posted because we all know this topic needs another thread.....
It occurred to me as i read through yet another polarized Mr. Bomberguy vs Mr. Fiighterguy pooo slinging contest, that most all the writers were thinking like experienced players evaluating gameplay from their experienced perspective. While understandable, doing so misses a crucial point.
HTC sees gameplay in a broader perspective -- one that considers player recruitment, player development, and THEN skilled player preferences -- as part of a continuum. For the busiiness to succeed, all three components HAVE TO be addressed in a way that keeps 'em having fun at each stage. And, it seems to me, HTC has to keep them all happy in the same arena at the same time or else the arena numbers would drop too low.
I'll use my expeience as an example. AH marks my first serious attempt at a flight sim, after my lack of ACM kept stalling tries at boxed sims. Those two years have seen me go from hopelessly bad, to being able to hold my own on occasion even against some good players. But I bet I wouldnt have stayed in if it werent for bombers, jabos, and scoring. (No, not that kind!)
With my head routinely being handed to me, I tried fighting in hordes and with massive alt advantage....and I'd spend time buffing in milk runs. The score system let me feel like I was improving, and I could delude myself into thinking I was getting good when I saw my "rank" dropping. When I started to "get it" in AtA, I could use the KPD to mark my progress in staying alive. It was only later, when I realized that rank chasing (for many players) was more a function of online time + gamesmanship than skill, that I played more and more for the fight -- and I could have fun (tho not yet florish) at that.
I've noticed many others follow a similar trajectory, with or woithout the added attraction of GVs. I think many who get addicted and stick it out end up fighter guys, though some just like buffing/GVs for their own sake.
Either way, bombers, base captures, and score chasing are part of the evolution of an AH player. Buffing and base capture are essential, necessary part of AH continuing to succeed. If it were all furballers all the time, the new guys would have a much lower retention rate because few newbs like being someone elses hamburger for months on end. Lower retnetion rate means fewer players, and with essentially fixed expenses that means the furballers would be carrying a prohibitive cost load. High costs mean even some good furballers with tighter finances dont play...and the circle gets tighter.
This is not a recipe for business or gameplay success.
So, I argue that AH does need this full range of play options to retain newbs until they're good and addicted. With time, many (tho not all, of course) will end up part of the furballer's fights. If the componenets with shorter learning curves were neutered, AH's survival as a business would likely be less secure.
So we all should stop yammering about the different styles. It makes far more sense to accept the differences, and work to maintain significant social pressure to channel the evolving players away from individual ACTS -- like dropping FHs at FT -- that are dysfunctional to gameplay.
