Long ago in warbirds....

[DoKGonZo]

Originally posted by Morpheus
score.

get rid of rank and people will start to fly non-uber planes.

simple.

If players were really concerned about rank they wouldn't be HO'ing and ramming like crazy. I would be amazingly surprised if there was any significant change to plane usage if rank were disabled for a week.

But ... lets flip the logic a second ... what if there was a published rank for each plane type as well? That is, instead of less ranks: more ranks. Maybe then folks would try other planes to become the top D3A ace. Of course, this would be subject to a wide range of abuse so it'll never work. But it could provide an incentive to fly a non-uber plane for a complete tour.


With the exception of the weird map we're on now (whatever it's called; with the lakes, and the cities in the middle of nowhere) I don't see a problem with the map designs. Range and cruising speed are all part of picking a plane to fly. I'm sure the Luftwaffe pilots in 1940 wished London was closer to the coast too.

[Morpheus]

But ... lets flip the logic a second ... what if there was a published rank for each plane type as well? That is, instead of less ranks: more ranks. Maybe then folks would try other planes to become the top D3A ace. Of course, this would be subject to a wide range of abuse so it'll never work. But it could provide an incentive to fly a non-uber plane for a complete tour.

I like that idea.

[killnu]

get rid of rank and people will start to fly non-uber planes.

Game is about killing other little pixel planes, not rank.  Disable rank, people will still fly what they feel gives them the best chance to shoot down the other pixel plane...or building in some cases.  Just because there is no rank involved does not mean they will jump out of their spit/la7/niki/ect ect ect into a P40B.  Sad thing is, most will die in p40B just like they do in what they think is the uber ride.

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by lazs2
I don't particularly care what anyone else flys either so long as it is fair and leads to good gameplay.... what we have now is neither....  Not fair unless you pick a late war monster and..... late war monsters lead to poor gameplay for all but a few.

Look at the records of those who fly late war monsters and you will see that a lot of their kills are of inferior planes... they have a vested interest in an uneven arena.

lazs
Public Relations Officer for the BK's

I suppose the only real solution then is to have the plane of the week arena.  

In the MA the only rank will be for those who fly

So who is the best FM2 pilot.  Who is the best Jug driver, best 109 etc etc.

Or if it's to be completely even with only pilot skill to tell the tale, the arena only has one genaric plane that does all roles.

I'm not really serious about this btw, but it would be the only way to make things 'even' although I imagine the numbers in the arena would fluctuate greatly depending on which plane was 'the plane' that week.

[Eagler]

top rank for each plane / gv type with a free month from HT for those who make #1

how many planes/gvs are there? how much would that cost? ? x $14.95 = cost of great fun/expanded planeset flown/less in uber rider/less whines/more subs

oh, yeah - do the same for AvA which would help popularize it into greater numbers / more subs - it'd be less expensive here as AvA doesn't go throuigh all the planes/gvs in the AH inventory in a months time..

and the same person couldn't win it more than 3 months in a row without being forced out by " AH winner term limits" for the following month, maybe two .. nor more than one ride at a time

and I'd note this in the ah tele ads and on the web site .. money / time well spent

[Morpheus]

Disable AH all together so you'll all have nothing to ***** about.

Hows that sound?

[DoKGonZo]

Here's another notion now that I've had my coffee ...

What if multi-rank were done in conjunction with an RPS. So the ranking for P40's would include the P40B and P40E rotation of that plane up through the end of 1942 (when it ceases to be competetive). The Me109 Rank, though, would go from the beginning (109E4) to end (109K4) of the Tour. Same with the Spit.

Top Yak, Top La, Top Mustang, Top Hawker (Tiffy and Hurri combined), Top Late-War IJA (N1K and Ki84 combined), Top USN (F4F4 through to F6F), Top Corsair, etc etc ... a whole range of ranks suddenly become possible in a balanced way.

Some titles only span a part of the tour, some the whole duration, allowing a lot of depth in choosing what title(s) to go for. Obviously the top Spit title would be a crowded field, but Top La would only start in 1942-ish, leaving only a small window to compete in - which overlapped Top Yak title - which to choose? For the people who fly a ton, they could obviously go for more than 1.

You'd have to have ground rules, though. Like a player needs at least 5 kills in each variant of the plane that happen in a tour. No waiting for the La-7 to go for the La Title, you need to get 5 kills in the -5 too. And you'd need to differentiate ground targets from air targets.


How would this affect gameplay?

Don't know ... but it would allow the introduction of an RPS in a way that would add a lot of depth to the gameplay and would provide an incentive for players to stick with a plane type all through the tour, even during the period when it ain't Uber. And with more titles available and attainable, maybe people wouldn't be so quick to suicide themselves all over creation every night.

