Usually, I look for my friends...so if they're in my friendlist in the game, I'll go meander towards them..it's a comfort thing. I can usually pilot / crew a ship of people I don't know, but if they don't talk...then I generally don't enjoy it...
I'm more of a casual player, so I guess pubs..doesn't mean I can't be competitive, but I really dislike that scenario...worst time I ever had were the two ONLY matches of COGs I was in (the first one was okay...was me in a Lumberjack, the second one suck as hell for reasons: 1.) It happened RIGHT AFTER the first match so there was no break. 2.) Map was then Canyon Ambush, we were Meta pyramidions against Meta Junkers at the time (merc fronts, gat mortar sides,) so those Junkers just camped their spawn..we still won but it was just a boring grind that lasted 90 minutes. 3.) I was on a TIGHT Schedual, was my only Saturday Off for a while, and I was planning to go to a Convention, too, but then that second game happened and I could either leave and have my team be disqualified for not having enough players, or miss the date I had with my friends...)
That and "Competitive" to me translates to "Everyone is using the same damn ship with the same damn design using the same damn tactics.." really kills the flair...so I tend to stay away from Vet Matches because of that
Which is a shame 'cause all my friends are Vets, but sorry y'all...your matches all are linear...oh and you get more angry when playing other vets...
Allies would be anyone in my friendslist I guess, I prefer some more than others. Example: Spud Nick is my go to Lumberjack Pilot.
Enemies:
I will shoot at any one who does obscene smack talking...even if they're on my team.
I'm not afraid to mine my allies and I feel no shame if they aren't showing sportsmanship in the lobby...yes I understand you may not agree or want to do my suggestions, just don't cuss me out...or the other team out...
I don't look at levels...levels mean nothing (I recently was in a Galleon against a mostly level 30-45 crew Blenderfish and I was a buffkit engie, the pilot had tar, our main engie manned the mines while I tried to keep stuff alive, and our poor gunner had to learn the cruel ways of gun jumping.) We still lost, but due to certain events, (I will say the time of the battle was long....like outrageously long for a Blender v Galleon) the pilot, which was level 45...wound up leaving..and that fish was rather bitter.
Then they got mad at us because of that...the problem was, they had a hwatcha galleon, and the Blender Fish was focused on us...so the match was a 1v1 on all the ships most of the time...
We couldn't do much against the fish...The pilot tarred so they couldn't stay behind, we had mines to shoot, and I was buffing that balloon everytime we got it up...which...to my surprised...worked rather well...like...better than I expected actually...
The blender fish then started cussing us out after the game in voicechat...all high levels...(though their stats say they started playing mid-late 2015...)
I know that was a roundabout way of saying it, but...levels to me mean nothing, behaviors mean all. Bad Behavior = You're either getting mined or Squidded...
