You have to have a bit of thick skin if you want to be competive in this game. I've been here for over 10 years and it has never changed. Whether it be on the MA or boards, the community is small and you come across the same people over and over again, unlike other online games.
For the most part, if you want to be liked, you have to admit you are an easy kill and that you don't take it seriously, and you just laugh your way to your death everytime. If you actually attempt to be good at this game, you can expect some flak by other players on the reg. In the past 10 years, I've sure became much better at smack talk and arguments. I'm not afraid to voice my opinions on 200 but I never include anyone's names in my comments. Most of the people who talk crap to me learn real quickly not to. Most of the time, I tell players who PM about cheating or whatever, that I've played for a long time and know how many of planes fly their absolute strength. Normally they change their tone and start asking questions on how to actually get better.
Most people are afraid to learn to get better.
Most people who talk crap really aren't that good and thus only have their ego to inflate themselves.
If you cannot learn to be tougher, or to manipulate an argument into something funny, or a learning experience, than you just need to work on your competive smack talk and people won't banter you as much.
You know what the #1 thing that limits people from getting better? They are too affraid to die over and over again in close quarter fights, really learning the strenghts of their planes agaisnt others, and instead BnZ with 2 kills after an an hour long sortie.
