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General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: fscott on January 25, 2001, 11:45:00 PM

Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: fscott on January 25, 2001, 11:45:00 PM
The more I think about the perk system and the planned cost of perks (50 to 2000), the more I'm liking it. Some are worried perhaps about having an arena full of perks, but I doubt it very much. I've got over 1000 kills this tour and still only 900+ points.

1 - Perk pilots will not HO. HO will be too dangerous and risky, and such a waste of good hard earned points.  However, a HO is always going to be a good possibility for the perk hunter.

2 -  Perk pilots will not throw theirselves aimlessly into a fray of planes. Again too risky, unless you can b&z from a good altitude.

3 - Perk pilots will maintain very high altitudes. These will be the dots you see at 40k right above your airfield.

4 - Perk pilots will fly together. Promoting teamwork tactics, something we so lack in the arena.

5 - Perk pilots will run, run, run, run, run, run. Self-explanatory.

6 - Perk pilots will not enagage more than 2 pilots within the same vicinity. I don't see it, unless you as a perk pilot have very good alt advantage.

7 - Perk pilots will only be seen when absolutely necessary. I doubt you see a perk taking off from a bandit capped airfield.

These may not apply to everyone, but I think the smart guys will follow along these lines.

fscott
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Swoop on January 26, 2001, 12:08:00 AM
In other words any perk plane pilot will fly like he's in a runstang and be a total wuss.

Personally I'd disagree with most of the above since my motives for playing this game is to have fun and not spend days flying around trying to find a lone 202 to kill.

Get stuck in son, that's what I say.

Swoop
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: fscott on January 26, 2001, 12:17:00 AM
Well, if you want to fly an Arado 234 or a P51H or a ta152, you will have to fly around looking for that one lone 202, otherwise, your flight in a perk will not last long.

fscott
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Hangtime on January 26, 2001, 01:12:00 AM
Depends on the pilot I think. Doubtfull yer average furballing tail chaser will be re-born a Bubi Hartmann when he gets a Ta152.

While FScotts list reads like a op plan for a score hound; most of the guys in here wanna fight.. not run.

When I buy my perk plane; you find me using it.. not hoarding it.



------------------
Hang
1st/AG "Bishlanders"  << Recruiting!!
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: flakbait on January 26, 2001, 01:56:00 AM
Hang, you might see that as the Oplan for a score-monkey but it's also a good plan to keep your perk ride. You might get 900+ kills per tour, maybe even per week. Remember something about those guys you're shooting down. Some aren't all that good, others can't get that many kills due to time constraints. And yeah, some are plain chickens. No matter which way you cut it, the guy who saved up for a whole tour just to hop into a Tempest or Ar.234 won't blow it. He'll play it safe, kill when he can, and dodge anyone trying to get him. You might go diving into an HQ to strafe it with a Tempest but he won't. He saved too hard for those points just to lose both them and the plane to some Ack Weenie.

Guys that rack up the perk points can afford to blow them on anything they want. If you lost an Ar.234 on a bombing run, odds are you'll just jump in your fav ride and rack up more points. People who aren't that good won't be able to recover that quickly.

Unless HT and Pyro have a surprise for us in the form of perked vehicles, we're still short one specialist area. I remember taking P21 all by my lonesome with one other guy in a goon. I leveled the ack with my tank, he zipped in and took the place. Expert tankers don't have any perk ride, but that'll change soon enough.

Also, a "Perk Point Bank" would be a nice addition. You could give points to someone who needs them or just give away extra points you've hoarded up. Say you've got three squaddies that can't be beat in a bomber. You've got a great City raid all planned out...Minor problem: your buff experts don't have enough points. So you con other squad mates into giving away enough points to those bomber nuts so you can pull the raid off. Even if it was only inter-squad point swapping it would help.


-----------------------
Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta 6's Flight School (http://www.worldaccessnet.com/~delta6)
Put the P-61B in Aces High
"During the Battle of Britain the question 'fighter or fighter-bomber?'
had been decided once and for all: The fighter can only be used as a bomb carrier
with lasting effect when sufficient air superiority has been won." Adolph Galland

 (http://www.worldaccessnet.com/~delta6/htbin/custom1.jpg)
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: StSanta on January 26, 2001, 04:50:00 AM
dudes.

If I fly a Ta-152, Ill fly it like I fly the other rides now.

Wussying out is for Crybabies.



