Aces High History, but Easy Re-up

[Daubie]

Hi,

I suppose I should just come right out and ask how Aces High was created.  But, I'm difficult so I've been sifting through your archives as to the history of Aces High, how you did it, the programming involved, etc.  I don't program much.  I'm familiar with it.  I can appreciate the very hard work it must be just to model one aircraft to some degree of realism.  The whole concept of this game is like the Hollow Deck to the 2nd Star Trek series.  You guys, HTC, blow my mind!  A lot of guys in here whine and (won't use that word) about your game.  Your game is aces.

I came upon this old thread:

http://forums.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9076&highlight=creation+of+Aces+High

Issue I want to address is fight to the death and reupping a new life so easily.

I don't care how you do this sim.  I'm sure establishing the business model for what HTC wanted to accomplish was many, many meetings hashing it out.  You are doing something right, because you are still here.

One of my early on, flight sims was something called "Top Gun," I think.  One progressed in steps from basic flight, to 1st solo, to basic combat maneuvers, to advanced combat maneuvers to one's first fleet sortie.  Eventually progessing up the advancement progression and eventually to a Top Gun selection to Miramar.   Within that game if I died, I had to go all the way back and requalify my ACM skills to start over.  It was no easy step to get through each maneuver following the lead plane to mimic his moves.  I was very careful not to screw up again (until next time---LOL!).

If HTC was to include a concept such as this, half the guys here would leave for other things.  It would be nice to see an option to do so, though.  Your new game you got in beta, I was wondering if such a concept is included?  

I am reading the book, "In Pursuit" .  I learn a little, go to Main Arena to try it out, usually eventually get shot, but I'm lasting longer.  I think I actually scare a few away with some of the more advanced moves and they cannot believe I'm going to actually fight back.   I go into a fight now, and before that guy passes me, I know whether I got a pro or some inexperienced person.  Actually, I check my six about every 10 seconds or less, now.  I see you coming...

What I got out of Kylander's book, so far, is the concept of NOT dying.  (Don't go looking at my current stats, a lot of it this tour is experimenting.)  Preserve life at all costs really presents the game in a different light.  

I'm new here and green as a bean, but I will get there.  Flight sim skills prior to coming here does not even compute!

What I am really looking for is some pro I can fly wing on and wet nurse me for a year, just like a real squadron, junior guy in an element.  I have decided my best place to be is the training area and just be there.

Daubie

[Murdr]

Combat Tour has it so deaths have an impact on your "career" (at least according to past discussions).  

A death penalty is no good for the open arnea enviroment.  The result would be a vast majority of players avoiding combat unless they have an overwhelming advantage.  Not a good thing since AH is supposed to be an air combat sim.

[Grits]

Murdr is right, the arena is already full of players too afraid to engage in combat with essentially no penalty for dying. If there was a penalty, all combat would ceace.

[Serenity]

I actually realised a similar thing. Ive been trying a lot lately to forget about getting kills. Ive just made my priority SURVIVING the fight. That means, in my Bf-109, not engaging a pony above me, instead, extending and climbing up to him first. Not letting my self get low and slow against a Typhie, instead, extending and climbing once ive bled too much E. And finally, not being afraid to run away from a fight you cannot win. I feel I am much more satisfied with my fights, as I am not dying quite so quickly, athough Betty is now calling me too 'timid', though Im guessing that might be partly because I shot her down for the first time.

Basically, I just find it more enjoyable if youre flying to live, not to kill.

Betty

[REP0MAN]

You want more realism?

Aces High Events - It aint no Video Game!

[/shameless plug]

[Stampf]

Friday Squad Ops!

Nothing finer.  

[yanksfan]

Originally posted by Stampf
Friday Squad Ops!

Nothing finer.  

I loved FSO, The one time i was able to play.Unfortunitly I work Sat.'s so it starts kinda late for me.

it would be great if it started just an hour earlier.

or maybe have a second round sat night.

[REP0MAN]

Yanks

Have you tried any of the Snapshots? Or Close Escort? They are similar to FSO but a smaller, looser feel.

Or just tell the boss you will be an hour late because you were desperately trying to get back to your wounded pilot back to your CV group as those bastages tried to chase you down!!

Either way, there should be something fun for you too, check it out!

[NoBaddy]

If you want to read a book about air combat, try Air Combat and Tactics by Robert Shaw. It's the fighter pilot's bible.

Aces High was created because Hitech 'lost control' of his first game (War Birds) before he was actually finished with it. HT began playing Air Warrior. After he had hacked the crap out of it....they put him under contract. They chose not to implement any of his suggests, in game play or programming. When he was legally able, he began writing War Birds. Prior to game programming, he programmed commercial robotics systems (if I remember correctly...).

As for the OLTL stuff, AW created the Ultra Realism arena. You got 1 life every 24 hours. It was a ghost town. When there were a couple of people there, they didn't often meet....no one wanted to die.

[yanksfan]

Originally posted by REP0MAN
Yanks

Have you tried any of the Snapshots? Or Close Escort? They are similar to FSO but a smaller, looser feel.

Or just tell the boss you will be an hour late because you were desperately trying to get back to your wounded pilot back to your CV group as those bastages tried to chase you down!!

Either way, there should be something fun for you too, check it out!

I haven't, but i will ck it out.
I like being involved with the squad on fso, its the only time i have done any squad stuff other then just furballin.

 And I am the boss and when it comes to that stuff I don't believe any of my own excusses, it just never works for me. I always know im BS'in me.

[Engine]

Originally posted by Serenity
Basically, I just find it more enjoyable if youre flying to live, not to kill.

Betty

The trick is to learn to live while not being timid. You can't fly to live unless you learn how, and you won't learn without dying a lot.

[Angry Samoan]

Amen

Originally posted by Engine
The trick is to learn to live while not being timid. You can't fly to live unless you learn how, and you won't learn without dying a lot.

emphasis on dying a lot

[B@tfinkV]

well said engine.

[Guppy35]

Since no one is really dying, and planes are free, why not get into the fight?

Despite some folks beliefs, this isn't war, it's a game.  Challenge yourself.

Might as well fly offline if you aren't going to take advantage of the biggest asset of Aces High, which is the real people you get to fly against.

[Simaril]

What they said.

Grea way to put it, Engine: Learning to stay alive without flying to live!!


PS
It's the Holo Deck, as in Hologram. I don't think it's hollow.