Actually, I like it that he tells it like he sees it. eff all the "niceties and PC".
Well, "technically" I have to agree with what he said. He didn't say it very "politically", but he isn't wrong either.
He said....
"I don't like you because you come across as one of many who in my opinion has destroyed the soul of this game(and those like it) from what I remember of it many years ago. I don't think you do it maliciously, and I don't fault you, but I can't help from not liking you. Plus you misspelled squad. "
To me, I believe we use to have a lot of players that played this game to pretend that they were WWII pilots, and all that came with that. Most of us were in squads. We met at least one night a week for "squad night", many did two nights. A weeknight for most of the squad, and a weekend for those outside the general time zones, or for a nice long party night. Many had a rank system and had their own ways/rules to earn promotions. Many had "practice night" as one night a month on their squad night to work on different missions, tactics, wingman practices as well as training for different aspects of the game. Some had news letters and elaborate websites that were maintained weekly/monthly updating promotions, squad news personal and in game. Many players met at airshows, museums, or just talked on the phone. Squads were more than just friends, they were extensions of your family.
Squad nights were getting together at a prearranged time to play out the missions. Yes MISSIONS. Most squads a a number of mission planes that used different equipment, ran certain routes so that the right equipment arrived at the right times. I know of a number of people who would take the time to figure how long and at what manifold pressure setting a buff could climb to a certain height, how long at level flight did it take to cross the 25 mile grid, as well as the diagonal crossing too. It wasn't math, they flew the routes to know what these timings were. Missions were planned around those timings. It was always a blast to fly your route and about the time you were to rendezvous with the buff wing that took off 20 minutes before your fighter group you see that large smudge off in the distance that slowly turns into a group of friendly buffs looking for their little friends to guide them in over the hot spot.
Some missions were feints, just a few guys flying off to draw defenders away from a target, getting to engage only once the enemy found out they were duped. Others were to take away their ords, or other porking missions, or to have 3 guys deack a base then leave only to have a half dozen guys show up 15 minutes later to flatten the town and grab the field because the defender didn't react quick enough thinking it was and few guys looking to vulch.
To say it simply, we were really "into it!".
Today's players are nothing like that, and I think that is the "soul" The Bug is talking about. Todays players only want the biggest baddest ride, with the best guns.
They only want to learn that one maneuver that will guarantee them the kill on the first pass, or enough friends winging with them so that if they miss/screw up its not an issue because someone else will get them.
Tactics? Just a word they hear now and then, most wouldn't bother Googling it to find out what it means.
Missions? Thats 50 guys heading to the same base to flatten everything so they can take it. After all they have no plan on using the base once they get it any way, its just one more base for the total.
Plan? LOL!!!! To quote the Joker, "Plans? I'm like a dog chasing a car! I wouldn't know what to do with it if I caught it!" The only plan they have is "win the war"
This game use to be like those old movies,
Bridge on the River Kwai,
Stalag 17,
Flying Leathernecks,
Three Came Home,
The Desert Rats that romanticized the war, had all that great battle and action flying against the enemy. You wanted to be like them and in this game you could.
Now the game has almost none of that. We have lots of squads, but very few I see have "squad nights". missions are hordes, and it is pretty much the same mission over and over again. To most of the players we have these days it doesn't matter whether they are flying a pony, or an X-wing, as long as it has the biggest punch and gets them there the quickest.
The sanctity of what this game use to be is disappearing and it's the newer players that are pushing it away. Is it a bad thing? To me and others like The Bug, maybe. It certainly is an evolution of a sorts and only time will tell if it has gone in a good direction. I've been here since Tour 11, I think I'll stick around a bit longer to see how it goes, but I sure do miss those old days when we use to play war.