------------------
Baron Claus "StSanta" Von Ribbentroppen
9./JG 54 "Grünherz"
(http://us.st5.yimg.com/store4.yimg.com/I/demotivators_1619_4916770)
"I don't necessarily agree with everything I think." - A. Eldritch
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: gatt on January 26, 2001, 05:17:00 AM
8 - What a sad life for perk-pilots  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: -duma- on January 26, 2001, 10:20:00 AM
I think I'll just end up flying the Tempest like I did the Typhoon in the pre-Yak days - rush into any furball, out the other side, and don't bother looking back  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Kieren on January 26, 2001, 11:00:00 AM
Fscott-

Sounds - like - a - blast, no - really - I - mean - it...

This is the reason I don't care about score or any of this perk business. "The smart pilots" will fly this way... sheesh. Grab your "War and Peace" and fly Aces High looking for points. It can go on just fine without me, no problemo.

If by some miracle I ever do acquire a wonder ride I will lose it post-haste, 'cause I'll be damned if I am going to conduct high altitude perfomance tests just so I can tour the AH landscape in a more exotic ride than anyone else. Give me a good ol' fashion game of "Smear the Queer" (not a reference to homosexuality, it refers to an ad hoc game of keep away where the person carrying the ball is tackled mercilessly- schoolyard stuff of legends).  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: fscott on January 26, 2001, 12:26:00 PM
Oh my look at all the balls everyone has, too bad they don't show it in the arena!

It's funny most everyone here is saying how they gonna just dive into any old furball with their perk ride..I would put money on the fact that you fellas will do just the opposite. Tell me, after it's taken you 1 1/2 tours to acquire 2000 perk points to fly an Me262 (or whatever will cost that much), your just gonna dive right into any old furball you see that's the closest?  

Naw... $100 says your gonna take a few passes over the top at about 30k then find a few stragglers, b&z, and then run, climb to 20k, look over your shoulder, above your shoulder to make sure no one was diving on you. Then your stalking will start over again.

The same wil apply to a 1000 point perk. Heck, we see it all too often now. P51D driver's who will run for 3 sectors just so he can turn around on you once he reaches ack-mamma. Naw...now way, no can do, nadda, sorry, too bad, nadda-gonna-happen. Any perk driver gonna play it safe.  It takes too dang long to acquire a ride only to lose it by some cheap hispano deflection shot.

fscott
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Wanker on January 26, 2001, 12:36:00 PM
It won't matter, fscott. The Perk Punk(tm) will control the battle as long as they have fuel. But as soon as they need to slow down and land.... their bellybutton is mine!   (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/biggrin.gif)



[This message has been edited by banana (edited 01-26-2001).]
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Westy on January 26, 2001, 01:01:00 PM
"It's funny most everyone here is saying how they gonna just dive into any old furball with their perk ride.."

  I will.  Not like I do now with a Zeke for low alt base defense work but I mean what the heck good is the ride if it can't be scratched?
  And I've spent far too much time working very hard to be the aircombat dweeb that I am. Certainly not about to go and waste all those years of training and try to learn a new cautious and consciencous way of fighting.  No sirree bob, I'm not able nor can I change my M.O. overnight that's for sure.

  -Westy

[This message has been edited by Westy (edited 01-26-2001).]
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Fariz on January 26, 2001, 01:18:00 PM
So (if we will continue your logic) as soon as pilot will get a perk plane he will close his AH account just for not to lose his plane  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)

No doubt, that most of pilots would risk less while with their perk ride, but not to the level of absurd you described.

Fariz
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: ygsmilo on January 26, 2001, 01:31:00 PM
How many perk drivers that run from fights will get their country mates to cover for them while they land?

I for one will be diving into the ack for the chance to kill perk punks(tm).

------------------
Milo
3./JG2
"Swager's Angels"

[This message has been edited by ygsmilo (edited 01-26-2001).]
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Nash on January 26, 2001, 01:33:00 PM
Test™

(if this works, it's option-two on a mac. Not much help, I know   (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif) )

---- edit -----

Oh sure.... edit out yer question why don't ya.  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)

[This message has been edited by Nash (edited 01-26-2001).]
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: F4UDOA on January 26, 2001, 01:52:00 PM
I brought this up a while ago in reference to the Perk Jocks never dropping below 20K. Which really raises some interesting questions.

1. A/C such as the Tempest have there best performance characteristics under 25K. If these fights range higher, 30K= then they will find themselves at the mercy of "stock" P-47D-25/30's which have perk type performance at those alts. This may force some perk planes to lower alts where their performance shines making it easier to bounce them, but on their terms.

2. These perk planes that have cousins already in the planeset will be at an advantage compared to those that don't. Such as the P-51H will still be identified as a plain old P-51 on the range icon but a Tempest or Arado will standout.

3. Will "Perk Hunter Dweeb" be the new catch phrase of AH? Probably, considering the points from these birds will be higher than most.

