Free-Play for the WWI Arena

[CptTrips]

OK.  

Unclench.  Hear me out.

Proposal:  Allow unlimited time Free-Play for the WWI arena with the following limitation:

Free-Players may only spawn Camels or F2B or F2B gunner. (Perhaps mannable ack if that is ever added.)



Advantages:

"Free" gets a lot of attention.  Likely to bring in some fresh meat.

More fresh meat is a benefit to the paying customers as it gives them targets in an otherwise empty arena.

Its a trojan horse that gets the AH client downloaded on to more peoples computers.  They may eventually also choose to try the 2 week trial in the WWII arenas and who knows where that will lead.

Limiting them to the lesser flown planes with help balance out the arena diversity making it more enjoyable for the paying customers.

The Free-Player has a motivation to convert to pay in order to access the other plane models.

Free-Player population might lead to the critical-mass necessary for the WWI arena to initiate a self-sustaining reaction.

Worse-case: there is not very much interest in  WWI and offering free play won't bring in many people.  In that case, HTC won't be losing much in providing the free access.

I'm suited up. Let me have it!

Regards,
Wab

[fbWldcat]

Not a bad idea. HTC has nothing losing if it doesn't go to plan, and quite a bit to gain.

+1

I'll go down with ya, bud.  

[Jayhawk]

I don't think it's a terrible idea for getting new customers. However, I would limit them to a certain number of hours per day or week to make the temptation to buy a full subscription even stronger.

[CptTrips]

I don't think it's a terrible idea for getting new customers. However, I would limit them to a certain number of hours per day or week to make the temptation to buy a full subscription even stronger.

However, the other, almost more important goal is to provide targets for the paying customers in the WWI arena. 

So if you limit their hours, you limit their availability as targets for the paying customers. 

I think its worth it, IMHO, to provide people flying planes that don't get often flown, as targets for the paying customers.  You are providing your paying customers "content" in the form of diversified, and plentiful targets.

Regards,
Wab



 

[321BAR]

However, the other, almost more important goal is to provide targets for the paying customers in the WWI arena. 

So if you limit their hours, you limit their availability as targets for the paying customers. 

I think its worth it, IMHO, to provide people flying planes that don't get often flown, as targets for the paying customers.  You are providing your paying customers "content" in the form of diversified, and plentiful targets.

Regards,
Wab



 

or you just let them pull their two weeks

[CptTrips]

or you just let them pull their two weeks

There are a couple of important differences between this suggestion and a 2-weeker.

2-weekers aren't going to be numerous in the WWI arena enough to provide a rich target enviroment to the paying players.

There is less chance someone is going to take the time to download, install, and configure a 200mb client (Which might take the better part of a week for a first timer), if they know it is going to be pulled out from under them.

2-weekers can't be limited to only flying the seldom used planes.  So they will simply fly the same DR.I that everyone else does so diversity will not have been improved.

Think of it as a cheap and easy way of developing an AI system like they were going to do for TD.  Ready made targets flying the planes no one else does.

Free-Players could be auto-switched to sides for numerical balance.  

They can fullfill grunt work that paying customers don't want to have to do, but that adds top a better gaming enviroment.  They can fly the planes that paying customers can't be convinced to.  Provide a diversity of targets.

They can be plugged in in any way that makes the arena more enjoyable for the paying players and thats how they pay for thier free passage.


Regards,
Wab

[Rios]

so, what your saying is "LETS FILL THE WWI ARENA WITH NOOBS, SO I CAN HAVE SOME EASY TARGETS!!!!!"
i'm sorry but i dont see how being a target would attract anyone to the game, and it does have a possible negative effect.
ex- the guy starts playing in the wwI arena (as a target!) and hates the game because he cant fly 20 yards without getting shot down, later a friend of his is talking about joining Aces High but he convinces him not to just because of his expirence as a target

-1

[stroker71]

However, the other, almost more important goal is to provide targets for the paying customers in the WWI arena.

Winner Winner chicken dinner!!!

+1

[EskimoJoe]

so, what your saying is "LETS FILL THE WWI ARENA WITH NOOBS, SO I CAN HAVE SOME EASY TARGETS!!!!!"
i'm sorry but i dont see how being a target would attract anyone to the game, and it does have a possible negative effect.
ex- the guy starts playing in the wwI arena (as a target!) and hates the game because he cant fly 20 yards without getting shot down, later a friend of his is talking about joining Aces High but he convinces him not to just because of his expirence as a target

-1

I'm sorry, but what you're saying is you were either too lazy or too incompetent to read Wabbit's original post in its entirety.

