An odd encounter leads to a profound question

[waystin2]

You will never improve until you admit that a bad decision you made led to your demise.

[JunkyII]

I don't think the learning curve is actually that steep....some just get set in a certain spot and stick there because they have some success maybe landing a good bit of kills....they don't ask anyone for help because their ego can't take it (that's where I find it funny when people say I chest thump or brag a lot) literally was in the TA the other day for 30 minutes with another pilot.. and boom he's killing it later that night in KOTH fighting 10 minute long fights against people who are considered some of the best in game....it's little things that keep a lot of people from the top...and once your there is more of a any given sunday. Don't think there is an active pilot that I can't kill 1v1 at least 1 of 7. A lot of shades out there giving me a run lately...looking forward to you old heads coming out of the shadows and fighting like men again.

[Arlo]

You will never improve until you admit that a bad decision you made led to your demise.

 

(And some of us still won't improve - ask my squadron training officer.)

[Masherbrum]

(And some of us still won't improve - ask my squadron training officer.)

Make it bigger, it won't matter.   It isn't about being vultched and upping from the next field back.   This thread is about a Beta Arena that should be used for testing and feedback.......   But some would rather not help improve the community and the game itself.   Selfishness has long been accepted/endorsed and some of the posts in here prove it.

[Arlo]

Not seeing anywhere where this : "You will never improve until you admit that a bad decision you made led to your demise." is about selfishness.

[The Fugitive]

I couldn't tell if the other vulched, but Dolby didn't. This is more about a player cry about something fully in his control.

If the others did, as well as the "attitude" of the player complaining about being vulched are the ones that will kill this game. The "all mighty kill count" is all that is important to most players these days. The "how" is unimportant.

Quitting the game due to getting killed by better players (pros) I don't think is an issue. Some nights I'll go head to head with the better players until they go lame. Ganging, HOing be cause "they couldn't get me any other way" and so on, I'll just move to another side/fight. I'm sure players with less skill will move away from an area when it is known that one of the better players are player. It is your choice if you want to jump in where the sharks are.

As for the Beta, why would anyone think there would be a better class of player in there? I would hope that those playing in there would be working together to test both the game and their systems out, but we all know that kill total is far to important to most players and so you get the continuing lame play.

Players guide how the game is played. The graphics are going to cause adjustments in game play just due to the layouts of the fields and towns being different. Human nature will guide the rest. I do hope we have "matured" in our game play and we will have a better game play experience. I fear we wont though.

[Masherbrum]

Restaint in a Beta Testing Arena should be the core issue here.   Taking a lame vulching pass and then deacking is lame all around.   Defending that lameness instead of actually trying to better the game you play, is foreign to quite a few it seems.   

Good luck building the community back up, because if this thread is any indication.   There is no pot of gold and it is a shame. 

[LCADolby]

I am so pleased that at no point did vulching cross my mind and the film in my last post proved.

[Arlo]

Restaint in a Beta Testing Arena should be the core issue here.   Taking a lame vulching pass and then deacking is lame all around.   Defending that lameness instead of actually trying to better the game you play, is foreign to quite a few it seems.   

Good luck building the community back up, because if this thread is any indication.   There is no pot of gold and it is a shame.

Well, that helped. Loads. If a guy can't stand getting vulched in the beta he sure as Hades won't take it well in the main. Better to help them get over it than kid glove `em til someone forgets to and they rage quit then, instead.

[8thJinx]

I'd like to add my two cents.  There actually was point for me maybe 10 or 12 months after I started playing that I said to myself, "I'm never going to be as good these sticks that keep killing me." I was ready to hang it up. Not that I was openly complaining, but I felt that I just couldn't get the hang of it. It wasn't worth the 15 bucks a month to me to keep getting plastered every single sortie I flew. But I stuck it out, and learned a little here and there, new defensive moves, how to reverse on someone, how to rope. I started saving film, looking at what I could have done different. I stopped making dumb decisions, like climbing up into a fight, or upping at field that's getting vulched (although there is no bigger adrenaline rush for me than taking off in an I16 during a vulch).

Now 3 years down the road I'm a decent gv'er, and middle of the road pilot. And these days, every so often when I land 5 air kills or some new guy accuses me of cheating, the feeling is simply exquisite. Actually, when a good stick accuses me of cheating, it's even better. So I'd recommend that the new players study film and make better decisions.   

