OK, define "furball"...

[-lazs-]

I like to get all my boogey men out from under the bed an into the light so..... What exactly is this "furball" thing?   It is apparently a great evil... A "dweeby" thing that lacks any semblance of skill.   It is also apparent that "furballing" is any time that more than two planes are engaged in combat.   Oddly.... it seems that shooting down someone who is getting a beer from the fridge is the hight of skill while keeping track of multiple friends and foes in a (to use a WWII term)  "melee" is dweeby?  

Obviously, I have missed the subtle evil of.... Dare I even say the word?    Furballs!
lazs

[Gman]

Furball = Hangtime's Cat.    BAHAHAHA!

[Gadfly]

It is not Dweeby, it just get's old.


Lizking

[StSanta]

Furballing isn't dweeby. It's fun.

Doing it when your target is to capture an enemy field, however, is  .



------------------
StSanta
9./JG 54 "Grünherz"
while(!bishRookQueue.isEmpty() && loggedOn()){
30mmDeathDIEDIEDIE(bishRookQueue.removeFront());
System.out.println("LW pilots are superior");
myPlane.performVictoryRoll();
}

[SFRT - Frenchy]

I usually avoid furballs, that's why I prefer the big maps, the beta terrain is too small and invites to them. But take a niki and going furballing is good for blowing off steam, I recognize it.

[Nash]

Furball = ultimate test of SA. Has been known to cause many a toejam-eatin' grin on my face.

Say YES to the fur!

[Midnight]

A furball is my favorite thing to see when I am high and fast in my Mustang. It makes it easy for me to zoom through, select a target that is unaware of my presence and send him down flaming.

In other words, all you Spitty driving, 109 flying, tight-turning stall fighters, keep up the good work. I love the setups  

------------------
"Wing up, Get kills, Be happy"

Midnight
13th TAS

[bowser]

I guess some people give furballing a bad name by continually flying and dying...rinse and repeat.  They don't care if they live or not, realism is not a factor for them and some people can't understand "playing" like that.  Not me, I think to kill and live in a furball sure takes a lot more skill then booming and zooming.  Maybe not smarter, but certainly a lot tougher  .

bowser

[-lazs-]

Hmmm... still no definitions..  We do know that it is not dweeby it just "get's old".   That's fine... everything get's old but all you would have to do is not participate... certainly no reason for vehemence...

Ok, I'll try... A furball is anytime the enemy sees you.   A furball is (air) combat between 2 or more planes.   Furballs seem to cause dying which is a dweeby thing but, obviously.... K/D is not the measure of dweeby dying... Perhaps it is the time it takes to die?   Maybe, sorties per death?   Or, fun/hour ... too much fun per hour = dweeby furballing?   Perhaps, kills or deaths  per hour?   A high number of either kills or deaths per hour meaning dweeby furballing?
lazs

[funked]

Really big furballs rock.  I wish we had more of them.  By far the best way to build SA.  Go in low and slow and see if you can stay alive.  The biggest furballs I see in AH are in scenarios.  I've got a film of a merge from the Libya, 1942 scenario where we had 38 planes merging at about 15k.  That was a blast!!!

[This message has been edited by funked (edited 11-20-2000).]

[Fury]

My own definition of furball:

A group of planes, around 5 or more, who are dogfighting just to dogfight, with the only objective being to shoot the other guy down.  Furballs usually end up 5k or less.

For me the critical difference to call it a furball is the apparent objective: dogfighting for the sake of dogfighting.  Doing it away from any bases (or sometimes, even near a base).  A melee of planes flying around without a clear objective.  This definition is only slightly different than a furball over a field, where your objective is to cap the field, or on the other hand, remove the cap.  To me, classic furballing is fighter vs. fighter, with nobody trying to take a base or defend a base; just a gaggle of planes shooting it out.  Little-to-no coordination on either side, every man for himself, with the occasional wingman tactic.

Furballs are fun, if that's what you are looking for in your game.  I like them from time to time.  

Fury

[Westy]

 Funked said it well.

 For me, furballs are when many people get together, get slap happy and smack each other around till there is one or none left standing. Be it that the "furball" lasts ten minutes or three hours. (Or until Joe-Blow two week trial zips in over head in his Lancaster of Doom and ruins it for both sides). Multi-plane engagements, furballs, are a blast. And I don't care who calls it what. It's my $29.95 per month and if they want to call it baking the noodle then they can call baking the noolde.  I have fun, baking the noodle.  
 
    - One Helluva Good Dweeb Westy

[100% natural. No additives or artificial sweeteners added]

[Apache]

Furball:

Flying a typhoon near A37 just after a jabo run on V41, 8k level flight, outside gun banks empty, heading home. Suddenly, vis an enemy 190 at 10 o'clock, co-alt. He goes for the HO, I roll over, dive slightly after he passes, then zoom and reverse. This happens twice more but on the third pass, I am watching the 190 as he reverses quickly (ya sneaky bastidge   ) instead of extending so I firewall the typhoon and extend away, diving a little to get him closer to the deck. I figure I have an advantage over the 190 down there. I dip port wings to check below me and I see hazed in his 190 with a 109 on his 6! Well here we go! I have a hot 190 on my arse and I am diving after the 109 to try to clear hazeds' 6. Round and round all 4 of us go, twisting, turning, chandelle's, half cuban eights (those are fun low and slow, hehe),scissors, you name it, we did it, man! I finally find myself close on the 109's 6 and light him up. Didn't kill him right away, but smoked him good and made him leave the fight. Good enough for me. I think he attempted to ditch but the kill was awarded to me. I start looking for that pesky 190 again. Lol, hazed has him zeroed in and caps him. Hazed and I head for home.

That was a furball!

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Apache
=XO= VMF-323 Death Rattlers
VMF 323 Death Rattlers Web Site

[This message has been edited by Apache (edited 11-20-2000).]

[Torque]

Thought it was one of those ugly hair dwarfs cats tend to hack up occasionally.?

[-lazs-]

hmm funked... have to take a look at them there scenario thingies.   In the OTHER sim... scenarios were just a bunch of people waiting around or flying endless formations with maybe one fight in an hour.

as for flying around with no other purpose than to dogfite.... I would claim that dogfiting was the purpose of fighters.   Even under the pretense of escorting or attacking bombers the real purpose was.... to kill fighters.    Many sorties were designed simply to attack and kill other fighters and the target of choice for fighters was allways..... other fighters.   With no particular 'purpose' other than to kill another fighter.

Apache has described a furball perfectly to me.   I can see tho where that kind of excitement should be avoided as it could lead to too much fun.
lazs

[This message has been edited by -lazs- (edited 11-20-2000).]