Lone wolves

[uptown]

I'm one and if finally occurred to me why tonite. First of all this is not a dig or flame job on the mission type folks. They're just dandy. But tonight i joined 3 missions flying a heavy 51D and got to drop 2 bombs. I spent an hour and a half flying like I was told just to arrive at target to find nothing to shoot at or bomb. Boring ! I ended up bailing out during the 3rd mission because quite frankly I felt like i was just flying around doing nothing. The first 2 missions had 6 sets of 17s, at least 5 heavy 51s and just as many 38s. All that for a small airfield and a Vbase.
So as instructed, I held ord just to watch from 15K as the 17s did their thing. Base shut down, no uppers......now what. Land and type WTG.  

I'd rather fly the way I want to and get killed rather then fly in a mass and never get a chance to even engage a bad guy. This is why I never was a fan of these big squads that we have out there. I don't want or need CptMarv or GenFab telling me what to fly, when to fly, where to fly and how to fly. I'll figure it out.

Oh I forgot....I was allowed to kill 4 town buildings in one mission.  

I should say that ALL the guys in the missions were great guys, I like all of them. They just enjoy a different type of play. Actually more realistic then my preference of play. I'm just expressing my personal point of view. 

[ImADot]

Yep, that sux. Sounds like you need to remember or find out who makes crap horde mishuns and who makes fun combat-inducing missions.

[Tank-Ace]

Hordes may have have better stats, but lone wolfs are usually better pilots I've found. Yeah, you've only been shot down 12 times this tour. But those 12 times are the only times when you got into a fight with less than a 12:1 advantage.

[SmokinLoon]

Missions are fun when they succeed to within a second or 2 of failing.  Overwhelming numbers for easy base captures are for little boys who were bullied, abused by their gay uncle, and will otherwise amount to jack squat in the real world.

I dont blame the "Lone Wolf" Squadron members, not one bit.  

[uptown]

Hordes may have have better stats, but lone wolfs are usually better pilots I've found. Yeah, you've only been shot down 12 times this tour. But those 12 times are the only times when you got into a fight with less than a 12:1 advantage.

are you saying that I usually fight when there is a 12 to 1 advantage on my side? Because if you are, we can discuss this in further detail. If you aren't then escuse me for the misunderstanding...

[AAJagerX]

I love to fly with my squaddies (the few that we have on a regular night) but I find that I fly much better when I'm on my own.  I don't know whether it's because I don't feel like I need to keep an eye on another pileit all the time, or because I'm not jabbering away on vox with someone about who's gonna win the game this weekend, why steaks are better with garlic butter rather than A1, or why why Shawk's mullet tastes funny... 

All I know is, some of the best times I've had are when I've just logged on by myself and went a-hunting.  In fact...  I'm gonna go fly one or two right now just for grins.

[uptown]

I'll see you in there 

<----waves from centerville ....ur six as it were 

[BaldEagl]

After being CO of a sixty person squad in AW I came here flying alone.

I joined a squad after a year or so here.  They only flew NOE missions and everytime an enemy showed up the squad leader ordered everyone to stay on mission so he could go get the kill.  I left after two weeks.

I started a squad a couple of years later.  We had 7 members and took turns calling planes and missions.  Every mission was a fighter sweep.  Every mission in different planes.  Now that was a lot of fun.  We were outnumbered most missions.  I tired of the constant recruiting and the squad dwindled and died within about a year.

I joined 1-2 GHI missions.  Enough bombers to flatten 2-3 bases.  Boring.

I occasionally (every few years) organize a mission.  10 B-17's, Spit IX fighter sweep, Stukas with E-4/F-4 escorts.  Those were the biggies over 10 years.

Yep, loner here.  I like it better that way.  Sometimes I miss being in a squad but then I organize a mission and I'm good for a few more years.

[Soulyss]

I don't have any history in AW or WB but I've spent more than a few years here with AH and in that span I've dabbled in or played all parts of the game, a long time ago I used to look for big missions, big missions = more players, more player = good or so I thought at the time.  After doing that a while I realized my favorite part of the mission was shooting down the defenders, that once the fight was over and it was just the base that was left with no one shooting back the interest started to dwindle, it became a race with the other mission participants to get as many kills as I could before the hangars were dropped or they stopped upping.  Sure it felt good to be "winning" but when I saw that I was just sort of along for the ride and not really participating I started looking elsewhere.

