The Good Ol' Days, or Rose-colored Glasses?

[grizz441]

I can't remember the slang name given for it though.)

I remember I called it a "death star b17".

[Kweassa]

I think Kweassa's post is excellent, as always.

Shucks. You make me blush, ol' friend

[moot]

Kweassa, suppose the trainers had a new tool at their disposal: AI to get players to practice any given BFM/ACM with/against, as many times as they wanted.  What do you expect would happen if the ground level of "normal" players' ACM/SA were raised this way?

[Kweassa]

Kweassa, suppose the trainers had a new tool at their disposal: AI to get players to practice any given BFM/ACM with/against, as many times as they wanted.  What do you expect would happen if the ground level of "normal" players' ACM/SA were raised this way?

Then the training arena would become deserted.

ps1) It's true!

ps2) As a rule of thumb, newbies hate training, since they're immensely stupid in nature. Besides, they also hate being trapped in a 'tutorial zone' without being given access to the 'main grounds'.

However, there is one way to do it.

The funny thing about online-game newbies, is that while they hate tutorials, if the tutorials gives them something, even something meaningless as a 'merit badge', they would see through its bitter end.

Therefore, my diabolical plan would be to implement the whole "training ground" concept (as once visualized by the CT) directly into the MA itself, and trick the newbies by telling them its a merit-earning test of flight skill. For example, each of the three chess-piece territories would have a pilot training ground near the HQ... the newbies of the game would be required to sign up as a pilot trainee, and we tell them that its a realistic depiction of real WW2, just like real pilots would get training and get their wings by passing the test. They'd get in planes, but their ammunition would be non-lethal, and only for training purposes.

Then, we can take off in an NOE mission, go to the enemy HQ, and raid the newbie training ground where hordes of newbies would be playing to get their merit badges. We kill them all, and watch them whine on channel 200.


ps3) I think I deserve an "Evil Genius" merit badge.

[WMLute]

I remember I called it a "death star b17".

The term he was searching for was "Blood Pig".  (or was it Blood Dragon?  I forget now.  I think it was Blood Pig in AirWarrior and maybe Blood Dragon in WarBirds)

Here is a link to a Blood Pig mission written by the great Dok Gonzo


(edit: I found the following motivational posters on the site and I hope Dok doesn't mind me posting these here.  They are hillarious!  I'll post a few and the rest can be found here)

[JunkyII]

The term he was searching for was "Blood Pig".  (or was it Blood Dragon?  I forget now.  I think it was Blood Pig in AirWarrior and maybe Blood Dragon in WarBirds)

Here is a link to a Blood Pig mission written by the great Dok Gonzo


(edit: I found the following motivational posters on the site and I hope Dok doesn't mind me posting these here.  They are hillarious!  I'll post a few and the rest can be found here)

(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)

[hitech]

When the focus of the MA shifted to this "war", the structure of the MA should have changed with it, to adequately accomodate for the new tendencies and situations in the MA. However, none of what was suggested ever made it into the game. The MA system remains as it was in AH1. People can do anything, fly anything, go anywhere - so, they are free to make up large hordes, avoid fights, abandon entire fronts, and milkrun airfields. Not only is there no ACM-oriented aerial combat now, but also no strategy or tactic.

There have been many suggestions that made it into the game, the things you typically suggest do not make it in because most of what you suggest would destroy AH, and then no one would be able to play.

I also love how you make completely false statements in your claims.

1. People can fly any where? Really I didn't know people could get into a full arena, or if you mean any where on the map, I didn't know all planes had unlimited range? And when did it change that you can take off from any field with any plane?

2. You can fly any plane in what arena, simple things like disabling planes with side imbalance come to mind? Let alone the 2 other arenas with limited plane sets.

3. I also love how you say there is not tactics and strategy. What do you believe hit them where they ain't is? Do you believe it just happens at random?

4. "People can do anything, fly anything, go anywhere - so, they are free to make up large hordes, avoid fights, abandon entire fronts, and milkrun airfields" These ARE strategies.

5. "The MA system remains as it was in AH1." wrong again , there have been multiple changes to the strat systems in AH.

So your basic claim that nothing has been done to change with the times is utter complete BS or lies which ever you prefer. But if you really wish to set up false straw man arguments go a head and keep playing with yourself.

HiTech

[humble]

When I refer to ACM i'm not talking about "dog fighting" per se. Air combat is the intent to engage and destroy the enemy in combat. Any Maneuvering executed with that intent is "ACM". Anybody who says the underlying intent of the majority of the player bas hasn't changed is wrong IMO....

[Saurdaukar]

The game hasn't changed.

Clearly.  The prevalence of threads stating so on page one of this very forum are no indication that a general feeling of discontent does, indeed, exist.

[waystin2]

Most definitely Rose Colored Glasses.

[moot]

Just curious. Were you there?

[The Fugitive]

Most definitely Rose Colored Glasses.

You haven't been flying here for 2 years yet, how would you know how game play has changed?

[pluck]

I think the general mentality has changed over the years since I started in 02.  To be fair to HT, there have been quite a few changes with the game since then, my favorites being the inablity to pork fuel to 25% and the splitting up arenas.  The biggest issue I have with the game today is not so much the base capturing, but the willingness of the teams to simply swap bases...for whatever reason.

One example that I see quite often, are huge red bars over 1 friendly field, with no green dar.  In another area, against the same country attacking, there is a huge green  dar, with no red dar.  It seems quite clear while country A is attacking B at one field, country B is more than willing to let that field go, and attempt to take another empty field.  There just seems no real incentive to hold a base. I distinctly remember many years ago, when one base was over run, there would often (not always) be an effort to up from a field further back and try to keep the base from being captured.  Now, it seems this rarely happens, maybe you get 1-4 guys...4 if your lucky.

Another prime example of this was the other week while flying with the Bish.  We were barely defending a base, holding our own, but clearly outnumbered.  It was a good fight.  Then someone decides to up a mission, to a base on the other side of the map...where there was no acitivity...no real strategical reason, just a milkrun.  I can only assume the mission got good numbers, because of the few of us defending the base, many left.  15 minutes later (or whatever) the base we were defending is completely covered with red, and then then captured.  Of course a bunch of the guys that were in the mission to base nowhere, who took away people defending the base immediatly jump on country channel complaining about how useless the Bish are because the other field was captured.  But of course they are the great heros right, because they took a base completely away from the action.

Some nights are very frustrating as it just seems as I'm either going to have to wade in and fight the horde...or become the horde and compete for that 1 kill with 10 other guys.  Then again, some days you find some good fights...but this is far from a guarantee.  I'm not 100% the horde is the real issue...I think the larger issue is the unwillingness of the general population to put alot of effort into trying to fend off these forces...Not to mention NOE hordes.

[shreck]

Kweassa, suppose the trainers had a new tool at their disposal: AI to get players to practice any given BFM/ACM with/against, as many times as they wanted.  What do you expect would happen if the ground level of "normal" players' ACM/SA were raised this way?

The continuous drone of "no-one fights any more" would die out and be replaced with the clatter of all the crying cause you got shot down! All the spandex wearin superheros would be shot down more often by a better trained cadre of players! Essentially replacing one gripe for another       

[waystin2]

It is my perception based on the constant discussion I see here on the boards balanced with my own life experience of 40 years.  I am truly sorry, I did not realize that only folks with "X" amount of years allowed to post here.