From an AH newbie's point of view...

[calan]

Some newbie thoughts on the plethora of "hate this and that" threads....

1. It takes at least 3-6 months to learn what is really going on in this game. Until you do (and after you've been not-so-nicely scolded a few times by the "veterans on a mission"), you tend to just fly around doing what you can... dropping some bombs..driving some boats.. and shooting anything red that moves, whether it's by vulching or whatever. Since the majority of players probably fall into this group (IMO)... you are always going to have the hordes/vulchers/milk running, etc. regardless of the arena setup if something else doesn't change.

2. The help files are excellent from a technical standpoint. But the only documentation for how the game is actually played (whether HT intends it or not), are these bulletin boards and what the new player overhears on the radio while flying around and trying to find his arse. With that said, what message is being passed on to the new players, given the state of the BBS and radio these days?  

3. Related to #1 above... The hot rods take perk points to fly, and every newbie wants to fly a hot rod. To get perk points, you have to be a good pilot or find easy kills (i.e. vulch or bomb undefended bases). So how does a newbie earn perk points while playing "fair", learn the game, and at the same time avoid being shot down by the veteran pilots who... skill aside, could also up a perky at any time if they choose?

They don't....  they jump in with a large group where they may have a chance of cherry picking or getting a proximity kill on an auger. It's kind of a catch 22, from the viewpoint of a new player that is led to believe that the idea is to shoot red things and get perk points/ratings.

Why not get rid of the perk points completely, enable all planes, and then limit the veterans and aces with high kill-to-death ratios to flying only Sopwith Camels?      j/king

I don't have all the answers, but maybe HT should take a look at the motivation and knowledge of the less educated players, rather than trying to make a group of veterans with completely opposing ideas happy.... if you want to even things out.

I'm going back to my lurking in regards to all these "hate the new this and that" threads and do some more flying and dying....which beats working no matter what form it is in .

Just thought I'd throw out a different point of view. See you guys (and gals) in the skys... errr...  you in the sky; me falling to the earth in a glorious ball of fire.  

!

Calan

[Meatwad]

Sometimes it takes just as long to figure out whats happening here in the BBS (especially the oclub)

[soupcan]

Originally posted by calan




They don't....  they jump in with a large group where they may have a chance of cherry picking or getting a proximity kill on an auger.

 

you receive ZERO 0.00 perk points for a proximity "kill" unless
you managed to put some lead into it earlier.

[FrodeMk3]

What you realize after a time, calan, is that everyone gets something different out of AH. I'd list all the different things, but my guess is about 6,000 different reasons.

[calan]

Yeah I know Frode.. I like it all from time to time also.

My point is, I see a lot of complaints (valid or not)... suggestions, differing opinions, etc...

This is all good... but I haven't seen anyone mention the points I made, and I think it's because most of the conversation here is by vets who haven't looked at it from this standpoint for a long time.

Just my .02 ...  Nothing more...  

And a big <> to all of you vets who have helped me on my way... you know who you are  

[The Fugitive]

I think the most important variable is the person themselves. I have always come in this game and all the other flightsims I've flown looking to learn how to fight.

At first, I sucked more than I do now, so when I got frustrated in NOT being able to find a real fight.... never much got into vulch fest nor furballs as both depend more on luck than skill most times.... I'd jump in a buff and try my skill at bombing.

The point is I looked for real combat, not the "easy way" to get kills because thats the kind of guy I am. A lot of the new player are looking at this as a WoW game and MUST get points, so they run in hordes, never learning the skills to make real fighting fun.

[storch]

Originally posted by The Fugitive
I think the most important variable is the person themselves.

 

The point is I looked for real combat, not the "easy way" to get kills because thats the kind of guy I am. A lot of the new player are looking at this as a WoW game and MUST get points, so they run in hordes, never learning the skills to make real fighting fun.

 

that pretty well sums it up.

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by storch
that pretty well sums it up.

Agreed.

- oldman

[megadud]

in time calan, what you will come to find is that. megadud is was and always will be the best to ever grace an ah plane. He defines perfection with his acm and SA, he could go down nay will go down in history as the best player to ever play the game in the world maybe even the universe. GO BUCKEYES!

[lazs2]

good thoughts calan and welcome.   You may find that there are a lot of guys here who like only to kill the red planes and have been doing it for years...  Most of us don't really fly the Hot Rods.  

I have 26,000 perk points.. use a few every couple of months but... couldn't care less about em... would give em to you if I could... I have never found where a perk plane made the fight any more fun.  I have used em for meaness when in a bad mood maybe...

Up one and chase down the guys you talk about who tell you what to do.. the ones hitting the fields in late war planes with no risk... chase em down and blow em up but.. they really weren't much of a fight..

Not like even fighting a group of newbies in early war planes on the deck..  that is the real fun.. a big swirling furball..

come try the early war arena.. there are even planes there that don't cost that will give you an edge if you desire.

lazs
Public Relations Officer for the BK's

[Oleg]

Originally posted by calan
Why not get rid of the perk points completely, enable all planes, and then limit the veterans and aces with high kill-to-death ratios to flying only Sopwith Camels?      j/king

Perks here for limit numbers of uber planes. W/o them late war arena becomes jets arena.
The irony of perks is that, when you need uber planes you dont have enough perks, but when you collect enough perk you already dont need uber planes most likely
Forget about perks, just fly.

[Kev367th]

Yup from a newbies standpoint AH is daunting.

How about after their 2 weeks freebie, if they subscribe they are also given some perk ponits to start them off, sort of like a thankyou and welcome to AH.

Oleg is dead on -
When you need them you don't have them.
When you have them you most likely dont need them.

[lazs2]

calan... ya know.. I would have no problem with your idea of giving all the late war planes to the newbies..  say 6 months on (if you could be sure they weren't a shades account) and not letting the "vets" fly anything past say... mid war.

I think you will find that a whole lot of vets here do fly the late war planes allmost exclusively and have dozens of excuses for why they do it.

lazs
Public Relations Officer for the BK's

[Max]

Originally posted by Kev367th


How about after their 2 weeks freebie, if they subscribe they are also given some perk ponits to start them off, sort of like a thankyou and welcome to AH.

 

Not a bad idea Kev. Mebbe 100 perks for starters? Limit them to EW & MW so as to increase those arena #'s?

[Kev367th]

Originally posted by Max
Not a bad idea Kev. Mebbe 100 perks for starters? Limit them to EW & MW so as to increase those arena #'s?

No don't limit them, why should they be.

If people want to go to the EW/MW they will go there.
No need to force people there to artifically boost numbers to make it look like they are well used.