The Truth About CAL

[SoCal*MiTCh]

Re: The Truth About CAL

ya what is CAL and i aint no "pubber"

good question

https://www.caleague.com

[imported_Elder]

Re: The Truth About CAL

I'm on Xfire now.

User name: Dairuka

I'll add you to xfire and try to arrange a scrim with my team vs. 20ID so you can see what the competition is like. We'll get absolutely destroyed, espicially if it's 8v8 (99% will be), but we can get raped together! These guys have skills that you wish there was a hack for and every time we've played them it hasn't been pretty. If we can accomplish this I hope it'll open your eyes to the kind of mature, skilled, and non-cheating opponents that make-up the top teams in CAL-M.

Edit - And I didn't mean right this minute, it all has to be arranged plus I'll be up all night studying for a bio mid-term.

[Dairuka]

Re: The Truth About CAL

I've already played with three of the 20ID guys. They've definitally proven themselves to be wonderful players individually.

I've never seen them play together however.

As for getting destroyed? So what. It's all for fun. At least you get to say that you've played against the best of the best. I only hope I can hold my own in an organized team that I've never played with before. I'll definitally bring my A-game.

We should post the after-game Battlerecorder on TotalBF2 too.

[Jemme101]

Re: The Truth About CAL

Too bad you guys are all on the other side of the big pond. I would imagine my ping to be uber high when I tried to connect.

[Chris_Redfield]

Re: The Truth About CAL

1) Accuse them of hacking, using aimbots, using macros, glitching, exploiting, and using any kind of cheat. You can find examples of this on almost every page of this thread. Many people in here are completely ignorant to the fact at how good some of these CAL-M players are and claim (with no proof whatsoever) that they are using some sort of cheat or tweak when it is entirely untrue. The best players in CAL have played on LANs (where it's impossible to cheat) and have performed just as well as they have online. It gets a little agitating when some pub scrub attributes your success and skill in something to some kind of cheat when they have no proof or idea of what they're talking about.

Thats called finding a reason, in this case finding a reason to the gap in the skill levels. Ive been called a hacker a lot myself, and as much shame as it can bring, Ive called several people hackers myself. I am a bad loser, no questions there :P . Anyway, this falls down to generalization really.

I have absolutely NO problems whatsoever if a league/clan player defends himself in a thread such as this, saying that average pubber is not as good as high end league player. If the pubber is arrogant and goes postal on the clanners and league players, I dont think anyone should be against some CAL players to put that pubber into shame.

The real problem I have with "you guys" (massive generalization) is that you guys look down on the public server players as if you were better than them in MORE than just PLAYING THE GAME. I hope you understand what I mean. Ive had a lot of heated arguments with league players who start up with the simple "youre a pub nub" or "youre a scrub". I mean, seriously. The gap in the skill level may even not be that great, but they still use the stupid" youre a pub nub" insult as if the cyberintrawebworld position has placed them into royalty!

The most laughable moments have been after dogfights, where the kids have been shot down and they start up with how they play for this and that clan in this and that league and that I am a pub nub... Jesus...

On the other hand, I know that most people who play for leagues keep the knowledge of them being good players, to themselves. And some people are extremely modest.

So basically, I have no problems if a league player uses his CAL/TWL/whatever card in an argument when skill is compared. I do have a problem with people simply look down on to others just because they play in a league.

2) Claiming to be better than players in CAL or on good teams when in reality they have no idea what they are talking about.

Theres claming and theres experience. I agree that simple "claiming" just calls for a slap.

A certain player named Planewhore comes to mind that gave himself the reputation of best pilot in the game but in reality couldn't do much more than bomb mains and take out easy targets on pub servers.

Im one of the few around here who respects PWs argumentation skills and ATS skills on a jet. I dislike his attitude and weve clashed a lot in certain arguments and Im certainly not his "fan", BUT. His ATS skills in jet are truly exceptional, and theres absolutely no doubt in this. I dont think hes the best pilot in the game, but I have no doubt that he is the best pilot when it comes to delivering a fatal blow on to enemy ground forces, armor or not. So saying that he "can take out easy targets in pub servers only" is really an understatement. There are several CAL/TWL bombing highlights videos, and if we compare them to PWs regular gameplay, then PW outshines them, with no contest.

Funny how the people on these forums made him out to be a God yet I could take him down with ease while in a bomber and he was in a fighter.

