Hey everyone!

If you play Dogfight for long enough, odds are, you'll run into an argument on gameplay philosophy. It's inevitable, and by now, our community seems like it's full of broken records and dead horses.

With that said, I apologize if it seems like I'm adding fuel to a flame that everyone is probably tired of. I'm not here to shove my way of playing down anybody's throats, I'm just here to show everyone that there's sense in metagaming.

I was recently in a 'Bomb the Hangar' game with Pluribus on my team, against Suxxor and Garzo, plus a few other lower-ranking players between the teams. All but one of our hangars were gone, but once the teams evened out (not everyone was there from the start), it was playing out like a typical BTB.

After a few head-on runs, I noticed I hadn't seen Plurbus for a few minutes. Any experienced player would know what that means.

I asked him on team chat, "Are you going up high?"

He replied, "No, but should I?"

That right there is something I love to hear. It means that I have a teammate that's willing to coordinate with me to gain an upper-hand against the enemy team.

I told him to go up high, but to keep away from the enemy base until I could get a reading on Suxxor's and Garzo's positions (the two players who would likely intercept his bombing run):



Notice what I said: "I will drop to make it hard." (yes, that's what she said, ha ha ha)

No, but really, I was aiming to drop my bomb and lead the enemy team away from their base, in order to give Plurbus an open window for his bombing run. I got close enough to get their attention, and once I did, I turned my plane around in hopes they would give chase.

They did!

My bombless plane ensured that I would be able to survive long enough to lead them away as far as I could. All the while, Plurbus was waiting on standby above their base. I was giving him information on our position, and he was waiting for a clear shot down.

Eventually I got the majority of the enemy team to chase me halfway across the map, and I gave Plurbus the green light:



By this point, we were in a good spot. Even if the enemy team were to shoot me down, they would probably not realize that Plurbus would be going for a dive bomb until it was too late. The crucial part of this play was that I was able to manipulate the enemy team into going where we wanted them to go, and at the same time inform when it was clear for Plurbus to initiate his dive (remember, if you see an enemy on radar, they can see you too. Solo dive bombing runs are a gamble because you won't know if there is an enemy at the base until you're too close).

Still, the anticipation was killing me:



I actually verbally cheered when the bombs hit! Now my roommate is mad at me...

Anyhow, once the enemy team saw the base was under attack, they forgot about me altogether and turned back to their base. I got shot down in the ensuing dogfight, but our run was successful!





I don't know about you guys, but these are the kinds of moments I want in my DF games! The other team was a good sport, they never once criticized me for "dropping" or "spinning/corkscrewing". Hopefully, there'll be a point where everyone will be able to see the merit in these choices, instead of labeling them as a form of cheating.

Until then, those who decide to change around their gameplay in a fair and smart manner, keep fighting the good (and in my opinion, more fun) fight!

~Luna

Luna that's just smart play .you didn't drop to go camping .you lead the other team.away.. its the people that drop to camp or sneak when it's five on one that tick people off .camping when no planes or tank near enemy base is low .I do not consider that a tactic it's just point mongering.I'm all for tactics I use them myself.it's not always down the valley of death .what it comes down to is how one uses tactics one way is low and underhanded the other is showing smarts a respect for the others and the GAME .

Edited.. Great tactics miss Luna

Exactly that's why Plur keeps playing with only some of us!!! Because he needs a team who will support him. He flies everytime he sees me as blue tho he dies many times too!! That's how I vision the game to be played Ms. Luna ... A well developed strategy and a good team coordination and a bit of enthusiasm when my team is not up to the level of reds that's how this game should be played!!

Edit

Plz refer to pm's spammed your inbox a bit the truth will be harsh in public!

I have asked Luna to remove my post from this thread .I'm not getting dragged into a pissing match

Ah Luna,

It's great when it works out. What a perfect example of a thinking game. With some thought you were able to make an asset out of pluribus! I've had similar situations with noobs. It's great to see them feel like they can be more than just cannon fodder. A good plan can make use of all skill sets while what so many claim to be "honorable" play insures great advantage to one style.