4. Range will play a considerable role in the perk world. If you are in a Arado or Me-262 you can run but you can't hide. Your short range will enable people to follow you from a distance and wait for a landing. Then take a kamikaze plunge for perk points.

Anyway it's sounds like fodder for the message board cannons for a while.

[This message has been edited by F4UDOA (edited 01-26-2001).]
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: SwampRat on January 26, 2001, 03:06:00 PM
I don't really think the perks are going to change things all that much with the exception that more folks are gonna have to start flying smarter to:
1) Keep thier ride
2) Earn thier ride
If there are any major changes brought about by perking, I figure they will most likely be good ones.
Swamp
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Kieren on January 26, 2001, 03:22:00 PM
I happily stand by my comment. I dove my F4U-1D into the big Bish raid on 10 last night (along with AKDjV and one other pilot) and did the best I could against what appeared to be 10-12 F4U-1C's.

Yup, I died. And I would do it again. It was a lot more fun than cruising around looking for just the right person to bounce. Guess I'll never have a perk...
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: AKDejaVu on January 26, 2001, 03:32:00 PM
Yep.. that was fun Kieren.  There was definately no lack of aircraft to engage at A10 during that attack.  BTW.. thanks again for not filling that de-winged spit with lead.  I was in a 1D too and it would have been very easy to deprive me of a kill.

Also, I noticed the "major attack inbound on A10... need help!" message (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)  The only real difference was nobody got on the comms and slammed the rest of the knits for not helping.  <S>

AKDejaVu

Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Kieren on January 26, 2001, 04:17:00 PM
Yes, it was a blast, enjoyed watching you work there!

That is the way I call for help; location, alt, size of raid, etc. I might repeat once in case someone missed the buffer, but after that I feel anyone that is coming is there. No need to yell.  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Maverick on January 26, 2001, 04:28:00 PM
Perk points and planes will do more to unbalance the game than have the chog and osty combined. The way it is set up now, the "best AH gamers" (you can use pilots if you wish) will be the ones to get the most rewards. On the face of it, it sounds neat. Think about it a bit though. If you are already one of the best gamers in the game, why would they "need" a perk plane with increased performance? This will simply make those who game the best virtually untouchable.

I have read the blurbs about following a perk plane and catching it as it lands. If you think about it, the perk pilot will not wait for his fuel to get critical before  landing, particularly with refuel / rearm points on every field. They will scream off and land at a base deep in their territory and either go to the tower or take off again before you can get close enough to attack. If there are few "deep" bases they will save the perk ride for later.

IMO the perk system will do nothing but raise the difference between the "good gamers" and those who are new, less skilled or don't care to make the game their life.


Mav
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: LJK Raubvogel on January 26, 2001, 04:41:00 PM
I agree Maverick, I don't have time to fly for 100's of hours a month and rack up thousands of kills. This thing called RealLife® keeps getting in the way.

------------------
LJK_Raubvogel
LuftJägerKorps (http://www.luftjagerkorps.com)

 (http://raubvogel.tripod.com/signew.gif)

[This message has been edited by LJK Raubvogel (edited 01-26-2001).]
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: TailLights on January 27, 2001, 05:03:00 AM
I've just excited about Perk planes but after reading this thread, I understand perk system would not easily satisfy everyone.

Still, I'm on the side of perk points and plane.


hmmm... but if perk system can be another 'unbalancing factor' as Maveric pointed... It can be serious problem. (Well, this tour, I could hardly flying 7 hours yet.I won't have any perk-thing to save/ride  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)

My imagination ...

What if perk points are not limited to his own plane/planeset? what if perk points can be used/needed for mission designs. and ALL Perk planes like P51H, Arado, can only be selected via a Mission.

Who got enough Perk Point can design a mission with perk points, and others can join such a mission will get a perk plane. If those planes are shot down, the flyer/or the mission designer lose the plane, if landed safely, aircrafts or points can be
retained... etc.

Anyway ...
Generally I agree with perk point idea. ... It will enable us to have a little more 'virtual life to save' feeling about hard earned perk planes.

(But It won't be easy to settle down the system ...  yet another headache for HTC?  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)


tailight
-lyun-

Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: tom666 on January 27, 2001, 06:03:00 AM
I know I`ll be pissed when my 190D get`s gangraped by a whole bunch of bish dweebers.
I do keep track of my perkpoints,and I try to get them by flying the underdogs.It tends to make me a more competitive pilot,which I think the point is.
But I know when them perkplanes come out,good pilots will have more effect on the game by being called in to hairy setuations,in their perkrides ,to save the day.
Ain`t that the point????
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Kieren on January 27, 2001, 11:24:00 AM
I am not against perk points. I am not for them. I just don't care either way.

