How gangbanging shapes the MA.

[Chaos68]

do you think a pilot in wwII went up squeaking because there were too many enemys?

If you dont like the gangbang then fly with a wingman.

When i go up alone i try to stick with someone else that way we can cover each other.

There has been times when i was on patrol and i see one of my friends with his plane smoking with 3 boggies on his tail. At times like that i would swooop down and try to get the enemey off his tail and on to mine. That way i can try and drag them away from the cripled friendly plane so he can land.

if you dont like it then fly in a group.

[StSanta]

Here's the trick.

If those dweebs are gangbanging all the time - the Grünherzjägers will go on the prowl.

We'll select a target, a base where activity is low, and then hit it hard. They'll be forced to defend it or lose it.

Soon, the gangbang is there, if we do not take the field. So, we go somewhere else.

It is true that there are now more massive engagements - but we got almost three times as many players as in the "good old days".

When flying in a squad, I can usually find plenty of good fights. Usually we're a bit outnumbered, but as we fight in a squad with RW, we're more effective than a bunch guys flying with no coordination.

Squad flying adds about 200% of fun to Aces High for me.

[Seeker]

While I often meet some great pilots, or pilot pairs (Kieran's never alone, Pepe always has friends, Fester's so schizoid he's a one man squad anyway), the only squad I can identify by sight is the 13 TAS.

If I go screaming into a furball, look up and see four dots holding formation through the dance, I know I'm screwed long before the icons come into view and say "P-51".

Individualy they may blow monkey chunks, but they're the only guys I've seen in AH performing in the mutually supportive role that a squad should offer.

Far too often most "Squad ops" are one bezerker-killer with an over worked wingman trying to keep him alive (but I'm not bitter... ).

I find it hilarously ironic that the same guys I see complaining about killshooter are the same guys I see in a conger line after every sub 5K bandit....You have to wonder if they ever actually think about what they're doing.

[popeye]

With the influx of new players, it seems that even the "out of the way" fights have turned into gangbangs.  My biggest problem with this is the strain it puts on frame rates.

Maybe there will be more interest in the CT by those looking for lower <cough> density fights.

[K West]

1v1 is easy to find in H2H or thru prearranged engagments with others. I do have to snicker at the never ending whine some have about being gangganged or not being able to find a "gentlemans duel" in what is essentially a MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER combat arena. A place where there are anywhere from a low of 80 folks to a high of 350plus online at any time.

 Westy

[Kweassa]

Just rest easy and take it as a challenge, mates. In the prime-time here in Asia, the tables are turned. It's generally like 50 Bish, 30 Knits and 25 Rooks(I seem to notice the Knits always land in second place, whenever the time zone..). Rooks who fly with me in that time zone have come to naturally detest[/i] the Bishops   .

 In our case, most of the people flying AH in asia are Japanese folks, and somehow(dunno... maybe they shared informations?), the JP pilots from AW seemed to have just engraved themselves with the Bishops(which, from my experience, had most JP pilots before AW closed). T'was a pity, because JP pilots are in most of the cases very talented, and we Rooks could sure use some new good pilots from AW  

 .. but I digress.

 If you stray a bit from the thought of actually trying to get a kill, I find flying just as interesting and enjoyable. Yeah, it's probably some psychological defense mechanism(  ), but anyway, I try to see what I can do in such gangbang conditions. My goal became to fight and to survive, and kills aren't necessarily the prime objective.

 I try to fly with few of my friends, fly high over a gangbanged base, and drive the new incoming bangers low for our furball luvin' folk to kill. It's really good if I can get some kills before I drive all of them down low, but if I can't.. oh well, at least I've done my part. Recently, I've tried to designate my role as a high alt CAPS/buff hunter, and though it isn't as stimulating as fighter combat, it did give me some alternative things to enjoy when numbers were against you.

 ...
 
 What I'm suggesting is, try to relax, and try to find some other important elements of combat you may enjoy. I mean, the air war wasn't just about fighters and fighters.. it was also about how to stop buffs, how to distract people, tactics.. etc etc..

 Ultimately the problem lies in with uneven numbers, and it needs to be looked into... but until then.. let's try to enjoy as much as we can  

[ 11-19-2001: Message edited by: Kweassa ]

[Karnak]

I agree with Wotan's initial premise, we need bigger maps now that we have these kinds of numbers.

On the maps that we have the forces are too concentrated and thuf make it much harder on the 1942-1943 stuff compared to when the MA was less crowded.

I would love to see what these numbers feel like on a bigger playing field.

[Nifty]

come on, can't you guys go back to whining about the N1K2's?  

IMO, the La7 is the best plane for the low alt gangbangs.  The La7 shines below 10,000ft.  Hell, above that it's WEP doesn't even work.  Keep the majority of your moves in the vertical in the La7 and you'll be nearly untouchable in the furball (save for another La7 or a Yak, but when do you see Yaks anymore?  oh, and those that hover above the furball and dive in from about 10000ft above, they can get ya at the top of your reverse.)   All the Spits can do is go defensive in a 3 v 1, IMO.  I'll come out of that 3 v 1 with some kills in a Spit though, if the people attacking me don't work together.  If all 3 come at once, it's easy to evade and get a snapshot off.  If it's staggered where as soon as I get one to overshoot there's another coming in with a gun solution, I'm gonna have to evade him too.  Then the 3rd comes in, evade him, then it repeats with the 1st.  Usually this isn't the case tho.  They all rush to be the one to get the kill, and they screw up.

