Author Topic: What does a furball mean to you? (Read 4946 times)

lazs2 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 07, 2006, 08:07:02 AM »

ghost...are you saying that "fluffers/fluffs" does not accurately describe the personality and use for bombers and their one=30 man crews in the game?

I also started "toolshed battlers"... are you gonna tell me that is not descriptive either?

If you have had time to eat or drink something or you have remembered to blink... you probly weren't in a furball.

I call six more than most... it doesn't mean I respect you or want your respect.

lazs
Public Relations Officer for the BK's

FiLtH · « **Reply #16 on:** April 07, 2006, 08:31:11 AM »

(Slightly adjusting heading to get back on topic)

Id rather this not turn into another buff/vs fighter thread.

Good posts so far.

lazs2 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 07, 2006, 08:50:18 AM »

oh... and bieng a "trainer" that uses the opportunity to push an agenda is pretty low. worse than toolshed battling probly.

lazs

mars01 · « **Reply #18 on:** April 07, 2006, 08:55:42 AM »

Nice try Ghost,

You and those that agree with you can bury your heads in the sand like there is not a problem, but it won't make it go away. Blaming Lazs is just shooting the messenger. The recurrence of furballs is abysmal compared to the days when you didn't get perk points for resets. The fighter pilots were a lot better too.

Back to topic:

A is a furball. B are people that want to be in the furball but don't yet posses the skills to fly in the furball and must rely on the safety of their perch and speed. For those that like to just cherry pick, that is a different story. They just like the boredom had by chasing drones LOLH.

The funny thing is, until they get down and dirty in the weeds with the rest of us they are never going to gain the skills to survive and kill in the FB and maybe make it out.

I agree with Filth that most of the people in this game have no clue what it was like before the WIN the WAR code. Most don't know what a real furball is and they think like Ghost, that furballs are everywhere where there are more than two planes LOL.

hubsonfire · « **Reply #19 on:** April 07, 2006, 11:54:07 AM »

I thought the term furball was taken from cats (or dogs, I suppose) fighting. In such engagements, the action seems to be frantic, up close, claws and teeth and much howling and growling, fur flying, etc.

Personally, I don't see that term carrying over to a crow circling such a fight, swooping down, and snagging a loose morsel during such a fight.
Call it riding the perch, lurking, cherry picking, fruitbatting, bore n snore, whatever... it's still not a furball to me unless you're in the fight.

I don't think Filth asked anyone's opinion on anyone else, TYVM. Stop hijacking, you mooks.

FiLtH · « **Reply #20 on:** April 07, 2006, 11:58:07 AM »

Hehe a crow..Carrion Cowboys?

wrag · « **Reply #21 on:** April 07, 2006, 11:58:41 AM »

Hmm........

Where does the term Furball come from?

IIRC it was created during the Battle of Brittan/WWII?

It refered to large numbers of aircraft battling in a small area?

To me a Furball can be high alt or low alt or in between, BUT it requires more then... say 10 planes fighting it out.

A. is my choice for furball.

B. is vulching but avoiding a furball.

BTW I like flying with Ghosth, great wingie! Although I still think of someone saying ghost with a lisp when I see the name

Ghosth! Hmm think I earned 6 calls for life while I was at it

And IMHO, although I can only recall flying with Schatzi once, Schatzi has it, that thing called CLASS. Turn fighting with a Spit1 with that plane and staying alive so long was impressive. Sorry I had to leave I was down to 3 minutes fuel and didn't make it anyways (that was NwBie's fault though ) Schatzi

But then I like to co-op with all those around me when I fly. And the two I mention above, along with many others I've flown with, co-op!

I call 6s and I try to work with others by clearing them and them clearing me. I talk during a fight, I report conditions to all around, and I listen to others calling out conditions near them. Telling someone that a con is diving on them while they are engaged with another con, from very high with allot of E can over the long run save MY behind by keeping them alive. If I'm in position I jump the con they were on to keep em bz while the friendly breaks to avoid and returns to the fight.

I've found after doing this with some flyers that there is a like response and we get a rythum going and become harder to defeat.

BTW flown with Laz as well and he is a great wingie also! ~~Laz~~

hubsonfire · « **Reply #22 on:** April 07, 2006, 12:02:28 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by FiLtH
Hehe a crow..Carrion Cowboys?

Mustaine · « **Reply #23 on:** April 07, 2006, 12:03:33 PM »

personally i would not call it a furball when i flew unless there were 20+ planes for each side involved.

5 on 5, 8 on 8 or whatever, thats just a dogfight.

furball means you can't count the planes because there are too many.

