Originally posted by Killjoy2
In the end its not the graphics or even the flight model that make this sim. It's the community.
The community is in a lot worse shape than the graphics, flight model or connect issues. The AH community has changed. Its meaner, vulgar and petty.
If we want AH to survive 2 more years we should put some talent into training leaders about chivalry, honor and courtesy. Otherwise we have Quake.
Indeed, the players are the game. But don't discount how the game affects the player's behavior.
While terrain changes weekly, the arena environment itself (modulo ENY) does not change at all. Same planes, same activities, same techniques. When players just do the same things over and over they get bored and settle into bad behavior - and then have time to whine. Having the plane set change some weeks (not a RPS, but maybe a "1942 week" once in a while for a change of pace), or maybe one week just remove all GV's so you have to defend fields from the air. Just try weird crap to keep players on their toes. This isn't to say AH doesn't have depth, but there's no actual reason for players to explore the various planes and different techniques unless they're curious themselves.
Also, the usual trend is for player numbers to surge when new versions, new planes, or new features are added. So going months without some kind of new stuff is not good for the bottom line either.
And as long as the game system allows dweebish pork-based stunts to work more effectively than real tactics, players will gravitate towards them because they have the most effect for the least effort. Things such as barracks porking and Lanc/B17 dive-boming are two prime examples. For people who want to play AH in the spirit it was intended, seeing this crap over and over tarnishes the experience a lot; and that contributes to the overall bad mood over the MA.
Again, this isn't a knock on HTC. Just that players absorb and optimize to the game much faster than even HT can write code. The problem arises when these tactics start to dominate the arena and make "proper" play pointless.
-DoK
