soccer). The Zidane incident at the final of the 2006 World Cup appears to rival the instances within cricket, but on an even bigger stage. Baseball also offers opportunities for similar comments between batter and catcher: Rod Marsh's famous "How's your wife and my kids?" to Ian Botham was used in the 1989 US baseball movie Major League as just such a remark"

[heythere]

what I find offensive is players circling in their ack at 20k above their own field never straying further than a quick sprint back.  players taking a head on run then crying for help as they run to ack.  players killing the opposition fighter hangers for no other reason than to kill the fighter hangers.  players hanging around in massive hordes looking for the single opposition player engaged in a fight.

personally I couldn't be less concerned with what one of these players types up.

the reality that the skill level exhibited in the arena lately (particularly on the allied side) is so low that I suspect the real reason for the allied players guffawing about what johnny said is really masking the fact that they are being ground to fine powder unless they play in the timid fashion that they have demonstrated every night during this "war".

there are of course exceptions and I would salute those players that come out to fight and do so.  you know who you are but more importantly those of you runners, gangers and ack huggers you know what you are not and that is worthy opponents.  the funny thing is you all post drivel about how respect needs to be earned.  here's a clue geldings don't get respect irrespective of how politely they may type on 200.

man up and collect the requisite number of deaths one must have as they aquire skill, go find the biggest cloud of red and see how many you bag before you get pixellated.

play like that and no one will ever type a taunt your way.

[bustr]

Oldman,

It seems the jist of the bad feelings is a small number of players want the rest of us unworthy tards to go away and get out of "THEIR" arena.

Is there really a special rate you can pay HiTech to get your own arena???? Would you please post a copy of it so the rest of us have a chance at a personal arena. This one seems already taken.

When this idea of bringing in new blood via the "WAR" was opened for discussion 5 weeks ago, a small number of players told you to go stuff yourself over it.

Disable ch200 till the war is finished. Remember when HiTech got fedup and disabled ch1 in the MA? Similar reasons.

[Grits]

First, I want to say that smack talk can and does go too far some times, I've been guilty of taking it too far myself. Less smack talk is better all things being equal. However, if you dont like ch200 dont tune it. If one guy is particularly annoying (turns and glares at TardKill), squelch him. If you really cant handle it, do both. If you need someone to hold your hand so you dont cry, well, I dont have any suggestions for you.

[Larry]

HEY grits you stupid noob tard! I pwn j0 all day, you r the suk.  DA?




BTW I ****ed your sheep.     Hows that for going to far?

[OntosMk1]

Lets put this into perspective shall we. AHII is a GAME!! It pits one person against another in a virtual dogfight. In its nature it is very competitive. I for one hate to lose. Others REALLY REALLY hate to lose and will take it so personally that they feel the need to lash out "verbally" at the person or persons that got the better of them. Ive been apart of the AvA and the CT for a while and hated to get owned by players seemingly better than I and to get "called out" over channel 200 just added to my drive to BETTER myself. I've been called all sorts of names by all sorts of people on BOTH sides. I never once took it personally.

 Ive logged many hours playing games like WW2Online, Call of Duty 4, IL-2 Online, The Battlefield series. The atitudes and smack talking there makes AHII look like preschool. So to say that certain players "atitudes" online might be driving off other players is just silly. Look at the age group that make up most of AHII. They arent "squeakers". They're grown men. If they cant realize that they're simply playing a GAME then maybe they need to find something less competitve. Go buy a Wii or something. God for bid you actually go out and play ANY sort of REAL sport like basketball or something because smack talk there is not only present but its not coming from a computer screen. It's all up in your face!!

 Example, I play tournement level Paintball where my competitors are half my age and twice as fast as me, but i know from experience that if I can get in there head I can have the game won before even stepping out onto the field. If I've got my opponent so worked up that he/she isnt thinking on what he/she needs to do to win than he/she has already lost half the game. Get it?

 But online we have the ability to ingore such attempts. It's called Squelch. Thats what the function is ment for, use it. If the person or persons continues to IM you then report them.

The bottom line is that this is a GAME, not real, when you get shot down you can just chose another plane and take off again. If you play for long enough and LEARN to fly/fight then certain people will give you some respect and maybe teach you somethings that you didnt. Have fun and dont take things so freakin serious. Grab ya a cartoon plane and take to the virtual skies and have fun trying to shoot down other cartoon planes.



This message has been brought to you by the letter "1" and the number "F"

[1azbaer]

Maybe the main difference between a regular computer game and this game. Is that the others warn that online play may affect the gaming experience. I have play a  number of online games, the personalties are the same. There is always some one or some group that uses the vox channel or text channel to trash talk, or make the over experience horrible.

The two problems are: Egos and enmity of the net allows for “bullying”
 
Every online game has it, it comes with the territory. Deal with it or go take your  cartoon plane else where.

[1cajun]

Smack talking is smack talking.  When people choose to take it to a more personal level it becomes something different.  Read back to some of the posts like, "What would you like to see in the AvA".  

It's been discussed how the attitudes and personal insults from some have kept many away.  You squelch them and they run you down by PM's to your squadmates.  Uncalled for.

Looking at the AvA page at ahevents.org I see the following:

"Rude heckling and insulting behavior will not be tolerated by any AvA staff."

Just wondering why we can't bury this dead horse.  I fly this for enjoyment and it will take more than some knucklehead on a computer to get me fired up.

[EagleEyes]

Just by reading this you can tell who the chest thumpers are.

My squad came to the AvA for a change.  Change from the trash taking, change from the atmosphere, change from everything!! But it was a change, a change for the worse!  

My squad often flies against each other in the DA, we take the vet guys on one side, and the new guys on another.  By the 3rd or 4th round, we start getting our butts kicked, we teach and learn all in one night.  Thats what makes us a strong squad.

I have some respect for guys in the AvA. Mainly Truekill and Storch, especially Storch!! On multiple times i have fought him 1 on 1 and he lets me know what i did wrong and such.  Salutes me, and tells me hes looking forward to fighting me again.  Heck, on multiple occasions ill PM him and ask wheres hes at, he'll tell me his location, alt, fighter everything and we fight!

Thats the kind of experience that made me bring my squad into the AvA.  Those are fun times for me, not getting shot down, saluting the guy and saying if i would made a different move i might have gotten him, only to be replyed with pure Egoness.  "In your dreams man,  you just plain suck!!"  

What kind of thing does that teach people, that you have a big ego cuz your good and playing a cartoon?!  Come on, lets get real people!!

No one ever leaves for positive attitudes, they leave cuz of negative ones!!

Just my 2 cents...