I think what will be interesting is to see if the landgrab "genie" can be put back in his bottle with the lower caps.
I know back when I first started, the landgrab was a means to an end - you went and 'attacked' a field to find an A2A fight. There were people who would just attack fields, but it seems to me that the pork n auger behaviour started after whatever game it was (AW?) folded and everyone came over here. Coincidentally, that was when behaviour started to degenerate (in my opinion). Prior to that, it was more of a "knights of the sky" attitude, after the huge jump in population it became more of a land-grab/horde focus (well, everyone can't be a knight!).
Now with smaller caps, the 'vets' will have more of an opportunity to teach new players how the game is played. The real question is if there are enough 'vets' that enjoy A2A to put the focus of the game back on it, or will the newer (even then 'newer' means up to what, 3 years?) players will teach newbies that the focus of the game is on "winning the war" and grabbing as many undefended bases as possible.
For the 'A2A' school to come out on top, there has to be a unique mixture of circumstances in place. As I see them, they are
- Small fights need to be the rule, not the exception.
- Older players are willing to help newer ones.
- Players need to be able to build up a reputation, for good or ill.
Small fights emphasize skill, as much as it can be. Sure, players will still gravitate towards the "easy planes", but eventually they'll come to the realization that if they are going to enjoy the game, they need to learn how to fight. That is where the second condition comes in. Most, if not all, people need someone to get them started down the road to learning. Lastly, a lack of anonimity promotes both civility, learning, and diversity in plane choice - if player A can get a reputation as being a great stick in plane X, other players may try plane X out as well, instead of just the 3 or 4 easiest planes.
For the land grab side to come out on top, only some of these conditions need apply
- large fights (when there are fights)
- large numbers in the arena
- a less than helpful attitude towards newer players.
I think two out of three would be enough to ensure that the focus remains off of A2A combat. Large fights de-emphasize skill, most kills are scored by blindsiding someone, or cherrypicking. Large numbers encourage anonimity, and apathetic (or actively antagonistic) attitudes towards new players will push them into the horde/landgrab school.
Personally, I've always felt like the focus of the game was meant to be on A2A combat. It seems evident that that area of the game is the most fully developed. Bombers are modelled nicely, but there isn't anything for them to bomb. Vehicles have been a sideshow for as long as they've been around, although the new terrain that was added made that aspect of the game more immersive.
I'm pretty well burnt out on the game personally, I was half tempted to come back when the format changed but I don't think I will for at least a few months. But I do still care about this game, and I'd love to see it thrive. I honestly think that smaller arenas are the key to it. As far as I am concerned, the highlight of my AH experience was in the 250 man small map arenas. Wow, I guess I need a glossery and an index to go with this post
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