Here's a quick idea that might add some game play incentive and interest, without a huge amount of effort. It would reward the old timers, and give Dweebs incentive.
Many computer games have various weapons, or cars, or whatever that you have to earn a certain amount of points, levels, experience etc. to obtain.
Baring you know the cheat to unlock them, you actually have to spend much time doing something right to get access to them. A goal, or initiative to do well, or objective…whatever.
Why not apply that to Aces High and late prerelease late model aircraft?
With the incredible speed that HTC updates the game, (Yeah, people actually get CONCERNED, if there is no update in 2 weeks!) I could see a incentive EACH TOUR, or at least every other tour for adding a new plane that everyone gets in the initial release, but only say only the top 25 - 50 players could unlock and bring into the arena. Of course to be fair, everyone would be able to test the Bonus Aircraft offline, but online, only the player with leading Fighter scores could use them.
Not only that, they'd get say, only 15 per tour to use. When they are all gone from ditching, deaths, or capture, that's it. Then at the end of the tour, EVERYONE gets the new plane to use in the arena. It even is somewhat historically correct. There were limited amounts of planes, especially the latest developments, and certainly the new recruits didn't get first dibs on em.
With a limited amount of aircraft, they wouldn't get over used. Can you imagine if a guy is down to say 3 Dora's left, and is facing Spit HO?! I'm guessing the "kill everything HO no matter what happens to me cuz I'll just replane" would be out the door. :0)
Here's how it could work.
EXAMPLE-V1.03 - New effects added, patched joystick USB issue, added 2 new aircraft, the P40, and Zero, plus 1 *Bonus late model aircraft, the 190 D "Dora".
* Note, you must be in the top 25 in FIGHTER SCORE points to access the Dora in Main Arena.
Now, this raises some interesting questions. A = Answer or Assumption, take yer pick.
1. At the beginning of the tour, all pilots are equal in points, who would get the bonus aircraft?
A. The top 25 from the last tour.
2. Wouldn't that make the top 25 even harder to kill if they had a late model plane in the main arena?
A. Hopefully, but with a limited amount of aircraft, no. Plus, we all know how quickly the new aircraft are flown by everyone then things even right back out.
3. Wouldn't this would promote animosity, everyone pays the same. Shouldn't they all have access to all planes?
A. Well sure, everyone gets all the new planes, even the bonus which they can fly to their hearts content, OFFLINE. (I assume everyone would need the skins and aircraft in their HTC directory anyway so they would appear proper in the game.) And for the guys that are old timers and do well, it's a nice little bonus for FREE.
4. Wouldn't everyone focus on the a plane that was one of these "Bonus Aircraft"?
A. Probably, but what can you do? Not add a interesting element to the mix just because your worried that some dweeb will be chasing your Dora around the arena? Sounds fun anyway.
Of course there would be a million opinions as to how to do this, I was just throwing the idea around, though I'd put it up here to get blasted. You could use it for each vehicle type as in Bombers, Tanks, Ships, etc…
I can't help but think this would add a real nice bonus if even only for a few players. Still, it would be the guys that have supported the online flightsims for years, fly and score well. It certainly would give everyone something to "shoot" for. Pun intended.
[This message has been edited by Creamo (edited 05-09-2000).]
