Author Topic: Best "pilots" in the game? (Read 1857 times)

HeLLcAt · « **Reply #30 on:** September 10, 2002, 03:19:10 PM »

On my list of awesome pilots they are - AKNimitz, Fester, hblair, WldThing, Cavalear, Ripsnort, Mathman, and ZeroPing.

AKNimitz - One of the best sticks in the game no matter what plane he is in.

Fester - Another good stick, not so hard to beat, but he is still very good in whatever plane.

hblair - VERY good stick in P47 or Luftwaffe planes.

WldThing - One of the best wingies I ever flew with. One of the best 51 pilot ever. VERY good in any American plane. WldThing!

Cavalear - Tought me how to survive during MA battles. One of the best F6F pilots around!

Ripsnort - One of the best leaders out there and what a great squad leader. You can be my wingman anytime!

Mathman - One of the greatest F6F pilots...he is my role model in a way. Thanx for your informational page Math!

ZeroPing - I met you in the SEA in a Tour Of Duty...I remember me and you being the last Hellcat pilots up against all the AK's! I will never forget that day.

All...there are probably some other awesome pilots I forgot and I'm sorry ALL!!!

~Wildkat/BlueiceJ~

Urchin · « **Reply #31 on:** September 10, 2002, 03:19:33 PM »

Why, thank you for the nomination. As my ex-girlfriend used to tell me "Your intelligence and boyish good looks are surpassed only by extraordinary length of your reproductive organ".

Steve · « **Reply #32 on:** September 10, 2002, 03:32:00 PM »

akswulfe,

Do you really believe that stuff you said about dueling? That if someone was the best pilot they'd prove it by being #1` on a dueling ladder? LOL

This poorly considered declaration fails to address several factors as far as being an accomplished pilot, one important one is SA/decision making. This best dueler in the game won't have an ounce of success in the arena if he makes poor decisions and has poor SA. Your thought about dueling showing who's best are way off.

I'm relatively new to the game but people's thoughts on score potatos are akin to whining. There may be many who do not care about stats but I'm confident that most of those who sound off are either incapable or too lazy to produce impressive stats.
Look at widewings score as an example.. the bulk of his kills are in Fm2's...obviously this guy is making smart decisions as he doesn't have the luxury of running should he make a mistake. Maybe he isn't among the best (no offfense, I honestly do not know) but his numbers, as in SCORE reflect that he is an accomplished pilot in the arena. So those that say score doesn't mean anything are brutally mistaken..to the point of seeming foolish. Personally, I admire a pilot with impressive numbers but I equally appreciate the guys grabbin goons, and doing other selfless things to further the ends of their country...I'd like to be one of them someday

~~Steve~~

Widewing · « **Reply #33 on:** September 10, 2002, 03:34:08 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by AKSWulfe
Scores are always meaningless, they are no indication of skill, ability, or otherwise knowledge of air combat manuevers.

If score was any indication of abilities, those guys ranked... whatever... would join a dueling ladder and be #1 there too.
But they don't, and if they did, they wouldn't be.

I never said you thought you were the best pilot based on scores, I did say your ego is too big since scores are no foundation for basing skill on.

The good guys can and will go into a fight at a disadvantage and win. Or they be outnumbered, outgunned, and still deal the enemy a severe blow.

Score is relative to what you fight, where you fight, how you fight, what you fight in... skill is something that can't be derived from a number, or turned into one.
-SW

Flying one on one or two on two proves little. Those skills are only a small part of the skills needed to kill and survive in the MA. I can list pilot after pilot who was the “hot stick” during combat training, who upon being sent to the ETO promptly got shot down. Why? Because there’s a hellava lot more involved in aerial combat than pure maneuvering skills. First off, if you think I’m gonna give someone the slightest chance, forget it. There’s no such thing as a fair fight. SA, managing fuel and ordnance, gaining position before a fight, never fighting to an enemy’s strengths, avoiding hordes of red icons, all of these things and many others are part of being successful. Frankly, if you have to rely upon maneuvering skills to survive, you’ve already screwed the pooch. Anyone who thinks that maneuvering skill is the sole measure of ability is conning himself.

