Eight months ago, Bombers were slightly different animals. They were tough to kill, required no dogfighting in order to excel with, could sit on a satellite and fart out as many kills as they wanted, whether they could see their foes or not. They were new. They were shiny. Everybody wanted to see what the fuss was about, and everyone insisted they had broken GSF completely. Now. Present day. The shine's off. Pilots have gotten wiser. Bombers may not be peoples' favorite part of the GSF meta, but it's one that can be overcome. Make no mistake, I think this was a majorly jerk move and it's a reminder of why I don't appreciate this particular group of pilots. But I also think that these days, pilots may be in a better position to handle it if something like this were fielded against them. I still think the VOIP Double Bomberball would win the match, but their losses might be more serious if today's pilots could field today's anti-Bomber tactics against them. This is not an invitation to reprise this event.

8) Deliberately hiding our keys and asking us to go to the grocery store because if you don't get tampons in the next five minutes, it's not going to be pretty. Start slowly ratcheting up a simulated whining discomfort as we scramble to find said hidden keys. 9) Blaster Overcharge, In Your Sights/Concentrated Fire/Wingman and a well-placed Burst Laser Cannon shot. 10) Waking up before we do, and gently taping bubble wrap to the bottom of the toilet seat, then waiting for us to head to the can in a bleary morning haze and filming the results on your phone. 11) Approaching a Gunship with a slight lateral drift instead of taking the direct A-to-B route. It confounds Railgun shots.

Two thumbs way, way up here!

Kin, I don't know if the end-all answer, either, is for Repside to start pulling punches. A lot do, although, to be fair, I don't know if me rolling out my T3 Gunship as opposed to my T1 is making it any easier for anyone flying against me. What I'm trying to do is see if I can't get folks from the Repside GSF channel to put their mains down for a month or two, fly exclusively Imperial, queue with new players and be social with them, and help Eclipse talk up GSF and get people interested. I've already gotten some soft commitments from a few players. We'll see how it goes.

I actually share the sentiment, I recognize that it's not fair to you, and I'm at a loss to explain it myself.

Believe me, I'm not blaming anybody for anything. I think Ebon Hawk may reaching a point, though, where a very serious effort needs to be made to help build things up in order to make things more fun and competitive for everyone, as opposed to doing what we've been doing, fielding our best pilots and then telling them to pull punches.

Drako, Verain, while I do appreciate you migrating on over to help us keep Repside humble, I don't know if sticking your head in, blowing some of us away and wandering off is the best thing to help Impside right now. Believe me, the Repside GSF channel has been sitting down and having a long conversation about this for at least the last hour. The problem isn't that Repside's getting too big for its britches. Okay, let's use an exercise to agree on terminology before we proceed here. GSF has pretty much always had a stratification of pilots, usually according to ability (more than ship mastery, though that does contribute). On the top, you've got, let's call them, 'Rogue-grade' pilots. These are server aces, or ronin GSFers who hop from server to server, the cream of the crop, the really deadly pilots. On the bottom, we've got noobs. Two-shippers, maybe F2P accounts just sticking their heads in for the first time who don't know a missile break from their own butts. And then in the middle, you've got, again, let's be nerdy and call them 'Wraith-grade' pilots. Pilots who aren't the best, but can still churn out a decent performance. In terms of numbers, maybe a guy who comes out of a match with 3-5-and-3. Ebon Hawk Impside can muster Rogue-grade pilots. They've got great flyers. Some of the deadliest people to fly, in my experience, are exclusively Imperial pilots. The problem is not that Impside can't muster good pilots; it's that when those pilots aren't on, there's nothing to fill the void. That core group of Wraith-grade pilots is missing from Ebon Hawk Impside right now, and everything else is just getting bulldozed by the Republic Rogue-grade pilots, who queue over and over and over again, because for them--for us--it's fun. This is something we've really been scratching our heads about recently. It's a problem with many facets: in one part, it's a problem with Republic Rogue-grade pilots getting too entrenched in their characters and bulldozing any up-and-coming competition. It's also a problem with Impside Rogue-grade pilots either not being online, or not contributing to helping their newer pilots. And it's also a population problem. We're in a slump right now because the kiddies are all in school, other games are showing off new and interesting things, and nobody wants to stick their heads up just to have some jerk in a Gunship who also acts on stage and posts long, convoluted posts about faction balance (...that sounds so familiar! It's like I know that guy!) blast it off. It's been suggested that we might get some people back in the period between 3.0 and when the kiddies get out for the holidays, but having a planned groundwork in place before that happens will help to retain some of those folks. What we need right now isn't a one-off shoot-'em-up to tamp a perceived 'faction imbalance' back down. What we need is a concerted effort towards building the Impside GSF community. Leveling new characters, all the while, taking new pilots under our wings and teaching them the basics of flying, communication, dogfighting tactics, game strategy, and bringing up a new crop of Wraith-grade pilots. This isn't a problem that can be solved by blasting folks into not queuing. This is going to require a bit of community-building.

