I would like to say that you guys are some of the most helpful people I have ever stumbled across. Even if I asked stupid noob questions, you guys don't yell at me like some elitist jerks in other MMORPG's. There needs to be more people like you guys in other MMORPG's.

As a noob, I say thank you and hope to learn more tips and tricks.

Hey we are always happy to help someone that comes in with an honest desire to learn. It's the new guys like you that seek out knowledge that keep us going in being helpful.

There's a few posters some of which I know you've run across already, that are almost enough to make us get that last bit of bitter into us and make us give up, but then we get guys like you that remind us why we come here, why we still play, and why we help.

Oh, there are occassional "LOL NOOB L2P" comments - usually when the "noob" in question doesn't actually ask questions, but demands changes or accuses of cheating or exploits. It is certainly true that this game or any game will always have balance issues and may contain exploits - but only a really experienced player has a chance (far from a guarantee) to tell which is which and it's better to ask for advice and knowledge first.

Mustrum "Wie man in den Wald hinein ruft, so schallt es her raus" Ridcully

It's really nice to see someone come along with an open mind, who can accept that they don't know everything yet, and engage in a dialogue that benefits not just them but anyone else who may be listening. I know I'm never left hanging for too long when I have a problem or don't understand something.

I too have found it rather refreshing that, rather than being faced with 'witty' one liners or 'one-worders' such as 'L2p', I have generally been met with 'your tactics could be optimized, here's what you might want to try out', followed by lengthy lectures, field training and generally every possible tip imaginable. PvP lives or dies on its communities, and this one is certainly quite vocal, eloquent, generally polite, and all around much appreciated.

Well I lurk around here trying to make sense of some of the items people who frequent these forums say. I don't have the Dilithium or EC to swap stuff around as much to test things out as I like. I know i've discovered the joy of Tactical team since reading these forums. I never really read the descriptions and just rainbow bright'd my weaps thinking, 'hey, if i throw more types of dmg, they will be overwhelmed". Of course i now learned to read the secondary effects of weapons, and pick Tac consoles that help those out. I've popped so many times in Ker'rat i laugh at the ship turning upside down like a whale look. Of course leeching knowledge from here i've been able to make tactical changes and pop some of the people there enough time to make it fun.

I guess to new people, Get In the Forums.. That being said, come at this game as an isolated gaming experience, yes bring what you've learned from other games, but don't make decisions based on those mechanics and assume it will apply here. Spend time sitting at your skill screen learning what skill affects what weapon/ability. Experiment. Try something new, get out of your comfort zone, go BOOM. You'll fly better after dying if you think of what happened, why it happened, and didn't pull the "Omg he killed me, i wasn't able to touch his shield while he tore me up....he must be hacking". When i died, i messed up, i wasn't set up correctly, opponent knows his/her ship and plays accordingly, i over extended and chased guy into his friends. Finally, HAVE FUN. It's a game. Play it and enjoy. Though i do want to get a full group of rainbow Odysseys and a couple carriers and have a Skittle Disco.. It would look awesome.

^ this, could not say it better.

I have had nothing but positive experiences in this game. Reading this forum was incredibly helpful after my first outing in PVP, when my RA Tac/Escort was burned down by a klink on the spawn in about two seconds while I was trying to figure out where I was and what I was doing after my glorious rise through Fed ranks in PvE.

I have had a couple of negative experiences. The only one I remember was recent, from some whiner Fed who blew up in Ker'rat when I shot him in a 1vMore attack at spawn (dunno how many Feds were there or AFK, but more than one were shooting back). I got a tel and an ignore. Yay, my first one! The jerks haven't been part of the PvP establishment.

Thanks to the fine folks on this forum for posting tips, tricks and advice and to those I've flown with and against both sides (mostly in 2010 and early 2011).

-- and this is a cool thread.