Small Maps – a Creeping Process. Hmmm…

[beet1e]

When I started in this game, there were only the original four or five maps in rotation. These had been designed at a time when peak arena attendance might have been what – 100-150? Nowadays at US Prime Time, there are (I am told) about 600 people online, or more. As the numbers grew it became clear that larger maps would be needed. Or so we were led to believe.

The first in the new generation of large maps was, IIRC, the AK Desert “Pizza” map. It was put up and stayed up. If it was reset, it would come back with all the field ownership made even again. It was up for weeks before, inevitably…   

… the whining started. So things were changed. Some of the original maps were brought back into rotation…

…but then people noticed that it took much longer to reset pizza than any of the small maps, so a one week limit was placed on maps, and rotation took place every Friday, so Pizza could not stay up for longer than a week…

…and then I started noticing that for special events, the small maps were up even when they were not due to be up – the Indianapolis con, for example, which gave us an extra 3-4 days of small maps when we were supposed to have one of the large maps. Did we get an extra few days of the large map to make up for it? Am I voting Labour at the next election? …

…and then things were changed further. If a map was reset, instead of that same map coming back up so that each map would stay in rotation for a full week, when a large map was reset, it would be replaced by a small map…

… except, of course, when it’s Small Maps week anyway, in which case the resetting of a small map brings up… (you guessed it!)  another small map...

…and still the whining continued, and so, as a concession, yet another week of small maps was added, making a 6-week cycle instead of a 5-week cycle, with small maps guaranteed to be up at least 33% of the time instead of 20% of the time…

…and then a bunch of players initiated a Sunday evening event to reset whatever map was in rotation. If that happened to be a large map (pizza/big isles) guess what came next? Got it in one! Yes, a small map, in this case Baltic. And because people have to be early to bed to be up for work in the week, that small map sticks around.

So it’s back to the old, old formula. 25% fuel porkage all along the front line, and a long green bardar in one sector with a green blob over one of the fields making it hard to tell which side the field belongs to, and a long red bardar in the next sector with a red blob over one of the fields.

Sorry, Skuzzy. I know you’re doing your best and all, but some things need to be said. You didn’t like it last time when I mounted this particular hobbyhorse, but I’ve kept it polite this time. Lock her up if you have to. But you're killing us with these small maps.

[Steve]

I love the small maps!

[Toad]

My Goodness!

Don't you know you're just supposed to take off "from one field back" and enjoy the climb? Two fields back if necessary, of course!

It's a very strategic concept in war-winning, you know.

[lazs2]

the big maps still take longer to reset so we have more time on the big maps than any of the small maps.   A lot of people hate the pizza map but it is up more than any small map... probly more than any two small maps combined.  It has made a lot of people loose interest in AH.

lazs

[jodgi]

We all have different approaches to this game.
I can't see that the posters on this thread (and any post like it) will ever agree, because we value different aspects of the game.

My biggest gripe with the MA is not caused by a particular map or people's choices in planes. Although maps and planes can amplify or negate the problem... to a certain extent.

I used to think that it was good that half of our country upped to a single field. "C'mon bish, lets secure this capture!". This is teamwork, I thought. This is good, I thought.

This mentality seems to have infected the MA. Or maybe it has been so for a long time, but being new has clouded my vision.

I don't know what came first, the hordes avoiding eachother or the porking contest, but I feel they are connected.

I'm bored flying among a cloud of green icons, and I'm equally bored flying under a cloud of red. The outcome is too predictable for me to enjoy the ride.

I have no solution. I suspect it has gone too far to us to change things.

I used to search for good and bad maps, and I do prefer some maps to others, but I doubt that is the real issue. It's not the root to what some of us feels is a problem.

An example: Try taking a small group of planes to an untouched nmy field. Either the nmy will feel a sneak capture is underway and up masses to stop it, or they will sense that your group of planes is no threat to their real-estate and simply ignore you.
Oh, I'm oversimplifying, but u get the picture.

Things seem to be too much dependant on the real-estate game. I like the real-estate game, I think it adds flavour to the game.
I like sugar in my tea, but I don't pour 1 kilogram of sugar into my cup.

Many players have formed political parties that fight and agitate for their preferred style of playing. None of us are able to balance it out and give healthy suggestions that will benefit all.
But it sure is entertaining though, far better then RL politics.

