HQ and radar with low numbers

[Gman]

It's my firm belief that the generally lower popularity of AH has little to do with not twiddling this or that knob. Even though want several knobs & sliders being adjusted myself and may even leave over it.

Well if that sentence won't make you talk to yourself, nothing will.  It would be a big loss for the AH community if you did, I'll say that much for nothing.  You have my attention with your conflicting statements there - what in your opinion ARE the reasons for the decline in popularity which if you were to put on one of your spanky charts, would show a large downward trend starting just a few years ago, compared to the previous 11 or 12 years of the game's existence?

edit - I'm the same as Fugitive, I've been around long enough that I may as well stay, I won't leave unless they either kick me out or close the doors.  I still won't cheerlead when I see things that IMO are obviously large customer relations issues, particularly when compared with the way HTC operated in its inception and the few following years after that.

[MrKrabs]

Killed bish HQ again...

It didn't have that crisp cracking sound like it usually does, I guess their construction materials are getting cheap...

[Lusche]

People have always been leaving because of getting tired of the game itself or over individual matters, even in the golden past.
When I decide to leave the game over a certain, limited 'issue', it's a personal thing and doesn't mean at all the game is 'dying' because of it.

Remember the arena caps introduction? MANY players totally went ballistic over it (including myself), creating the largest complaint threads to date... but didn't hurt the player numbers at all. AH reached it's peak long after that. Or the big Gv control system change...

what in your opinion ARE the reasons for the decline in popularity

My personal thoughts, in no particular order:

-graphics
-more online gaming competition (yes, non flight games are competition too)
-change in player demographics (less diehard WW2 aviation fans)
-UI
-account management
-appearance & functionality of the website
-much less gamers with joysticks available these days
-economy and competition by seductive (but treacherous) 'free to play' games

[MrKrabs]

-appearance & functionality of the website

Wonder if HTC would accept a new site... 

[oldskool65]

Whats up with u lot , we in the uk put up with low numbers all the time or stay up till stupid o clock.
 how do htc or us as players  attract and keep new players when no-one here has even heard of ah , i.ve been gaming for over 10 yrs and until i ditched my ps3 i,d not heard of it but i knew about wt and wot .
 if you want to sell something try marketing it properly and just for information these sort of discussions have been going on in GRAN TURISMO forums for years guess what changed A BIG FAT ZERO

[Chilli]

This is a niche game.  Although, a good point about off hours markets not having much attention paid to it.  Someone did recently post a thread discussing the AH disk including free subscription promotion, so I am sure Dale has real data on cost-benefit projections.

Dale is doing just fine right now, with choosing to concentrate on the roll out of the graphics update.  Although I would wish that there would be a break in the silence on this matter.   Even just a statement acknowledging difficulties with finding alternatives that would not potentially drive even more debate.

Speaking of the latter, I was one of the most outspoken advocates of making strat and HQ involvement in strategic game play more important.  They came up with a system that does just that.  I am very pleased with the connection to country rebuild and down times.     But  blinding a country for more than 2 hours    That is a LONG, LONG way from being down for 15 minutes.  I am certain that there is a balance that could be reached, or preferably another avenue for rewarding good game play strategy without ruining the ability of players finding quick and meaningful engagements.

Take a page from Fester's map design that produces constant action.  Hell, if someone takes out HQ on Fester, no one cares... the interactions are abundant and predictable. 

[MrRiplEy[H]]

People have always been leaving because of getting tired of the game itself or over individual matters, even in the golden past.
When I decide to leave the game over a certain, limited 'issue', it's a personal thing and doesn't mean at all the game is 'dying' because of it.

Remember the arena caps introduction? MANY players totally went ballistic over it (including myself), creating the largest complaint threads to date... but didn't hurt the player numbers at all. AH reached it's peak long after that. Or the big Gv control system change...

