What constitutes a "horde"?

[tunnelrat]

I've been back in AH for about a month (after being gone since... idk, 2001 maybe), and I think I have logged an average of 5-6 hours a day in that time   (I guess I am still in the honeymoon period and my wife is still being pretty lenient about it hahaha)

I've pretty quickly picked up on (and joined in on some of) the nomenclature of various whining, but I am really at a loss when it comes to "hordes".  (Or "hoards" for some reason)

Used as a simple descriptor, it makes sense... "a large number of".

Where I am having trouble is when it is used disparagingly, specifically the application of the term.

I am trying to look at this objectively, and determine how it fits in to the gameplay... if it is somehow outside of the point of the game, and is to be avoided for that reason, etc...

Case in point: some players simply refer to any large dar bar as "the horde".  Some players use the term "missions" itself derogatorily.

Is this simply the frustration of a personal inability to compete against overwhelming numbers?  We've all been on both sides of that line and it can certainly be frustrating.

But the underlying vitriol towards "horders" or "base rollers", even the (seemingly, at least) condescending posts about how certain squads are great for the game because they allow new players to get into a group so they can survive.

I am under the impression that the main arena is a 3-way war, the objective of which is to capture enemy bases while defending your own.  To attempt to ostracize effectively accomplishing this mission (again, within the overall intent of a realistic simulation of period vehicles) seems absurd to me.

Am I wrong in this?  I mean, I can understand the frustration of players who are unable to find a better venue for fighting one another in ground vehicles (specifically on certain maps) becoming upset when their fun is disrupted... but only if the capture of whichever base serves no strategic purpose in the overall war effort.

I saw someone post something to the effect of "we used to be a horde squad, thank God those days are behind us!" what does that mean?  

If the application of the term "horde" is based upon the level of organization and employment of sound strategic decisions, then I agree.  If it simply means "any group that outnumbers us" then that is purely an idiotic assessment and can be dismissed simply out of it's incompatibility with the ultimate goal of any given country in the main arenas.

Any further light that someone can shed on this for this newb would be sincerely appreciated.

Otherwise, I am going with:

If seeing this:


Makes you do this:



Then invest in this:



Thank you.

[Shuffler]

If you are vastly outnumbered.... it's a horde.

If your group vastly outnumbers the other group.... they should have brought more help.


If the groups are even and your getting shot down over and over..... it's a horde.


If the groups are even and your side keeps shooting down an individual pilot...... he should stop whining and get some TA time.


That about covers how hordes are mostly considered in game.

Have a nice day.....

[Nathan60]

Tunnelrat do  not try to figure it out the game is  full of hypocrites, and  crybabyies no getting around it. Your either a hoarder, a picktard,camptard, tigertard, a ram tard,  a hotard  or a  spittard, ponytard,. run90tard, zeketard, bomb****,  gvtard, wirbletard, vulchtard, alttard,  or just a tardtard in any combonation of the above and  you will becalled that by some of the biggest picktard, ace pilot, hotard, alttards you will see in game.

funny cant say bomb****

[Shuffler]

Tunnelrat do  not try to figure it out the game is  full of hypocrites, and  crybabyies no getting around it. Your either a hoarder, a picktard,camptard, tigertard, a ram tard,  a hotard  or a  spittard, ponytard,. run90tard, zeketard, bomb****,  gvtard, wirbletard, vulchtard, alttard,  or just a tardtard in any combonation of the above and  you will becalled that by some of the biggest picktard, ace pilot, hotard, alttards you will see in game.

funny cant saw bomb****

... umm you forgot posttard  

[Nathan60]

... umm you forgot posttard  

but thats only on forums where your have  posttards, Grammartards, commatards, spellingtards who are usually also  smileytards that  posttard with smileys.      

[Shuffler]

but thtas only ofn forums where your have  posttards, Grammartards, commatards, spellingtards on other things

aww crud

[Nathan60]

aww crud

boss lady walked away and I fixed it.

[tunnelrat]

this whole bomb**** thing is KILLING me... what does it MEAN?

I think I may be one, and I am dying to know!!

[Nathan60]

this whole bomb**** thing is KILLING me... what does it MEAN?

I think I may be one, and I am dying to know!!

you cant put bomb and Tard together

[Nathan60]

you cant put bomb and Tard together

Seperate it is ok   bomb****

[kvuo75]

I am under the impression that the main arena is a 3-way war, the objective of which is to capture enemy bases while defending your own.  

for some people, it is the objective.

for quite a lot, it is not the objective.  they like to do what they like to do.

there seems to be a typical progression when one starts playing this game, most start in a large squad, and take bases... most people get bored with it after awhile. they either quit, or find other things to do in the game besides team up with 20 other people and blow up town buildings all night.  its fine for learning the ropes, but if flying with 20-30 friends against 0-2 enemy is still fun after any extended period of time, I ask why bother even having 3 countries, everyone should just join 1 country and roll all the bases.

the main thing to remember, not everyone cares about bases or "the war". when you don't care, there's no reason to fly in large groups of friendlies.. its boring because the more friends are around, the less chance of having any actual combat with an enemy.  and having combat is the true objective of the game.

[The Fugitive]

The game is not about WAR, tho winning the war is one of the many options available during game play/ The game is about combat, the war is there to give combat a place to happen. GV's promote the the same thing, another way to create combat be it in battle against other GVs, of being fighters in to attack the people bombing the GVs. The game is all about combat.

As for the horde, more often than not I see it explained, and complained about as a large group the completely flattens a base in minutes capturing said base and then disappearing to pop up at some other undefended base to do the same thing over and over and over again. The problem with hordes is they avoid the main purpose of the game, they avoid combat. Either by attacking in stealth mode (NOE), or with such over whelming numbers that they couldn't possible be stopped even should people try to defend. Years ago people use to try to stop/slow the hordes, now adays, they just avoid them and let them roll base after base. Instead they join their own hordes avoiding the enemy hordes and race to see who can capture more bases faster.

[Shuffler]

Seperate it is ok   bomb****

... or tardbomber

[maxy]

or maybe Dratbmob

[Acidrain]

If im on the receiving end of a numerical mismatch it is a Horde...If im on the giving end its Wingman tactics. simple really.