Many more people can come to understand when it's illustrated it as you have here. The only detractors are probably going to be the "only when the sides are even or when you're outnumbered" voices. Now if only they could integrate the common enthusiasm for playing outnumbered. Almost everyone claims to love the challenge of being on the low side of an uneven game, why should they demand that the enemy cuts them the slack of a head on then? What is lost in letting a game end and moving on to the next?

It is far worse when someone gets all upset and claims that they have been abused or that someone took unfair advantage. The complaints fester into bad attitude. Complaining when a high rank goes for kill mongering instead of a team win is understandable but the problem is that the complaints tend to group all tactical play with the abusive style.

Thanks for your voice of reason!

I've noticed of late there seems to be more acceptance, for want of a better word, of players employing a variety of tactics. Much like when I started a few years ago, but then for a while there the game was dominated by a pack mentality of straight down the middle and nothing else, at risk of being called a cheat.
Still, most good players use their their discretion when mixing it up, otherwise it becomes a chaotic free for all. For example, it's disheartening when you encounter certain players who you know will drop from the get go, even though they are entitled to, but it takes the fun out of it as you know you don't stand a chance against some of them (as they are good pilots to begin with), if you decide to drop (or sneak, whatever) as well it just gets messy

slyguy wrote: I've noticed of late there seems to be more acceptance, for want of a better word, of players employing a variety of tactics. Much like when I started a few years ago, but then for a while there the game was dominated by a pack mentality of straight down the middle and nothing else, at risk of being called a cheat.
Still, most good players use their their discretion when mixing it up, otherwise it becomes a chaotic free for all. For example, it's disheartening when you encounter certain players who you know will drop from the get go, even though they are entitled to, but it takes the fun out of it as you know you don't stand a chance against some of them (as they are good pilots to begin with), if you decide to drop (or sneak, whatever) as well it just gets messy

That's the best time to use a strategic defense.

(Edit) Never underestimate the strategic value you get in some situations by not shooting someone down.

Exactly.... Jajajaja

In 70% of the games I play, I try to use these kind of team coordination. The other 30% I dont do it is when it is not needed (like free-for-all, zep missions, or when the opponnent is not kicking our buts).

I use this timed-bait trick since way before team-chat, when I needed to calculate everything by myself (obviously, if I talked about it, reds would not chase me).

Nowadays, it is way easier (and more fun and more effective), with team-chat. But, unfortunately, there are still many pilots who REFUSES to use their brains: those who kills tanks when they are far from our base (even after told not do to it), those who kills reds even when I tell them to hold fire (when I am about to approach their base after a long, boring sneaky trip), etc. There are even some high-ranked players who criticizes me when I ask them to sneak, or when I suggest them to drop in some circumstances! Jeez...

But, as I use to say, its just a game. Do they want to keep destroying harmless tanks, ignoring their team`s main goal? So be it, providing they are having fun; I just quit and go another server - hoping to find someone with at least half a Luna`s brain.

[LB] Pedrinho wrote: In 70% of the games I play, I try to use these kind of team coordination. The other 30% I dont do it is when it is not needed (like free-for-all, zep missions, or when the opponnent is not kicking our buts).

I use this timed-bait trick since way before team-chat, when I needed to calculate everything by myself (obviously, if I talked about it, reds would not chase me).

Nowadays, it is way easier (and more fun and more effective), with team-chat. But, unfortunately, there are still many pilots who REFUSES to use their brains: those who kills tanks when they are far from our base (even after told not do to it), those who kills reds even when I tell them to hold fire (when I am about to approach their base after a long, boring sneaky trip), etc. There are even some high-ranked players who criticizes me when I ask them to sneak, or when I suggest them to drop in some circumstances! Jeez...

But, as I use to say, its just a game. Do they want to keep destroying harmless tanks, ignoring their team`s main goal? So be it, providing they are having fun; I just quit and go another server - hoping to find someone with at least half a Luna`s brain.

wow it's almost as if I could have typed this myself, word for word! Especially players ignoring pleas not to kill reds (especially tanks) when you're about to bomb