Whats Up with you guys

[crazyivan]

I've posted missions that, at times feels like I'm Mother Goose being followed by goslings. But there is that occasional kid that joins that surprises the hell out of me when he asks virtually the same questions a well mannered, respectful adult would ask. <<S>> to thier parents.

  Are we there yet?

[Zazen13]

The gaming community isn't mostly young people necessarily. It depends on the game and the target audience the developers tailor the product to. For example, I play Everquest, the average age in my guild is 42. If you look at World of Warcraft the average age is about 14.

Similarly, back in AW the average age was quite old, as mostly WWII hobbyists and enthusiasts played. In AH, over the years, as the game has been made to appeal more to the instant gratification generation, the Quake'ers are predominating causing the average age to plummet from what it was 10-15 years ago. The affordability of adequate gaming hardware over the years is also a factor. Younger people can afford better computers able to handle high-end gaming.

[Plawranc]

And in the real world I'm not a fluffin baby sitter.  OK you make some valid points for an ideal world, which this isn't.

Skill level as in ACM is very much an even keel and like you said nothing to do with age.  When we talk of team work then the MAJORITY of younger players ain't got a clue or lack the discipline or attention span to see it through.  Far to many example of newbies screwing it up for the rest of us.  One kid, no matter how many times you tell him, will still keep typing on channel 6 help (orange text).  Will still keep upping of a CV 1 sector out, blah blah blah. 

So it comes to a point where 1 kid / newbie is buggering up a plan for 15 + other guys.  I advocate tolerance at first but when they don't listen then I STRONGLY advocate giving the kid a good telling off.  Shape up or ship out.

Metaphor

Farther bull and son bull crest a hill and in the valley below they see 10 very pretty cows.  Son bull eagerly says to father bull....."lets run down there and shag one each".  Father bull replies ...."no son, lets walk down there and shag em all"


P.S  click top link in sig for translation of "shag".

Well If your saying young players have no dicsipline How about the young guys in rolling thunder or the young guys who are members of the real teamwork based squads.

And me for example I am an Air force cadet in real life and on this game on a mission i have always done my job if i get killed i reup and so on. But yet again we all have a valid point Some kids *cough spatial , abstract* Have a major problem with authority and that cant be tolerated in a squad so lynx if they resist stomp on them No probs with that.

[Plawranc]

With all due respect Plawranc that knife cuts both ways.

This is an adults Sim, with gameplay, so if younger members work hard to act mature, and responsible, they tend to be greeted with open arms by the community.  If on the other hand they act like a bunch of 11 - 13 yr old hoodlums, they get treated like them.

I've been here since AH opened its doors, and I've been a AH Trainer for most of that time.
I bet I deal with more new young players daily than anyone else here.
Just like people everywhere, some are good, some have attitudes, some are loud, some expect everything
handed to them.

Those who can't follow rules get educated by me pretty quickly in the TA.
Those who treat others with respect and consideration find lots of help and advice.
But if you want to come into a community, first rule is you have to adjust to the community.
Don't expect the community to adjust to you.

Average age of AH pilots I think if you added them all up would probably be mid 30's or higher.
So if your under 18, try acting like your 35.
Listen much, say little, proper grammar, good sentence structure, and a good attitude all go a long way around here.

Read the manual or a few of the help pages instead of just endlessly saying "How do I fly"
And when you are directed to the trainers site or the netaces site, actually take the time to go there.

Well Im sure that being a trainer has given you an insight but yet again i must stress that if they ask a stupid question like that give them a smart answer and PM them on how to run through things and how to PM people and switch onto channels.

If we had a group of trainers posted in the MA on seperate channels Ready to help new recruits i think it could work.

[Motherland]

You won't be 'discriminated' against for being younger, unless there's a reason to 'discriminate' against you.

So shut up. Be mature instead of whining 'baawwwww I'm just a kid!' when you get put in your place.

[Bronk]

Silat's teen squelch hack for teh win!

[Plawranc]

I'll bet that the guy that started this thread never shows up again in the thread, whats that tell you.  One the other hand now that I've called him on it maybe he will.

Oh wow wrong you are i want the opinoins of the older and younger players so i can see how this works in the social pecking order.

[Lusche]

Well Im sure that being a trainer has given you an insight but yet again i must stress that if they ask a stupid question like that give them a smart answer and PM them on how to run through things and how to PM people and switch onto channels.