My regards,

Widewing

Urchin · « **Reply #34 on:** September 10, 2002, 03:38:37 PM »

We've got different opinions on what makes a pilot good then Widewing. I'll never decline a 1v1 fight. If a Spit V dives on me when I'm in a P-47, I'll turn into the attack and go around with him a couple times. If I haven't killed him by then, then it is time to run away and put a little alt under me, and come back.

Avoiding a fight isn't what makes you good. True, if this was 'real life' and we were really going to die if we got shot down, then avoiding a fight would be the smart thing to. As it is, it is merely boring.

Shane · « **Reply #35 on:** September 10, 2002, 03:43:53 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Steve
Look at widewings score as an example.. the bulk of his kills are in Fm2's...obviously this guy is making smart decisions as he doesn't have the luxury of running should he make a mistake.
Steve

pssssttt... he gets all those kills in the fm2 by hanging around in cv acks and getting a ton of prox kills that should be assigned to the AI gunners. he's admitted as much. just goes to show how little stock you can put in scores and stuff. I'm sure he pings his share of them as well; it's his decision to "game" the game in that manner.

my only gripe is about how too many people just simply refuse to *try* and instead take the easy way out.

deSelys · « **Reply #36 on:** September 10, 2002, 03:45:27 PM »

I'm not against those who only fly for their score.

I don't do it myself because it doesn't seem compatible with a normal sex life.

Widewing · « **Reply #37 on:** September 10, 2002, 04:35:57 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Shane

pssssttt... he gets all those kills in the fm2 by hanging around in cv acks and getting a ton of prox kills that should be assigned to the AI gunners. he's admitted as much. just goes to show how little stock you can put in scores and stuff. I'm sure he pings his share of them as well; it's his decision to "game" the game in that manner.

my only gripe is about how too many people just simply refuse to *try* and instead take the easy way out.

I've picked up 4 prox kills defending CVs. In each case, I chased the attacker right into the ack, getting pings but not enough to kill him. I have never tried to conceal this, as my fellow Rooks will attest. However, I score all CV CAP flights as attack missions specifically to isolate proxy kills from my fighter score. Gentlemen, there's nothing worse than BS'ing one's self. By the way, I've been shot down by friendly AI ack pursuing cons that way. I also do not deny using the CV as bait. In fact, I like nothing more than hordes of Ju 88s trying to get into torpedo range, or suicide jabos too single-minded or too heavy to avoid my Wildcat diving in. Moreover, I fly the SBD extensively from carriers. In addition, I’m not adverse to taking an A-20 or Bostons on a milk run to pad my bomber score a bit. I’m open about such things, I hide nothing. Fatz and I were defending a CV last evening, we landed about 10 kills each. None were proxy. If you think this is easy work, try it sometime. You’re always out-numbered, dealing with high and low cons, while avoiding the fighters who take runs at you while you chase down low flying Lancs or strafe PTs. Moreover, you cannot afford to dawdle for long with one or two cons, cause there’s 5 more coming in….. If only more people would help CAP carriers…..

My regards,
Widewing

Widewing · « **Reply #38 on:** September 10, 2002, 04:42:35 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Urchin
We've got different opinions on what makes a pilot good then Widewing. I'll never decline a 1v1 fight. If a Spit V dives on me when I'm in a P-47, I'll turn into the attack and go around with him a couple times. If I haven't killed him by then, then it is time to run away and put a little alt under me, and come back.

Avoiding a fight isn't what makes you good. True, if this was 'real life' and we were really going to die if we got shot down, then avoiding a fight would be the smart thing to. As it is, it is merely boring.

Urchin, I don't avoid fights, ask NHLAWMAN about our FM-2/La-7 brawl last night. I DO avoid situations where getting ganged will be the end result. I will withdraw and reposition to eliminate a disadvantage, but I will be back, with the tactical edge in my favor. Common sense stuff.