I am only going to get a few hours a month flying total, nowhere near enough to ever accumulate enough perk points to even earn an uber ride. Even if I do manage somehow to do it, I won't have enough time online to use it in the way described above, and even if I did, it isn't the way I like to fight. In short, it doesn't fill any particular need for me. It doesn't hurt my needs either, so what do I care? It gives the guys who do care something to work for, I suppose that is cool.

Now, if it makes everyone start flying 30K to be above any possible contact, and it therefore becomes impossible for the low-time pilot to find action, then I think the sim in general is in real trouble. I suspect there are enough people like me that won't participate in that type of game all the time, so there should be fights enough to find. No harm, no foul.
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: PakRat on January 27, 2001, 12:59:00 PM
I agree completely with fscott.

The major complaint you hear all the time is how people fly without regard for dying - something that was to be avoided if at all possible in real life (death?). Perk points and perk rides will change that.

I also think that it will promote smarter flying and more team efforts - another very positive aspect that fscott mentions.

And, I guarantee there will be seek and destroy missions to catch the perk rides taking off from rear bases.

I think the perk system will probably polarize the arena a little bit. I think the more experienced and "mature" pilots will welcome the perk planes and prize them when they earn them. The quakers won't care or understand.

But at least there will be an element that flys more realistically, carefully, and with more reason. It will cut down on the number who launch at a capped field only to bleat about getting "vultched". It will also add to the strategy element.

And the last thing is we *still* don't know how much the planes/items/vehicles will cost. These planes may be very precious and expensive. I think the lower-tier planes won't cost that much - for example, the ones that have brothers already in the arena - but ones like the Arado probably will cost.

And that is how it should be. If you trivialize the perk planes, then they aren't really perk planes and the same Quake-style fights will prevail. Make them valuable and capable and there will be a whole new style of fighting show its face. A smarter and more challenging style.

Gotta remember - there will be perk planes on all sides and every perk pilot will be especially hunting other perk pilots.

I think it's great.

------------------
Rape, pillage, then burn...
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: BUG_EAF322 on January 27, 2001, 01:25:00 PM
After i lost my 3000 perkpoint crate.
there will always be the P38 to fly with
 (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: MrSiD on January 27, 2001, 01:56:00 PM
Some players have a special way to play this game already.

Players who, lets say, meet co-alt + E on their own territory you in P47 him in a pony, alt 22k. What he does is not starting to fight, but hard dive down at compression limit.. Dive that continues about 1 minute untill he's ground level and reached the airfield. At this point he finds courage to turn around and attack (assuming that the attacker was foolish enough to follow.)

He makes 1 pass at you, misses, and surprisingly doesnt seem too agressive even though he's semi-protected by his ack.
The explanation comes about 20 seconds later with spotting the a6m that just took off from the field.. He simply waited to have the stall wonder as his backup untill fighting. Then, together, he obviously wasted the P47 like a piece of cake (although the zeke died to the bullets of the P47, it was enough for him to gain advantage.) The pilot who was taught this hard lesson was me at my 1st trial week..

After the fight I was dumbfounded by the pilots cowardice and checked his score to see if he was some newcomer scared to fight me fair. He had something like 200:45 K/D ratio... Everyone can figure now how he obtained that score. I dont want to see that individual getting to a perk plane.. no way.

Of course everyone has their own style of playing the game.. But this kind of heroism ticked me off enough to log off for the night. I generally don't like getting into a fight where the other player will make his best to avoid fighting untill its downright unfair to the opponent. You may say that the point in air combat is to deny the opponent of a fair chance to kill you.. But IMO there's a fine line with superior tactics and with plain cowardice.

There, now I've said it..

Aces High is a great game, to bad you have to deal with the people that play it...  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)

- MrSiD
Title: Perk pilots will/won't
Post by: Kieren on January 27, 2001, 02:19:00 PM
I have often read RWY argue that furballing vs. strat is not an intelligence issue, and I agree. Pak, with all due respect that was pretty condescending stuff. Your choice though, so be it. It does illustrate the point that started this thread; that, while furballers are perfectly willing to play without trying to change the way stratters play, the converse is hardly true. In any event, I'm going to play the game any way that is fun (and fair) at that particular moment. If it isn't fun, it isn't play, right?

MrSid, you sure do see guys like that. Let them have their inflated scores and egos, it doesn't matter for anything in real life. There are plenty of pilots that will give you great fights, like Hangtime, Westy, any of the AK's, etc. I have even run into a new one in the last few days, Ametz. Had the funnest F4U-1D vs. F4U-1D turn fight, 10K to the deck, each waiting for the other to screw up. We've pretty much traded kills, and it is a pleasure to find him.