*grin* 'Difficult', I said. Not 'aggravating'. Head-on! Apply directly to the Gunship! Head-on! Apply directly to the Gunship!

Needs another O-word. Then the server abbreviation can be 'Ooo'.

Oh, I know you! You were making my life real difficult the other day!

Ootch. Yeah. "Bob". I almost forgot about him... *winces*

Nem, uh, can I mention that it's very, very ironic to me, that after creating the GSF channels on both sides to begin with, you would at any point advise people (yes, of one faction only, but still!) to not use it. That just blows my mind, I would have thought that you'd have tried to stick with it despite the difficulty of trolls. Any channel's going to have troll troubles at some time or another. That I haven't seen any on the Repside GSF channel doesn't mean that they haven't occurred. But to speak of the Repside GSF channel for just a moment, that is, in fact, the primary draw for me to stay flying Repside. Most folks know that I have Imperial alts that I fly, and have even mastered ships on. But I don't fly those alts, because Impside just does not have the same sense of community as Repside. I know everyone Repside. I enjoy hanging out with everyone Repside. There are very, very few people in the channel that I would say are real jerks, or out for themselves, or are out to make other people unhappy. Most everyone has some level of skill, wants to attain some level of skill, or just have fun. Impside is a different story. And if those in the know want a condensed version of that story, here you go: The last time I flew regularly Impside was when Rainbow-dash was around. And folks will remember the vitriol that was thrown around in the Impside GSF channel in those days. I didn't enjoy it, I didn't enjoy being a part of it, I didn't enjoy being around it, and I made a conscious decision not to be. Now. If the regulars of the Impside GSF channel are willing to make an effort to be friendly, regulate the bad influences on the channel, and promote the best interest of the server as a whole (in short, what Eclipse Squadron is doing!), then I'll be happy to try and move over.

I want to give a shout-out to EVERY SINGLE PERSON on this list, after one of the closest, most fun, most incredible-finish Domination matches of my almost-a-year of flying. The story here is that my team was behind for nearly all of the match, until the "bad guys" got three-capped, not even joking, at 993, with us muttering around the six to seven hundreds. We three-capped, held, blew the bad guys out of the sky, only to have them wrest A from us, and putting the race back on again. You can see the result, and it's just one more example of what I always say: "Never stop fighting 'till the fighting's done." The best part was, it was a wargame, so all of us could laugh about it afterwards with no hard feelings. I love that my fellow Republic flyers are not only skilled enough to get a match THAT close and neither one of us ever gave up or surrendered or just said, 'Oh, it's not gonna happen', but that we're all friendly and professional enough to not take either the win or the loss as a personal indictment, either positive or negative. Nobody's ego took a hit, nobody's ego took off. Just another match.

Don't jinx it, luv. I want to give a special shout-out to a few Scout pilots that have really made it their business to get in my face and shut me down over the past couple days. You guys are doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing in order to keep me out of the game and give your team a good chance at winning. Specifically, Kresta, Stiletto, Briellyn, Gwendolyn, and Scherieke. You guys have cost me a lot of time I could otherwise be using to slaughter you.

