The skill level of players these days is exponentially higher as a group. The players that are left are much better on average than they used to be. I'm not sure that I agree with this. I've never been that good so I could be wrong. It seems to me that there's just more pickers and "energy management" fighters these days.
At some point, HT decided that darbar wasn’t enough to get fights going so he introduced magical proximity radar which dramatically dumbed down the game. Mostly it made Situational Awareness and decision making with any sort of risk a thing of the past. You can see how a fight is progressing from the other side of the map. It allows you to choose how you will participate or even if you will participate without any thought whatsoever. This is extremely favorable those who live in the ZnB or horde profile. Ya, I'm not a fan of this or not being able to turn off the kill spam. I really don't care who killed who and it sux when I'm tying to find in the kill spam if I managed to kill a VH or something when I'm evading hoards of enemy and trying to read the chat.
I’m not really against 88s I just don’t think they should be the first option.
The ack in general seems wacked since I got back. The puffy from the carrier will blow a maneuvering fighter out of the sky that's going over 400mph and 1/2 a sector away but it can't hit the 3 bombers that fly directly over it in level flight while flying in a straight line.
You’d have an entire community that only picked the best equipment available, climbed to 30k, then ran the second they were in danger. Or simply avoided any combat whatsoever.
I get the feeling this is exactly where it's heading
You seem to be having difficulties in re-adjusting to a game that you recently left after tour 274 (11/22) (mods, right?) and returned in tour 292 (05/24). And the game has undergone exactly zero changes in that time frame of, what, about 18 months?
Let's look at your bolded "opinions" when you replied to LilMak:
"I'm not sure that I agree with this. I've never been that good so I could be wrong. It seems to me that there's just more pickers and "energy management" fighters these days." Passive-aggressive whine on play styles and shade on skills. What you are trying to identify is players who are being smart in how they chose to engage. Always been this type around, having more population than say, the furballers/dogfighters. There are even less of these pickers and e-fighters than in the past, they just stand out more now and can be dealt with by... well, flying better than you seem to be doing.
"Ya, I'm not a fan of this or not being able to turn off the kill spam. I really don't care who killed who and it sux when I'm tying to find in the kill spam if I managed to kill a VH or something when I'm evading hoards of enemy and trying to read the chat." Passive-aggressive whine on inability to manage your comms. If you missed the hangar destroyed message and need to know you if popped a VH, it's visible with smoke, or you could open map and hover over to see status of VH or other infrastructure.
"The ack in general seems wacked since I got back. The puffy from the carrier will blow a maneuvering fighter out of the sky that's going over 400mph and 1/2 a sector away but it can't hit the 3 bombers that fly directly over it in level flight while flying in a straight line."Passive-aggressive whine about something that has been the same since, like, forever.
"I get the feeling this is exactly where it's heading"Passive-aggressive whine about others' play styles (again.) And still incorrect.
And your forum posts in general are full of passive-aggressive comments, especially during that timeframe.
