Current player numbers.

[Animl-AW]

Well, your time online is not a issue.

I know there are dweebs out there in uber planes. Lately I’ve seen more Spits. Its never an easy battle a 190 vs Spit in a TnB. Hell, I’ve had Spit 16s chase me down and get me, same with LAs and Temps.

But what some are asking is to go against human nature and place our own odds against ourselves. Which is kinda fine, to som degree. Horrific fir a newbie or rusty return player. I’m shooting buffs, I’m not taking a 51 or lamer mid war plane.

Here a difference in POV.
I’m usually doing tach stuff, if a fight gets in my way kewl. Fights find me
Fighter jocks only think of the dogfight every 20 secs. The fighter finds fights

We are not doing the same things, we don’t have the same objective and won’t fly the same style planes.

Hate to say it, but IMO those 100% pure fighter jocks complain a lot.

I’m going to take what I need. If I need to go after 30k buffs I’ll take a 38. And yes, GVers and Buff jocks want an arena that gives them fun too. It doesn’t matter the area that loses numbers because of exclusion, numbers are still numbers.

Pilots who say no action have the highest scores, how does that work? Who were they shooting to get that?

We have a different POV because we approach it differently.

For me, the MA is just practice for scenario type stuff. <shrug> i guve a rats butt about my score in the MA, I do my best events.

Its ok to disagree bro.

[hazmatt]

Of course people are going to get tired of the vets who play 8 hours a day and still use the same super plane to gang every sortie.

This feeds on itself too. I remember flying faster planes with the hopes of being able to run down some of these guys and escaping when I got bounced by one of those squads that would usually only engage if it was 2 or 3 of them to 1 and they had alt lol.

[caldera]

I recon it was closer to 50 players... but yeah.

I log in many times as well and log off if I don't see much action on my side. Its very tough to fly to a field with no friendlies helping to defend or flying between the 2 other countries fights hoping to get some kills, but the folks diving from 15k while im in in a p47 already getting ganged by a Yak3 and 190D on the deck  makes it so very tough to even want to roll again. Theres a huge darbar, but nope, gotta gang the one lone p47 on the deck already in a fight. I just cant figure that out.

Theres this notion that we shouldn't make the game better for fighter oriented players, but thats who makes up the bulk of the #s. Most people want to be fighter pilots. I think most of them being run off has been the biggest impact to #s. Of course people are going to get tired of the vets who play 8 hours a day and still use the same super plane to gang every sortie. Its all about balance and if the maps dont balance fights and create battles, or people just only fly super planes because that's all they can compete with. Its going to run players out of the game who don't have the wherewithal to make the game entertaining or worth it to them. I'd probably log atleast another 10 hours a month if fights and action on the map where better when I logged in. No point in me adding to a gang fest already or taking off and flying for 15-30 min looking for one con with a tiny dar bar. Lack of battles equals lack of action and thats the biggest issue.

Every plane that can get ganged WILL get ganged.  Players want kills more than fights, so they'll be the 3rd or 4th man in if they have a chance to get you.  It's always been like this.  Years ago, I was flying a P-40 in a 1v4 on the deck and some high ranked player in a 262 came down and drilled me.  He thought it was funny.  It wasn't.

[Shuffler]

Two sides would mean 30 on one side and 2 on the other. 

[Eagler]

Two sides would mean 30 on one side and 2 on the other. 

I guess I gave the player base more credit but who knows as it's not gonna happen ...

Eagler

[Animl-AW]

37 rooks, 38 bish, 15 nits

why?

"Well because it's our squad night" and that makes banging the snot out of one country ok.  Both sides fighting at 37-7.5 odds. I don't care if it goes around the table, it's destructive. It's like heroine, they just can't stop, they just ignore everything we talk about as if we're talking about someone else, not them.

You chased off 15 players. That's why it's hard to hit critical mass....over 100

[eddiek]

37 rooks, 38 bish, 15 nits

why?

"Well because it's our squad night" and that makes banging the snot out of one country ok.  Both sides fighting at 37-7.5 odds. I don't care if it goes around the table, it's destructive. It's like heroine, they just can't stop, they just ignore everything we talk about as if we're talking about someone else, not them.

