You don't have to read any of this if you have never flown with me or against me so it's your choice if you do.
For the approximately 16-years I've been here, I have generally flown courteously and alone. I'm not in a squad and have often broken off if a fight becomes a 2-on-1 providing I see the friendly arrive or am not so close to a kill that I'm willing to let an opportunist clear my 12. I don't directly fly to win, I fly to challenge myself and the kills are largely incidental to me. I do enjoy the aerial gunnery though, it's one-third of the hobby for me, and have always taken reasonable shots as a consequence of good flying - I thought that was fair enough. Conversely I have frequently let people go if they've flown well and done their best. All of those things I have done because the long-term state of the game and enjoyment of others did also weigh into my activities.
I am however not blind and I know others fly with different motivation which is fine. What is unfine is some knowingly exploiting the ethics of another to their advantage. All very happy as long as it favours them and I don't consider that a pleasingly symetrical arrangement. Some players apparently confuse not choosing to do something with not being able to do something just as they confuse kindness with weakness.
So here are the adjustments I'm making:
1 - HOing: I have to this date eschewed this shot, firstly because I came up at the furball lake and DA and the culture there was more on ACM at the times and with the people I flew there with. Later I didn't take the shot because I knew I could improve the odds well beyond 50/50 by working the EM-line. Now the MA is all that's left where apparently: "it's just like the real war". The odds are now a long way from 50/50 when my standard engagements are 2-on-1 or 3-on-1 the hard way. From a purely practical standpoint If I don't like the look of your merge or I can see it's a multiple-con engagement, the first one I meet is getting a 30-mm right in the mush at 800-yards and believe me - I can do that at will.
2 - Comms: I suppose it was niave of me all along to believe people can maintain a minimum level of civility in a (on surface inspection) zero-sum game such as this. There are some really friendly and respectful people in the game. Contiguously in the last few months I've been getting as much friction from my "team-mates" as from the opposition. Especially from one loud-mouthed individual who can't seem to get it through his rigidly thick head that I'm not here to directly defend bases or have any obligation to consider the completely arbitrary (IMHO) base-taking war. If you want to do that then knock-yourselves out and if you can't grasp that people pay their $15 for other activities it's your problem not mine. Don't have any sound in Aces High anyway so you're wasting your breath trying to talk to me and wouldn't understand my accent even if I did have a mic to reply. To extend this further I've decided to get entirely off comms. I won't be on Channel 200, 1 All in the MPA and I won't be on country either. I also have PMs blocked now. If you really want to talk to me send me a forum PM and if necessary I'll give you my Discord details at my discretion. The remaining few friends I fly with mostly have that info already.
Henceforth my in-game interaction will be confined to flying and shooting only. To me a much more honest and inarguable mode of interaction anyway. I have given fair warning and explained as much as necessary. Please save your energy and do not bother to complain at a later date.
