Don't get it -- what's wrong with MA?

[Simaril]

I've played for 7 months or so, and gone from raw newbie with lifelong love of ww2 aviation to a solid, unspectacular journeyman player. I've tried almost every arena, and I've used most every ride. I love the variety.

I'm puzzled by the overwhelmingly negative attitudes I see here towards the MA. I've read lots of general comments -- "Air Quake", "gameplay's shot", "isnt the same" -- and I realize there's something there because people are leaving the game.

But I don't understand what the something is.

General statements, like the Ch 200 "this sucks", don't clarify. Please help me see what you guys who've played for years are missing, and if you can be concrete and specific so I can "get it". I've never played airwarrior or warbirds, so I just dont know what you guys dont like, and what you miss from the good old days.

[Westy]

Simaril.  I'm not trying to come off as a wise arse but if you're enjoying the MA then don't waste your time asking others why they do not anymore.

  The chances are overwhelming that one day you will also grow bored with the age old, fantasy "main arena" style setup and when you do you'll have your own answer.

 Right now all you'll get is everyone elses answer as to why they dislike or have outgrown an MA environment which may or may not be the saem as yours several months or several years down the road.

[Simaril]

If people were saying "I'm tired of the same old stuff" I could see that. But I'm seeing people who've played for years say that since AH2 (or the ENY, or fuel porkage changed, or whatever) things are different. I want to see what they are missing.

I'm not trolling for trouble. Being concrete and specific helps everybody, because if definable problems can be identified then solutions can be derived.

[TexMurphy]

Simaril

Im relativly new to AH2, well a noob to be honest.

Ive done 2 trials in the past and now no my 3rd attemnt Im hooked. Im currently flying my 2nd tour.

But here is whats "wrong with the MA" for me and this is actually the reason why it took me 3 attempts to get hooked. The 3 trails where like 10-12 months apart. Reason I kept giving the game a new chance is that I love WW2 aviation and WW2 sims.

Basicly for me whats wrong is the setup. The bish, rook and knight thing. The fact that every nation has the same planes. For my brain itīs very hard to digest the fact that P51s and 109s fly on the same wing shooting P51s and 109s.

I have looked at some other games that have either axis vs allies setup or nation vs nation setup. Though these games cant nearly compete with the flight engine of AH so they are a no no for me.

What I had to do is to find a plane that is a decent ride and not a very common plane in the MA so I dont run around shooting "my" plane alot. After some reading up I decided to go with the Yak.

Ive actually managd to get past my "hate" for the setup due to this. Though still its comming back to me when I look back and see a Yak on my tail. I usually just swich bases to fly out of when I see enemy Yaks in the area Im at. It works reasonably well.

Next thing that takes away from the enjoyment in the MA for me is the hoarding. For me AH is about learning to become a good pilot. I want challange and I want intense fighting. The hoard takes away alot of preasure on ME to preform as I can relay so heavily on others to do the dirty work.

Im trying to always pick areas on the map that arnt hoarded but with the way its going for the rooks these days its hard. We get over run and either we have like 10-15 bases when I log on (not much choise to find hoard free fights) or we have a hoard attacking one field and leaving the others totally unportected.

While I want challange fighting 1v5, 2v10, 3v10 ect ect is still too hard for me to do.

These (hoarding and setup) are the two main things that suck with the MA for me.

This said though Ive found ways to get around it to enjoy AH and Im enjoying the game ALOT atm.

The main reason for people leaving the game is imho that there are sooo many players that have played the game for soooo long. Game play of the game hasnt change in any really drastical ways for quite some time. Its still 3 nations, air, naval and ground based base taking game. One cant play the same game for years and years and years without getting boored.

People need reasons to justify them leaving a game because its hard to just say "Ive done it for so long its no longer fun, I need something new to do". Its much easier to say "eny is ruining my fun" because it takes the "blame" away from one self and puts it on another party (the devs). Its much easier to point fingers then admit something.

Ive seen this in soo many games thatīs why I always read "quitting posts" with a huge grain of salt.

Tex

[J_A_B]

The answer is some people come here expecting the wrong game.   They come with the expectation of re-living WW2, of placing themselves in the shoes of Galland or Bong or Sakai or someone of the sort, and instead find an open-ended free-for-all that only happens to use WW2 equipment.  Such people are understandably disappointed.

I for one have always liked the fee-for-all nature of the open-ended ahistorical arena, although Air Warrior did it a little better than AH does.  AH: ToD will likely appeal to the more historically-minded.

J_A_B

[DipStick]

Agree with Westy, Tex and JAB.