Yes, I am mocking you.

Wabbit, I really like your idea. In addition to more possible players in the WWI arena and future subscribers, I think it would also encourage more of the paying customers to fly WWI as there are more players flying there.

I'd be curious to see where this idea would take the game, if implemented.

[Ghosth]

Wabbit I think your idea has merit, hopefully HT will give it a shot.

Not sure if the tools are in place to limit free accounts on plane types. But even if they are all in DR1's its still fresh meat.

[caldera]

Since noobs will get killed in any plane they fly, why not let the entire planeset in WWI be free?

Having "Free WWI Action!" on the AH webpage will get people into the arena.  They will get slaughtered at first but some may stick around and become good enough to give the regulars a good fight.  Do you want good fights or unending easy kills by restricting the Dr I from the people who need it the most?

Having it this way will be good PR for Aces High and will get people in the free arena curious about the WWII arenas = more customers.

[CptTrips]

Since noobs will get killed in any plane they fly, why not let the entire planeset in WWI be free?

From a marketing point of view you are correct.  However I was envisioning 3 basic goals:

1.  Increased marketing for HTC by offering unlimited-time free-play in their non-premier arena.
2.  Serve the needs of the arena by limiting them to role that are benifitial to the the arena but are less likely to be chosen by paying customers.
3.  Provide critical-mass forr the WWI arena and targets for the paying customer.
     
So allowing them the full planeset wouldn't server goal 2, IMHO.  The arena would still be nothing but DR.I's for the most part.  I think getting the other, less seen planes in the air, giving the paying player more variety to shoot at, is a good way for them to pay off their free passage.  If they get to the point they really want to unlock those other aircraft, they can convert to pay. 

I can see the free-player be switched to what ever side serves the arenas needs.  You don't get to pick a country when you launch.  You are assigned a country based by the sever to balance numbers. 

Maybe you don't even pick a field, or even a plane.  Maybe you only have a "Volunteer" button and when you click it, the server places you in the country, the field, and the plane it thinks is needed to balance game-play.

Or maybe it places you in a manned ack at a field under attack.
Or in the unfilled gunner position of a bomber or recon plane.

You get to play for free, but you don't get to choose.  The server assigns you where ever is needed to improve game-play. 

Regards,
Wab

[bj229r]

Since noobs will get killed in any plane they fly, why not let the entire planeset in WWI be free?

Having "Free WWI Action!" on the AH webpage will get people into the arena.  They will get slaughtered at first but some may stick around and become good enough to give the regulars a good fight.  Do you want good fights or unending easy kills by restricting the Dr I from the people who need it the most?

Having it this way will be good PR for Aces High and will get people in the free arena curious about the WWII arenas = more customers.

They will come to the realization that the Camel we are presented is barely competitive, and they will BEG their moms for the credit card# that they night get German aircraft, and thus win fights   (On the whole, good idea Rabbit )

[Easyscor]

Rios' reply is completely valid within it's context. There is a reason everyone flys the DR.1 in there. Forcing them into anything else is tying their hands, particularly for noobs.

The op gets +1 for the concept, but limiting the planeset to target drones makes the experience unpalatable, so that part of the suggestion is counter productive imo.

[CptTrips]

Rios' reply is completely valid within it's context. There is a reason everyone flys the DR.1 in there. Forcing them into anything else is tying their hands, particularly for noobs.

The op gets +1 for the concept, but limiting the planeset to target drones makes the experience unpalatable, so that part of the suggestion is counter productive imo.

Well, I think I disagree, and I could make an argument to that effect...however, let me offer an alternative based on the brainstorming in my last post.


If all control is surrendered to the "Volunteer" button, the server can control the percentages of flights in various aircraft.  So the server might "roll dice" to see what plane you get to fly that sortie.  Maybe your odds are:

DR.I 10%
D7 20%
F2B 30%
Camel 40%

These weights could be adjusted real-time base on balancing out player population.

So you will get to fly the DR.I occationally.  The longer you play, the more chances you get to fly one.  However, some variety is enforced on you to serve the needs of the arena.  I think since you are getting to play for free, it is fair to ask for some compromise.

Regards,
Wab