What a friking boring game this has become

[Ack-Ack]

I doubt Aw had had 30,000+ subscribers. Over time i can see 30,000 checking it out since it became free on AOL but computers and servers were much different then.

Doubt all you want but it won't change the fact that AW had 30,000+ (IIRC, number was 38,000) when it was shut down.  As I mentioned in my previous post, subscription numbers don't always reflect the actual player base.  For example, WoW has over 10 million paying subscribers but the player base is approximately around 3-4 million.  It's because of this discrepancy that MMO companies will usually only release subscription number totals and not actual player base numbers.


ack-ack

[Noir]

is BadEagle named WarEagle ingame ? If yes I lmaoing

[Lusche]

is BadEagle named WarEagle ingame ? If yes I lmaoing

No, it isn't.

Maybe you should try baldeagl...

[Getback]

is BadEagle named WarEagle ingame ? If yes I lmaoing

Nope, It's Baldegle. He's a good guy. We all get irritated at times.

[Noir]

Ok, WarEagle fits the description on the spit16 at 15K part, thats why I was wondering.

[BoilerDown]

HTC has held up their end in making the best online flight sim, period bar none. They have delivered quality, and they deserve the increased profits additional membership brings. It is not like they advertised on Nickelodeon or something either-History/Military channel ads are a perfectly reasonable place to look for their target audience. They cannot, other than basic moderator tasks, control how players play the game, within the rules of said game.

And frankly, for the most part I fail to see any huge problem with MA, other than at times just getting overwhelmed by the numbers, in several senses. As Zaz alludes can find any kind of action you like if you go about it right. I've flown an A-20 into red-held areas before for instance. Finding a fight will be the least of your worries.

The only thing I think HTC should do for the main arenas that they haven't, at least while I've been here, is:

They should more dynamically change ENY values.  I've yet to see base ENY values for aircraft change in the year I've been playing.  Either ENY should start moving quicker towards 5 based on less of a numbers imbalance, or the most popular 5 ENY planes' ENY value should be lowered even more... all the way to 1, if needed.

Qualitatively it seems like the Spit16, LA7, and Nik2 are flown way out of proportion to the other planes... and it makes sense that they are... they really are the best and/or easiest aircraft to get kills in, in the game.  The P51 and Typhoon are also highly flown, but at least those aircraft have weaknesses that can be exploited.  Any other < 10 ENY aircraft not mentioned here probably has a lower ENY value than it deserves.

HTC also needs to realize that the game is played from 15k on down.  Giving planes ENY values based on its ability, or inability, to fly above 15k is a huge mistake.  Keep the ENY values based on 15k and lower performance and they will be much more balanced 98% of the time.

To be blunt, IMO when HTC sees certain planes are flown way more than anything else, the ENY on them should be lowered even lower than 5 until players are forced to fly something else often enough that they lose popularity.  By the same token, aircraft that aren't flown often should have their ENY raised (and/or perks lowered (Spit14)) until they are flown more.  These changes should IMO happen at the start of every tour based on the tour before, or based on two tours before if it can't be calculated on the fly.  The min/maxer types will see this and think "hey, the P47-N is a real bargain this month, I'm going to fly it more", and that will cause plane variety in the LWMA to increase, and it will be refreshing and fun.

I'm sure this has been suggested many times in the proper forum for suggestions.  I'm saying here that there IS a way that HTC can control how its players play the game, and that its an obvious move to make, and HTC not making it is the reason people like the OP are saying what they're saying.

[SlapShot]

The only thing I think HTC should do for the main arenas that they haven't, at least while I've been here, is:

They should more dynamically change ENY values.  I've yet to see base ENY values for aircraft change in the year I've been playing.  Either ENY should start moving quicker towards 5 based on less of a numbers imbalance, or the most popular 5 ENY planes' ENY value should be lowered even more... all the way to 1, if needed.

Qualitatively it seems like the Spit16, LA7, and Nik2 are flown way out of proportion to the other planes... and it makes sense that they are... they really are the best and/or easiest aircraft to get kills in, in the game.  The P51 and Typhoon are also highly flown, but at least those aircraft have weaknesses that can be exploited.  Any other < 10 ENY aircraft not mentioned here probably has a lower ENY value than it deserves.

HTC also needs to realize that the game is played from 15k on down.  Giving planes ENY values based on its ability, or inability, to fly above 15k is a huge mistake.  Keep the ENY values based on 15k and lower performance and they will be much more balanced 98% of the time.

