I got a couple cents and a dog in this fight, so I'm gonna say what I think of all this.
FesterMA is, if nothing else, a bundle of action packed excitement. It's interesting in the little strange and mischievious features found there, like some vehicle bases so close together they can have an ack duel. And the spawn points that provide a form of tank town action, spread across the map (we all know how Fester loves to camp). There's so much going on all the time a person must try hard to get bored.
About the vulching and suicidal jabos: So what if it doesn't affect everyone else (you ain't gonna stop it anyway)? Why should one be bothered by what's what's going on somewhere in a sector far far away? It's only a problem when the red tide marches across the map devouring bases as it goes. We haven't seen this yet, and quite honestly, I haven't seen it much in the past few weeks. Maybe some of the discussion here has had an impact.
About the buffers. In a strategic sense, missions should be long and daring. This is one of the forms of game play that mimmics real life, and Ploesti wasn't a cake walk. IMHO, the strat targets shouldn't be located within spitting distance, for then something hard to achieve turns into a common occurance. There have been times I've played for days without seein a red radar blip. But if a buff driver needs purpose, what better purpose than killing CVs, massive GV raids, or the cities?
Speaking of cities, placing these at vehicle bases was a master stroke. Gone are the days when vehicle bases would drop like flies. One of the problems I have with bases so far is the lack of defense there. I'd like to see Fester add three times as many field guns and some dummy VHs to complicate capture.
There is something for everyone in FesterMA, if one would look for it rather than be bothered because someone else is doing something you don't like.
Each terrain has it's own flavor and character. None is one size fits all. Like Trinity and Big Isles, Fester's terrain has provided a new dimension in AH game play. I thank Fester for all the work he did to give it to us.