Your right I have not been around for a long time but I am not aware that qualitatively things are worse than before. What I notice is a general increase in skills and people from a position of disadvantage fighting more readily than before. From a position and plane that is not necessarily in their favor and demonstrating great skill. The constant seems to be the hypocrisy which I don't really get. I am saying this because that is the raw data of my experience.
As to ganging and lack of ACM that which achieves the desired result is as I see it just another skill set but not a Joust agreed. We have squads precisely to bring disproportionate force to bare to overcome an enemy. Ho Ing is a skill but too random for someone who wants to be a top stick. Flying as a group is a great thing about AH but the best fights are like 4 against 4 not 4 against 1.
Its the hypocracy that overwhelms my sense of rationality. I will not give up on rationality as a result though. I point it out to save my ears from hearing it maybe but perhaps above all to try and understand and accept it as the realm of people I otherwise respect.
Situational Awareness: "To be able to pick, gang choose a fight on unequal terms and when possible and most satisfying on equal terms and win or learn something". But don't cry about if you don't win and say you are morally superior than others. That is for me the reality.
Situational Awareness is a formidable skill and to avoid timidity has kills per hour in the fighter score for example. The rules are there. The playing field is even. The hardest part is perhaps the exposure to the difference between how good you think you are and really are and that is upsetting for many here and in life in general.
Opinion from the village idiot....
It's not so much the game as it is human nature, a game or social media is a vehicle for a sub-conscience outlet. again IMO. Things you would not do or say in person or public view without shades. A robber wears a mask so you can't see who just did a horrible thing. Take the mask off and they're not so ballsy.
Mean-while back at the ranch.
I don't fly FOR kills, they happen along the way of aiding whatever mission someone is running. If me killing field guns will help get them in that's what I'll probably do. If you're in my way ya gotta go. More than likely it will be me who goes. ME THINKS, players who play like me are playing a bigger game. Racking kills is not the objective, playing a war is. I don't have to seek targets, they will find me where I go.
Another side of the a coin is those who don't play so much the war as much as they want to kill anything and everything, however ridiculous. The gamer. They play to the point system.
These are opposite mindsets, and the latter is an irritant to some, including me. But, the MA is a Melee arena, by definition, and all types fly there. I still view it as just a place to practice for scenarios, probably why I'm more of a mission guy.
In events I've been in there is very little of this nonsense. Most are on their best behavior and more disciplined flying,.. as you only get a certain numbers of lives. HOing and ramming isn't happening as much.
Me thinks, those like me who frown on cheap game play are happier within events, and why me thinks the less events to develop good habits, the more this type of MA play will happen. Ya just get conditioned to not want to do that stuff. Those who just want kills probably don't like events so much,....it's boring to them. Which for me, running in a well polished sqd formation on a mission is more funnest.
The Melee arena is just that, a ball of confusion.
Melee = chaos
Events = organized chaos
Events are important.
- the village idiot.