Originally posted by BTW
What I find in short supply, is not trainers, but "what next?"
So you've read Shaw. So you know what goes up must come down. So you've boiled and busted eggs. What next? How do I pursue a plan? Where do you go from average to the next level. In AW and AH I have not seen anyone teach this. JMO - don't get mad. In the end I've found the answer was to "fight harder" but not how. I have been the target in many training sessions. I have yet to be trained- and thats over 15 years.
Show me films of a player being taken from newbie to a threat. It doesn't exist. Perseverance and ingenuity are the only things I know will get you there. Nobody is going to see you get better than them.
Part of the problem is that while you can tell someone to do something, you can't actually make them do it. Everyone is different. Everyone has different potential. Some guys have a naturally better grasp of their immediate environment.
The next time you drive anywhere, observe the other drivers. Some, no matter how many years they drive, will never be more than dangerous. Many are generally clueless to what's going on around them. You can try to teach them the principles of awareness, you can try to help them have a better grasp of speed and distance, but you cannot step inside their heads and engrave it into their understanding
As trainers, all we can do is provide information and examples. We cannot do any more for the poor pilot than a teacher can do for a slower student. That's why some kids excel at physics and others struggle with simple algebra. All we can do is try to help these people achieve the greatest level they are capable of. If that level is high, great! But, most players are going to be average at best and a number will never even get that good. Those are facts of life, unfortunate, but true.
Nothing anyone teaches you is more valuable than experience. People graduate college every spring with terrific grades, only to prove to be less than capable at a real job because all the education in the world cannot replace basic experience. Recently, my MA squad went to the TA and worked on merges. The fellow I was working with was appalled at how quickly I was able to reverse. Merely explaining it did not help him, he needed to apply what he heard and saw. That takes time and perseverance. He has improved and will continue to do so as long as he works at it. When I first started playing this game, I was in the same position. Players with far more experience were getting around on me so fast I was nearly convinced they had a cheat worked out. But, with time and experience I was able to improve to the point that those guys were no longer able to gain an advantage. As trainers, we can only offer explanations and provide examples, we cannot fly the plane for you.
Ultimately, the way you improve in this game is by flying, and flying often. Adding to that is a solid understanding of tactics. Adding further is the ability to fly your aircraft to its absolute limits and beyond. All of these things are almost exclusively the responsibility of the player to learn. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of one's fighter is essential. Knowing your enemy's aircraft is equally important. Just because I can stall fight Spitfires with a P-51 doesn't mean I will do so in the MA. That's fighting to my enemy's strengths. What I want him to do is fight against my strengths. In other words, I want to force him to fight against my plane's strengths. Maximizing your advantage requires a pilot to fully understand the capabilities of both aircraft.
Another thing that is overlooked can be defined in a well known, but simple statement: "You will never rise above the level of your competition". This means that winning dogfights in the TA against other noobs is not a valid measure of ability. That is why I try to get the new players to practice dogfighting with Trainers. My personal view is that it is counter-productive to "go easy" on a new player. Sure, you give him plenty of opportunities to shoot so that he at least gets the basics of gunnery down. But, remind them that they have a long way to climb on the learning curve. However, I sometimes think that guys get a false sense of confidence, which gets shattered by the first decent pilot they encounter in the MA. Different environments call for different tactics.
The fact remains that there are guys who will find their Spitfire being outflown by a P-47 or an F4U. They cannot understand why this happens, because they always lose to Spits when they fly the P-47 or F4U. This happens because they can only utilize 80% of the Spitire's capablility, while that F4U driver is getting everything out of his plane that it's capable of.
For every Robert Johnson and Ira Bong, there were hundreds of average pilots. Nothing anyone does can elevate them to Johnson's level. Making Johnsons and Bongs out of a Joe Average is not something a trainer can ever accomplish. Ultimately, the only person who can make you better is you.
As to Silat; there wasn't a better qualified candidate for trainer than Silat in the entire AH2 population. Lew is a good teacher and has a tremdous amount of experience. He is also a heck of a nice guy. When the trainers were asked what they thought of adding Silat, every one of us gave him the highest endorsement.
It is almost a certainty that additional trainers will be needed. However, as we all can see, the game is in transition. When TOD debuts, the demand for trainers is expected to increase and slots will likely be added. So, those of you who want to be trainers should not be discouraged. We certainly appreciate the efforts of those who pitch in and help new players. With or without a title, such contributions are important. As TC stated, their efforts will not go unnoticed by HTC.
My regards,
Widewing
