First off
Mtnman:
I understand why you guys switch and I have no problems with it at all. And I'm only asking this as a question and not assuming anything, but doesn't that get a little boring after a while also. And I mean this in a way like lets say for example: I'm thinking after playing for so long like some of you guys, you pretty much have mastered most aspects of virtual ACM and I like a good 1vs1 sometimes, but to just look for that would get a little dry IMO. Sometimes I like to just suit up, strap in, make sure the life insurance policy is paid up and dive into a fur ball and let the hair go with the hide and live it up and cut up and just have a good time with my friends that are on. And getting shot down or watching a friend turn into a little puff of smoke is part of the fun, and we all laugh about it and its no big deal. Sometime I like dropping bombs and sometimes I like shooting red guys with a tank or Wirb, sometimes I like being part of a horde and sometimes I like defending against the horde. So i guess what I'm getting at is wouldn't it be a little more fun with variety, as to just doing the same thing day in and day out with so many different aspects of the game available.
The thing is, in my case at least, those things you mention to "add variety" are the epitome of boring. I do things the way I do because having "been there/done that" this is really the only aspect of the game I still enjoy.
GV's- I've never had the slightest interest in them. I've tried to see what it is that draws people to them, and can't see it. On a good day I can get one to roll 20 feet before the boredom sets in. I generally don't even consider them part of the (my) game. I keep the ground detail turned down, and normally can't see them. If I get killed by one, it's the same as getting killed by auto-ack in my mind. I don't mentally credit it as a legitimate kill/death.
Whether in planes or GV's, destroying inanimate objects has zero appeal. That's somewhat of a shame, because beyond the F4U, the only WW2 planes to have a flicker of appeal to me are the B17 and B25. In order for me to have any interest at all in flying those two planes it needs to be against an animated target, which is where my only interest in GV's surfaces. Bombing GV's is amusing enough for maybe 1 B17 hop/year, and 2-3 B25 hops/week. And actually, the bombs in the B25 get left in the hanger in favor of the big cannon.
Furballs are great, as long as I'm on the lower-number side. It's just plain impossible for me to enjoy a fight if it's lopsided numbers-wise in my favor. Sharing a kill with another pilot is boring, every single time. If I'm in a "good" 1v1, and a friendly jumps in, I'll exit the fight if I can do it without dying. I have no interest in continuing. I'll exit, and let the friendly die, and re-merge. I'd rather die in a 1v1 than get "help".
It's different in multi vs multi fights. I love those. the teamwork aspect is awesome. But again, only if the numbers match up, or aren't in my favor. I love a good 2v1, or even a 3v1 sometimes, if I'm the "1". Similarly, 2v3 or 4 is awesome, unless my side has the higher number, in which case I fly away. A good fight doesn't need to be 1v1, it just can't be me and others against fewer numbers.
Base captures rely on having the numbers advantage for the most part, and in destroying inanimate objects. So I have zero interest. Even worse is when a "good" fight/furball is ruined by a capture. I don't mind at all if my base is captured, because that's the normal result of the fights I like! I hate it though when "my" side captures a field. When the fight shifts to "my" teams favor, it's about a guarantee I'm going to RTB to find a different fight.
My interest being what it is, I can understand the other guys side for the most part. I greatly enjoy the "base-capture" aspect of the game running in the background. It adds immense variety. The game would be nothing without it, and in order for it to be convincing people need to enjoy and be skilled at that aspect. Without it, we just have the DA. The only thing I really can't fathom anyone having an interest in is the ganging fights, where 4-20 guys are on one. I'd be embarrassed... I can see the new guys doing it, but how can that be in the least bit challenging/entertaining for a "vet"? Fortunately, the answer to the "gang" is readily available, in the F4U-4.
Seeing the importance of the "base-capture" aspect makes it easy for me to accept it, and even teach it. I just don't participate in it.
That pretty much leaves one aspect of the game for me, and I enjoy that aspect immensely. I like to fight, and the best way for me to do that is to switch sides freely. I don't give a "hoot" about the base-capture' aspect, so ignore it entirely in a strategic sense. I may know where the Rook CV is when I switch to Bish, or know about a planned mission, but to share that info when I switch sides would be detrimental to my own fun. So I don't share the info, and in cases of missions, I conveniently "forget" about it until it's over and done with.
Does playing the game my way get boring? Maybe, a little, sometimes. Not normally though. I read a book, or work on various projects while playing, and really only tune in for the fights. For me, fighting in the F4U simply is the game. If I got bored, I'd log.