LOL, belive me, most people dislike PW for his arrogant behaviour. As for bombers vs fighters... I can take down a F35B while flying a Su-34, using cannons only, playing with a 200 ms ping. And Ive been killed by an inferior jet aswell. No matter how good anyone thinks he is, he can be taken down. And nowadays, with ubertracking missiles, I dont really hand out awards for being a super pilot in ATA anymore :P

You yourself have done this, saying you put most pilots to shame from clans.

LOL, I remember saying that, I also remember that this was in a thread where people were arguing on the EXACT same subject and clanners were becoming very arrogant. I personally rank myself as an "above average" or "near average" pilot and every time I say Im "OK" or even "good" I feel ashamed. I am a modest person, really. But fact is, I remember almost every pilot who has been better than me, and there are not more names than 20. The other thing is that I fly F35B almost exclusively, so most of those 20 are pilots who flew superior fighters.

However I bet you have yet to face a decent opponent from one of the top teams in the game.

"you have yet to face a decent opponent from the top teams in the game"

The fact that I have no idea who even plays in the top teams (sorry, I dont give a sh!t about sports or the names in sports, and cybersports falls into this) means that I cant tell you yes or no. But Ive played this game since it came out, with big gaps of pause in playing here and there, so I have some experience, and Ive seen great pilots fly the game. Ive also played a LOT of other games in my life and I can say that the top players arent necessarily clan players. In fact, I rank pubbers who have played one and the same aspect of the game for a whole year or more, higher than clanners. The most exceptional example is Colony, although Ive heard that hes in a clan now.

Most CAL players (the skilled ones anyway) don't talk **** unless provoked somehow by players in the public and then once they are agitated they have every right to defend themselves and verbally bash their opponents.

Bingo.

If you're going to scold me about defending the immature posts and actions from some CAL members then maybe you should teach your fellow TotalBF2 members about maturity first.

Fvck no, sir. I dont think of anyone from TBF2 as a buddy in game whom I need to defend. I like a few people from around here, and they are mature, fun and great players and people to discuss various stuff with. I dont class myself as an "elite TBF2 member" who needs to defend anyone just because they are from TBF2. Seriously, a huge chunk of TBF2 members are disgusting pointwhores, just like the BF2 public server community is.

[SexyMcDoomington]

Re: The Truth About CAL

There are plenty of CAL players like myself who also pub. I am on MoFo-Squad for CAL-O, but I am also in uBp (United Base Players), a "pub" clan, and one of the biggest pub clans out there (over 500 members in 8 different games). What you said is a massive generalization, because most of us got our start and still play in pubs all the time. After CAL practice, almost every night, we go pub for an hour or so, and we all "pub" in toher games liike 2142, CS, Company of Heroes, etc.

CAL players, whether Main or Open, might be skilled infantry, but the real skill lies in the strategy, not just the fighting. This is where the separation between CAL and "pub" players truly lies.

[imported_Elder]

Re: The Truth About CAL

Im one of the few around here who respects PWs argumentation skills and ATS skills on a jet. I dislike his attitude and weve clashed a lot in certain arguments and Im certainly not his "fan", BUT. His ATS skills in jet are truly exceptional, and theres absolutely no doubt in this. I dont think hes the best pilot in the game, but I have no doubt that he is the best pilot when it comes to delivering a fatal blow on to enemy ground forces, armor or not. So saying that he "can take out easy targets in pub servers only" is really an understatement. There are several CAL/TWL bombing highlights videos, and if we compare them to PWs regular gameplay, then PW outshines them, with no contest.

To this day I have yet to see a "bombing highlight video" made by a credible pilot. People who make videos are those who starve for attention and want to put themselves on display in hopes of getting some sort of reaction. In rare cases (such as the code7 duck & cover vid when it came out) the person making the video is actually good, but in most other instances, they aren't. Believe me when I say that most top pilots can attack ground targets just as well or better than pw. A lot of the BF2 pilots, including myself, came from 42 where bombing and strafing was much more of a challenge and a lot of us mastered bombing and strafing in the first few days of the demo.

