Maybe you guys should try Widewing's "Cage Match" format.
Each player takes off from the same base and as soon as wheels go up, players turn and fight within the perimeter of the airfield. Anyone that leaves the perimeter of the airfield during the match is disqualified. Nice way to use the stall fighting skills.
I haven't seen that come up in a while, completely forget about those. When TonyJoey was showing me some dueling tricks years ago when he first started playing really well, this is all we would do as I recall - take off from a different runway, and fight is on. Fighting in a cage or box like that is a lot of fun, and you get in a ton more practice time, as often on our duel maps, 90 percent of the time is spent flying to the merge when there is a huge skill deferential - 3 minutes of flying, a couple turns, poof dead, repeat. It takes time, you only get in about 10 at best in an hour. The Widewing method - you can get in 10 in about 15 minutes. They may not be the usual "norm" for duels, meeting at "x" altitude and merging, but as stated, a great way to quickly build some new skills and see some new things more quickly.
I for one would fly in a "combat box" or "cage match" league in a second, as again, the matches can be set up and be over really quickly.
So far as some saying the attitudes and comments here aren't good for the game - they've always been a part of the game. There have always been egos, fights between players and squads, in fact, if you go back far enough pre modern moderation, they were 10x more heated than they are now. I've said and continue to say this game attracts and keeps a certain type of player, and many of these players are very competitive ego driven types of people. A certain amount of banter, arguing, taunting, and the like is just par for the course in this environment. Trying to claim that "this will drive the gentle new potential customer away" is a circular argument IMO, as the new potential customers are in large measure much like the current and past members - attracted to a competitive environment with the egos and all the rest of it. The large swarms of nicey-nice new players that want to sit around holding hands and talk civilly 100 percent of the time, never have any animosity or arguments, and tell each other fruity after action reports after a tool shed mission are in the extreme minority from my observations over the years. And Guppy, that is in no way a shot across your bow, I always enjoyed your stories as they were about competition and combat. Glad to see you posting again, wondered where you've been just the other week, and good last post, I agree 100%.
