I agree.
I believe the game has given players too much of an option of being able to conduct different things in this game, a good example is noe missions, HT obviously has seen the damage that this has done by being as liberal with the radar settings as they were and the repercussions of tyring to expand or appease to those that are not up for a challenge or the WOW crowd.
Somehow in the minds of these players the carrot has become the meal. The meat of this game is air combat no matter how you slice it this Thanksgiving day.
At some point, common sense will have to trump profit or the meaning of the game will be lost forever or even the game itself as we know it.
Okay, that's it!!!! Dads nailed it and this thread can be closed. HTC, take lesson. Remove all buildings, towns, city's, strats, ships, boats, and GVs. In fact, we don't even need a ground. Just put the bases 'floating' in the air at 10K. We can take off and fly around and engage in our meat-Air Combat. The problem has been solved. Well Done Dads and Del.
If one is a 'fighter' purist, why is it so hard to accept that other people have different opinions and must be condescending? If HTC wanted this game to be solely about the one-v-one dogfight, he would not have put all the 'extras' in the game. AH would have been created like the WWI arena, but with P51s and 190s. If one is solely a fighter pursist, what harm is there to you if others choose to engage in other parts of the game that HTC provided? Why do YOU THINK YOUR OPINION is correct. An opinion is just that an OPINION. There is no right or wrong.
Having said that, I agree that the point of the game is combat. The part of the game I enjoy is combat (air or ground). I love a good dogfight as much as the next guy (though admittedly, I am not exceptionally good - I hold my own, but against the truly good sticks, I am easy meat). That also having been said, what's wrong with one side or the other having the opportunity to capture land as evidence of the victorious combat?
The problem, as has been explained previously, is that the town has become so monstrous that it requires too many people to put it in a capture-able position. As such, a horde is inevitable and eventually leads to vulching (both of which are suck situations). The system is setup such that the horde has to vulch to even keep one plane from upping, because after the combat to control the skies (in theory) has been won, a single L-gay ups, HOs at everything in site to go and shoot the goon on the ground or a troop from the air. And, you would be correct that the vulch is NOT combat and as I said, it is a suck situation. But the town settings are such that the game has digressed to hordes and vulches to be able to effect a capture.
Individual combat is an individual accomplishment. We take pride and satisfaction in defeating the opposite individual. The base capture is a part of the collective/team accomplishment. Being able to bring back a base scalp to the team represents the team win. Why is that so hard to understand? I don't think anyone is advocating that we all roll every undefended base. What would the point of that be? The point many are trying to make is that the combat (air and land) needs to promote some discernible show of victory. And, the towns/bases need to promote combat. Right now, defense is so overwhelming, that the offense must bring the 'horde'. Lessen the of-balance in defense, and set up the bases to promote multiple 10-15 person fights all over the map rather than requiring 35 people at one location. How that can be accomplished, I don't know --- but I do agree that we need to search for it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all (includes the Winz the Warz, 1v1s, horders, tankers, bombers, tool-shedders, hanger-bangers, AvAers, EWer, LWer, MWers, furzballers, HOer's, runners, BnZers, Alt-monkeys, My-way-or-no-way-ers, air-combat the rest of you suck-ers, and especially to HTC) I hope I didn't leave anyone out - please accept my apologies if I failed to name your group.
