I don't want to play in a 60 player arena

[Kev367th]

Originally posted by Toad
Longtimer?

I was here when Beta opened. This has given me a reason to stay. I'd about had it with the old MA.

How many have gone though?

Wouldn't ask or expect HT to post figures, so we can only guess, as I said I know of more than a few, with others posting (like Kak) to say they are leaving.

Hope this all works out, this is the only online one I've flown in, haven't really got an interest in any other.
Although if the squad moved to another, so would I.

[edit] The one guy I will miss is GHI, his wacky missions were a blast, a loss to the Bish and to AH as a whole. (never forget his IL2 mission that took a base).

[Toad]

I haven't bothered to count but it seems like I've seen as many old timers...real old timers that go back to AW/WB/AH... returning as I have seen newer folk leaving AH.

In any event, HT knows how many have left and how many have returned and whether total hours played are up or down.

I'm sure he'll adjust as necessary to ensure the best business plan for HTC.

Right now, I'm happy and along for the ride. Like I said, it's been a breath of fresh air for me. Good fights now; that's all I ask anyway.

[Kev367th]

Like I said can only go on last nights figures for all arenas, they were down on the old MA.

Not asking for a return of the old MA, just a cap raise on the LW arena so that rather than 2 widely unbalanced LW arenas, there might be one closer balanced LW arena.
Isn't that what this whole thing is for anyway?

Both arenas total around 300 ish player, so a cap of 350-400 would allow everyone in who wants to be there and provide room for growth.
Would also be a good indicator on numbers, if it got full there had to be influx of new players.
If not, well you know the answer.

Hope he does adjust, things are way outta whack (LW) at the moment.

Can actually get a good gauge from current usage -
1) Majority prefer LW (numbers always 2x (min) the combined EW and MW).
2) Even with spawned LW2, people still try to enter LW1.
3) Majority prefer large numbers in an arena, to low numbers.

[SlapShot]

Originally posted by Kev367th
Obviously only HT knows how many long timers have cancelled their accounts, but I know of more than 'a few'.
On another thread Kak has announced he is leaving, that's a 6 year vet gone.

I'm sure your right, 'he's betting', big chance to take considering the amount of people who are just downright very unhappy.
Wonder how many 3,4,5,6 year paying guys he is willing to lose?
On the chance of a 2 week newb joining up.

He has also said numbers have risen since the changes, sorry don't see it.
Sat night used to average 600-700 players in the MA, last night across all arenas was around 450-475.
A squaddie who still has a WB account conversely says the their arenas HAVE grown in numbers since this.

Time will tell I guess, lose enough long timers, not only does it affect the game overall, wonder what it would do to C.T. release date?

I'm personally gonna hang on for the time being, but am also downloading targetware as I have been asked to do some skins for it.

Prior to the change and what I believe was the beginning of the wave that caused this change we lost people like ...

The total loss the the 13th TAS ... all of them vets ...

Rude (he now emerges with the changes)
Toad (popped in now and again, but appears to have resurfaced)
Milo
Stringer
Zippatuh
Thunder
Fish
Sax
Beemer
CPig
Yeager (I think he has resurfaced with the changes)

When was the last time you saw these FDBs vets ...

Furious
myelo
SOB
MiniD
Fatty
Mathman

Where have vets such as ...

Fester
Shane
40DogMAW
propMAW
redMAW
Paint
crowMAW
AKNimitz
AKcurly
AKIron
AKSwulfe
Drex
Nopoop
Hooligan
Pirate
DipStick
Redd
Swoop
Grim

gone ... these were the "vets" and the people that I learned from when I first started this game ... and there are more that I cannot remember at the moment.

Did the previous gameplay drive them from the game ... I would say YES to the majority of them ... and this is when gameplay continued to sprial downward.

HT wants to get things back to when we had vets like these guys, fights, and comraderie ruled.

If you look at the current player playlist ... there really are only a handfull that could replace all those that I listed above.

If we lose some of the current vets ... well so be it ... it's sad to see them not try and wait it out ... but I sure would love to see a lot of those listed above come back to this game.

[MOSQ]

I don't want to play in a 60 player arena either. I'm logging in, looking around, giving a couple of arena's a shot, and logging out in 1/3 the time I used to spend in this game.

My biggest problem is my squad was the "community" I cared about in this game. The new setup has trashed our squad cammaraderie. I hardly ever fly with my squadmates anymore. None of us are playing as much as we used to.

[Kev367th]

Funny thing is the almighty quest for 'fairness and balance' is unachievable.

Whats next -
Each 'pilot' in the game has some sort of 'skill level' applied to him.
This dictates which country he can login under.

Unless you think (at the extreme) -
50 per side, one newbs the other all vets is "fair".
Hell you could make it 100 newbs, 50 vets, the newbs would still get hammered.

"Fairness and balance" - Nice goal, shame it's totally fantasy.

[edit] Ah, light dawns - Maybe this is why some people are all for it, equal sides, unequal skill levels = lots of ego stroking for the vets.

