It seems that some folks are trying to turn the MA into another FSO. So I thought I would give my thoughts on both.
FSO's are pretty cool, no doubt. I enjoy them when I'm not too sleepy. Everyone's on the same mission and goals are assigned. The enemy knows the targets. It also gives those with a tight schedule a chance to fly with their buds and squads. You know they are likely to be there. There's also a measure of reality with plane types by era. And if you are like me and stuck pretty much on one plane it forces you to try different plane sets.
On the downside you get only one life (which does add to the realism) and someone else does all the planning and assigns the tasks. Because the enemy knows the target the defenders usually fly higher than 30k. Now radar is almost non existent so you still don't exactly know where the cons are until you make a visual or someone gives a report on location. So you don't know the number of planes you will encounter. It could be 5 or 35. Well unless you get an advance report. The last FSO I was in the assignment was a GV field. By the time I got there nothing was left to bomb. Everything was down and as far as I know no secondary assignment. So I just dropped my eggs and went home.
Now in the MA you get to choose what planes you want to fly and what missions you want to run or join. Room for a lot of creativity there. You also get the opportunity to go on your own. I go off by myself quite a bit. I decide if I want to run a gv or fly a plane or where I think the cv should go if I have the rank. You also pick the targets. Just a lot of freedom in the MA. If I go to bomb a field and find that there are no targets left I can simply choose my secondary target. Additionally the enemy doesn't know what plane sets will be coming or maybe even what the goal or target is. So there is the element of surprise.
On the down side you may not get any teamwork in the MA at all and on some nights according to a few you get too much team work.
Then you also get way too many folks flying so called uber planes. Another detriment is that in the FSO it is bad to do suicide runs. That goes against your country in the FSO. Way too much of that in the MA.
I know Joker posted a mission and announced it on the boards to prove a point. Which he did quite well. However, to do this on a regular bases takes away many of the freedoms of the MA. I just don't think it should be a regular event. I think those type of things belong in the SEA arenas.
Additionally I would like to say that I do like the FSO it sure has its place in AH and is much appreciated by all. However, no one ever came to AH and the first question asked was about the FSO. So if you want to recruit you have to fly the MA. Unfortunately I have seen major squads all but disappear from the MA. They may have 20 to 30 guys show up for FSO and only about 5 show up for squad nights in the MA. While these squads are still doing quite well attrition does take place. My FSO squad, The 880 is a great case in point. While Warloc contributes heavily to the FSO the squad has almost no presence in the MA and thus is unable to grow to the 10- -12 players that Warloc would like. No offense intended Warloc. I really enjoy flying with the 880.
My last thoughts are you shouldn't sacrifice the MA for the FSO or vice versa.
