Winning is always a gaol, but does not have to be a 'primary' goal. If AA was like Real Life and you were a real pilot .. you must win .. or die. Death .. is a permenant thing .. there is no 're spawn'. So let keep focus on what this is all about .. a game. In this game .. we do re-spawn to fight again .. and again .. and again.
The goal of the Black Sheep is NOT winning. Our Goal is having fun. Our goal is to be good friends and have a pleasent environment to play in. Our goal is to 'fit in' within the Tides of War gaming frame-work so that when we 'quit' AA .. or just need a change of pace .. there are other things we can do .. without having to 'search out' another group etc. .. .. (more on that when you want to know etc)
Winning and Loosing also needs to be examined as a 'individual' as well as by a 'group. Sometimes there is no difference .. sometimes there are big differenence.
As an individual you don't like to constantly loose, the feeling of 'winning' needs to be within grasp, if not .. you simply will not have fun with the game.. or any game. As an individual you know that with any game you have to learn. Learn not only the rules and mechanic .. but also the tricks of the trade so to speak. AA is no different, however as an individual it will take you a lot longer to learn those 'tricks of the trade'. Also as an individual .. you are a loaner. No one is ever watching your back, or giving your pointers .. you have no "bro's".
As a squad member .. or team member you want to win also. Constantly loosing is no fun .. but the measurements are different. You may loose battles as an individual .. but your part within the team.. and what you did .. or your assignment may lead to the squad 'winning' even though your individual score may not look to good. As a team member you are a winner by default. If the squad looses .. so be it. Our objective is to learn .. be the best we can .. and learn to fight as a team. As we gain experience as individuals .. as well as a team .. winning will come like clockwork. WE know we are rookies, we know we are not the best .. we also know that other squads are starting to take a lot more care when attacking .. they don't look at us as the 'ez pushever' any longer!
Personally I never have a problem with 'loosing' to a better pilot. I have a problem when I loose .. and I know I lost it myself by doing something stupid .. or not doing something I was trained to do in that given circumstance. I have a problem when I do somthing that cause the death of a team mate.
So .. 'what is the point' if you don't play to win? The point is playing to have fun .. and playing to enjoy the game and those that you fly with. If we win .. great.. if we loose .. so what so long as we did not 'give it away' and we had fun. This game does not measure a persons net worth .. not to me. I'd rather fly with a pilot that is not very good so long as they try hard, listen to learn .. and do their best. I'd rather not fly with the 'best pilot of all times' if I can't have fun while I'm winging with him.
Now it may seem to some readers like we don't care if we win or not. Of course we want to win .. its just not the primary objective!
Why do we practice?
We practice for many reasons .. but the end reason is to make us better pilots as indivduals and more so as a 'team player'! Without practice, practice, practice .. you will never learn, never know what the other guy did to beat you. Practice means learning the easy way .. not via the school of hard knocks.
We practice so that we can fly together and test our skills against each other and have a means of measurement on improvement .. but as individuals.. and as a team.
We practice ..while we practice! We practice setting up our Team Speak. We practice the proper radio communications skills, we practice formation flying and the different attack patterns. We practice the basics .. like taking off and know what views to use .. so we all don't crash on take off in a real match! We practice the different locks and what happens when our team mates are flying a differnt country but allied with us. We practice 'confusion' and what the result might be and how to avoid that... or recover from it.
The point of practice is to make us better .. regardless if we win or loose.
Personally .. I feel we are all winners if we have fun and enjoy each others company!
You guys are all a great bunch .. and I'd fly to hell and back with any one of you!!