LOL, belive me, most people dislike PW for his arrogant behaviour. As for bombers vs fighters... I can take down a F35B while flying a Su-34, using cannons only, playing with a 200 ms ping. And Ive been killed by an inferior jet aswell. No matter how good anyone thinks he is, he can be taken down. And nowadays, with ubertracking missiles, I dont really hand out awards for being a super pilot in ATA anymore :P

This is true, but it was Su-30 vs the F-18, which is one of the better fighters in the game vs. the middle string bomber. Oh and I forgot to mention it was before the 1.2 patch so I was using guns only because of the terrible missiles. There was also no outside help from the other planes or from ground AA, he was simply out-flown 1v1 in the F-18 against the Su-30, which I think would still be embarrasing had it been with the crazy tracking post 1.2 missiles anyways.

LOL, I remember saying that, I also remember that this was in a thread where people were arguing on the EXACT same subject and clanners were becoming very arrogant. I personally rank myself as an "above average" or "near average" pilot and every time I say Im "OK" or even "good" I feel ashamed. I am a modest person, really. But fact is, I remember almost every pilot who has been better than me, and there are not more names than 20. The other thing is that I fly F35B almost exclusively, so most of those 20 are pilots who flew superior fighters.

There are hundreds of thousands of people who own and play this game online and while you may not have been bested by that many people so far, the chance of you meeting all of the best players in the game just through playing in pub servers is very small. Just because you've beaten a few clan players, don't throw all of us into the same skill class or generalization. I realise it is somewhat hypocritical to make a statement like that considering many people from CAL do it themselves, but they feel they have faced most of the best since they have gathered in an environment that lets them face the best on a regular bases. Many people come to CAL to prove and test their skills, it's where most of the best players come to play against other players and teams of equal caliber and have fun.

The fact that I have no idea who even plays in the top teams (sorry, I dont give a sh!t about sports or the names in sports, and cybersports falls into this) means that I cant tell you yes or no. But Ive played this game since it came out, with big gaps of pause in playing here and there, so I have some experience, and Ive seen great pilots fly the game. Ive also played a LOT of other games in my life and I can say that the top players arent necessarily clan players. In fact, I rank pubbers who have played one and the same aspect of the game for a whole year or more, higher than clanners. The most exceptional example is Colony, although Ive heard that hes in a clan now.

That's your opinion and here's mine. The top CAL players do the exact same thing as the pubbers you mentioned, playing and perfecting one aspect of the game. However the difference is that they do it in highly competitive and team-oriented environment. They are always looking for that new maneuver, tactic, or strategy to get the edge on their opponent while at the same time trying to practice against the best to keep increase their skill and reaction times. Naturally you'd think that this type of environment would generate the most skilled players. There may be those few individuals out there who somehow have learned to play amazingly by themselves in public servers, but the chance of them surpassing the skill of those mentioned before is very small. I'll keep my mind open to the idea that there may be some player who's never played competition before that could beat me in my field or one of the top inf, tankers, or heli duos, but it hasn't happened yet and honestly, I doubt it will.

It is true because of this competitive nature that tactics which some would consider cheap are used, such as noob tubing, C4 tossing, dolphin diving, etc and that SOME (keyword) players will resort to outside help like hacks, aimbots, and macros. However we all still do this for fun, we enjoy a different style of play that pub servers cannot offer us and although some take it a little too seriously, it's all in the name of good fun (unless your one of the teams winning thousands of dollars, then I guess it's a little more than a hobby). The cheaters in CAL are by far the minority and I'm sure for every cheater you find there are 100 clean players competing in the league.

[Skauboy]

Re: The Truth About CAL

It is quite sad to see the low opinions about the players from CAL. Truth be told the only difference between pubbers and CAL players is play style. CAL players will go into a pub and usually use vanilla weapons to practice for CAL where unlocks are unusable.

Pubbers will use unlocks because clearly you play this game to get every advantage out of it. Advantage meaning you bought the game and want to use all the unlocks and every advantage that is offered because it makes the gameplay experience more fun for you. You want your money's worth and nothing is wrong with that.

However, just because we choose to play and hone our skills in different areas doesn't mean we "hack" or are "hacking" or "tweaking" or whatever else you like to throw at us. Our tactics may seem cheap to you but in a competitive atmosphere it is the norm. Now we need to practice as well and unfortunately you can't scrimmage all the time due to players schedules. Not to mention every once in a while its fun to go pub the game.

