Uber skilled MA vets

[The Fugitive]

I don't think we have that many "sharks" any more. There a number of players who THINK they are sharks and talk a big game but very few can back it up. Anyone with some patience can be a good BnZ guy and so finish high on a scoreboard. There are very few in here that can go against 5 to 1 odds and come out the winner like we use to see in the old days.

Todays players are very different than yesterdays players as well. Many of us old timers came to these games and were shark bait, but instead of looking for "codes" to get ahead, or just quitting we said "I'm going to practice and get as good as <insert favorite shark here> and worked at it. Today we have a bunch of sissys that look to cut corners and game the game. Instead of putting in the time and becoming a good base capture squad they fly for hours to drop HQ and think they are the best squad in the game. The LTARS were the best GV squad around because they PRACTICED running GV ops, instead of driving 4 hours to long range a field/depot and call themselves great.

Nobody wants to put in the time to become good at the game so we have mediocre players. Lame game play bores the crap out of newbies and chases them away more than being shark bait for any length of time.

[FLS]

I have had the impression that there are fewer people that are really good at this stuff in game now. I have noticed that dropping off for several years now.

It might appear that way even if the top sticks now are as good but the general population is better then they were. We have players who grew up playing AH and the information you need to know is more easily available.

[HL117]

First flight in AH parked at the end of the runway thinking what was that engine start key again?, kind of just looking around taking it all in then all I hear is (insert bullet sound hitting your plane here) I see nothing for the moment, there it is again, wait, what? ....... back in the tower.    first flight... first vulcheee experience.

[DmonSlyr]

It's a challenging game! If you want to make it extremely challenging, change to bish and fly mid-early/ EW planes.

It takes about a year + to learn the basics and another year + to learn how to be really good, if that's what you want. You really have to be dedicated to want to be a good fighter. There is also dive bombing skills that need to be learned. I didn't learn dive bombing and base taking strategies till 6 months in when I joined a squad. It was a great experience. They tought me the fine points of the gane.

I think joining squads really helps you learn the game. People.

It's a tough game, but that's what keeps me around. I'll never get tired of shooting down planes.

It's all about how much you put into it with learning. I flew combat flight sim before this and got destroyed when I first started this game. I got killed so many times, but it's what helped me to get better.

[Lazerr]

I have to say.. i come across more running then i do good internet pilots.  Once i find guys in an area like like to play turny birds i typically stay there.  There is a certain squad of players I would really enjoy fighting if it wasnt for hate PM's and constant head ons.

[guncrasher]

I am by far not a shark.  only training I ever did was when a squadie was trying to teach me how to land a spit9 wheels down.  after 3 hours he called me a moron and left.  I have yet to land a spit9 wheels down.  not a joke.

another tried to teach me how to do a barrel roll.  I cant do that either.


semp

[bustr]

When you have been around for awhile you develop the skill of reading a fight against what you are willing to risk. Experience can become a subtle fun killer as you get older if allowed to in games. You see a lot of vets hovering around a furball like they are waiting for something. Then there are the "sticks" of many ages who just dive in and come out the other end with kills over and over having fun. Lazerr found me one night on the deck fighting 5 cons which was one of the few times I've ever heard him amazed in the game. My answer: "Can't a guy get bored and do something different occasionally?" I got bored one night and picked a fight by myself.....meh..

Experience (age goes with this to a degree) is killing our sense of personal fun while we look for the perfect moment to match our honest and very private understanding of our own skill levels. Goes along with reaching a tolerance for how much you are willing to invest anymore in getting better with a game. I venture many vets had more fun back when they didn't know how to read the outcomes and spent more time diving into the fray. And now, we get a post like this one.....

[sonic23]

I feel if i was a new player coming in now id get fed up and quit because there isnt enough help out there anymore, i remember old time guys like murdr, widewing, creton, mrd, baitbug(who had multiple aliases)and a host of others that were willing to help me when i had no clue what i was doing thats what brought me back to keep playing.
and honestly it only took me about 6 months to become pretty good at 1v1 which is what i found most exciting about the game.

[wil3ur]

My personal opinion is that the vast majority of 'good' pilots tend to use a squad or mission as a shield and pick targets of opportunity.  Most players in here will run from a 1v1 the second an advantage is lost.  This in turn teaches new players that to get good you just stay high, pick and bug out.

Sure there's a ton of people who will flame this post and say, "BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY DID IN WWII!" and my response will be that they didn't get a new plane after they blew up in WWII either.  So unless we go to 1 life a frame, or 1 life an hour or something completely idiotic such as that, or begin perking everything not EW so people have to pay for their rides we're not going to see that change any time soon.

I say to the vets and the sharks that think they're good, stay in EW/MW planes, leave the LW stuff to the new guys.  Help them be more competitive, and you get a lot more satisfaction shooting down a pony in a plane that tops out at 300 in a dive.

 

[gpwurzel]

I"m definitely not a shark, almost a vet - I play to have fun, so I tend to fly what I like, where I like, and do a lot of stupid stuff to entertain myself (I'm easily amused). Not currently flying, but will definitely be back when AHIII goes live (testing at home when I get time/inclination)

I look forward to dying in as many idiotic ways as I can muster - but I think I'll make a point of detuning 200.

[Oldman731]

and honestly it only took me about 6 months to become pretty good at 1v1 which is what i found most exciting about the game.

And this distinguishes you from the people who quit if they can't become aces in 24 hours.

- oldman

[FLS]

I feel if i was a new player coming in now id get fed up and quit because there isnt enough help out there anymore, ...

I believe the trainers have answered every request for help and there are other players who also help new guys.

[Scca]

Today's MA is much different then ten years ago. Half the roster have 5 plus years of experience and a good amount I can recall seeing their names back in the aw days. I could only imagine the frustration for a new player jumping into the MA shark tank of today.

To counter this thought, I would be honest to say, this frustration you speak of is the major factor that made me want to stay after my two week trial.  Conversely, the lack of someone to play against was the reason I left iRacing after my initial 3 month trial.  In iRacing, there was almost no one to race against when you first start out.  It wasn't worth my time.  To me, the challenge of this game forced me to want to learn and get better.  I still remember that first time I got 2 kills in one sortie, and raced back to base so I could see my name in lights. 

Now after being here almost a decade, I consider myself a decent stick.  I can hold my own with all but the most dedicated 200 hour a month players.  Sadly, many of the top scorers don't really want to fight.  All they are in it for is the kill, the easier the better.  If you get lucky and corner them, frequently they are easy kills because they don't know how to fight from a disadvantage.  I live to fight from a disadvantage. 

YMMV

[Slate]

  Did you ever play a great console game and then get depressed when you conquered all the levels?

  I never want to be the best at this game and never want to see it stop changing, though it's been awhile waiting for AH3.
 Every time they changed the game it was like learning a new game and I'm having fun exploring AH3.

  But alas the new generations seem to want it easy. Watching my grandson play GTA and just using cheat codes to get what ever he wants would bore me to death but not him.

   I see a few new names with enthusiasm playing occasionally and have hope that AH3 will be a turning point for HTC.

[sonic23]

I believe the trainers have answered every request for help and there are other players who also help new guys.

yea but back in the day the DA and TA always had people in it and I didn't have to go to far out of my way looking for help, just pop into the TA and see people practicing and trainers answering questions what seemed like 24/7.

Im not taking a jab at you or any other trainers now i just think the game had more numbers in 07 so the TA and DA wast always a ghost town. I didnt even enter the MA for a month of playing because i had plenty of fun in the old DA where you had to check 6 people to initiate a fight.