DMax is talking about gameplay vs. "eye candy" Granted, as was suggested, many of the "younger" types equate the two as the same. It is not.
Emphasis on graphics is a long term investment. We're the disappearing kind of guys Lute.
The "young 'uns" are the dominant drive behind the gaming market now. AH, due to its nature, and thanks to a strong fan base (of WW2-based aerial combat sims) which existed from years and years ago, has been relatively uneffected by that drive, but how much more do you think that's gonna last?
In about five years most of us 'veterans' will be gone from this game for one reason or another. Newer, younger people will fill the rosters in the MA(or TOD) more and more - that is, if they are interested in AH in the first place. And to those who have the future in AH, graphics
IS gameplay. Nothings gonna change that. It's like chanting "the world is still flat" if you wish to deny it.
If AH doesn't start catching up now, it won't ever.
ALL Dmax (i'll assume here) and myself really WANT would be a smooth game playing experience. With the current setup, it is far from smooth. I have the greatest fear (reading the update re. new terrain etc) that with the release of 2.03 AH will become even less stable, and harder to enjoy.
I have no need to have hirez cockpits with little chigger gauges that my old eyes can't read. I could care less about (i had a list going, but decided against it) all the other "eye candy" that seems to be the main thrust as of late.
I want that too, and I think I have it - at least upto satisfactory levels.
Like Skuzzy said, it could be about how your system is set up. I'm not exactly using a state-of-the-art system myself. I bought my Pentium4 PC more than four years ago, running with a 1.7Ghz CPU and 512 ram. Over the course of four years I bought one additional 512DDR, and got a used GeForce4 Ti4600 for a cheap price. The CPU is still the same, and my hard drive's never been reformatted over those four years. (Occasionally defragmented)
With about 'mild' level AH2 graphic settings(graphic detail sliders to 50% detailed) I get smooth 40~50 fps in most situations, 30-ish when there's a lot of smoke, and 20~30 when there's smoke, fire, heckuvah lot o' planes, flak bursts, and CVs and buffs nearby.
Recently, I've found out that for some reason, adding in 4x AntiAliasing doesn't effect my AH2 even for 1 fps - which also increased the graphics quality of the game without substantial loss of performance.
I DO care about a smooth, enjoyable experience in a flight sim. I wish with all my heart that HT thinks back to the old AirWarrior days, and remembers just what got him addicted to flight sims in the 1st place. It was never about the graphics, but about smooth gameplay.
Air Warrior is dead, Lute. Granted, not because of graphics, but for more variety of reasons, it was lagging behind.
I dearly pray, that in future releases, HT moves the focus on to making the "flying/fighting" part of this most excellent sim the main thrust of his attention, and turns away from the dark path of more "eye candy", which is an evil, horrible path to travel.
The flying part is as high as it gets(since the FM is good), and the fighting part is upto the gamers to choose - unless a totally new strat/tact/gameplay option/settings is introduced into the game which might effect how people fight(which HT is working on, in the name of TOD).
The path of eye-candy is the path leading to the future Lute. Besides, the more the flying gets detailed, ironically, the more performance hit it would take - more sophisticated calculations, as Skuzzy said.
Granted, there is a happy medium, and that of course can be obtained with some effort, but please, PLEASE HTC move your focus BACK to what made it great in the first place.
Let's not forget - AH already was in the 'happy medium' for years and years, since v1.04 to the final release of AH1. It was already obtained for more than five~six years. It's time to move on.
Don't tread the path of the heathen IL2 types, or cater to the FPS wanna b's. Awesome looking trees won't make AH2 a better sim. Smooth flying, and great fighting will. Far, FAR better to be the best flight model and smoothest game experience, than the best looking.
Lute, what you're basically saying is that AH should stay in the same place. It would indeed make AH into a more smooth flying game, but it will also make it a DEAD game.
Think about it - a few years ago, before IL2 came out, noone would ever expect a mere, packaged, boxed game with limited multiplayer environment would ever influence the WW2 air combat fans so deeply. AH was always the best - comparable graphics to its major contendors such as WB, AW, FA etc.. and still better game play.
Then IL2 steps in, and the WW2 air combat gamers would never be the same. Frankly, as someone who reviewed games for money(part-time job in my country anyway), my opinion is IL2 is the most significant influence into the whole flight simulation genre since EAW. It changed the way we think about air-combat sims, our perceived 'limitations' about what the graphics can do, and the standards of which future air-combat sims should follow.
That 'heathen', also swept away a lot of avid AH2 fans into its ranks - which is a surprising thing to think about, since before IL2/FB, everybody came to AH, noone walked away from it to go to something other.
.....
I'm not refuting you just to piss you off Lute. I know how you feel, and I know how the old fans can feel left out. But the iron rules of the market and progress must apply to AH2 too. HT doesn't offer us this for charity.
AH has stayed in its place for more than five years, in the form of AH1, ever since I was first hooked up to it in the late '90s.
It's time to move on, if AH is to survive through the long years and continue to serve us with better gameplay and graphics. It can't do that if it lags behind because some of us cannot cope with the change. It would be best if every user can always follow AH2 whereever it goes, but someone is always left out when change occurs.. and when that happens, AH is not gonna wait for us.