Now granted that some CAL players can be assholes, but at the same time some players get sick of being kicked/harassed on a public server. It's amazing how quickly someone is to yell "HACK!" instead of taking the time to simply say "How do you do that?" Try asking people what they do. Sometimes you'd be surprised they will actually take the time to tell you or show you. I don't mind if someone asks me what I'm doing I'll gladly show them. Someone yells "hack" though I have no respect for them since they are clearly showing no respect for me.

There are players that do in fact hack both in CAL and the pub world. However, some people have put ridiculous amounts of time into this game just to get where they are. So next time you see someone doing something that to you seems cheap remember its just the way we are used to playing the game. It has become habit! Instead of yelling hack try asking what the player is doing.

[warchild.IrishRage]

Re: The Truth About CAL

It is quite sad to see the low opinions about the players from CAL. Truth be told the only difference between pubbers and CAL players is play style. CAL players will go into a pub and usually use vanilla weapons to practice for CAL where unlocks are unusable.

Pubbers will use unlocks because clearly you play this game to get every advantage out of it. Advantage meaning you bought the game and want to use all the unlocks and every advantage that is offered because it makes the gameplay experience more fun for you. You want your money's worth and nothing is wrong with that.

However, just because we choose to play and hone our skills in different areas doesn't mean we "hack" or are "hacking" or "tweaking" or whatever else you like to throw at us. Our tactics may seem cheap to you but in a competitive atmosphere it is the norm. Now we need to practice as well and unfortunately you can't scrimmage all the time due to players schedules. Not to mention every once in a while its fun to go pub the game.

Now granted that some CAL players can be assholes, but at the same time some players get sick of being kicked/harassed on a public server. It's amazing how quickly someone is to yell "HACK!" instead of taking the time to simply say "How do you do that?" Try asking people what they do. Sometimes you'd be surprised they will actually take the time to tell you or show you. I don't mind if someone asks me what I'm doing I'll gladly show them. Someone yells "hack" though I have no respect for them since they are clearly showing no respect for me.

There are players that do in fact hack both in CAL and the pub world. However, some people have put ridiculous amounts of time into this game just to get where they are. So next time you see someone doing something that to you seems cheap remember its just the way we are used to playing the game. It has become habit! Instead of yelling hack try asking what the player is doing.

This post ftw
Smartest post yet.

[Puddin Cheeks]

Re: The Truth About CAL

As you can tell, I am new to these forums and have only recently started playing BF2. In the past I have played CS on LAN in college. It is sad to see all of the arguing that goes on back and forth until there is no end in sight. This is the same problem there is with any type of competition. Hardly any person would like to admit that there is someone who is better than they are, but some people are modest enough to concede as well.

Yes, status(Being a part of CAL, for instance) may play a part in some peoples' opinions about themselves or towards them. That is just the way it works. This is just like the people who don't play sports in high school who either didn't make the team or don't participate. Sometimes they are more than eager to join in on any negative talk towards the so called Jocks. While at the same time the "Players" think that the people who aren't in there exclusive group are somehow inferior. This doesn't speak for everyone but this thread shows a little of both.

The more I type the more I realize that no one will really care what I have to say. "If it really bothers you or gets you tore up to see someone else strut around like a turkey then get your flaming guns out and strut around yourself."

This has been an entertaining thread to read and after each post I kept thinking, when are they going to close this!

Keep it civil guys and happy hunting.

[Chris_Redfield]

Re: The Truth About CAL

To this day I have yet to see a "bombing highlight video" made by a credible pilot. People who make videos are those who starve for attention and want to put themselves on display in hopes of getting some sort of reaction. In rare cases (such as the code7 duck & cover vid when it came out) the person making the video is actually good, but in most other instances, they aren't. Believe me when I say that most top pilots can attack ground targets just as well or better than pw. A lot of the BF2 pilots, including myself, came from 42 where bombing and strafing was much more of a challenge and a lot of us mastered bombing and strafing in the first few days of the demo.

video.google.com is your friend. While I said I dont really remember cybersports names and I dont care about sports, means that I dont really like to focus on the details in a fanatic way as you see all around the world. However, there are certain sports that are great to watch, and I definitely have found cybersports (namely BF2) to be an event I really do love to watch. As such, Ive seen a lot of people do their job. And as mentioned video.google.com there is a CAL or TWL bombing highlights video. Comparing them to PW is a sin. Also, the said video(s) werent even made by the guys starring in the video, so theres no scratch on someones credibility .

