Bring Weather Back Perhaps...?

[SectorNine50]

Hey guys, I was talking to a few guys in-game about how AH used to have weather and such, and that they had to take it out because it made the game too challenging for beginners or something along those lines.  I think I may have a solution, since we have 2 late war and 2 early war arenas, why not make one of each have weather, and the other not?  That would be awesome for the bunch that want the challenge, plus it would add another huge dimension to the game: is it possible to effectively take a field based on current weather?

I just really started using the AH forums recently, and did a short search of weather, but found a lot of things from way back when, and nothing that was like this.

I've read threads where additions or changes to one or more of the servers was generally shot down abruptly, but wasn't really ever sure why.  I think this could be pretty cool!

[moot]

I heard the problem was with framerates.

[SectorNine50]

Really?  We already have clouds n' such, and wind doesn't require any graphics power.  The only thing I could see causing a problem is rain.  Couldn't the people that have frame rate problems with the weather server just hop over to the other one though?  I just think weather is too big of a deal to leave out of a simulator...

[moot]

Wind is homogeneous on the whole map, except for altitude layers.  That's really a lot different from reality, so it's not that great in practice (in the game).  I think weather would be great, though.. But it had to have been a real problem to have gotten pulled out like it did. 
I think the old weather fronts were meant to simulate rain.  You had one big cell of clouds, under which lighting was reduced, and at the top of which were thick clouds, inside of which you lost icons.

One problem I'd say would come up with weather being on one of two arenas, and proposing players just change server, is that some players would complain that the map/numbers in one of the two arenas were what they wanted, but that weather ruined it for them (meaning the framerate).

In time, it'll find its way back in.

[BnZ]

How about some snow on the ground? At least on the peaks or something. That would be nifty.

[Strip]

Or just a MA map with snow....

Strip

[hubsonfire]

AH1 had wind, and clouds. The wind was one directional across the map at given altitudes, so that one country was always flying into the wind, while the other enjoyed a tail wind. It was either an advantage or a hindrance, depending on which part of the map you were stuck in. Clouds were interesting, but I don't recall them being a real performance killer.

[SectorNine50]

Well if we randomized the wind every once in a while it might make it more fair.  Wind generally changes direction and speed over time, so maybe that could be simulated as well.

Well both servers could play the same maps at the same time, wouldn't be too bad that way, then no one could complain.  I hate to be the guy that says this, but at some point the game has gotta advance graphically, so I don't think just adding weather should be really complained about in terms of performance, you know?  That's just my $.02 though.

[Noir]

In the last FSO the fisibility was almost null with a hell of a fog and a big cloud layer between 15 and 20K, not to mention huge clouds at low alts. It was looking real good and felt like a different game. I didn't see anyone complain about framerates.

It changes the gameplay as people have to be coordinated and indicate were ennemies are, what's the target status etc etc. No more picking from 20k high, you dive in to get a look and find yourself in the middle of a japanese horde that you can't pick except if you mix it up, wich is not recommended in P39's VS zeros )

Very funny event, I really wish we had a dynamic weather in AH. Imagine a low alt fog over a tank town, making gvs invisible to planes.

[DaddyAck]

AHII weather forcast....
Sunny, 0% chance for precipitation 

I have had threads in the past asking for weather. All I got was slammed with nay sayers and complaints.  I gave up....

[Swatch]

I agree, I think that weather would be a GREAT addition.

And anyone who says framerates will suffer should look into upgrading from Windows 95.  I don't say this to be snide, I say this because AcesHigh has COMPUTER requirements that were top of the line around 5 yrs ago, and even economy systems (<$500) nowadays exceed them.  In the end, its more important to have a good internet connection anyway.

As stated, wind would have almost no impact on framerate, and dynamic wind/weather would be nice.

Rain can be added as a 2D (or nearly 2D) effect, much like FlightSim98 did with almost no performance hit.

Already, I've noticed better clouds, and they REALLY are making a difference in gameplay.  You fly into them now instead of through them.

PS.  I agree, some snow/other terrain would be fun to have on some of the older maps.


Remember, small changes go a long way.

[Strip]

The last FSO was actually quite funny for me. I was flying around and looking at all the weather thinking, "Darn this weather sucks.......cool!" I didnt notice the any framerate problems and it was so nice to something besides sunny with clear skys.

Strip

[lasersailor184]

Wind is homogeneous on the whole map, except for altitude layers.  That's really a lot different from reality, so it's not that great in practice (in the game).  I think weather would be great, though.. But it had to have been a real problem to have gotten pulled out like it did. 
I think the old weather fronts were meant to simulate rain.  You had one big cell of clouds, under which lighting was reduced, and at the top of which were thick clouds, inside of which you lost icons.

One problem I'd say would come up with weather being on one of two arenas, and proposing players just change server, is that some players would complain that the map/numbers in one of the two arenas were what they wanted, but that weather ruined it for them (meaning the framerate).

In time, it'll find its way back in.

Weather was removed for the same reason as Night Time was.


Whiners.  A few big pansy whiners who felt like their lack of perfect sky 100% of the time furballing was ruining the game.


If Weather and Night time were BOTH reinstated, I would be a subscriber for life, as well as send HT a nice bottle of scotch.

But still, the squeeky wheel gets the oil.

[hubsonfire]

So changing things for a smaller group of whining pansies is acceptable, but changing things because half their customers would simultaneously log off is not? 

[Jiblowey]

I would like to see more clouds, and maybe rolling "Storm's" of darker, thicker clouds. Maybe with flashes of light ad lighting.

But the rolling would be a storm that moved to random parts of the map slowly over time, like a real storm.