What do you consider 'skill'?

[Rebel]

No complaints about what you wrote Grizz, but I think it applies to folks like yourself who have the time and the competitiveness to take it to that level. I checked your time v mine and you've got 8 times the hours I do in the game this month  

Should you run into me in the MA you ought to beat me silly just based on that.  Your 'skills' would be more finely tuned based on the time in alone.  My only hope would be to give you a halfway decent fight.  Throw in plane types and styles and it's different still.

Don't take this as a shot at you as it isn't meant to be.  It's just where you are in your cartoon combat flying vs someone else.  Any of us that have stuck around long wade through that part of the game along with all the others.

For me, with the limited time I get to play, I would consider it 'skill' to make you work for it before you killed me.   My drive to consider myself a great stick, disappeared back in the Airwarrior days when my wife told me she was tired of staring at the side of my head

Again, not meant as a shot.  In many ways I'm envious of the time to fly and put into becoming a good cartoon pilot..  Right now the real world just doesn't allow it

Amen to that, brother.   

[Bucky73]

The ability to log on, night after night and have fun without diminishing another's.

That is a skill worth respecting.

what he said. Don't think "skill" in a video game counts for jack S@#t

[Shuffler]

The ability to auger so well you make others jealous. That is first and formost.

[BiPoLaR]

what he said. Don't think "skill" in a video game counts for jack S@#t

[grizz441]

what he said. Don't think "skill" in a video game counts for jack S@#t

It counts for more fun.   

[JunkyII]

what he said. Don't think "skill" in a video game counts for jack S@#t

The difference between a fight with 2 "alright" players and a fight with 2 "good" players is quite different. The fights get more intense the better YOU get and the tougher opponent you face

[SPKmes]

what he said. Don't think "skill" in a video game counts for jack S@#t

In a way that may be true, however in this day and age more and more, the use of a video game style is used in every day use for remote vehicles...these as you know are used for space exploration, spy drones, bomb robots..the list goes on...sure it is real world stuff but maybe...just maybe the skills learned in particular video games can and more than likely will be used on a persons CV...much like the major hackers of the world today... if their hacks are good enough, it earns them a job with a ridiculous salary.

[Guppy35]

The difference between a fight with 2 "alright" players and a fight with 2 "good" players is quite different. The fights get more intense the better YOU get and the tougher opponent you face

I understand what you are trying to say JunkyII, but all of us started out as baby seals and got clubbed for a while.  Those of us who stuck it out, started to find fights with guys of comparable ability and they were intense in their own way as you figured out things both by winning and losing.  I can remember some very intense fights from the old RR arena in Airwarrior.  You'd then have a fight where you finally shot down someone with a 'name' you recognized as a halfway decent stick and you felt like you'd climbed the ladder just a bit.   It's a never ending process if you stick around with the priorities and what creates intensity for you changing depending on the interest.

As for intensity, I still remember the fights I had in RR Spit IXs with a buddy named Mako where we'd end up with sore arms from bending the stick in never ending turn fights.  Those were as intense as any fight I've had since

[Ramon]

Situational Awareness would be my input.  Know when to hold em, know when to fold em.  Being able to log an and take out a few Red ones!  That is the fun in this game.  Right behind that IMHO is landing after an engagement, even if you don't win.  If you can engage, make it through the fight then land...now thats the ticket.  Just when you think you are improving someone comes along and hands it to you.  That is a learning opportunity.  But...I still love flying the cartoon skies.  Skill is hard to come by, and if you think you have it that is all that really counts.  Remember that skill is not directly proportional to the volume of the one proclaiming it.  Remain positive because even the top dog gets shot down frequently.  Detune 200, if you can't see the whine or slight, it won't upset you.  Good Luck <S>

[Wolfala]

Imo, some players think 1v1 skill is the end all be all and negate other very important factors.  Here are the most important skills that will dictate 'success' which in itself is a subjective term:

1v1 Ability:
Practicing 1v1s will obviously teach you ACM in a very controlled environment which can then be applied to more dynamic MA situations.  Imo 1v1 takes the most fundamental ACM knowledge to be successful at, but isn't necessarily the most important skill in the MA in being successful.  Being a 1v1 artist doesn't necessarily mean you can handle a 1vX, since a 1v1 requires no global awareness other than the fight at hand.

Aiming:
Probably just as important as ones ability to 1v1 is how well you can aim.  Think of situations where you start off in a 1v1 with an enemy on the fray of icon range.  You miss a couple easy shots and all of a sudden it's a 2v1.  You kill the first guy on your third try but now the other con has you saddled and dead to rights.  Had you killed that bogey on the first try, you would have been able to engage the 2nd con when he was 3k out.  Getting ganged in the MA is directly correlative to one's failure to dispose of threats in a situation they deemed safe.  The speed at which you eliminate threats in the MA will ultimately dictate if you get ganged.

Situation Awareness:
(a)
This is the most instinctual and experience based skill set of them all.  Decision making in a multi plane environment.  With every decision made comes Risk/Reward.  Reward can be defined as a kill, risk defined as death.  Accurate risk/reward assessment is something that can only come with experience.  Aggression can also be defined as ones decision based on their risk/reward assessment.  For example, if one engages four cons despite deciding he has less than a 10% chance of survival, this would be insanely aggressive.  On the other side of the coin, if one avoids an engagement because he has a 10% chance of death, this would be insanely passive.  All of these variables can be juggled into maximizing an individuals killing efficiency.
(b)
Another important aspect of SA, the rate at which you check your views.  How many times/minute do you check all your views?  This number is directly correlative to how clear your understanding of your surrounding is.  You can never check your views too often and if you consistently are missing threats, you need to increase the rate at which you check your views.