Conclusion?

Sorry, I'm not snart enough.

[jodgi]

Maybe I have a "solution"...

I can't find an adequate english term for it.

But we need to change the collective mentality in the MA.

Wait, that wasn't a solution.

I only defined an unsurmountable problem.

Sorry, back to the drawing board.

[hogenbor]

Jodgi sums it up really well

To me, a casual player who simply LOVES the simple fact that I can pretend to be a WWII fighter pilot it remains incomprehensible that people get so worked up about this game and that they DEMAND what they want instead of being pleased with what they got. You are all spoiled children an the fact that you are all grown up men makes it worse. Get a life yada yada yada.

I think that when I would meet most of the people here they all turn out te be rather harmless, shy nerds with limited social skills and a great interest in aviation You know, the kind I meet at airshows and in museums like Duxford.

However, it might be me, but rudeness here is the same to me as rudeness in real life. Don't you think that if you would behave irl as you do here some gentleman might ask you to step outside? I would...

[Furious]

Originally posted by beet1e
...25% fuel porkage all along the front line, and a long green bardar in one sector with a green blob over one of the fields making it hard to tell which side the field belongs to, and a long red bardar in the next sector with a red blob over one of the fields...

That is the most important point.  

A large portion of the current player base does not want to have fight another player.  Or if forced into a situation where fighting is unavoidable, do it with overwhelming odds.

It is the same on the larger maps, just more spread out.

[A_Clown]

Size doesnt matter.......................

Especially when the MA is so full of STAT potatos, too afraid to actually engage in a fight they might not win. Always making sure to fly in large groups of LA7s & spits with alt.

I always have to spend a few minutes trying to antipate where there will be an actual battle. Often once I actually find a battle, it is short lived, as1 side gains momentum with huge numbers of alted la7s, & the other side gets outnumbered & looks for an easier fight. YAWN!

Doesn't seem like all that long ago, people were looking for a FUN time flying a combat sim. Now it seems like its mostly alot of unpaid-professionals, fightin as score-potatos trying to impress some unknown score-pimp.

A_Clown

[Samiam]

Front line bases being porked is a much worse problem on, say, Big Isles than on any of the small maps because the second line bases are so far away.


I know it's not technically possible, but the solution I'd like to see is:

All maps in a single rotation.

When a reset happens, the next map in rotation goes up.

EXCEPT - if a map has been up for fewer than 36 hours, it goes up again after reset .

AND a map that has been up for 90 hours gets cycled out without a reset.

[Zazen13]

I must say, even with large numbers, small maps are still the most fun from a fighter pilot's perspective. I HATE spending an hour looking for a fight only to have it evaporate when I get there on Big Isles or Pizza map. At least on small maps you are guarenteed to have a good persistant fight. I like the current rotation system, I think the time the small maps are up vs. the big maps is pretty reflective of the average player's preference. I also think the currrent rotation system promotes aggressive reset strategies as those who dislike the current map will band together in a concerted effort to reset it in order to get a map more to their liking.

 I think HTC should hire Fester to re-design ALL of the large maps, he seems to have the best feel for the balance required to satisfy the most people most of the time, which is no easy feat.

Zazen

[Murdr]

I dont know beet1e, sounds almost ideal to me.  We now all have to endure a map or map type we dont like on occation throughout the tour.  It is much better than a certianty that terrains you dislike will be on for 1-3 weeks solid during a tour.
Then again, I guess I would be somewhat satisfied since I asked for something like this.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by beet1e
Sorry, Skuzzy. I know you’re doing your best and all, but some things need to be said. You didn’t like it last time when I mounted this particular hobbyhorse, but I’ve kept it polite this time. Lock her up if you have to. But you're killing us with these small maps.

Ditto.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by hogenbor
Jodgi sums it up really well

.

 Don't you think that if you would behave irl as you do here some gentleman might ask you to step outside? I would...

Ahh those were the days and I sure do miss em. The days when you could step outside  go toe to toe for a while then when done beating the crap out of one another go out and buy each other a beer
Problem  nowadays is the one who gets the worst of it usually Sues.
And I dont like being Sued

[Steve]

Hogenbor, if you ever come to Arizona, let's  step outside.
Can we skip straight to the beer part?  

Oh, don't come in the summer or there is no chance I'll be stepping outside w/ you.

I love the small maps!