What has real impact on the game is teamwork and friends. They keep people coming back.
Working together for a common goal is a great thing.
On a personal level I've always admired people like Dredger, Ghi, Joker, and Drone (back in the day). Who figured out long before the rest of us that this game has more to offer than just a few kills. It doesn't surprise me that some of these folks move on to the FSO where they do what they enjoy the most on a massive scale.
Ahh, let me take these three lines one at a time.
The first line is paritally correct but your friends don't have to be in your squad or even fly for your country. In fact your friends don't even need to be someone you've heard of before. I've got friends on "the other side" just as I do on the Bish side and have met new friends in discussions after our
fights. Regardless of that, they are not what keeps me coming back. What keeps me coming back is hoping for that one white knuckled, sweaty palmed
fight with an equally skilled opponent which are, unfortunately, becoming fewer and further between as the "teamwork" mentality has overcome the MAs.
As to the second line, yes it is at times but if that goal doesn't involve a
fight then it's largly a waste of time IMO. Not that I've never snuck a base or that I won't do it again but given the choice I'd rather be improving my ACM or putting a plane I'm less familiar with through it's paces.
Now line three; long before who exactly? Back in '96 I was CO of a sixty person squad in AW. We worked together as a team. We had a bomber wing and two fighter wings plus a command wing. We'd simultaneously shut down the Spit factory, all the strats, our target field and those immediately around it. We didn't fly NOE. We just went for it. As CO I was getting comms from remote flights scattered all across the map assesing the situation and coordinating timing. That was fun
at the time. None of todays squads fly missions like that with mutiple objectives. Smash and grab hoard play is the order of the day. Sad really.
So, since I know you, you probably know I'm a loner. I've been there done that as far as squad play and teamwork. I prefer to fly alone, beholding to no one. I don't want to be obligated to do this or that or fly here or there or clear this guy or that guy. This is a game I play to relax and have fun and when I log on I'll do that however I please. Sure it's fun to wing up with someone now and then or assist in a base take, etc. but again, I don't have any desire to feel obligated to do that, thank you very much.
So, play however you want to but you may want to reasses who's not seeing the forest for the trees.