More Slots in the H2H Servers

[Schatzi]

Originally posted by Mr No Name
I dont see any harm in it for paid account hosts

Except a lot of work for HTC, and no real award. They got a business to run and bills to pay. Would be a wonderful world if everything was for free....

[Ghosth]

Allowing subscribers to have bigger rooms just adds work & headaches to an already overworked staff.  

8 man free H2H is enough.

You want more than that, pay the 15$ a month.

I started out flying in spring of 96. Online was 2$ per hour min bill was 30 $.
H2H was 2 people, and the damage model was broken. Had a HUGE bug in it.
I lobbied for over 2 years trying to get it fixed. Never happened.

Eventually I hooked up with a good squad, started flying online.
And when AH went live moved here and been here ever since.

15$ a month flat rate is the best deal in entertainment ANYWHERE!
Just watching the chat buffer in main is worth the 15$.

[Krusty]

Originally posted by APDrone
Paid subscribers should be allowed to host 32 and 64 player arenas for other paid subscribers.

If I may?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

LOLzROFLMAO

You'd have to have an OC64 on a dedicated host (one that's not computing your own flight data nonstop) just to keep up with that.

Even for multiple-MBPS connections can barely run 8 connections most of the time!

Forget the "want" part of it for a second, the "do" part of it is impossible!

[indy007]

You could probably do it with a T3. Hell, I've got a spare server & alot of bandwith that goes unused every month

[RAIDER14]

Originally posted by APDrone
Paid subscribers should be allowed to host 32 and 64 player arenas for other paid subscribers.

This would allow for large squads to conduct their own private practice sessions with arena settings that could be set for whatever flavor the host desired.

Practical applications:

FSO/Scenario/other special event practice

Custom maps with fields organized in such a way to expedite practice ( envision 25k air launch spawns where opposite sides could be doing such high altitude combat within seconds of launch .. say, Bombers vs. Cap )

Not sure what the server logistics would be for something like that, but when our squad was large, it really would have helped to have something like that available ( the reduced lethality of TA and inability to customize the maps in there precluded it from usage )

most H2H maps are too small for 32 or 64 players

[APDrone]

Originally posted by RAIDER14
most H2H maps are too small for 32 or 64 players

eh?

Be still my electronic quill of rapier wit. I must let the knave live.


Let me present a more graphic example.

Mission type:  8 bomber formations with 8 close escort fighters preceeded by a sweep force of 8 other fighters.

Ingress altitude:  25,000 feet.

Target: bomb oil refinery at grid so-and-so, return to base.

Defensive forces:  16 fighters in a CAP patrol over target area.  Intercept and destroy incoming bombers.

Training goals:

- Teach the close escorts how to protect their bombers without getting drawn away by chasing target defenders. ( This takes some serious discipline to do this )

- Teach CAP fighters how to attack bombers without getting blown to bits by the defensive guns.

- Teach bomber pilots how to manage their gunnery and targeting skills to know when to return to bombadier position to deliver ord.

- Teach defenders when to attack bombers so that the calibration and ord delivery is interrupted. ( most likely time when bomber pilot is in bombsight and not at a gun )

- Explore the effectiveness of different target defender aircraft ( FW190s,  ME110s, ME262s, Tempests, Typhoons.. etc )

- Do this with 20 other squad members using 'God's Eye' mode from the tower watching the event pan out.

- Be able to launch mission and have planes in position at correct altitude within minutes ( air launches ).  To force the participants to spend all that time climbing to altitude to conduct some 'live fire' exercises is plain ludicrous.  The fun and excitement runs out real quickly after the 2nd rotation.  If you can run 4 or 5 cycles in a 1/2 hour time period, the folks may actually gain enough experience to learn it for good.

Now.. tell me what arenas we have that come close to that?

None.  This specific example requires a map that doesn't exist yet.  In order to get it available for the SEA, it would need to be approved by HTC.. more work they don't need, right?

So.. if there were an area like H2H is now, where you can load your maps and those logging in get to play on them, then this could happen.  

And this is just but one small example.  

Imagine  air launch spawn points that place your torpedo craft just a couple miles away from an enemy fleet?  An excellent way to practice torpedo runs.  Yes.. it can be done today.. but, add in 12 other torpedo bombers with low escort fighters and high and low enemy CAP fighters...

Hopefully you get the point now.

As I said.. I'm not sure what sort of horsepower would be necessary to host something like that.  Even if it were just 16, that would make a huge difference in flexibility.

[RAIDER14]

Originally posted by APDrone
eh?

