congrats to Snailman

[Vinkman]

You and Uptown may both be right. I think the furballers need squad support, and a fresh stack of noobs. I don't see the top dog-fighting squads logging anywhere near as much time together as they used to. So perhaps that has lead to a new formula for winning the tour. Possible factors...

1. Dog fighting squad inactivity.
    - just don't see the Few, Muppets, Top gun, Loose Dueces, etc out there pack hunting anymore.

2. Average pilot quality is increasing.
    - there seems to be fewer noobs, and numbers guys. I find I come across more and more skilled fliers, in both ACM and SA. There's so much less free lunch these days.

But you are really under estimating your skill level if you have achieved that kill ratio by attacking buff formations at High altitude. That is tough work.  

[Lusche]

But you are really under estimating your skill level if you have achieved that kill ratio by attacking buff formations at High altitude.

Oh, I never said I'm bad at what I'm doing  



To underline my point of "I had better scores back then": One of my best tours in the past compared with last tour:




EDIT: I just ran the numbers. My undisputed #1 score in tour 155 would have only given me rank #17 in tour 99... 

[Randy1]

I had Snailman's 262 in my Typhon's site the other night.  We were in a big green hoard of giddy pilots flying over the remains of an enemy base watching the last of the reds being chased down by four or five of our comrades planes.  Then Snailman came in at a blistering pace in his 262.  He started stringing up kills like threading a set green beads.  I turned my typhoon down and around trying to cut him off in  his long sweeping turn as he turned each green icon into a puff of smoke.  Wow! he never missed.  I could not read my comrades icon fast enough to warn them before snailman pulled the trigger.  

I got within 1k when he broke for home.  I mashed WEP with glory in my every thought as I laid my plan to pop him at his home base just as he went to land.  I pushed the nose down into a slight dive to pick up as much speed as I could.  I figured push it all the way to the deck because my shot chance would be on his final approach and near the runway.  My heart started pounding as his home base radar tower came into sight.  Oh the glory.  I pushed the typhoon down to just above the tree tops.  My hands were sweating.  My finger trembled on the trigger.  My eyes pinch to a bead searching for the Snailman.  Then . . . with dreams of my Snailman victory tickling my soul.  Putter, putter . . .  putter putter.  The motor died.  I was out of gas fifty feet off the deck so close to his home base I could see the steel braces in the radar tower.

It wasn't a pretty after that.

[Vinkman]

I had Snailman's 262 in my Typhon's site the other night.  We were in a big green hoard of giddy pilots flying over the remains of an enemy base watching the last of the reds being chased down by four or five of our comrades planes.  Then Snailman came in at a blistering pace in his 262.  He started stringing up kills like threading a set green beads.  I turned my typhoon down and around trying to cut him off in  his long sweeping turn as he turned each green icon into a puff of smoke.  Wow! he never missed.  I could not read my comrades icon fast enough to warn them before snailman pulled the trigger.  

I got within 1k when he broke for home.  I mashed WEP with glory in my every thought as I laid my plan to pop him at his home base just as he went to land.  I pushed the nose down into a slight dive to pick up as much speed as I could.  I figured push it all the way to the deck because my shot chance would be on his final approach and near the runway.  My heart started pounding as his home base radar tower came into sight.  Oh the glory.  I pushed the typhoon down to just above the tree tops.  My hands were sweating.  My finger trembled on the trigger.  My eyes pinch to a bead searching for the Snailman.  Then . . . with dreams of my Snailman victory tickling my soul.  Putter, putter . . .  putter putter.  The motor died.  I was out of gas fifty feet off the deck so close to his home base I could see the steel braces in the radar tower.

It wasn't a pretty after that.

   Awsome. 

[Chalenge]

It wasn't a pretty after that.

And we thought you scrubbed your prop in the trees. 

[tunnelrat]

Although some people dismiss the overall tactical/strategic war game going on in the MA, many don't... and your exploits defending the strats have huge repercussions all around (since you don't wait for buffs to get in their bombsites and drop to attack).