This is true, but it was Su-30 vs the F-18, which is one of the better fighters in the game vs. the middle string bomber.

Wrong. Ask yourself, why does the Su-30 have only a 10 second afterburner counter? Su-30 is nearly as good as the F18 is, with not a significant turn diameter difference. Thats the reason why I am not really impressed that you killed PW or any pilot with a Su-30.

Oh and I forgot to mention it was before the 1.2 patch so I was using guns only because of the terrible missiles. There was also no outside help from the other planes or from ground AA, he was simply out-flown 1v1 in the F-18 against the Su-30, which I think would still be embarrasing had it been with the crazy tracking post 1.2 missiles anyways.

I agree that when we go down to basics, he was outflown, although I dont know the details. But I must tell you that Su-30 is almost as good as the top end fighters of BF2, and F18 turn radius is the worst of all 3 top end fighters turn radius. You probably had a good kill, but really, not nearly as impressive as lets say a F35B vs a MiG/J10 kill. Not even close.

There are hundreds of thousands of people who own and play this game online and while you may not have been bested by that many people so far, the chance of you meeting all of the best players in the game just through playing in pub servers is very small. Just because you've beaten a few clan players, don't throw all of us into the same skill class or generalization. I realise it is somewhat hypocritical to make a statement like that considering many people from CAL do it themselves, but they feel they have faced most of the best since they have gathered in an environment that lets them face the best on a regular bases. Many people come to CAL to prove and test their skills, it's where most of the best players come to play against other players and teams of equal caliber and have fun.

Why do I get the feeling that you want to make an impression as if CAL players are all hidden in a tin can and I havent seen any of them? Ive played this game since June 2005, theres a mathematical chance that I have played with some of them. I do know very well, its common sense, that I havent played with all of them. I also stress out that I have never said to be the best or even "good". But experience says- bested by less than 20 pilots and most of those situations were where I was flying the F35B. I have no doubt that if there was a dogfight competition I took part in, playing with the best of the best, this number may go up. I have no doubt that there are a lot more pilots better than me.

It is true because of this competitive nature that tactics which some would consider cheap are used, such as noob tubing, C4 tossing, dolphin diving, etc and that SOME (keyword) players will resort to outside help like hacks, aimbots, and macros. However we all still do this for fun, we enjoy a different style of play that pub servers cannot offer us and although some take it a little too seriously, it's all in the name of good fun (unless your one of the teams winning thousands of dollars, then I guess it's a little more than a hobby). The cheaters in CAL are by far the minority and I'm sure for every cheater you find there are 100 clean players competing in the league.

You dont need to lecture me or try to explain in the field of phylosophy of engagement. A PUB player has done this to me a long time, and believe me or not, he has taught me more than my time in any clan, any competitive game whatsoever. Simple motto- kill the opponent as fast as possible leaving him no time to retailiate. Thats it. What separates a competitive player from a pubber is no limits in engagement and I dont blame them for doing so.

[[55RA]zman]

Re: The Truth About CAL

I play in CAL-M, I must be an ***? lol @ that <--- the forums can get sticky at times, other than that the players are cool, with a few exceptions....hehe

Heh first season in Main, not the best but it's fun as hell playing all the really good teams. (DYNAMIC!!! WE PLAY ON THURSDAY!!! WEEE) I feel like you get more out of the game than just pubbing. Me being a gunner, I pub sometimes just to keep gunning and not lose the skill.

As for BF2Pro, I think it takes a lot of the randomness out of vanilla.

If you don't already play competition, go out and find a team. If you have the time I guarantee you will have more fun than pubbing. TWL and CAL have recruitment forums always open.

Comp. > Pub

:)

[Chris_Redfield]

Re: The Truth About CAL

I remember my competitive games (In SWAT4), I remember my sweaty hands, huge adrenaline rush and actual fun. I remmember creating tactics, strategy, the professional teamspeak conversation and the hard work that had to be done to be ready for the game.

Competitive game beats public server play. I have no doubts there.

[imported_Elder]

Re: The Truth About CAL

video.google.com is your friend. While I said I dont really remember cybersports names and I dont care about sports, means that I dont really like to focus on the details in a fanatic way as you see all around the world. However, there are certain sports that are great to watch, and I definitely have found cybersports (namely BF2) to be an event I really do love to watch. As such, Ive seen a lot of people do their job. And as mentioned video.google.com there is a CAL or TWL bombing highlights video. Comparing them to PW is a sin. Also, the said video(s) werent even made by the guys starring in the video, so theres no scratch on someones credibility .