If we had a group of trainers posted in the MA on seperate channels Ready to help new recruits i think it could work.

You can't always PM them to explain how to run things, because "things" are often too complex to be explained by a few messages while you are flying yourself.

The annoying thing is, many many of our young friends insist on getting all they want, and getting it NOW. If the answer is not what they expected, they tend to ignore it (at best), or virtually stomp their feet. They refuse to invest even only 10 mins of reading, but keep asking "HOW TO FLY?" for half an hour. I'm monitoring the help channel a lot in MA, and at least two or three times per day im shuddering with desperation...

Many new "recruits" don't want help - they want someone to do all the work for them.

[Stang]

Like it or not, there is a social pecking order, in here as in real life.  You don't just come into the game squeaking away in caps lock and instantly get the level of respect or audience that a 10+ year player who is well know and acts like an adult gets.  You get treated for the most part the way you deserve. 

It might seem mean to tell someone to alt-f4, but it's tradition and almost a right of passage kind of thing when you are new.  When I was new in AW someone, I believe it was AKAK (bastard ) got me with the escape-p trick that got me in my chute after climbing 15k.  At first I was like wtf just happened, then realized and went doh! And laughed it off.  Don't take things too seriously.

There is a way to get respect if you're a newb squeakie type.  Look at TonyJoey.  Great kid, never acts like a spoiled little brat like most of the teens here, works hard on his flying, respects his elders and is just an all around class act.  I have more respect for him than a lot of "vets" who have been here for years and are more than twice his age.

It's not how old you are, it's how you act.

And what Ghosth said.

[Stang]

Well If your saying young players have no dicsipline How about the young guys in rolling thunder or the young guys who are members of the real teamwork based squads.

Discipline is being a hordling-guided missle who loads up his ord and smashes himself and his bombs repeatedly into the nearest outhouse?  I'm sorry that one is just laughable.

[Getback]

Discipline is being a hordling-guided missle who loads up his ord and smashes himself and his bombs repeatedly into the nearest outhouse?  I'm sorry that one is just laughable.

I think Plawranc forgot that mission is a 4 letter word in Rookland.

Staying on topic, I think I still agree with Ghost. There's personal responsibility there. Most times when some one asks a basic question they advise them to see a trainer. Now sometimes they are a little harsh but it's the usual suspects that troll 200 that do this.

Of course I'm no saint here. One new player said he had only one question, How do you bail? Many replied that old worn out line Alt+F4. I told the player no not alt+f4. It's hit enter 3 times and apparently I'm the only one you can trust! But btw alt+f4 is for sunglasses. 

[Plawranc]

Now I'm going to make a Point here.

Most of the players in this game are from USA right. Now i use MSN talk because its faster easier and worldly recognized. But one thing i cannot stand is Americans lecturing me on proper English. The variation of English in the USA is awful with MOM and COLOR. Rife with spelling mistakes, Mispronunciation and an appalling education system. I have an English background and am Privately educated and i have a remarkable control over the English language.

So please think about what your saying before you correct someone. This is the digital age and the less letters on the text buffer the shorter a message and the faster relay= Improved efficiency.

P.S I'm not trying to Act snobbish I'm stating a fact that just because we are teens doesn't mean we can't spell. Australia's education system is better than it ever was and I get good grades so if I'm using MSN speak its probably because i don't have enough room on the text buffer.

[Motherland]

I always thought that 'I' was capitalized in all dialects and variations of the English language.

Just to let you know; you'll never be accused of not being able to spell unless your spelling sucks.

[Shuffler]

Well Im sure that being a trainer has given you an insight but yet again i must stress that if they ask a stupid question like that give them a smart answer and PM them on how to run through things and how to PM people and switch onto channels.

If we had a group of trainers posted in the MA on seperate channels Ready to help new recruits i think it could work.

You failed to understand what is being posted. There is a wealth of information covering basics and more on Ah website. There is also the training arena. The main arenas are not for learning the basics period.

[gpwurzel]

I'd like to make a point - all opinions here are valid - I've seen Plawranc in game a couple of times, on the same side, and whilst I've not interacted with him per se, he seems like one of the good ones, like TonyJoey, Oogly50 etc.

Whilst there is a pecking order, and yes, it does get annoying having to explain things, I try to help with the little I know.

There are those however, you just have to squelch to get a word in edgeways - some of that is the excitement of the game itself, some of it is they dont know when to shush.

We were all young once (I can vaguely recall it).


Wurzel