Originally posted by Moss:
You ever wonder why so many people stayed with AW (Air Warrior) even though it had allowed itself to antiquate?
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Well, as a very fresh AH pile-it, and long time AW pile-it, I think I have a view worth sharing on this issue. First off I think Moss hit the nail on the head with the above post. Going thru the boards here there seems to be a lot of hostility going on. Which is a shame, but also upto a certain level it is part of the game. Every community has it's share of a**holes. But a working community always finds it's own way in dealing with those. Having voluntary staff members around helps in some cases to set these characters straight, but usually the community itself takes care of business before any staffer has had time to jump in. And I don't mean by way of flaming the guys ass, although sometimes funny, but the most effective way is ignoring the kid altogether. There is nothing more deadly to annoying loudmouthed kiddies than silence.
But after all this talk about community, I feel I should point out some differences between the AH community and that in AW. AW community dates back into the eighties. People have known eachother for years and years. In contrast the AH community is still quite young. It has yet to be formed. Arena play doesn't really do that. Webbased discussion boards do to some extent, but NNTP capable newshosts do a better job of putting people in contact with eachother. But the all time high supersuper community forming substance is called scenario's. In AW, people still talk about DoK's scenario's (yes he's flying here now) which were held years & years ago. You meet new people, have a common goal etc etc.
And after such a scenario, you look these people up in the arena. Talk on the open channel if they fly for an nme country. And this is the way community is formed.
The funny thing that an AW pilot notices right away is the lack of conversation on open channel (or as we call it channel 1). People come into the arena, greet their fellow country members, switch to squad channel and you never hear from them again during the time they're on. They fight enemy icons. For the good of their squad. They might as well be fighting drones. They wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Some people even have grown to hate the rooks, knights or bishops. Which is silly really. It was the same in AW, but I never experienced it as intense as here in AH. Having friends on 'the other side' helps to lessen the hostility.
And yes, as Moss stated, there's much friendship in the AW arena's. People congratulating eachother on the kill , or saying thanks for a good fight. Giving advice to newbie's (before clubbing them). It's what I miss here in AH.
But the AH community is young. Feed more big scenario's into it and it will grow. Throw in an offline readable message board and it will grow even faster. And ofcourse the influx of AW types like myself. We're being lured in here with nice eyecandy, clouds, sunsets, pt-boats, naval taskforces etc etc etc. And with the last happenings with regard to Kesmai / EA I expect there will be more in the future.
Some people here might feel a bit threatened by this. They might feel their community is changing. They are right, it will change. Nothing ever stays the same. But I expect the AW pile-its will blend in nicely here. And maybe introduce part of an age-old community of aviation and aerial combat enthusiasts.
What your community has that AW lacks at the moment is that the people making AH are also enjoying it, and can be seen flying the arena regularly. Right now, AW is more dead than alive. No real view of improvement.
So AH will be my refuge for the time to come. Be patient with us AW pile-its. We look upon you guys with baby-seal eyes, fumbling with trim wheels, fighting rubber bands and evading lethal headon shots. Club us gently. We'll grow teeth over time.
Immel
'Knights of Airwarrior'
[This message has been edited by Immel (edited 04-07-2001).]
