Respect is earned and a two way street.
Just as in AW there is always a small group (normally 10%) who talk the loudest, post the most and just think way to much of themselves in the game.
The other 90% are just a buncha dudes up trying to relax and have fun with the game. They also look at some changes as new challenges while other dudes think "ohmygawd, the gameplay is bad now!". Really? That bad? Did anyone notice it doesn't ruin the majority of the players gameplay in the least? They enjoy themselves. They normally don't get bored. When they do they take a break and not tell everyone how bored they are.
IMHO this is absolutely no different than AW. Well, maybe a little different regarding the game itself. Graphics are better, more planes ( too small

), the programmers stay up on bug fixes, the game continues to evolve.
Personally, I've never had any problems with younger people playing the game but I am not their parents nor a babysitter for those few that need one. When peer pressure does not work, and we see that all the time both on the boards and the arenas, then management needs to moderate it.
The game is what you make of what's presented to you to play with and the people who make up the player base. Unfortunately, some Company's don't have time to keep a pulse on the feelings of the majority of the players and end up listening to vocal clueless few. When that happens it can have a negative effect and there becomes a tendency to push the average person way from the game. Most folks have a tolerance for the garbage of the select few but only up to a point. And no matter how good the game is they don't need the hassles. Those who are in silent majority will leave and no one even notices except maybe the management due to a loss of accounts. Sometimes they figure that out in time to save accounts. Sometimes not.
For the most part with us older vets the vocal minority have never earned our respect and they are ignored. Oh yeah, a vet with 2 or 3 years is only a vet to a noob

. We only speak up when we see those few trying to push people away from this great game. Hopefully the newby's look to the older vets and ignore those few too and just get up, fly and enjoy the game.
I was flying at the demise of DOS AW, MAC AW, AOL AW and all the rest of the AW's and flew alot of betas for them. The Damned were also a presence flying in every fighter sim game throughout the history of online dogfighting. There are also many other folks from other squads who have been around almost as long here is AH2.
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Ren
The Damned