So what is the mentality behind ack running?

[Latrobe]

Ack running seems to be the norm in AH2 anymore. Every single arena is infested with it. I've always made the joke that people run to their ack to "protect murrrr scuuuurrrr!" but I really wonder what it is that makes people run to their ack all the time? What is going through their minds when they choose to just give up and run? Is it really all about the score, or is there something I'm missing?

The only reasons that I can think of that people run to ack before even trying to fight are to protect their score, giving up fighting someone better than them, or are legitimately scared to die in a video game. I want to believe that people don't run to ack to protect score because score is the most pointless thing in the game and never accurately portrays a players skill (and never will), but there are some people out there that do run just to protect score. Not everyone runs for score though, right? There's just no way that 99% of the MA is completely obsessed with score. What is the reason that others run? Is it because they know that they just can't beat the person they are fighting? This one I kind of get. No one likes losing, no one likes dying over and over again, but what do you think you're doing by running to ack? Losing! Whether you're getting shot down or running to ack you have lost. There is no difference between the two. Besides, you will never be able to get better and eventually kill the people always killing you if you never fight and learn! Or is it really just that people are truly terrified of dying in a video game? How? Why? If you die, so what? We get unlimited lives in AH2! If you die then just reup! Why is AH2 the only game that I know of where the majority of the players are afraid of fighting? In other games that I play where you only get ONE life people still rush straight at the enemy and fight. AH2 you get UNLIMITED lives! There is no penalty for dying in this game. I just don't understand it. I've tried countless times to try and get in the head of an ack runner and figure out why they choose to run before even trying to fight and I'm just at a lose. I can not figure it out. Nothing makes sense.

What is the reason for people just giving up, hitting the deck, and running to the nearest friendly ack? I have a feeling this thread is going to go way off the rails, but I really want to know what ack runners are thinking when they decide to just give up so I can try and help them get better.

[Copprhed]

While protecting score may be the agenda for some, i truly think that it's a strategic move. It does tend to pull the advantage away from the opponent, and resets the fight. I've fought you a lot Latrobe, and love the fight as much as you, but in the MA, the object IS to not die. I still don't ack run, and will follow someone in, but I've found that in many cases I don't think so badly of those who do, especially if their side is outnumbered. Make sense?

[Lusche]

Is it really all about the score, or is there something I'm missing?

On most players, it wouldn't have any significant impact on score. In fact, if you never leave ack your score/rank is going to be horrible.
It's just the desire not to get shot down by the other guy. It's more psychologically than anything else.

Generally, I think the impact of score in the MA tends to be overrated. People do so much that's 'bad' for score (bomb'n'bail, or dropping troops&bail to stop base from flashing, suicide dar porking, bombing somehting else than town centers, neglecting some score categories and so on)

[Latrobe]

I can see how it can be used as a strategic advantage to reset the fight, but why do I continuously run into 2, 3 or even 4 enemies all alone and within a minute all of them are running to the nearest base? That's the kind of ack running that I don't get, the ones where they have every single advantage possible or enough advantages to win a fight and they choose to just throw it all away. Using the ack when you're out numbered is a good way to equalize the fight, but what about when you have the numbers or advantages? I just don't get it in those cases.

[DmonSlyr]

Its pure normality of the animal instincts. Much like how a mouse runs back to their hole in the midst of of trouble. It is a safe haven that they retract too. Pure, simple, biology and the survival of the fitest, using the environment around you for protection. This will never stop, and it's something that most players do naturally for survival. The only way to limit that would be to stop Ack all together,  but we all know that wouldn't be realistic.

[Tilt]

It's something I do to reset a fight. If I lose the advantage ( or any chance of regaining it) I will drop out the fight to reset if the option is available.

If that option is ack then so be it. However ack is a poor reset unless the fight is already low and you can use it to give adequate separation. If bogie insists on following me in then he/she will have to fly around in it. If bogie goes high and around then reset is difficult. If bogie turns away then reset is achieved.

[waystin2]

This is why I de-ack fields religiously!  No ACK no hidey.

[Bizman]

I've run to ack several times. Not to save my score, but as Copprhed said, to pull the advantage away from the opponent.

Why is that? Well, first off you'd have to be very near your own field to be able to run to ack. Often that means that you're either upping or landing, in both cases your speed, altitude and energy are low. In the latter case you might even be out of ammo and/or fuel. That could be called an anti-vulching maneuver, couldn't it?

