Brought this up to Support 2 weeks ago and was basically told my math is off. My last and most detailed email got no response. So I'll lay it out here again and try to be brief.
First a few disclaimers and some ground work. The "Scoring in Aces High" help page states "Each player has a fighter rank, bomber rank, attack rank and vehicle/boat rank that is determined from each of ten categories described below. Overall rank is calculated by adding up the ranks from the four mission types, and the player with the smallest sum is #1, next smallest #2, etc."
It goes on to explain how each category is scored, but not how it is ranked. I have always thought that whom ever had the highest score for a mission type category got #1 rank for that category and have never seen differently.
And I will concede that no were on the page does it say anything about squad scores. Only "Each player". But I have always been able to apply the same math to squad score and rank that is used for player score and rank. Well, at least I can use the statistics at the bottom of a score page to derive the same Kills/Death, Kills/Sortie and Kills/Time as the scoring system does. I do not have all the info needed for the other categories and I have to take them at face value. But this is all for scores, not ranks.
I have always believed that a players or squads rank for a mission type was figured the same way overall rank is. You add the 5 or 10 category ranks for that mission type together and whom ever has the lowest gets #1 for that mission type. Was told that is NOT how it's done. Well, I find it vary odd that that's how it is.
No where is it more apparent than when there is a tie for a mission type. Look at any tie as far back as Tour 12 and although the stats, scores and category ranks may be wildly different, the sum total of the category ranks for both players or squads will always be the same. And I've looked hard for an exception.
Now here is the problem: The principal of adding category ranks to derive mission type ranks works for player fighter, bomber, attack, vehicle/boat and squad bomber, attack, and vehicle/boat.
It does not work for squad fighter. Or more correctly, within the top 10. Further down the list it seems to correct itself. But as far back as I can look at squad scores (Tour 12) this has been the case. Two ,3 and sometimes 4 squads in the top 10 in fighters don't belong there. Even if you don't look at the category ranks you can tell by the category scores they are not doing all that well.
And when you consider what being #2 or so in fighters can do for a squads overall ranking the problem is compounded further.
When this was brought to my attention by someone else, I did not just discount it as someone not knowing their math. I am surprise that is what support basically did to me.
Either this is a bug or squad fighter ranks follow a different set of mathematical principals than all other mission types including player fighter ranks.
I would like to see this either corrected or explained.