The experiences along the road traveled to the destination versus, "The Destination" misconception. Each person's road is completely different and can only be traveled by that person. Your personal road is absolutely meaningless to anyone else because it exists as the unique architecture of your self in your mind. The conceit of the old saying is using it to impose your perceptions of your memories upon others as the right reality for them to follow.
The agony and ecstasy of the revolution is always remembered by those who were there as the most alive they had ever been. And that somehow surviving elevates them to a position of wisdom superior to those who come after. Some how because of that experience, your agonies and ecstasies experienced are more real than that of anyone to follow.
The new player or younger generation just entering our world has no experiences of having lived through your revolution or traveling your road. For them all they have is the revolution as it appears to them from their perspective and its road to be traveled. Their current agonies and ecstasies are just as valid as yours while you are judging theirs wanting from your lofty perspectives. Now that you have survived your revolution and promoted yourselves as the patriarchs of this cartoon universe, you think they should respect and emulate you as the true and only way of playing this game. So you would fancy yourselves able to control the laws of universal nature and hold back the tides of change to satisfy your vision of reality. More simply, to make yourselves feel good at their expense in this environment. Change sucks the older you get. To hold onto what makes you happy you are stifling them unto the point of making our game boring.
No hoarding missions
No NOE missions
No HOing
No Picking
No Vulching
No flying too high
No flying too high with a group
No flying too low with a group
No running to ack
No hiding in ack
No running from a fight
No running from a fight no matter how outnumbered
No being a dumb newb on range
No being seen or herd as a newb in general because you are an irritant.
No sinking CV's
No spying
No changing countries
No using your imagination and being sneaky to achieve objectives because it will violate all of the above.
This list is a reflection of us. Hitech imposes no rules, and allows our imaginations to create our fun or chain us into a gilded jail of boredom. New and younger players seeing no rules exercise their imaginations until they discover the price for community inclusion, the list of "No's". Older players hold onto their memories at all costs including vilifying a group of young players for using their imaginations into a community swear word: vTard.
My saddest day in this game was when someone I respect refused to be in an NOE mission because he was afraid of his squad being branded vTards. What a bunch of silly old farts we have become to hold onto our memories over walking the ongoing path into the future of this game.
You seem to have a problem separating real life, and a GAME.
I know how the game was before, as I played such. I was giving you the facts as I remember them. Granted my memory is not perfect, but I like to think I have the basics down. As for the new players, all I have to do is observe the play in the arena. It is easy to see that they couldn't care less for the fight as they rarely do. They make their HO run and if they survive it the dive away until they can come back un molested. They run the same NOE mission and disappear right after the attack whether they capture the base or not. They then pop up some place else undefended.
The game has changed a lot, and as I said we the players have very little chance of forcing it to change back to a more combat orientated game. For better or worst this is the game we have to play, unless HTC decides to change things to promote more combat. It's not about "me", or any other single player. It is what it is and all the big fancy words you spew to twist what anyone else says isn't going to change it. Do I like the way the game is played now? Nope. Am I going to leave? Nope.
I flew for 8 hours today and had 3 awesome fights. SEarrow gave me a great fight and he got away with a ditch. Chorizzo in a spit vs my Hog, nail bitter to the end stall fighting from 10k. Rapier and Kurmori against me and bricker. Another heart pounder. These are the reasons I pay my $15 a month. WOuld I love to see the old style missions and more fighting for bases? Heck ya! My wife would hate it because I'd start putting in a lot more hours but until then.....if ever, I'll hunt for those few fights that make my heart pound for a bit.