You chased off 15 players. That's why it's hard to hit critical mass....over 100

I got side switched to nits after a little while of flying bish.  Rooks were “attacking” a bish base on the SE corner of the land mass.  Well, attacking doesn’t describe it…….harassing, maybe?  Regardless, the rooks fighters were staying fast, “extending” away to safety any time you got near co-alt.  Then come zooming back in once you tried to engage one of their countrymen.  Were they flying smart?  Yep.  Was it boring after a while for me?  Yep.  Did they get a kill on me?  Nope.  I managed to run one Pony down when he misjudged his E state and couldn’t extend away, left his flock.  Killed him, saw I had one minute of fuel left, rtb’d and landed.  Then I got side switched to nits.
Saw dar bars from bish bases near the strait between their piece of the land mass and out strats.  Upped an F4U4 just because our perk multiplier was at 2.67 and I figured I’d be outnumbered………took down a flight of Lancs, turned back toward base, ran across a flight of TU-2’s and killed them.  Had a nice visit with Lancer (Steve, a guy I work with in ND on jobs) while I rtb’d, logged to cook supper, ended up not logging back in.
While I was there, the bish and rook battle over that first bases was still going on.
My take:  Feeling overwhelmed when squads have their squad nights can feel just downright crappy.  But last night I tried to take a step back and look at things differently. 
If flying together makes them feel good, good for them.  I’m not gonna let it dictate my level of fun. 
Last night it seemed they were looking for easy kills, not willing to engage in more than zoom passes, hoping to catch someone unaware.
So?  Let them do their thing.  To me it was clear that they weren’t a threat unless I let them be one. 
Summary:  Yes, their numbers can irritate you, and make it seem hopeless.  So separate yourself from their area, create your own fun/fight, and ignore them.  Nits were badly outnumbered when I logged off, but the two countries with the bigger numbers were locked up over one base, opening up opportunities for me to go elsewhere and be the killer(a rare occasion), not the lamb to the slaughter.

[Animl-AW]

I got side switched to nits after a little while of flying bish.  Rooks were “attacking” a bish base on the SE corner of the land mass.  Well, attacking doesn’t describe it…….harassing, maybe?  Regardless, the rooks fighters were staying fast, “extending” away to safety any time you got near co-alt.  Then come zooming back in once you tried to engage one of their countrymen.  Were they flying smart?  Yep.  Was it boring after a while for me?  Yep.  Did they get a kill on me?  Nope.  I managed to run one Pony down when he misjudged his E state and couldn’t extend away, left his flock.  Killed him, saw I had one minute of fuel left, rtb’d and landed.  Then I got side switched to nits.
Saw dar bars from bish bases near the strait between their piece of the land mass and out strats.  Upped an F4U4 just because our perk multiplier was at 2.67 and I figured I’d be outnumbered………took down a flight of Lancs, turned back toward base, ran across a flight of TU-2’s and killed them.  Had a nice visit with Lancer (Steve, a guy I work with in ND on jobs) while I rtb’d, logged to cook supper, ended up not logging back in.
While I was there, the bish and rook battle over that first bases was still going on.
My take:  Feeling overwhelmed when squads have their squad nights can feel just downright crappy.  But last night I tried to take a step back and look at things differently. 
If flying together makes them feel good, good for them.  I’m not gonna let it dictate my level of fun. 
Last night it seemed they were looking for easy kills, not willing to engage in more than zoom passes, hoping to catch someone unaware.
So?  Let them do their thing.  To me it was clear that they weren’t a threat unless I let them be one. 
Summary:  Yes, their numbers can irritate you, and make it seem hopeless.  So separate yourself from their area, create your own fun/fight, and ignore them.  Nits were badly outnumbered when I logged off, but the two countries with the bigger numbers were locked up over one base, opening up opportunities for me to go elsewhere and be the killer(a rare occasion), not the lamb to the slaughter.

Doesn’t  matter what I try to do, they hurt the game, they know it hurts the game, they know they are causing players to log when they do it, and should be hung. They do it anyway.

Out of all the gripes in this game, that is the real harm causer., everything else is small beans. They will do it anyway. Not only that, to top it iff its almost all milk runs.

