Gameplay seem boring? Here's an idea...

[Simaril]

Originally posted by Toad


...snip...

Simply put, the game rewards actions that result in boring gameplay.

Until that is addressed we'll have ..... boring gameplay.

Gotta agree that behavior of the group responds to system incentives, and incentives havent been adjusted for higher player base. But I dont think thats the main problem.

After all, we have admit that a lot of SOMEBODIES seem to find the AH2 as it stands pretty entertaining. After all, the numbers DO keep going up -- and that means new players are both coming to see, and hanging around.

How do I know that there's been growth? I picked a larger squad at random, Dantoo's 9Giap. Then I looked at low flight time members, and saw what the rank was for a zero entry in a category. In May of 2005, the worst category score was 3750; this month it was about 4730.

25% growth...so from HTC's business perspective, where exactly is the problem?


We'd best just face it, gentlemen (OK, gentlemen in the generic sense only) -- the "war" is fun for a lot of people. Furballers may think its pointless, but that feeling is, well, beside the point. People are buying the current HTC product in ever increasing numbers.

And that is an all around GOOD THING for those who like the fight. A healthy HTC means we have the game, and the forums, to kick around and enjoy.

For those who like the fight, the best course is simple.

1) Stop focusing on manipulating the game's format to get what you want. HTC has a fairly open ended setup, which CAN allow furballs and war winning. That freedom has allowed all player types to do what they want, whether its furballing, picking, hording, defending, or capturing. The current MA is the sum product of its users choices – and their abilities.

It's fair to assume that most guys would like to be known, even feared pilots. (Well, as feared as cartoon killers can be, anyway.)

And that should be where the fighter people come in.


2) Start trying to get converts. Watch the channels, and find guys who are discouraged or wishing they could get more kills. When you see a good move, PM the pilot and tell him about it...and offer to show a few related ones.  Seek out and volunteer to wing with up-and-comers.

For most journeymen, the capture is exciting only so long. After that, most (not all) want to become a better player if they can. Show 'em how.


In short....lets try to use more MA honey, and less BBS bile (and "wine"); lets stop talking to HTC, and spend that energy improving the MA ourselves. It can  happen. But it needs to be one pilot at a time.

[nirvana]

There's a war going on?   Seriously as little as I have been recently playing, I have totally forgot about the who war and base capture and just tried to find a good furball, or flown with my squad.

[Raptor]

Want to have fun? Put down the late war birds and fly a P40B or something like that. Game is much more fun to me when otd in an old bird killing spit16s and la7s. I wish more people would try some planes from before 1943, loads of fun.

[aztec]

Sounds like you are advocating common decency and personal responsibility Simaril....BLASPHEMY in this hooray for me, **** you world we live in. Burn the Witch!

  Sir.

[Gatr]

Nuthin as tastie as a freshly BBQed witch ....
mahaaahaaa
Gatr

[Kev367th]

Originally posted by Gatr
Nuthin as tastie as a freshly BBQed witch ....
mahaaahaaa
Gatr

Apart from flambe'd baby Seal.

[Gatr]

That of COURSE would be the dessert...
"flambe'd baby Seal"
Gatr

[Westy]

"spend that energy improving the MA ourselves."

 lol.   You may as well call youself Don Quixote and attack a windmill.



"Sounds like you are advocating common decency and personal responsibility Simaril.."

 Noble and worthy. But the game dynamics repel things like that.  Like oil and water the internet-based MA and those attributes won't mix.

[mars01]

Hehehehe

Cmon now, and in a perfect world everyone is rich and gets along and there are resources that will last for ever.  Your attempt is nobel sim, but misguided.

After all, we have admit that a lot of SOMEBODIES seem to find the AH2 as it stands pretty entertaining. After all, the numbers DO keep going up -- and that means new players are both coming to see, and hanging around.

Yeah this game is very appealing to the noob, and not so appealing for the guys that get past the noob stage and just want some good ole fast paced, heart racing action when they log in.  The real numbers for these types are not the newbies, but retention rate.  

1) Stop focusing on manipulating the game's format to get what you want. HTC has a fairly open ended setup, which CAN allow furballs and war winning. That freedom has allowed all player types to do what they want, whether its furballing, picking, hording, defending, or capturing. The current MA is the sum product of its users choices – and their abilities.