[whels]

I guess since HT said it wasnt server related, then i guess change was game play relate (want to change how we play).

well if anything it has made it 5x worse.
 the Horde is still here and even bigger. suicider porkers are still here.
diving buffs still here.  

now add the low #  arena score padders and milkrunners. you have guys paddin thier rank in low # arenas. If you up to fight them they just switch to hitting the other side or log off or to another arena.

1 arena EW i think, is constantly unballanced with Rooks usually 15 to 40 pilots more then both Knits/Bish combined.  MW is usually Knits  or BIsh with #s over the other 2.

LW is ok, but Bish seem to keep a 30 to 40 pilot advantage. and its hard to balance the #s cause with a low arena cap # , if Knits or Rooks try to log in, more then likely its to a 2nd Lw cauSe 1st is full.

ht said he didnt want anything to slip the community, well he did it, and even worse. He even had destroyed squad continuity. i used to see 5 or so of my squaddies daily, all day.  now im lucky if i see 1 squaddie in a week.

if i wanted to play without sqauddies, in a low # populated, plane limited arena, id go play H2H or AvA.

we dont have pilot #s for 3 seperate arenas, epecially during weekdays.
avg Arena #s  during the 11am to 5pm eastern US time is usually
 EW 30-50 total  MW 10 - 30 total  and LW 100 total. with all 3 having lopsided #s for 1 country.

lol wanted to change game play, well you didnt do anything to change it, you made it EASIER for them to do the same way.

[Kev367th]

Ditto Whels -

We used to get maybe 10-15 on a squad night, down to 6-7 now. (our few non US players are well t'eed off it's even worse for them).

Everything you said is SPOT ON.

For something that had been "thought about for a while" the problems/results of it are horrendous.

[J_A_B]

Low numbers in a specific arena isn't necessarily an issue if the game overall has a healthy player base.  I remember arenas in AW that were lots of fun with only 20 or 30 people.

The problem is, typically, Aces High terrains aren't really designed to be much fun with 50 people in an arena.  There are too many fields, and they're too far apart.  Some new terrains would go a long way to cure this particular issue.

Another problem is if a company doesn't meet demand for a popular product and instead tries to force people into an undesireable alternative.  Early-war arenas in MMO flightsims historically have never been very popular.  Trying to force people into these arenas by limiting access to the popular late-war setup seems like a decision designed to breed resentment.

J_A_B

[MrRiplEy[H]]

The gameplay is not what necessarily drives people away from the game.

After playing the same game for 6 years it can start to feel quite trivial to you. Many people started playing while they were bachelors and in 5-6 years they might have married, got kids and a life to live. I've played a ridiculous number of hours lately with some months subscribed with no logged hours.

It's not that I don't like the game anymore, I'm swamped with work and have 2 small children. I've been thinking to unsubscribe but it's not because the game sucks, it's because I have other priorities.

[KTM520guy]

I used to see 6-8 squadies on daily. Since the change I'm lucky to see one.

[gatt]

Originally posted by hitech
Nope: Been there done that.
The cost of aircraft devlopement is non trivial.
And it still dosn't address the basic issue.


Wouldn't effect the MA at all


Wouldn't effect the MA at all



Fixing symptom not the problem.




If you have unlimited funds to produce those things please give them to me and ill implement them. Plus some of what you describe is what Combat Tour is aimed at, but once again it realy has nothing to do with the MA.


Adds to game play, realy dosn't effect community issues.
And once again, manpower is a fact, not a problem.


HiTech

With all respect, those are all things that could and should affect the old MA we knew. Even the player base. During the last years, after the TOD announcement, many felt the lack of the historical side of the sim. That is, big scenarios, historical maps, a good RPS try, a balanced and complete plane set. Our Main with everything from 1940 to 1945 without any rule or limitation made it the big gigantic kamikaze furball we all know.

Now, the new solution appears, IMHO, weaker than the old situation. To the point that is pissing off many players.

[SirLoin]

if u want to fly a certain arena..u should be able to..regardless of #'s..that is why we have eny limiter.

get rid of eny limiter or bump the arena limit.

[cav58d]

I agree with a lot of you....I find myself logging in to an arena, looking at 15+ ENY and a massive hoard, and just logging out without fighting...It's just become stale and boring to me....

I think the BBS has also gone down hill since the change...O Club is the only thing half way interesting to read anymore, and 75% of the people in there are jerks!  lmao....

AH...gotta love it

[shiningpathb4me]

Originally posted by MrRiplEy[H]
Thats the beauty of early war arena, no base porking hordes run amuck there.

I just logged into EW, Mindanao, amd switched to knights to even out the numbers. knit base 46 was flashing. I up a Hurri IIC and get vulched by KITE777.  I try again -- same results. So I watched from the tower as about 5-6 bish make repeated vulches. When they left I upped, only 2 buildings were down in the town. No bombers inbound, nada. The same punk BS they do in all arenas. Then I noticed one knight fighting two bish and went to help him. He broke away, out of ammo and tried to make it to the field to land. Both pursued him blasting away just as he landed. They couldn't beat him so they vulched him on landing.


You aren't going to get it with our current subscriber population.