Given the close distances of the bases in the MA it inherently gives the offensive mission the advantage. Most large missions start on the country channel and take several minutes or more to fill up. The more that show for the mission, the longer it takes to prepare. Once it's launched, the defense has the same amount of time or less to form a counter mission. By the time you could organize any decent defense against a horde the base is flat and there are goons in town. The exception to that rule is when the offensive mission fails to meet its objectives in the first pass or two. Then the enemy has gathered enough strength to beat the horde back. Usually, when the horde gets bloodied, they disappear and pop up somewhere else where there is no resistance. This is why I feel the argument "It's your fault you didn't get a fighter sweep up" has zero merit. The whackamole game play is destructive to the game because it encourages people to avoid fights when the sole purpose of this game is to get into combat with other virtual players.
Eventually, the hard core defenders will get pissed every fight is a 10 on 1 and leave in disgust. Then the hordelings will have no more baby seals to club and pat each other on the back for. At that point, there is no need to waste fifteen bucks bombing crap that doesn't shoot back.
So plan you're horde mission. Take off a few sectors back and announce it on 200. Then let the fun commence as you fight your way to target and get true satisfaction when you do accomplish your mission.
Well said.
Per your quote....."(I'm guessing mid 20's)".
<snip for space>
You never did say how old you were, hit a bit too close to the mark?
OK, in stead of saying how many missions Ive been in or ran, I'll just call it "experience" and how you understand that I have a vast amount of it when it comes to this game. In my experience a horde doesn't stop a horde. Knight horde ups to hit Bish, Bish horde hits Rooks, and the Rook horde hits Knits. They don't defend, they attack. The best/largest horde takes bases faster than the one attacking their flank so it keeps/gets them in the lead toward the big "win".
Maybe I should fly as a nit for awhile and follow your horde.... err squad around for a bit. See if what you say really does happen. I haven't been a knit in awhile.
The point I was trying to make with the mention of Chuwies mission was Why do you need 20= guy for a v base? 5-6 guys is more than enough. The other 15= have nothing to do, whats the point of coming along in that mission? Those same 15 guys could be otw to an airfield near by and accomplish 2 things. First distraction of the attack on the V base, second initial trust of a capture on the airfield. The first 5-6 guy that capture the V base could come in as "clean up" of the airfield capture.
The reason they DON'T do this is one if they fail at a mission or two they lose those players flying with them. Nobody want to fly a mission that doesn't succeed everyone time. And the reason they would fail, is because they don't have skill, there is no reason to improve because if you miss, your 5-6 buddies with you might finish it off for you. Hiding in the horde doesn't teach you to get better, it stunts your growth in the game.
A dogfight would be an example of a PvP experience, and bomber raids would be an example of a PvE experience(with possible PvP entanglement), however the goal is a PvE objective, use bombs to destroy destructibles. Fighters can also carry bombs and rockets again to obtain a PvE objective. Using said bombs against GVs(aka bomb****ing) would be an example of PvP.
This game has both.
It's not a PvE experience/game, PvE is a means to an end, that being to create more options for combat. If you take off in a bomber for a run and expect NOT to be attacked, your a fool. Sure you may do it now and then, but if you expecting it your in the wrong game. Like DMgod pointed out, its a game of combat. Continually avoiding combat should not be allowed. NOEs use to be rampant an they ONLY way to take a base. HTC changed a few things and now they can't hide so much and must fight. The hordes, while always being part of the game, are now getting to the point that it is the ONLY way to take a base. Why have a combat game that is slowly losing all the combat?
you just have to have the last word
Yup, and I try to spell it right as well.
Yes he does think 20 is a Hoard lol and cannot be dealt with......I guess in the real world when we rolled missions in Northern Iraq we would have been considered a Mega Massive Hoard. Its too bad they didnt go complain to Saddam to change the way we engaged them so they could win more often.
I think what gets lost in all this is the fun of making a mission and how much fun it is for those who participate in it as well. I think it is salt in thier wound when when a base in leveled, but sometimes that is the only way too take a base when massive numbers are on defending it so yeah its gonna get leveled. And even if you didnt level it they would still complain about the Mission/Hoard killing them. Other times simply leaving most all up except town, or in case of a VBase just deacking by two people gets the base captured. 
Yup, lets compare the "real world" with a game

Tell you what, the next time I kill you in the game you don't come ok? That line is about as dumb as the one I typed.
When the game becomes unbalanced due to a type of play HTC makes changes. Remember the NOEs. Lets say a squad shows up and is 15 people strong every night and there one and only mission is to bust hordes, and they are VERY good at it. Every time a mission of anything over 10 people launches this group shows up and crushes them before they get with in 10 miles of a target. How would the "horders" reply? They don't have the skill to oppose them, they get knocked down EVERY time they up. They are not having any more fun capturing bases. Would they be happy and continue "playing" the game or would they be logging out?
Seriously do not get why we can't have zone ENY or something similar.
Ex:
1. Maximum of 10 planes can lift off at a base every 2 minutes.
2. Zone ENY - the larger amount of people in a sector, the higher the ENY limit for all bases in that sector.
3. Perked ordinance
4. An early warning system, for example if 10+ plane lift off at the same base within 30 seconds of each other, a system message goes out that notifies of "enemy presence" in that field.
5. Multiple radar towers at a field.
6. More manned guns at fields (not auto ack, but *manned* guns).
7. Manned guns in town.
I think #1 might be a bit drastic, 3 and 5 wouldn't help, or in the case of perked ord, hurt the new player. I don't think we will see a "zone ENY", but I'd love to see an early warning system even if it isn't 100% reliable. Maybe 1 in 5 it misses a mission, or gives a report of one that really isn't there, just to keep some of the surprise in the game.