[sling322]

Originally posted by Simaril
But I don't understand what the something is.

 

People get burnt out and tired of the game.  It happens in everything......people come and go all the time especially in the gaming world.

[TexMurphy]

JAB

I totally hear you... Im exactly the type of player who will enjoy ToD much more and in fact one of the reasons I play now is to get skill wise ready for ToD... Im really lookin forward to it...

[mechanic]

i think it is simply the repetitive fights and low level of general structure other than capturing bases that mean squat.

too much land grabbing, not enough 'do or die' fighting.

i still love MA, just it has changed even in the 12 months i have played AH.

like or lump it.



batfink

[slimm50]

Originally posted by TexMurphy
Simaril
What I had to do is to find a plane that is a decent ride and not a very common plane in the MA so I dont run around shooting "my" plane alot. Tex

Actually, I'd find fighting someone else in the same model plane as mine a challenge. That way I could better judge my own pilot skills versus that of my foe.

[Mak333]

I agree with mostly everyone here.  People have expected the wrong simulation.  Its not really a simulation anymore, its a game.  Sad to see, yes, but there is nothing to do about it.  If it is HTC's desire to create that kind of environment, then so be it.  What I have doubts about is ToD.  I feel that some of the guys who crave realism are still going to end up playing MA because they "can't fly the planes they want to fly".  I feel that ToD will only be another arena like the Combat Theater...has great potential but hell, my grandmother is more exciting than playing in the CT most times.

I think only a handfull will end up actually playing Tour of Duty.  Thats my prediction.  As for the MA, I guess we will have to live with the whining, the newbie planes, suicidal bombers, etc etc.  While many of us feel that the game/simulation should be more based on historical accuracy, it still is HTC's product.  They minipulate what happens.

And yes, it is very sad to see so many people leave because of AH2's "bullchit".  Atleast in AH1 there wasnt very much BS events.  Now we got bombers disappearing everywhere, we have HO's which are basically based on eachother's connection.  We even have the landscape appearing infront of our cockpits.  A tree branch grabbed me yesterday and said: "haha".  That got me pissed off.  Ofcourse I couldn't say anything back to the tree cus I was already sent back to tower.    

[Wurger]

Originally posted by J_A_B
The answer is some people come here expecting the wrong game.   They come with the expectation of re-living WW2, of placing themselves in the shoes of Galland or Bong or Sakai or someone of the sort, and instead find an open-ended free-for-all that only happens to use WW2 equipment.  Such people are understandably disappointed.

I for one have always liked the fee-for-all nature of the open-ended ahistorical arena, although Air Warrior did it a little better than AH does.  AH: ToD will likely appeal to the more historically-minded.

J_A_B

Exactly.  You've nailed it!  

Bazi (looking forward to TOD in 2 weeks)

[DoKGonZo]

I started typing in a list of the problems but when I hit the 20th item I erased it all. It's not one thing, it's all the little problems adding up that over time just pound the fun out of the game.

I'd personally love to see more experimentation in the MA. Just *try* some ideas for a couple weeks and see how people react, see how the game flows. I know this is coading time, but there are so many serious gameplay issues and abuses. Maybe have a guild of experienced players who understand what beta-testing *really* is invited into a private forum with HTC to discuss the impact of each change in a non-partisan way. There are a lot of people with great ideas here, and their voices too often get burried in the whines, or the din of those with personal agendas.

And as for the argument that "we're not here to beta test HTC's arena code" - stow it. The arena *has* to change because players will optimize towards whatever system is in place. The Horde is one such optimization which is ruining gameplay; low-level bomber formations is another. The only way to make changes is to try ideas and see which ones help, and which ones hurt.

As the saying goes: "The more things don't change, the more they stay the same."

[Octavius]

Westy, JAB, Tex, and Dok nailed it.  

It is indeed much easier to blame a specific aspect than to blame yourself.  **** happens, boredome and burnout sets in.  Unless you're an infant in a crib, you need more than the dangling colorful thingies spinning around 24/7.  In fact, I don't think it's the dangling colorful thingies that give players enjoyment at all.  Rather, it's the players creating their own enjoyment through imagination and immersion.  Escapism plays a large role - you are not the office cubical prisoner, the construction worker, the grunt, the teacher, the bum living in their mother's basement - you're a fighter jock, gv dweeb, buff dork...

The environment doesn't react to us, we react to the environment.

[Tinpot]

Excise me but What is ToD? I too prefer a little more realisn in my battles. Sounds like i might like it.

Why don't more people play in the Combat theatre? That seems more historicaly based. Sadly its always nearly empty when I go in there?