I've never heard or seen anyone run to ack from 30k over an enemy field with full ammo. I must admit, though, that I've chased a P51 for half a sector in a G6 towards his home base but there must've been other reasons than just wanting to get shield from a friendly ack.

[The Fugitive]

While protecting score may be the agenda for some, i truly think that it's a strategic move. It does tend to pull the advantage away from the opponent, and resets the fight. I've fought you a lot Latrobe, and love the fight as much as you, but in the MA, the object IS to not die. I still don't ack run, and will follow someone in, but I've found that in many cases I don't think so badly of those who do, especially if their side is outnumbered. Make sense?

I don't think it's "instinctive" , and true it's not all about score. I think the above quote highlighted may have something to do with it.

Personally I'd rather NOT have a cartoon death, but that is only because it takes so long to up and get back to the fight. So many players avoid the fight because they don't want to die. And they KNOW they are going to die because they can't fight. They can't fight because they are afraid to die and so never get any practice at getting better. A vicious circle.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

I've run to ack several times. Not to save my score, but as Copprhed said, to pull the advantage away from the opponent.

Why is that? Well, first off you'd have to be very near your own field to be able to run to ack. Often that means that you're either upping or landing, in both cases your speed, altitude and energy are low. In the latter case you might even be out of ammo and/or fuel. That could be called an anti-vulching maneuver, couldn't it?

I've never heard or seen anyone run to ack from 30k over an enemy field with full ammo. I must admit, though, that I've chased a P51 for half a sector in a G6 towards his home base but there must've been other reasons than just wanting to get shield from a friendly ack.

I also use running to ack if I'm 2 or more vs 1 and at energy disadvantage. In most cases starting to furball with one just ends up with their friend cherry picking you so the best move is to take the fight where the enemy can't stay very long without risking damage.

[JOACH1M]

Kill them before they run to ack but if they make it there I normally hang up out of range and dive through for the kill.

[Latrobe]

Its pure normality of the animal instincts. Much like how a mouse runs back to their hole in the midst of of trouble. It is a safe haven that they retract too. Pure, simple, biology and the survival of the fitest, using the environment around you for protection. This will never stop, and it's something that most players do naturally for survival. The only way to limit that would be to stop Ack all together,  but we all know that wouldn't be realistic.

I don't think it's human instinct. Human instinct plays at least some role in gaming but in the end we all know that we're just playing a video game. Video games are meant to be a fun place where we can do whatever we want without fear of consequence so things like self preservation go right out the window. If it really was human instinct then we'd see this kind of thing in all games, and I'm just not seeing it anywhere else other than AH2.

I don't think it's "instinctive" , and true it's not all about score. I think the above quote highlighted may have something to do with it.

Personally I'd rather NOT have a cartoon death, but that is only because it takes so long to up and get back to the fight. So many players avoid the fight because they don't want to die. And they KNOW they are going to die because they can't fight. They can't fight because they are afraid to die and so never get any practice at getting better. A vicious circle.

That's somewhat interesting. People not wanting to die because the flight back to the fight is so long. Makes me wonder if HTC moves all the bases closer together then people will be more incline to fight to the death? I'll have to pay attention the next time maps like Crater are up and see if I see a noticeable drop in ack runners.

[Shrike]

I have 2 things to say about ack running.

1) Boo!!!
2) Turn and fight

[68ZooM]

I'll chase the coward into his ack and kill him or as others have said just take down the ack.
Now I have ran to ack a few times simply just to get my speed back up and alt after losing all that fighting on the deck and then get back into the fight

[DmonSlyr]

I don't think it's human instinct. Human instinct plays at least some role in gaming but in the end we all know that we're just playing a video game. Video games are meant to be a fun place where we can do whatever we want without fear of consequence so things like self preservation go right out the window. If it really was human instinct then we'd see this kind of thing in all games, and I'm just not seeing it anywhere else other than AH2.

That's somewhat interesting. People not wanting to die because the flight back to the fight is so long. Makes me wonder if HTC moves all the bases closer together then people will be more incline to fight to the death? I'll have to pay attention the next time maps like Crater are up and see if I see a noticeable drop in ack runners.

I don't really play a lot of other games, but from what I've seen they don't really have the same format. But really what I meant was, is if the soul purpose is to stay alive and not die, as others have mentioned, than it is simply a survival tool using their surroundings which is instinctive to running back to ack. Many people would say they don't play for score,  but at the same time theu run to ack in their P51ds. So if you have to fly a P51D and run to ack, obviously you care about your stats in one way or another.