Flew against you today. Silly Ded'i can't keep away. Oh, thank you! Really, this makes me smile. The time in particular, I think Ren, Pylan and I were grouped up together and chatting over Mumble. I mean, it's really tough to get one over on us when we're all grouped together; throw voice into the mix, and it's a lot more difficult. But I really appreciate being told that I'm tough to kill, thank you! That, I think, is the real sign of a good Gunship pilot. If a Gunship can get big damage and lots of kills, it's not necessarily because they're skilled, but because their targets keep giving them opportunities. No, a good Gunship pilot displays his or her real skill when they're forced to try and survive. Having good backup helps, though, and I'm glad I can always count on my GSF friends. I wanna give a couple shout-outs to some friends: Rahima, Lija, Kantherian, Jai-din, Thorvalder, Onyarra and, as always, Sookat and Sriia. Thank you for making it fun to fly with y'all. And I also wanna give a couple shout-outs to the bad, bad Impside peoples: Echol'ya, Drevar (Doctor Dre!), Layecc (for sheer persistence!), Kalphitis, Yaegren, and an extra-special welcome-back shout to Mae-thon and Kami. Haven't seen you guys in forever!

DO. YOU MEEEEAN BY THAT?! That...is not...an aaaaansweerrr!

Would the Cliff's Notes for this solution be "find another well, this one's run dry"? I don't think that sort of slash-and-burn mentality is going to foster community growth, even if you can persuade folks to give up their servers just to come play with you on this one. Perhaps the solution shouldn't be to go recruit from a totally different server, but to try expanding the appeal to a different player base on TEH. I know RP'ers who won't touch PvP because they think they'd get torn to pieces. I know folks who specialize in PvE who might be able to generate decent numbers in a scrap. GSF'ers could be your best bet; PvP and GSF have a competitive base to them that could find common ground. The point is, don't look for outside help, help those you haven't reached yet right where you are.

Well, yeah, Rhodo, I'm prepared to accept that what works for GSF maybe won't work for Ground PvP. I can be wrong on any of a number of reasons. Could be mechanics, could be the eccentricities of the player base, but I'm not convinced that two environments that sponsor direct competition against others don't have at least some common ground and can't learn from each other.

This is Part Two of how to deal with the problem. Again, I resort to explaining GSF to provide perspective. TEH's GSF Channel, accessible both Repside and Impside, is a hangout for many experienced pilots, and a repository for tips, tricks, advice, and assistance. We advertise it...uhh, when we remember to, heh heh...and bill it as a place where new pilots who are interested in GSF can come to learn from the vets and even get a group to fly with in rougher queue periods. Interestingly, there's a possible correlation to be made between the broadness of the player base and the activity on the channel. Impside GSF channel, at least when I'm in it, tends to be kinda quiet, and when folks do speak up, it tends to be the old hands talking amongst themselves. Their skilled player base in GSF, at current, is also taking some hits. Repside GSF channel is as chatty as sewing circle. Again, a lot of middling and elder players do the talking, but new pilots will ask for advice and the vets are glad to give it. And again, the skilled player base in GSF for the Republic is booming. So, Nezumi is exactly on the right track. Access to information and making yourselves as elder players more accessible to the newer folks will make them better. But that accessibility won't matter if they aren't inspired to stay in, in the first place. Therefore, I'm suggesting this. In matches, stop providing object lessons. Start treating the 'scrubs' with kid gloves. Don't just roll over and let them win, but provide them with an environment to learn in. OUT of matches, start providing direct assistance by making yourselves accessible. Start talking with these folks. Start suggesting things. Communicate. Schmooze. Maybe take on a PvP 'apprentice', as it were. Maybe even start a Repside guild directly intended to be a training ground for 'scrubs' to become decent journeyman PvPers. If not a guild, start a channel! If you don't want to start a channel, use the established PvP channel towards that end! Creating sustainable, challenging PvP for the Republic means you need to stop crushing them, and start investing effort into building them up.