My regards,

Widewing

Sachs · « **Reply #39 on:** September 10, 2002, 04:47:25 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by aac
best in a certain plane catagory:

AGJ44 = any LW plane co-alt or above me (oops twice I'm dead)

Why thank you for the nomination. Been flying in Ah for 2 years and have never been nominated for anything lol. Guess I am an unknown

Want to keep it that way as well.

AGJV44

eskimo2 · « **Reply #40 on:** September 10, 2002, 04:47:45 PM »

The logic behind “The AH ranking/score system means nothing” voice:

“I know some players who are ranked pretty low even though they really are very good.”
“I know some players who don’t seem all that good, yet they are ranked very high”
“Therefore, the AH ranking/score system must be porked and meaningless.”

Well, the first two statements are often very true. The conclusion, however, is a bit naïve and simplified.
For many folks, the ranking/score system is a game within itself. For those who choose to play the ranking game, ranking is very meaningful and reasonably accurate. It does not show who is the best, but it does show who PLAYED the best! There are plenty of very good players who do play for rank, and outranking THEM is no easy task. Over the years I have read dozens, if not hundreds, of players state that the AH ranking/score system means nothing. They often state that they suck and they made it into the top 50 (or whatever) with just a little bit of effort, so therefore it must not be that hard to rank even higher. Easy to say, but just try to outrank Fester, Ypsilon, Mitsu, CUCKOO, AKNimitz, winqck, or even Fariz J when they are giving it all they’ve got. Not so easy once you actually try.

Its just like saying, “Anyone could get a 100 kill streak, all you gotta do is Bla bla bla.”. Easy to say, very few can prove that they can however.

* The mistake that can be made in regards placing value on the ranking/score system is to assume that everyone is playing the raking game, and taking it to the same degree of seriousness.

* Players who do not play for rank at all, are almost always ranked considerably low, especially in overall rankings.

· The AH ranking/score system places great value on well roundedness. Players who do it all tend to rank high.

· The AH ranking/score system tells nothing about what kind of situation each player seeks, or avoids.

eskimo

poopster · « **Reply #41 on:** September 10, 2002, 04:52:56 PM »

Quote

Flying one on one or two on two proves little

Now we're talking Widewing

In the MA envirement yes you probably are correct "if" and only if, flying for score is what your about.

The ability to survive and kill in the MA is an art form, and it's something I work on, but have limited success.

If you fly for the fights, advantage is a very loose term. There you may enter a 1 on 1 or 1 on 2 fight, for the fight only. Knowing you'll die one way or the other, get low, someone or a group will jump in.

The "fight" is what you miss if you fly only for score. And to each his own on how they fly. Some could care less about either, it's all about winning the war ( that never ends )

A very good example of the "fight" is downloadable from hblairs post on another thread. I'll wouldn't trade those kind of fights for anything.

Those "fights" you remember.

I would be more inclined to ask who is the most dangerous pilot.

Dangerous pilots are born fighting in the pits. One versus many, over and over again.

Dangerous pilots can "score" if the mood strikes but from what I've seen they're more prone to get in a 47 wade into a furball, get slow and start killing people

Being born and bred in the pits, then getting good at it, flying for score would be very boring.

Saw 18 go down on "one" sortie with a dangerous pilot fighting in the pits in a 109. A thing of beauty to watch.

I'll never be able to do the score thing, not that I don't try. If it's a one on one, even if he has the plane and the altitude I'm going for it. And I win them on occasion.

Maybe not as often as I would like

..but I'll do my best to make it a tussel.

It's the float boater thingy.

Animal · « **Reply #42 on:** September 10, 2002, 04:54:47 PM »

No matter what you people think of him Nath will own 99% of you in a 1on1

Urchin · « **Reply #43 on:** September 10, 2002, 05:15:00 PM »

Nath kicks bellybutton 1v1... he's literally the best I've ever seen.

SKurj · « **Reply #44 on:** September 10, 2002, 05:46:00 PM »

i'd have thought my silence might have earned me something...

The one guy who has a hard time shuttin up....

SKurj