Putting score above fun is what is ruining the sim.
true story
Not necessarily. Achieving self defined goals can be fun. And score provides an additional feel-good (feel superior) component, by being able to rank highly in a whatever category, compared to others. For that analysis one just has to ignore that others may not care at all, and up at vulched fields to defend, prioritize killing the goon even if ending up at a disadvantage, or fly lesser planes.
Make no mistake, the same can be set when field captures are the self-defined goal. The opponents simply might not care, and leave fields undefended. Or worse, may make them look like they are defendend, creating a false sense of security for their country-men.
This works much much better in typical korean grinding games, or world of warcraft. Everyone can be the hero, or at least advance in some way. In AH it works because everyone is trying to reach their own goals.