So your saying stop advocating shorter hops and more fighting.  Your premis that "That freedom has allowed all player types to do what they want, whether its furballing, picking, hording, defending, or capturing. "
is also misguided.  If I could log in and find a good furball every time you would be correct.  The fact that the furb is just an after affect of gameplay is the problem.  The fact that most nights = long flights to fight against nothing or 20 V 1 is means I don't get to do what I want.  And I am not alone.

2) Start trying to get converts. Watch the channels, and find guys who are discouraged or wishing they could get more kills. When you see a good move, PM the pilot and tell him about it...and offer to show a few related ones. Seek out and volunteer to wing with up-and-comers.

These boards and topics are a means to get the message out.  #2 is much easier said then done.  90% of the people in this game will help, but they are not going to offer it up there.  What you may have  hit on tho, is how the noobs are being trained.  The overall theme of the training corp seems to be more focused on the "stay alive at all cost" theory rather than, "fight, fight hard and learn from your mistakes."  

This is not a jab at the training corp, just a different view of how the game can be approached.  If more people recognized it is not the staying alive that is so important as much as it is putting up a good fight then this game would be very much different.

While yes we could affect the MA one pilot at a time, the turnover rate makes this almost useless, especialy when HT could fix if not ease the problem very easily by reworking the maps and hardening things like carriers and FHrs etc.

[Jackal1]

<----------

Ok, enough of that. Now back to the game to have some fun.

[Simaril]

Originally posted by aztec

...snip....

BLASPHEMY in this hooray for me, **** you world we live in. Burn the Witch!

  Sir.

I'm not a witch! They dressed me like this!

[hubsonfire]

I'm not sure that manipulating the noobs so that they adopt my particular views on the game is any better than asking for some reworking of the game's setup.

Well, we did do the nose... and the hat... but she's still a witch!

[Simaril]

Originally posted by mars01
Hehehehe

Cmon now, and in a perfect world everyone is rich and gets along and there are resources that will last for ever.  Your attempt is nobel sim, but misguided.

 
Yeah this game is very appealing to the noob, and not so appealing for the guys that get past the noob stage and just want some good ole fast paced, heart racing action when they log in.  The real numbers for these types are not the newbies, but retention rate.  

.......snip.....


While yes we could affect the MA one pilot at a time, the turnover rate makes this almost useless, especialy when HT could fix if not ease the problem very easily by reworking the maps and hardening things like carriers and FHrs etc.

Originally posted by Westy
"spend that energy improving the MA ourselves."

 lol.   You may as well call youself Don Quixote and attack a windmill.......

 

Yeah, I hear what you guys are saying...and you're right as far as it goes.

Think of it this way: imagine AH was a, I dunno, suburban Karate dojo.

The fun, the challenge, the REAL karate happens with the seriuos students. They're usually older, they want to learn, they discipline themselves, they advance. Their program retention and commitment levels are high. Sensei gets his satisfaction from these folks.

But, the sensei gets the bulk of his monthly income from the cute little 8 year olds in their little ghis and their little belts. They strut, they "fight", sometimes they even learn a little -- and then most of them drop out, to be replaced by another batch of rugrats. Only a few stay on to join the serious group.

I'm suggesting that we can increase the retention rate and the MA skill level by adopting promsiing young 'uns and proactively mentoring. The trainers cant do this, because there's too few of them and because their system relies on already motivated people COMING TO THEM.  

Could cahnged mechanics make a difference? Sure -- but HTC's business is booming, and if I were them I'd go slow in making wholesale changes to a successful formula, especially since the primary complainers are the most seriously committed and thus leastl likely to quit in large numbers.

How many threads have there been on the state of the MA? How many changes have we seen made? Its time to stop holding our collective breaths while we wait for HTC, and do something we CAN do



Seriously -- if most fighter guys managed to mentor one pilot a year, it could make a HUGE difference. Think of all the guys who populate the center during donut....and double it.....

[Hap]

Simaril

could not agree more with the tone of your post and most of its content.

hap

[2bighorn]

Originally posted by mars01
The overall theme of the training corp seems to be more focused on the "stay alive at all cost" theory rather than, "fight, fight hard and learn from your mistakes."

Can't really speak for the Training Corps, but I have been often enough in TA to know that's simply not true. For the most part, trainers do great job.

Why don't you show up in TA time to time? You might convert a noob or two and make a "fighter pilot" out of them...