Smack talk, however you redefine it, may not seem destructive to the old AvA hands but when new people come in, they're also looking to sample change in the infamous attitudes of the AvA players. If an enjoyable atmosphere isn't presented where cartoon enemies can still be friendly or at least civil toward one another, they'll go back to the MA or wait for the next SEA event where this kind of behavior isn't tolerated. Bullies, even harmless ones, aren't needed in any arena IMHO, and it will take many months before the AvA can shake off it's reputation, even if the insults could be instantly squelched.
This war experiment is only in it's 4th week and there are still many players who'll never try it until they start hearing better things about the player attitude in here, including on these boards. As yet there is still too much disrespect to justify a change in the AvA players' reputation, which is a shame considering all the effort the staff has already put in and how far the community as a whole has come.
Is the game about ruining the other guys sortie, you bet. Is there dweebery, sure. If it were an SEA event, there would be penalties. The AvA is an open arena with the minimum of supervision, it relies on peer pressure, but it's perceived as an agenda when it's across country channel, so save the "advice and training". The old hands need to show their new teammates how it's supposed to be done, why bomb and bail, or running, or chasing for 4 sectors is pointless when you could dive into a fight, even if only figuratively.
lol, I wasn't even going to post but I guess I got wound up.
S!