This tour I'm flying the La7 and Spit V mostly.  Not doing that bad either.  

[Am0n]

I think the biggest problem is the greediness of the pilots in the MA.

Ohhh so many times have i either seen this happen or had it happen to me. Ill have 5-6 enemies on my 6 and searching for friendlies will find 6 of them chasing some unluckly enemy bastard. I my self have been the 6 chasing the 1 enemy, its a huge problem.

This happens to me a lot due to how i make my attacks, ill come in high and try to intersect some of the lower enemies that are heading for the furball. Most times after a series of BNZ attacks its time to bug out to the nearest hoard of friendlies.

When i arrive ill find them all chasing 1 AC, ill hand out 6 calls hoping that one of them checks and sees my misfortune, in some cases the good sticks will break off and give a fellow rook a hand. but the perk/kill hungry could care less, they are probably thinking(yes they think i belive), "they are not on my six, they are on yours why are you 6 calling me??" lol  

This type of "team play" (use the term loosely) is unaviodable with the current rooster of players in the MA. Most of the rookies have one thing on there mind and thats landing a kill, and the easiest way to achive that is to gang up.

Maybe we should clue them in on how easy it is to get a kill when you are clearing someones six? thats probably how i land 70% of mine.

If you want good fights, with even numbers i recomend going very high, because even if you find your self out numbered you got plenty of altitude to toy with.


<S>

[AKDejaVu]

The N1K2 has more kills against fighters than the La-7.

AKDejaVu

[Kieran]

I have taken to flying Yaks, and I fear no La7.  

To the gentleman regarding the "unbeatable spit"- I disagree. Spits are easy to beat, or avoid. You have to screw up royally to get caught by one (in a Yak). The best turndy-burndy planes won't rule in an arena like the MA- speed and firepower rule.

I fly alone a lot. I go where the action is because I won't be on long. I call 6's and clear them, fight til I'm out ammo then run like hell. I have managed a few 1 vs. 1's this way, but true enough more often than not it is a massive furball action near some field.

We have many new people here, and the population density has clearly risen. This is good, because there should be action about anywhere anytime. The game IS changing, but is it changing for the worse? I don't think so.

After the discussion on the use of buffing, I decided to take a Mossie up for a few runs. I was helping to destroy a city, so I dropped the load, used the ammo, then rtb'd. I returned and indeed much of what I'd done was undone- but no matter. This time there were more with me, and we did a more thorough job. The goon was following close behind, and we got the city. Would I have cared if we hadn't? Not one bit. I'd accomplished what I wanted to do from the beginning; I went into a hot zone, fought my way in and out, killed the city, clipped a couple fighters, and returned safe and sound. It was fun, and would have been fun regardless of the outcome of the capture.

If you up in a red zone, you're gonna get raped. If you haven't figured this one out, buy some KY, you'll need it. If you want to avoid the gangbang, that is simple too- just don't up there or go near it.

The game is bound to change- either it continually does so or it dies.

[Sachs]

Not sure on this one.  I had some of the best 1-1 fights last night <S> Math in his F6F.  I was able to find quite a few, I just look on hte dar bar and look for a single dot once I find it I head there if I lose well so be it.  The gang banging has been around for quite sometime now, and with the influx of more people flying these maps which at first seemed huge now are rather small.  I think it might be wise to increase the playing area and spread the action around some.  This is really the only viable option to reduce gang banging.

[K West]

"the only viable option to reduce gang banging."

 Point blank: Arena size doesn't gang bang people, people gang bang people

 The arena size matters not one bit at all. Niether does having three countries. You could have four thousand bases for four countries. The combat will always be found over a small area of turf which will be found on the edge territoy between any two or more countries.  And folks simply tend to gravitate towards where they are sure they will perservere and that is where thier numbers match or exceed the enemy. Well most folks do. Save the few muh-roons (been known to be one myself <G> ) who somehow consistantly spawn into a sea of red  

 And just for the record, imo, attacks made in the rear or far from any fighting on undefended basers by weak wristed 'limply pat your self on the back for another fine milkrunning porkfest' types is not "combat" in my book.

 Westy

[gatt]

Yes, Sachs is right. One of the good things of our 2001 radar system is that you can pick your 1vs1 fight. You can even guess if it is a fighter or a buff from the speed it moves at on the map. Moreover, if you take a look at the radar while engaged you can even be prepared before an other enemy dot could appear. Add to this a good SA and there are a few excuses.

If you get gangbanged is your fault

It should be stone carved in the Main Arena door.

Sometimes I accept to be ganganged: its when I defend an attacked airfield taking off directly there. Then I take an angle fighter with 25% fuel and off I go. Fun  

[Seeker]

What may possibly spread out the fights is to up the perk value of resupply targets (trains etc).

I think this would lead to more dispersion as the perk farmers go train hunting and get bounced all over the map.