WMLute · « **Reply #24 on:** April 07, 2006, 12:12:16 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by thndregg
Abso-%^*&-lutely!

huh?

Grimm · « **Reply #25 on:** April 07, 2006, 12:13:45 PM »

C.

To me a Furball is a large cluster of enemy and friendlies all engaged in a fight. It includes both A and B. its not a 2v2 or a 4v4, its when it becomes difficult to keep track of just how many there is.

A. In my opinion is, if only involving a few planes is a dog fight.

B. Is more like clubing seals.

Personaly I would be most likey to use tactic B when entering a large furball. As things progress, I will end up with tactic A. As oppertunity permits I will try to regain an advantage if possible. But then Im a Dweeb

eh · « **Reply #26 on:** April 07, 2006, 01:12:21 PM »

ROFL. If you think that I am going to turnfight my Typhoon or A8 on the deck at or under 200 mph against a gang of Spitup 16s, Nikis, La7s and the like you are crazy. Anything but a timid, mindless, skilless, score potato, I adjust my fighting style to the plane that I am in. When I am in a boom and zoomer, I boom and zoom. That is NOT vulching (neither is field suppression with overwhelming numbers), which is a fine art you hardly see anymore.

If I am in a Spitup and encounter a furball, I often start out with (B) and eventually end up in the weeds turning and burning with the rest (A), as Grimm says happens to him. That is why A and B are not mutually exclusive... some planes, like Spits, are superb at this transition from one form of ACM to another.

Many players seem to think that one should fly every plane the same way in all situations, and if you don't fly that way then you are timid and lacking skill, or (note the derogatories) cherry picking or vulching (translation: they don't like it when you don't play the way they want ). They are wrong.

mars01 · « **Reply #27 on:** April 07, 2006, 01:21:30 PM »

If your bringing a Typh to a furball your cherry picking or looking for a real challenge on the deck. If you are BnZing a furball you are not furballing.

lazs2 · « **Reply #28 on:** April 07, 2006, 02:37:41 PM »

exactly mars...

and filth.... "carrion cowboys" that is perfect. you will be blamed for ending the world of AH koombye ahhhh... tho a few years from now when the "trainers" blame you for the expression while trying to teach newbies how to become.....

carrion cowboys.... "ok class... we take our F4U 1c and get nice and high above the furball.... make sure that you pick out someone who is really concentrating on the 8 guys around him and swoop down and blast him but make sure there are no planes higher than you can zoom climb away from..."

lazs
Public Relations Officer for the BK's

Zazen13 · « **Reply #29 on:** April 07, 2006, 03:47:32 PM »

I think your categories are too narrow and simplistic. How many of you film your fights? I like to film mine, let me explain how my average sortie tends to play out in terms of stages:

1) I locate a nice fight on the map, up for the fight from a nearby field almost always with 100% fuel and DT's. I tailor my style to my diminishing fuel load as the flight progresses.

2) I then Gain altitude to be at or slightly above 75% of the reported/guesstimated enemy within optimal aircraft performance limits, which is generally 15k or less.

3) Usually I overfly the focal point of the fight scanning for targets at or above my altitude. Once those are dead, flee or are dragged down I continue to the opposite perimiter of the fight area.

4) Once on the extreme edge of the fight opposite the side my home field is on I vector toward friendly territory engaging targets of opportunity along the way, always highest to lowest and fastest to slowest if in an E Fighter or the most nimble first if in a turn fighter, engaging and destroying cons all the way down to deck if necessary.

5) Once my altitude/energy degrades to the point I am either on the deck or on the bottom of the pile I attempt to gain seperation and egress toward my field and friendlies in order to regain operational altitude.

6) Repeat stages 2-5

Now, perhaps at the beginning of the sortie or after stage 6 I am BnZ'ing, especially if there are no enemy cons at or above my altitude and my fuel load is very heavy. By stage 4 I am likely E fighting cons at any altitude, at/above/below. Between stages 4 and 5 I am likely TnBing close to or on the deck, dodging BnZers and E fighters before I attempt to gain seperation and disengage to regain my energy state composure...

So, was I furballing, dogfighting, E fighting, BnZing, seal clubbing, fighting at an advantage or fighting at a disadvantage? The answer is almost certainly all of the above...

I would even go so far as to say, anyone who can categorize their fighting style as stricly type a or b is either lying, dellusional or so hopelessly one dimensional in their approach to air combat they aren't enjoying nearly the fun or the effectiveness they could be if they adopted a more versatile and adaptive style..

Zazen