Be still my electronic quill of rapier wit. I must let the knave live.


Let me present a more graphic example.

Mission type:  8 bomber formations with 8 close escort fighters preceeded by a sweep force of 8 other fighters.

Ingress altitude:  25,000 feet.

Target: bomb oil refinery at grid so-and-so, return to base.

Defensive forces:  16 fighters in a CAP patrol over target area.  Intercept and destroy incoming bombers.

Training goals:

- Teach the close escorts how to protect their bombers without getting drawn away by chasing target defenders. ( This takes some serious discipline to do this )

- Teach CAP fighters how to attack bombers without getting blown to bits by the defensive guns.

- Teach bomber pilots how to manage their gunnery and targeting skills to know when to return to bombadier position to deliver ord.

- Teach defenders when to attack bombers so that the calibration and ord delivery is interrupted. ( most likely time when bomber pilot is in bombsight and not at a gun )

- Explore the effectiveness of different target defender aircraft ( FW190s,  ME110s, ME262s, Tempests, Typhoons.. etc )

- Do this with 20 other squad members using 'God's Eye' mode from the tower watching the event pan out.

- Be able to launch mission and have planes in position at correct altitude within minutes ( air launches ).  To force the participants to spend all that time climbing to altitude to conduct some 'live fire' exercises is plain ludicrous.  The fun and excitement runs out real quickly after the 2nd rotation.  If you can run 4 or 5 cycles in a 1/2 hour time period, the folks may actually gain enough experience to learn it for good.

Now.. tell me what arenas we have that come close to that?

None.  This specific example requires a map that doesn't exist yet.  In order to get it available for the SEA, it would need to be approved by HTC.. more work they don't need, right?

So.. if there were an area like H2H is now, where you can load your maps and those logging in get to play on them, then this could happen.  

And this is just but one small example.  

Imagine  air launch spawn points that place your torpedo craft just a couple miles away from an enemy fleet?  An excellent way to practice torpedo runs.  Yes.. it can be done today.. but, add in 12 other torpedo bombers with low escort fighters and high and low enemy CAP fighters...

Hopefully you get the point now.

As I said.. I'm not sure what sort of horsepower would be necessary to host something like that.  Even if it were just 16, that would make a huge difference in flexibility.

Training Arena can be used for the same thing

[Viper9th]

Why, the most it should go is 16, maybe 32 for the people who actually PAY for MA. If it went high like 24, 32 people would never pay for MA, they would just go into H2H and fly for free, just with less people and cause the maps are small it would be like any other fight in MA, so why would HT ever upgrade that beyond 16 man or even leave it.

[APDrone]

Originally posted by RAIDER14
Training Arena can be used for the same thing

First off, the last time I was in the TA, the weapon lethality was adjusted way low and ammunition amounts were different than 'normal'.

These two traits, by themselves, preclude that arena from even being considered.

Secondly,  you are not allowed to make changes to the settings of the arena.  Here, again, this precludes a controlled training environment for the applications I am interested.

Thirdly, you cannot load custom maps into the training arena unless you get permission and they are part of the repertoire of maps available.

The Dueling arena is out because of 2 and 3.

[Ghosth]

Apdrone sir

Your correct about the lethality in the TA.
Wrong about the loadouts, Ammo is main standard.

You know I've thought for some time that there should be 1 more arena.
One with strickly main settings for fuel, ammo, etc.
One in which diff maps can be loaded.

Squadrons could email the CM in charge, be put on a list, and reserve the arena
for a 2 hour session. First come first served, and you could even add a 20 $ charge to pay the CM for his time.  If you set it up right you could even have 2 or 3 squadrons working at the same time on diff countrys.

CM would control what fields are open, with what planes so you don't get freeloaders messing up the works. CV attack, torp attack, field attacks all easy to setup & run on the squad level.

So there is your solution, go ask HTC for it.  

[APDrone]

Originally posted by Ghosth

Squadrons could email the CM in charge, be put on a list, and reserve the arena
for a 2 hour session. First come first served, and you could even add a 20 $ charge to pay the CM for his time.  If you set it up right you could even have 2 or 3 squadrons working at the same time on diff countrys.

CM would control what fields are open, with what planes so you don't get freeloaders messing up the works. CV attack, torp attack, field attacks all easy to setup & run on the squad level.

 

Egads, sir..   You need to understand that I gave up the game of golf because I had to go to the effort of reserving tee times in order to play.

Talk about an administrative headache..

Although your idea is valid, I dont think it would address the flexibility I need for my applications.  I do 'impulse'.  Reserving arenas is anti-impulse.