My personal thoughts, in no particular order:

-graphics
-more online gaming competition (yes, non flight games are competition too)
-change in player demographics (less diehard WW2 aviation fans)
-UI
-account management
-appearance & functionality of the website
-much less gamers with joysticks available these days
-economy and competition by seductive (but treacherous) 'free to play' games

It did not _directly_ hurt subscriptions, maybe because due to AW death a flux of new players were coming in. But after that it wasn't long when the arena caps were suddenly not necessary anymore because people just stopped playing. Why did that happen?

[Lusche]

It did not _directly_ hurt subscriptions, maybe because due to AW death a flux of new players were coming in.

AW had been shut down for 5 years already when the arena caps were introduced.

[Randy1]

My personal thoughts, in no particular order:

-graphics
-more online gaming competition (yes, non flight games are competition too)
-change in player demographics (less diehard WW2 aviation fans)
-UI
-account management
-appearance & functionality of the website
-much less gamers with joysticks available these days
-economy and competition by seductive (but treacherous) 'free to play' games

Adding my thoughts.

Tablet sales are expected to top PC sales totaling both  lab tops and desk tops sells together.

One overlooked problems with numbers decline is the increased concentration of really good, hardcore players making it harder for average players to win a fight.  Average players need new meat to stay competitive.

Lusche Thinking about the plane types I run into in AH, is the average ENY plane value of planes selected in AH trending down?

[Lusche]

Lusche Thinking about the plane types I run into in AH, is the average ENY plane value of planes selected in AH trending down?

This is difficult to judge correctly, as the individual ENY values have been changing over the years.

Some time ago I used the (kill+death) stats combined with the fighters top speeds on deck to see if there was any trend towards more faster planes... and found the resulting 'average top speed' was indeed increasing over the years... slightly but constantly.
However what exactly causes this, or if it's merely a result of a changed environment is not clear at all.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

AW had been shut down for 5 years already when the arena caps were introduced.

Was it WB then or what? I remember the caps happening at the same time when there were new players from some other sim.

[Lusche]

None of them happened during the time of the Arena Split.

AW shut down in Dec 2001. AH got a large surge in online numbers because of this and also because the price was dropped by half in Aug 2001 as well. Numbers kinda stabilized after that on a somewhat lower level.
In 2004, AH II was introduced causing a very sharp drop in online numbers. After that, numbers began to rise slowly but steadily.
In Sept 2006, the arenas were split and the arena cap was introduced. Online numbers continued to rise until about late 2007 / early 2008 (HT once stated subscriber numbers peaking in early 2008).
From then on, online numbers were going down quite steadily.
FA shut down in Jul 2010

WB still exists

[Randy1]

Thanks Lusche for reply.  I guessed that the number of La7s, yaks and P51s are increasing

There is an old marketing saying that fits here.  When a guy goes to the hardware store to buy a 1/4" drill bit a smart marketing man knows what that guy really wants is a 1/4" hole.

[Golden Dragon]

I wish people would quit telling others how to play.  I've been playing for only a couple of years and don't find it difficult at all to find combat when HQ is down.  I'm sure it's even easier for you old hands.  There are many facets to the game besides just dogfighting.  That's one of the many things that makes it's the best game going.  I'm sure, not too long after all of your tear filled so longs on the BBS, most of you will be back in a new disguise because there is simply nothing else on the web like it.  Thank you Skuzzy and company for the great game. 

[The Fugitive]

I wish people would quit telling others how to play.  I've been playing for only a couple of years and don't find it difficult at all to find combat when HQ is down.  I'm sure it's even easier for you old hands.  There are many facets to the game besides just dogfighting.  That's one of the many things that makes it's the best game going.  I'm sure, not too long after all of your tear filled so longs on the BBS, most of you will be back in a new disguise because there is simply nothing else on the web like it.  Thank you Skuzzy and company for the great game. 

...and as a new player logging in for the first couple of times to find all dar down, how is he going to find fights? THAT is what the OP is trying to point out.