Ever since then missions have sort of been the exception rather than the rule.   That is unless it's a group of bombers looking for escort, I really enjoy flying escort.  Trying to get the big friends to target AND home again I find really fun even if I don't get to shoot down many bad guys, I think it's looking over and seeing all those heavies helps me forget if only for a couple minutes that I'm playing a video game, it's those little moments of immersion that I live for in AH.

[Debrody]

Have you ever seen a Jayro-mission?
When theres about 40-50 fighters, couple bombers over the target (usually a cv nearby too) and he is asking for more "help"? And the "more help" is coming to shoot the big nothing?
Sad. Isnt it?

[TheAssi]

Find the right guys on, post an Emil, P-39, P40b mission.

There is no way to fail.

[Chilli]

I think that I have it figured out now......   

Rule #1:  I am having fun in the game when I am successfully ending sorties.  Who amoung us, and I know there are some, feel some accomplishment for flying head on into a storm of massively outnumbering foes?  Maybe if I can get a Brewster up and slip by the horde and grab a couple of quick scalps and land or at least entertain myself with a half hearted attempt at locating and downing a troop carrier, I might consider this a successful sortie.  Other than that, I am either looking to grab my gear and head to where my odds are better at survival. 

Rule #2:  It is a no brainer that flying with a wingman increases your chances, so in the absence of a squadmate or some other volunteer, missions do provide a buffer.

Rule #3 -Here is the rub:  Why make a mission that has a small chance of success?  The mission fails = I feel ummm....  less than happy.  The mission succeeds = I have checked off my to do list and eager to head on to other challenges. 

Rule #4:  Why are there huge missions?  The answer is simply because THEY INSURE A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESS. 

Solution:  How could HTC balance the Borg approach to base capture?  The answer again is simply INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESS FOR SMALLER NUMBERS.  It is simple math, and not rocket science.  If you use 20 teamates to take one base and I use 4 teams of 5, totaling 20 teamates to take 4 bases, how long would it take before some of the 20 teamates would have to go on the defense? 

It is just logical that the degree of difficulty in base capture is proprotionately related to the number of players attempting to capture any base.  So capture criteria are still not adequately balanced to suit any style of strategic war other than the current horde takes all.  However, changes in game features such as ordinance, supplies, troops, availability of ground and air cover, or number of structures including gun emplacements that need to be destroyed would provide a broader range in size of successful capture missions.

  Can I get a WITNESS!!!!!  Or was I the only one who was paying attention when we had 50% town percentages and fights spread all across the maps, even during off hours?  Okay, so they bombed a town flat in no time.  Why not do away with auto calibration?  Why not remove formations?  Why not just leave it the heck alone, and let players work together in small groups and achieve some feeling of success for the time they devoted to an online game? 

[TheAssi]

Rule #4:  Why are there huge missions?  The answer is simply because THEY INSURE A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESS. 

Definitions of success vary.

Getting a dar bar down with minimal #'s and low eny planes is as much a success to some as an overkill base take.

[Shane]

I'm very much a lone wolf, after having done "the war" and etc way back when.

Every now and then I try and toss out a themed mission with a variety of appropriate rides and roles, for example, a mid war usaaf, or vvs mission, a late war lw or uk mission - those kind of deals.

Never get any takers.

Jayro's style is nohthing but an extension of AW smash and grab style, get a bunch of guys and just go after a base, close it down in one swoop and move on... very much how it was done in the AW RR euro arenas when certain squads wanted to roll a map (my squad was one of them, heh) to piss everyone off, or just because we could.  Wasn't as horde-y as it is here in AH, tho'

What I've noticed in decline over the years is a more "strategic" fight where multiple bases would be porked/attacked, or counter-attacks and interdiction missions. 

Personally I think the biggest change to game play was the introduction of the M3 and ground troops for base-captures.  Think about that for a minute.

[Slate]

  I miss the MOM missions.    They were the most fun I've had in any mission. Massive mission announced so massive opposition could intercept. Now that was combat!

  I do fly lone wolf often even flying lone Bombers against the odds. Thats my fun trying the impossible and though often fail when I do survive it or take several with me to earth I enjoyed the risk. No risk no reward.

  To each his own but if a mission starts from 2 or more sectors from the front lines I'd rather fight than flight.