And for the veterans who don't care about ranks, well, we'd get an RPS and the opportunity to fly all the planes in a more balanced environment.

[Urchin]

I'm in favor of changing the gameplay because I think it has been stale for a while.  However, I don't think it will be changed, because it is successful.  

HT has said many times that he knows that people will quit.  He really doesn't care what the folks who have been playing for a long time think - they are expected to be sick of the game.  He cares about what the folks who've been playing for 1-2 years think (although I suspect 2 years is pushing it.. most folks start thinking about how to make the game "better" by then).    

I don't really think there will be any serious effort made to change the MA.  There won't be any changes to the perk plane list, there won't be any RPS.  I guess if they need to fill the holes in a CT planeset there will be new planes introduced, but I think we probably have Germany vs US/UK pretty well covered.

It really isn't a huge deal that 75% of the planeset sits in the hangar gathering dust.  If people were truly interested in a plane, they'd fly it no matter how competitive it was.  Most people play this game to kill other people, and they don't care how they do it, or in what plane.  

And they are having fun (for a year), and the incoming players replace the outgoing players.  It is a perfectly normal phenomenon.

[DoKGonZo]

You're probably right, Urchin. Don't mean I'll stop wishing for more.

[soupcan]

slow night on the BBs

i fly a EW plane cause i'm too good for a LW plane so...

y not make everybody fly a EW plane.



the MA is what it is... plenty of variety if u know where to find it.


if this game is so stale why do u stay a paying customer?

the games not fair?

u can up the same plane as your opponent .. how is that unfair?

when i went to school i walked 5 miles up hill both wa......
o wait
thats another thread lol

[The Fugitive]

Originally posted by killnu
 Sad thing is, most will die in p40B just like they do in what they think is the uber ride.

But the big differance is that in their "uber" ride they got a much better chance with those big ol' cannons on them, thats why they use them  

[TheCage]

Originally posted by Kweassa
So slap a perk on all the late war monsters.
 a price not to high, but not too low.
 Surely not all MA's problems will disperse,
 but at least the effects will begin to show.
 
 All them dweebs love the HO,
 a cannon armed plane soaked up with booze.
 But can they always be a mean mofo,
 when it risks some perks they might lose?

 If the perks can at least knock 20% off
 from the total usage of all the late-war stock
 then that's no small deal to scoff
 or openly refuse, deny, or mock.

 So come join and see through the eyes of Perkah
 whom Kweassa is his prophet and spokesman.
 When it comes to perk problems he is da mastah,
 there ain't no guy who has a better perk plan.

 
 

[lazs2]

gonzo... what you suggest would not hurt at all.  In fact.. it would most likely help.  How much?  who knows?  some degree tho.   People would become more aware of the score potatos and thier plane choices tho...

"oh yeah he is ranked one but.... he flys only spit 16 and tem[.." kinda thing... at least it would take some of the urge to be "#1"  at any cost away....

Urchin is also correct...  people would not fly P40's no matter if their dad had a real one in the hangar in their home town.... unless.... the plane was comperitive.   Gameplay won't change because a succesful model is allready here... by the time the newbies realize that the gameplay is unfair and simplistic and lacks good gameplay.... a new player is waiting to take his place.  The steep learning curve keeps guys like soupcan thinking they are getting enough...no... more than enough variety..

soupcan says that having planes that are 50 mph hour face p40's is fair since everyone could fly the fast plane.    It is only fair if everyone wants to fly an arena that has gameplay as bad as what we have now... everyone flying the same planes.  It is only "variety" if you are still very low on the learning curve and seeing a really good head on shot or taking one dazzles you.

lazs
Public Relations Officer for the BK's

[mars01]

HT has said many times that he knows that people will quit. He really doesn't care what the folks who have been playing for a long time think - they are expected to be sick of the game. He cares about what the folks who've been playing for 1-2 years think (although I suspect 2 years is pushing it.. most folks start thinking about how to make the game "better" by then).

Unfortunately this is what I have percieved as well.  Hopefully once CT is done HT will come back and reinvent the MA, doubtful, but I can only hope.

soupcan your response was clueless.

I like the idea of a NON AvA RPS.  Could help reinvigorate a dying MA, force people back to needing ACMs.  It's not about what people are flying, or hoing or ramming, it's about fostering an atmosphere where people have to rely on their fighting skill rather than the shear ability of their planes.  For this reason alone I can see why those opposed are against this idea LOLH.

[soupcan]

yep maybe it was clueless in your opinion but

just yesterday i encountered at least 20 different models
of aircraft in less than 2 hours of gameplay so ya to me
thats variety.

as far as my acm skills are concerned you are right
i still have a long way to go...just started trying to
hone my rolling scissors this week.

but the game is still fun for me and  many others in the
MA.

1 thing i will agree with is new maps are needed.