I have seen a hell of a lot of BF2 frag videos including any/all that have gotten some spotlight in the different BF2 communities and like I said before none have been by pilots with any credibility and certainly none from people who I'd consider top pilots. Don't just assume because they say they play in TWL or CAL they are one of the better ones playing in that particular league.

Wrong. Ask yourself, why does the Su-30 have only a 10 second afterburner counter? Su-30 is nearly as good as the F18 is, with not a significant turn diameter difference. Thats the reason why I am not really impressed that you killed PW or any pilot with a Su-30. I agree that when we go down to basics, he was outflown, although I dont know the details. But I must tell you that Su-30 is almost as good as the top end fighters of BF2, and F18 turn radius is the worst of all 3 top end fighters turn radius. You probably had a good kill, but really, not nearly as impressive as lets say a F35B vs a MiG/J10 kill. Not even close.

I'm not going to argue plane specifications, when it comes down to it the F-18 is a much better plane than the Su-30 in a 1v1 dogfight, period. If you think the Su-30 is even close to an even match to the F-18 then I challenge you to a dogfight, you can have the Su and I'll take the 18,we'll see how well you do. My point was that I was not at all impressed with pw, taking him out in the clearly inferior plane with little effort at all.

Why do I get the feeling that you want to make an impression as if CAL players are all hidden in a tin can and I havent seen any of them? Ive played this game since June 2005, theres a mathematical chance that I have played with some of them. I do know very well, its common sense, that I havent played with all of them. I also stress out that I have never said to be the best or even "good". But experience says- bested by less than 20 pilots and most of those situations were where I was flying the F35B. I have no doubt that if there was a dogfight competition I took part in, playing with the best of the best, this number may go up. I have no doubt that there are a lot more pilots better than me.

I am not trying create any sort of impression, I'm simply telling it like it is. Odds are you haven't faced many of the pilots in CAL and even more likely you haven't faced the ones considered to be the "best". If you want to talk simple mathematics then ok, lets that do. Good, or even exceptional pilots are a dime a dozen, but for the ones considered to be great, to be the best of the best, I would have a hard time naming even 10. Of those 10 most would rarely ever pub and probably half of them don't play the game anymore. BF2 has gone gold, that means 500,000 copies and in it's peak there were 150,000+ people playing online at any given time on tens of thousands of servers. So you're odds of playing against the best pilots are rather small actually, it's simple probability.

You dont need to lecture me or try to explain in the field of phylosophy of engagement. A PUB player has done this to me a long time, and believe me or not, he has taught me more than my time in any clan, any competitive game whatsoever. Simple motto- kill the opponent as fast as possible leaving him no time to retailiate. Thats it. What separates a competitive player from a pubber is no limits in engagement and I dont blame them for doing so.

I'm sorry but a simple motto can't compare to hundreds of hours put into fine-tuning certain aspects of the game. I find it hilarious that you are trying to imply there is some sort of limit when it comes to engagement in public servers. The same cheap tactics used in competitive gaming are being used in public servers all the time, it just so happens that the competitive players usually find them first and execute them much more efficiently. There is no difference in the rules of engagement between a public server and competition, it's just that the competitive players take advantage of it much better. A perfect example is the quote in your sig, dolphin diving, nade spamming, noob tubing, c4 tossing, prone spamming, etc did/do exist everywhere. CAL players are simply recognized the most for doing these kinds of things because of the simple reason that they do it best.

[leber]

Re: The Truth About CAL

Skauboy is a smart man. I was kicked/banned from so many servers within the first few months of this game as a result of solo-guiding (not many people were doing it back then). As opposed to calling me a cheater and kicking me, they could have asked and I would have gladly told them what I was doing. I'd much rather pub with a bunch of people on the same level. Playing with an advantage never gave much practice, and eventually turned me almost completely away from pubbing the game. Though I will still pop in a server from time to time, and I am personally surprised by the progress alot of people have made. I'm almost always garunteed to be going against one good solo'er or duo in a pub, and even I get my butt kicked from time to time now. So much for the ego

my sig doesn't work