I ran up to try to spark something between bish snd rooks, maybe 2 players came up N but then storms came and I had to log. Wasn’t anyone left to do something anyway They chased my side out of the game.

if it weren’t for events I’d be gone too. Its worthless head up the butt nonsense.  Friends or not, they are being idiots. Promoting just barely replaces what they chase out. They will read this, stop for 2-3 days and crank it right back up again. Heroine.

These are 3-4 squads teaming up, so this “ we can’t split up” is for stupid people.

What I just typed above is just drivel. I get the sqd thing I did that for 25+ yrs. But go have their milk run sqd nights thinking they are badbutts. Its hurts the game more than anything else, they do it anyway.

Like everyone else, I just log and call it a wasted night not in game.

Lubed excuses shall follow to excuse it away
So these words are wasted too, rinse and repeat.

I’m friends with most these guys, but friends tell friends when they are messing up. Thats what friends do. But enough.

[eddiek]

And I agree, it stinks like an outhouse. 
But long ago, HT said something to the effect of having the arena be an open sandbox, where a player can find something they like to do (not his exact words, but the sentiment is there).
You're not gonna change human nature.  To think you are only causes yourself to be mad, upset, miserable, unhappy.....................
That's why I said what I did. Go have your fun.  Don't let anyone dictate your experience in the arena.  If you're not having fun, it might just be a bad night, log and try again another time.
Even in the heyday of the game, when I was routinely playing 8 or more hours a day on my days off, there were bad days.  It happens. The game has always and will always hold some attraction for me, and there are times when I just don't have the time or energy to log in. 
I can't dictate what is fun for others, they can't dictate to me what I should consider fun.......just play the game.  You control your experience in the game. 

[Animl-AW]

And I agree, it stinks like an outhouse. 
But long ago, HT said something to the effect of having the arena be an open sandbox, where a player can find something they like to do (not his exact words, but the sentiment is there).
You're not gonna change human nature.  To think you are only causes yourself to be mad, upset, miserable, unhappy.....................
That's why I said what I did. Go have your fun.  Don't let anyone dictate your experience in the arena.  If you're not having fun, it might just be a bad night, log and try again another time.
Even in the heyday of the game, when I was routinely playing 8 or more hours a day on my days off, there were bad days.  It happens. The game has always and will always hold some attraction for me, and there are times when I just don't have the time or energy to log in. 
I can't dictate what is fun for others, they can't dictate to me what I should consider fun.......just play the game.  You control your experience in the game.

You’re right on human natures. Over critical mass would stop that as it did when we hit 118. But it causes people to log, so ya can’t get there.

Ya’d think they would stop ruining their own game, then turn around and promote it because they keep chasing numbers away, its an oxymoron. They eat their own feet then complain its hard to walk.

What will probably happen, since there isn’t enough on my side to do anything, is just fly events like quite a few do

Its not so much what it causes me, its what causes people to eventually quit. Thats a problem.
I have no idea how these squads think they are great when all they do is milk run.

<shrug> FE

[Animl-AW]

Like I said 2 mos ago. If all they are going to do is chase people away then they should do the promoting

[haggerty]

My biggest beef with all 3 teams is they bulk up and refuse to fight 2 fronts.  Usually when im about ready to go to bed there will be about 15 players on each team with me defending one front by myself and 9 guys fighting at the other front at a single base, the others are tower queens.    I lose a ton of bases that could be held with just a single person helping that front.  Teams give away so many bases for free because they are afraid to leave their hordes to kill troops.  With 2 people defending it becomes nearly impossible to take a base with these numbers.  I regularly fight off 5v1 odds, but most of the time its 6 to 1 so I cant watch the maproom while fighting off all the M3's support.

[Animl-AW]

My biggest beef with all 3 teams is they bulk up and refuse to fight 2 fronts.  Usually when im about ready to go to bed there will be about 15 players on each team with me defending one front by myself and 9 guys fighting at the other front at a single base, the others are tower queens.    I lose a ton of bases that could be held with just a single person helping that front.  Teams give away so many bases for free because they are afraid to leave their hordes to kill troops.  With 2 people defending it becomes nearly impossible to take a base with these numbers.  I regularly fight off 5v1 odds, but most of the time its 6 to 1 so I cant watch the maproom while fighting off all the M3's support.

Ya I get it, totally.
I do towers so buffs and troops can get in. Its called tach stuff, Thats not all I do. I’m just nit a pure fighter jock, I try to play the whole game.