Teamwork:
How well does one set up bogeys for his allies and how well does he use his allies for easy kills?  You could call this being an 'opportunist', knowing the exact time to engage a con when he is clearly preoccupied or in an very unfavorable position, but this is actually a skill, being able to see this stuff.  

Boom and Zoom:
How well does one retain advantage against overwhelming odds below him?  Anybody can dive in and kill someone, but I evaluate one's B&Z ability in being able to kill bogeys below while being able to keep an advantage over the swarm.  Diving in, turning, and getting ganged would be an extremely poor use of this altitude advantage.

Dogfighting:
Being able to stay alive in a dogfight where multiple cons are trying to turn/B&z you.  I would argue this skill is actually the pinnacle of being versatile in all other sets, 1v1, Aiming, SA, all of which are equally important to being adequate in this skill.  You can be a great 1v1 pilot but end up ultimately being inadequate in a dogfight due to lack of SA or aim.  There's nothing great about saddling up a bogey just to get picked by one you didn't see.


These are the skills of a fighter as I see them in the MA.  Imo, the ones who are most versatile in all the skills listed are the better pilots, not just being great in any one category.  What do you consider in defining one's skill?

Grizz,

Everything you said is worthy and contributes to the overall skillset for the particular plane or vehicle you are in. But at the end of the day, its about the planning, and applied knowledge of your enemy, and your specific machine and its capabilities that defines ones skill - and a bit of luck. I can whoop someones bellybutton in an A20 as easily as a P-47 - but if either one end up with me engaging them on the climb out - thats awfully like poor planning.

Have an entrance plan. Be Polite. Be Professional. And have a plan to kill everyone you meet - and exit accordingly.

[Saurdaukar]

What do you consider "skill?"

(or skillful) = Anyone who beats me fair and square with room to spare.  You know it when you see it.

[CAP1]

Imo, some players think 1v1 skill is the end all be all and negate other very important factors.  Here are the most important skills that will dictate 'success' which in itself is a subjective term:

1v1 Ability:
Practicing 1v1s will obviously teach you ACM in a very controlled environment which can then be applied to more dynamic MA situations.  Imo 1v1 takes the most fundamental ACM knowledge to be successful at, but isn't necessarily the most important skill in the MA in being successful.  Being a 1v1 artist doesn't necessarily mean you can handle a 1vX, since a 1v1 requires no global awareness other than the fight at hand.

Aiming:
Probably just as important as ones ability to 1v1 is how well you can aim.  Think of situations where you start off in a 1v1 with an enemy on the fray of icon range.  You miss a couple easy shots and all of a sudden it's a 2v1.  You kill the first guy on your third try but now the other con has you saddled and dead to rights.  Had you killed that bogey on the first try, you would have been able to engage the 2nd con when he was 3k out.  Getting ganged in the MA is directly correlative to one's failure to dispose of threats in a situation they deemed safe.  The speed at which you eliminate threats in the MA will ultimately dictate if you get ganged.

Situation Awareness:
(a)
This is the most instinctual and experience based skill set of them all.  Decision making in a multi plane environment.  With every decision made comes Risk/Reward.  Reward can be defined as a kill, risk defined as death.  Accurate risk/reward assessment is something that can only come with experience.  Aggression can also be defined as ones decision based on their risk/reward assessment.  For example, if one engages four cons despite deciding he has less than a 10% chance of survival, this would be insanely aggressive.  On the other side of the coin, if one avoids an engagement because he has a 10% chance of death, this would be insanely passive.  All of these variables can be juggled into maximizing an individuals killing efficiency.
(b)
Another important aspect of SA, the rate at which you check your views.  How many times/minute do you check all your views?  This number is directly correlative to how clear your understanding of your surrounding is.  You can never check your views too often and if you consistently are missing threats, you need to increase the rate at which you check your views.

Teamwork:
How well does one set up bogeys for his allies and how well does he use his allies for easy kills?  You could call this being an 'opportunist', knowing the exact time to engage a con when he is clearly preoccupied or in an very unfavorable position, but this is actually a skill, being able to see this stuff.  

Boom and Zoom:
How well does one retain advantage against overwhelming odds below him?  Anybody can dive in and kill someone, but I evaluate one's B&Z ability in being able to kill bogeys below while being able to keep an advantage over the swarm.  Diving in, turning, and getting ganged would be an extremely poor use of this altitude advantage.

Dogfighting:
Being able to stay alive in a dogfight where multiple cons are trying to turn/B&z you.  I would argue this skill is actually the pinnacle of being versatile in all other sets, 1v1, Aiming, SA, all of which are equally important to being adequate in this skill.  You can be a great 1v1 pilot but end up ultimately being inadequate in a dogfight due to lack of SA or aim.  There's nothing great about saddling up a bogey just to get picked by one you didn't see.


These are the skills of a fighter as I see them in the MA.  Imo, the ones who are most versatile in all the skills listed are the better pilots, not just being great in any one category.  What do you consider in defining one's skill?

i think everyone has different opinions of this.......

i judge my ingame skill on simpler things. when i get into a fight against the likes of you, sonicblu, shuffler, n7, potsnpans, llgaf...dedalos...........and last more than a minute or 2.....and possibly even come out in one piece............then i feel i've improved my skillz over what they were a year ago. the list can go on.....but you get the point.....

[Scotch]

I find more challenge in ignoring that list and being super aggressive. 

[SHawk]

"You Shot Down Grizz" = Skill
Well That and killing those Pesky Buildings!

[h2oskitom]

what is this "skill" you be speekin of?