 

[SmokinLoon]

Ever wonder if HTC changes the weight of the categories from time to time without mentioning it?  I'm mean really, the entire scoring, ranking, and perk system is based off arbitrary numbers that HTC can change when and how they see fit.

It is no secret the it is not "how" a kill is earned only that it occurs.  That is too bad, really.  For a person who lands 10 kills in a P40N should in theory be a more "skilled" pilot than a person who does the same in a P51D, and hence should have a higher than typical score or ranking.  Take a look at Bong and his P38 vs the early and mid war pilots from Japan, vs Preddy and his P51D and his victories vs late war Luftwaffe pilots.  Who had to work harder and who had more of a challenge?  For the record, I'm not taking away anything from anyone as they all deserve our respect, but like in AH it does not matter what plane they flew or what the enemy was flying or even the ability of the enemy pilots, all that matters is the "kills".  HTC compensates players for using high ENY aircraft (P40x, 109Gx, etc) by awarding perk points but ultimately that means nothing in terms of ranking or scoring.

To achieve a high rank or score in fighters, it is all about maximizing your ability to get guns on as many targets as possible without letting guns get on you.  Hence, why the LW server will never see someone in the high ranking places using less than 5-10 ENY planes.  As Looshy said, 3/4th's of his kills were bombers.  Do you think he used anything but 163's, Ta152's, Me262's, Me410's, or other such prime bomber killers???  I dont even have to look up his stats and I can tell you that.  Do you think he took up a P40x, or a P39, or how about a 109G-6 to round out his fighter score???  Go ahead and look and report back.

Learn the scoring system, exploit the best way to achieve it, and go to it.  

It would be nice if HTC had a way of sorting out the ranking system a bit further to award "Best Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot", or "Best Japanese Bomber Pilot", or "Best RAF OBJ Attacker", etc, etc. Yeah, there would be 20 different "best" categories of all listings were used (4 categories w/ 5 countries), but it might make it worth while to pay attention to what people used as a platform to get the job done.                  

[Lusche]

Ever wonder if HTC changes the weight of the categories from time to time without mentioning it?

No, because I know they don't  

Hence, why the LW server will never see someone in the high ranking places using less than 5-10 ENY planes.        

Low ENY rides help a lot, but there are many examples of players reaching #1 in planes with much higher ENY, like 109K or P-38.
Getting there in a C.202 would be a feat though

[Lusche]

 Do you think he used anything but 163's, Ta152's, Me262's, Me410's, or other such prime bomber killers???  I dont even have to look up his stats and I can tell you that.  Do you think he took up a P40x, or a P39, or how about a 109G-6 to round out his fighter score???  

I did a few hops in  109F (20 kills), Ki-84, La-5 and some other rides as well, but not enough to make your statement above invalid  

(For the record, my 27 kills in the Tempest as well as my 15 in the La-7 had all been in 'attack' mode)

[Lusche]

Maybe that's part of the answer to my own basic question:

[Noir]

Maybe that's part of the answer to my own basic question:

(Image removed from quote.)

well if there's less air to air kills and less planes in the air in general, players will get on the average less kills am I right?

Greebo's map, that just stayed on for about 40H, featured very few air combat when I was on. I blame the gvs.

[Lusche]

well if there's less air to air kills and less planes in the air in general, players will get on the average less kills am I right?

I tend to agree, though I think several factors may add up contibuting to this, for example:

- Less players means less "combat density", especially at off peak hours.
- Slow change in 'game culture', from plane-centric to 'mission-centric' due to a new generation of players, resulting in fewer genuine furballs (speculative)
- Increase of GV aspect of the game (especially appealing to newer players without a joystick)

[maxy]

congrats and well done 

[kvuo75]

Maybe that's part of the answer to my own basic question:

(Image removed from quote.)

one of the most interesting charts i've seen you post.


edit:
and i presume attack mode is similar, and doesnt show growth?

edited again:

i came here in tour 81.. blame me 

[Lusche]

and i presume attack mode is similar, and doesnt show growth?

Attack mode K/H look very similar

i came here in tour 81.. blame me 

In tour 80 the great Arena Split happened, going from 1 single main to EW, MW, LW, LW format and arena caps. That might have had a slightly bigger impact...