I think judging everyone in one broad stroke as cheaters and manipulators because they are highly placed in the Killboard is a mistake. Sure some people log on with corp mates and stack the deck but that probably happens far less than people think. I have logged on with corp mates maybe 5% of the time so my K/B endeavors are solo 95% of the time. But I am thrown into that category of not being a good pilot because I, according to them, cheat? And lets not forget, cheating is subjective especially when the mechanic exists. Now if you are manipulating files, hacking or robo-farming or what have you > that's cheating by anyone's standards. So I guess it boils down to which standards are we going to abide by. Personally I hate suicide gankers and perhaps this may not be a problem when the final game comes out - I certainly hope it isn't a problem. But if a group wants to do it then I can live with it. But there are those that adamantly oppose this. They say it's just a game and we shouldn't resort to a mindset of 'winning at all costs'. And yes it is a game; football is a game, soccer is a game, basketball is a game, chess is a game and there are a lot of serious players and fans who play these games. But for some reason when you play a computer game you can't take it seriously or are mocked for doing so. I find this rather strange because I think everyone's different and should play any game, any way they like. And if they get enjoyment out of eviscerating, crushing or frustrating the competition out of existence using existing mechanics, then gods speed. I think we should all play the game how we like and not try to force others to play a certain way. All we can do is follow CIG guidelines and hope for the best. But I do know one thing, I loath suicide gankers but if 70% of the corps out there are doing it, I'm getting my Hachimaki out.
So if people are placing high on the Killbaord, I have a healthy respect for them, even if they are taking advantage of existing mechanics. Personally I would love to see Squad Battles fixed and all this would be moot. But even if Squad Battles are up and running, there will always be people downplaying and even mocking anyone who does Battle Royal. Personally I think such people should take advantage of Battle Royal and if you notice others working together and you are outnumbered, fly like hell! I have experienced being outnumbered and actually come out on top soloing it. Sure it's not easy but if anyone thinks that the PU will be more forgiving then they are living in - excuse the pun - another universe. In fact I look at such things as great training and I have to say I am a pretty good pilot - when it comes to running from my adversaries. But that might just come in handy in the PU. So take advantage of being outnumbered. And stop whining about people stealing your kill! If you can't finish the job then you shouldn't be bitching about it in the first place. I have had tons of people stealing my kills and good on them - it is called taking tactical advantage of the situation. Something I think we will all have to learn to do in the PU.
