Slade's Aces High Plane Notes | Site / Score Fun Facts

Score\stats\rank vs. skill misperceptions.

Overview

The following is a modest list of things that skew score\stats\rank. Some pilots define themselves by their stats.
Others would say that score\stats\rank is completely meaningless.
Perhaps greater objectivity can lead to a more accurate take on highly contested topic. Lets find out!

Per AH, here is the current score formula for Air Categories (non-GV):


   Kills per Death  = TotalKills / ((Discos * 0.5) + Bails + Captures + Deaths + 1)
   Kills per Sortie = TotalKills / TotalTourSorties
   Kills per Time   = TotalKills / TotalTourSortieTime
   Hit percentage   = TotalTourBulletsHit / TotalTourBulletsUsed
   Air points       = PlaneDamageScore + KillScore

Data Points

Actions and their effect on score (no particular order):

Upping a plane on the runway then deciding not to take off ending the flight immediately.
Some reasons include: Chose wrong plane, chose wrong base, base being vulched etc.
=> Kills per Sortie
Shooting at non-targets for fun and\or tactical changes.
This includes shooting at moon, buildings while in fighter mode, other friendlies [across bow], burning off undesired ammo [type] etc.
=> TotalTourBulletsUsed, Hit percentage
Helping a fellow pilot upon request.
To help unreservedly may require flying in a manner that sacrifices ones ideal score\stats\rank.
=> Potentially All
Re-arm pad.
=> Kills per "Sortie"
Choosing to bail or ditch without any damage.
Some reasons include: not wanting to fly all the way back to base, empty fuel, deliveries (UPS, pizza...), spouse ACK etc.
=> ((Discos * 0.5) + Bails + Captures + Deaths + 1)
Flying high ENY planes, i.e. non-perk planes. ( C202, P-40c etc.)
It tends to take longer to get to a fight and also tends to take more rounds of 7mm and .303 to do damage.
=> TotalTourSortieTime, PlaneDamageScore ...
Having to stay in tower.
Some reasons include: phone calls, house chores, spouse ACK and forgot was playing as other life events happen.
=> TotalTourSortieTime
High altitude bomber intercept missions.
=> TotalTourSortieTime
Setting convergence to a general setting good for bombers and ACM.
Like 475. Not gonna get an instant kill at close range like 300. Still able to be effective against bombers.
Just means you tend to use more ammo for ACM in some cases.
=> PlaneDamageScore,TotalTourBulletsHit,TotalTourBulletsUsed

 Re-arm Pad Sidebar
 The re-arm pad is arguably the gamiest tool in AH.  With this one can abuse all stats related to "sorties" well beyond WWII possibilities.   
 Many of those that use it for padding stats seem to be crazily neurotic about any suggestion of aligning the concept of a sortie to WWII 
 accuracy.  A sortie in WWII\reality means: each time a plane leaves the ground is a new flight.

 With the rearm pad all bets are off.  You can have a "sortie" in a perk plane, and flying very tentatively, can last almost indefinitely.
 Re-upping over-and-over and being scored as just one flight\sortie! Flying in this manner one can routinely get near double digit kills when
 they eventually choose end their "sortie".

 While a re-arm pad can be useful in base defense the abuses leave score\stats significantly more inaccurate than any other factor.

In differing amounts the above data points correspondingly affect the formula for Air Categories. Just this modest list of common flight behaviors is more than enough to adversely influence score\stats\rank.

Conclusion

It is easy to see why a pilots skill cannot be measured by score\stats\rank. Obviously the moment you see someone touting their stats as an indicator of skill you know you may be dealing with a fool. Taken with a grain of salt, the AH stats page may give some clues as to a pilots skill. Just clues though at best not having all the possible data points.

There is no replacement for thinking for yourself. Your actual flying against a pilot in multiple and diverse scenarios and making up your own mind on him\her. Ultimately stats seem to be most useful for each individual pilots growth and NOT as the deciding factor to determine\compare pilot skill.