Ahh, well, I'm sorry I wasn't more concise. That's about the basic run of it. I understand that PvP is supposed to be competitive, but I'm beginning to sense from the amount of 'Pubs no PvP why?!' threads that have been cropping up, that the current level of competitiveness is starting to take a toll on player influx. Nobody wants to walk into a meat grinder. I take no offense, but the answer is yes. I am presenting my opinion ingenuously. This is what I think. I can be wrong. I can be trippin'. I can be influenced by my current point of view. Ah-heh...see, this is why that sort of idea was for another thread. I recognize that some people don't invest a great deal personally into a character. Actually, probably a lot, even. Just...forget that whole bit, it's really tangential. Okay, now this is the point that I think really matters. At least on GSF, we have a differing opinion. In a domination map, if at all possible, we on Ebon Hawk don't three-cap. A longer match means longer flight time, giving new or middling pilots more time to get better, and learn what works and what doesn't. Moreover, a longer match results in less new-player turnover (still happens, but there's a difference between a considerate victory and a noobstomp), a chance at more Requisition to allow for better upgrade purchases, more long-term interest, and maybe even a measure of respect for the local veterans. These same veterans will also willingly handicap themselves by selecting a less upgraded ship, a less powerful loadout, or something they're uncomfortable in, specifically in order to present a friendlier environment for newer players. Blowouts, three-caps, and noobstomps, by their nature, intent and design, are jarring experiences. That can be necessary for a journeyman PvPer. However, the problem right now, if I understand things correctly, is that these jarring experiences have not served as instructional or inspirational instances, but instead as demoralizing ones. Players have dropped out rather than face it again, or worse, face it on a consistent basis. Now, yes, we can rail all day about how it shows an uncommitted mindset on the part of those who are consistently demoralized by Ground PvP, and list, itemize and alphabetize the many faults and failings of those folks, but that won't solve the problem: What can WE, the established PvP crowd, do to keep folks in? Of course, in this instance, 'we' means 'y'all', since, if I understand right, GSF isn't real PvP anyway...! I'm just here to try and provide a little outside perspective, and the ideas that I'm issuing from that perspective can be potentially wrong, I'm willing to accept that.

I think I've done Ground PvP on exactly one character across my Legacy on TEH. It just didn't take for me. For one, I'm not a big fan of being as big a jerk as I possibly can be in order to win. While that may end me up with a label like 'RP-PvE care bear extraordinaire', I find that the sting of such nomenclature comes off when I look at how many others on TEH seem to have the exact same mindset. Maybe it's the group I hang out with, but Republic players on Ebon Hawk just don't seem to have the ruthlessness required to dominate PvP. Which is, in part, why they seem to excel instead at GSF. GSF does work when a pilot takes a ruthless tack, but the community since its formation has pretty much instead focused on making it accessible to new players, conducting themselves with a spirit of fair play, and mostly pursuing team victory over personal achievement. Plus, I have some theories about the association between an in-game heroic avatar that took time to 'get exactly right' with the player's personal self-image, and how seeing that self-avatar get killed over and over again and not being able to fight back in a meaningful way could be potentially traumatic...but that's for another thread. Aaanyway, back on topic, my two cents on the matter is that the GSF community seems to have taken a very different path from the Ground PvP community*, and this may be a result. Regardless of faction, it's up to elder players of either side to put on the kid gloves if they want less-initiated players to explore their venue, find something they enjoy about it, and invest the effort into pursuing it. Saving Republic PvP may mean you investing the effort to not crush the other team as hard as you know you probably could...and might also enjoy doing. * - At the time of this posting, it has not escaped my notice that Impside GSF is taking some ugly hits from a more committed Republic player base. The same advice posited here also applies, in fact, should apply more to GSF players, precisely because of the more chivalrous mindset I used as an example in this very thread. Throttle back, guys. We want folks to stay in.

I'm not! Believe in the power of Strike Synergy!

Quarrel, Clarion and Flashfire. Long range support and where I'm at my most comfortable, mid-to-close support with some teeth, and agile, mobile, hostile close-range death.

'Gangs of Nar Shaddaa'? Dude, I've always wanted to be in a Martin Scorsese movie!

Man-o. Looking at the death counts, that must have been a real hair, teeth and eyeballs match...