[Bear76]

I have been spending my time in the beta mostly recently but I had one encounter that has left me scratching my head.

I'll have to paraphrase but it went like this on the open channel;
"I don't think I know anyone better at this. There must be a reason. Thanks for taking the fun out of it. Bye"

Now on the face of it that begs the question;
Are the people that are good at AcesHigh the reason players log off?

Is ENY and all those other excuses just ones they fall back on to refuse to admit that the difficulty is very high when facing certain others and one would rather not admit? Especially against those who have good hand eye coordination and others that have a high capacity for information retention, which is what most of flying Aceshigh is. Knowing the opponents aircraft as well as your own can often be the tiny advantage needed to come out the other side of the fight.

The best fights are those that go on for a long time, you start to feel a sweat when both players are equally matched. But this cannot always be so, it has to be embedded in every single players mind that there is always some one better than you, and that it is up to you to learn from them. Many of these players freely share their knowledge and experience, you just have to ask. It may be the beginning of a good friendship, and in AcesHigh they last a long time. Given time, practise and patience you can give these guys a run for thier money, and get that adrenaline rush when you get that victory you have worked hard for. The fun is always there if you don't give up, fun in the learning, fun in the information you read, fun in the interactions you can have. It's great if you make the most of it.

Thinking back on the encounter it could be just a veiled "cheater" whine that requires some small inbetween the lines reading, but regardless of that I was surprised by the lack of determination shown by the player making the comment. It has me perplexed. One of the things that got me hooked to AcesHigh was the level of difficulty, the pursuit of information on how to fly these warbirds like heroes generations prior. Has this been lost in recent times or am I just getting old and over thinking? Anyway I am one of those people you can ask, I am happy to share what I know. Just don't give up too soon before the fun really begins.
 

Well said. The TA used to have 10 to 20 players in it regularly years ago. Guys took the time to learn and asked for help or were offered it. I spent hundreds of hours in there flying with new squaddies or just practicing with a squad or others. The place is empty most of the time now. It's not about flying well and improving anymore, for the most part. Good fights are harder to find these days.

[zack1234]

Someone thinks Dolby is good at this game?

He wears flip flops to work you know

It should be law that your real face should be displayed on the forums, it would explain lots of things

That picture of Debrody in his Amish hat explained why he was brat

[Chilli]

As I was there during said dispute, all in all it was a good day.  In fact, I came here to give applause to the developers for beta and the players for taking the time today to actually populate it.  The best numbers that I have ever seen there. 

Dolby, honestly the 200 chat could have gone better, and that goes both ways.    You and I had some very light banter, clearly joking... but if we weren't folks that knew each other, it could have been taken the wrong way.  I am glad that it didn't because it did make for a challenge, and put a smile on my face.

Wilbur, you weren't the only one that didn't particularly care for the "smack" talk on 200.  There was another player in a discussion with Dolby around the same time (no need to name folks, and no harm was done).  I saw there were equal numbers on the roster but your team was outnumbered at that field as others were testing base capture and other areas of the CraterMA map.  I and other players switched to even things up got in some good furball action. 

This to me is perfect beta testing environment, no perk points to win or lose, no side change limit, and targets willing to engage (even if it is from a greater advantage).  Later on there was a concerted attempt at keeping a 262 from getting too far from his airfield, as well as the normal furball wingman setups. 

Basically, the temperature in the room  could have been dialed down, but the cartoon pilot    interaction  was mostly good and healthy for the upcoming release. Framerates were good, players were exchanging helpful hints, and differences in FOV, tracer size were being discussed and adjusted to... all good things for beta test results.

[GScholz]

This game is about capturing airfields to win. Why do people still believe that launching from a capped airfield is a viable alternative? Take off from the closest airfield and grab some alt while you're at it before you go hunting those goons.

As for being called a cheater... That just means you're so good the other guy thinks you did something impossible. It's the highest praise you can get in any game!

[1ijac]

   Actually, the beta arenas at this point is to look for bugs and post findings in the open beta forum.  This allows HTC to address the issues so AH3 can move forward.  Players in the testing arenas should ask other players if they want to engage or not.  Someone may be setting up a certain scenario to test something and another player trying to kill them hinders the tester's efforts.  Please keep this in mind.