4 years and countless sorties, I couldn't help but see the few names that are still into the game that started around the same time I joined.
I see that there is a common pattern that a typical player goes though if he/she decides to stick it out for a long period of time. We all have our reasons to why we decide to log in each night. Be it smashing bases or just getting a couple sorties in between a work project.
During my early development, I remember getting advice and explanations from seasoned vets and somehow stubbornly disagreeing and viewing them as game elitists and I was going to play the way I was going to play no matter what they said. I am in hopes that posting this will give some sort of perspective to some newer guys. Allthough you should always play the way you think is more fun for you, I cant even begin to stress that you need to be open minded in discovering other aspects of the game much of which will give such a refreshing view of the game.
In a nutshell, these were my years and how I developed. By no means am I categorizing skill level in this thread or stating that you play less of a game if in fact you have been playing the same game for years on end. It's just something I noticed and wanted to share.
Year 1:
I remember first seeing the advertisement on the History Channel and wanted to give this game a try. I downloaded the game and took it to offline until finally I managed to even take off the ground. After a few times shooting offline drones, I decided to take my shot at the MAs. By default, I was put on Bish having no idea I could even switch between countries, started to get acclimated into the game.
After a few hundred times of getting shot down in fighters, I flew a few bomber sorties and found I was getting shot down alot less as I progressed into the game. I flew higher each sortie (after figuring that 100% fuel isn't really needed), shot better in my guns and started actually hitting targets with my bombs. I started flying with countrymen, getting wtgs when I finally decided to join a squad.
Year 2:
Flying with the squad and having them hone in on certain aspects of the game, I flew more and more coordinated sorties, NOE missions and anything to do with helping my countrymen out to gain more ground. This I believe is the stage to where you are good enough to meet your objective, but still oblivious to the fact that others have been here years and years and have been there and done that. I remember developing a sincere hatred for red guys stopping them at all cost. Everyone that shot me down in this stage were hacking because I couldn't pull the same moves and ENY was just simply a conspiracy. This was also the year I dabbled in fighters.
Year 3:
I started getting better with fighters. I got bored of simply taking bombers from sectors away so I hung up my bomber jacket when I started getting more and more kills in fighters. I joined the Lynchmob who the majority of the squad started the same time I did so we transitioned around the same time. We started getting bored with the real estate part of the game and were dedicated to base defense. Through time, we were active in FSO. I have to say FSO and the fact of working with guys that constantly shoot you down really put new light in our game. We saw that these guys weren't the evil villians we thought they were and were actually really nice guys. From FSO, we ventured on to squad touring and met some great people. Seeing this gave us a whole new perspective of the game which we came to respect.
Year 4:
Seeing all sides and what they go through, you come to the realisation on why things in this game are the way they are. You finally concede to the fact that you always are going to have a map to fly, ENY is NOT a conspiracy and that all sides eventually get ganged. You come to terms with the fact that most people fly not to reset the map, or care what state the map is in but fly just for fun.
Moral of the story here: This game makes you compete and the same competitiveness that makes this game fun can also have a negative effect if you immerse yourself too much into it that you do forget it is just a game. Allthough this game has its share of tools, there are a huge majority of really nice people that keep me logged in