To be blunt, IMO when HTC sees certain planes are flown way more than anything else, the ENY on them should be lowered even lower than 5 until players are forced to fly something else often enough that they lose popularity.  By the same token, aircraft that aren't flown often should have their ENY raised (and/or perks lowered (Spit14)) until they are flown more.  These changes should IMO happen at the start of every tour based on the tour before, or based on two tours before if it can't be calculated on the fly.  The min/maxer types will see this and think "hey, the P47-N is a real bargain this month, I'm going to fly it more", and that will cause plane variety in the LWMA to increase, and it will be refreshing and fun.

I'm sure this has been suggested many times in the proper forum for suggestions.  I'm saying here that there IS a way that HTC can control how its players play the game, and that its an obvious move to make, and HTC not making it is the reason people like the OP are saying what they're saying.

Not that I don't agree that some planes do need their ENY re-evaluated, but the meat of your post will not change the fact that most people will run like a cat on fire if all the odds, of an engagement, are not in their favor ... OH NOES !!! ... they just might die.

Your idea would take people out of their favorite ride(s) and force them into "other" planes, which would then in turn make them run even more or quicker from an engagement, and not encourage them to fight.

Adjusting ENY values will not force people to "grow a pair".

[Yenny]

<--- D9/K4 fan, eny or not. I won't change my mind on those ride.

[Yenny]

I ran yesterday!. It was like 7 rook v. me. I did what my D9 can do, put my wep on, spiral climb outta the mess and bug out.

[BoilerDown]

Adjusting ENY values will not force people to "grow a pair".

Maybe... but after they are run-down often enough in their non-uber ride, or are sick of being bored climbing to 20k to have a huge advantage before every fight, they might learn to grow a pair.  And another alternative is they might just move to the chess piece without ENY restrictions, there will always be at least one side that can fly everything.  I think it would be a step in the right direction and just the act of having a variable ENY will make players conscious of certain planes being a bargain "this month" and encourage them to try them out.

[BaldEagl]

I ran a couple of days ago too.  I was in a Spit XVI, had just killed a N1K but collided with him as I did (from behind) breaking off half a wing.  There was a 110 there too and I was determined to keep fighting the 110 with 1 1/2 wings until I noticed a P-47 on my six.  I ran like a schoolgirl and landed safely at my home base.

I was surprised that with aileron and rudder cranked in to stay aloft that I was able to hold my ground against that P-47.  He broke off after ~ half a sector.

[mechanic]

hey Bald i wouldnt say thats running. running is wanting to kill the enemy and failing, then running. taking damage then retreating holds no shame for me. Depends, sometimes i just think 'screw it, they deserve a kill' and stick around to die, sometimes i want to land my kills or i dont think the enemy deservs a kill, then i will retreat and not feel bad. I only feel bad when i am forced to run, which never happens anymore. i just either win or die.

[BnZ]

Depends, sometimes i just think 'screw it, they deserve a kill' and stick around to die, sometimes i want to land my kills or i dont think the enemy deservs a kill, then i will retreat and not feel bad. I only feel bad when i am forced to run, which never happens anymore. i just either win or die.

No one deserves a kill/deserves to be shot down, or vis versa. The same goes for "deserving" anything else in AHII. There is no "deserve", there is only what you can or cannot get.

I feel BAD when I accidentally hit a squirrel in my car, never about anything in the game. I feel GOOD when I shoot someone down in a fair fight, and even BETTER when they never see me coming and I brutally murder them ("It weren't no stand-up fight Judge!"- "I laid down to steady my aim."). Running and denying some poor bastard a kill isn't as nice as the above, but it doesn't suck, especially if his insistance on following ends up sealing his own doom.

[Ack-Ack]

Maybe... but after they are run-down often enough in their non-uber ride, or are sick of being bored climbing to 20k to have a huge advantage before every fight, they might learn to grow a pair.  And another alternative is they might just move to the chess piece without ENY restrictions, there will always be at least one side that can fly everything.  I think it would be a step in the right direction and just the act of having a variable ENY will make players conscious of certain planes being a bargain "this month" and encourage them to try them out.

Forcing a player to fly a certain plane they don't wish to is not the solution and will cause more problems than it will solve. 


ack-ack

[Zazen13]

I think I can help here. What we are really talking about is perspective. What I mean by that is, everyone has a different idea of what is "reasonable". That concept of "reasonable" fluctuates wildly for a myriad of reasons, such as, personality, your plane, their plane, SA, familiarity, experience, skill, gunnery, etc. So, what seems perfectly reasonable to me may seem entirely preposterous to you. Then consider the fact that no two people ever have the same version of what happened retrospectively, there's always my version, your version and the truth. What I may consider you balking at a 1 vs 1 with me was really you seeing my 3 buddies I didn't even notice 4k out making a beeline in your general direction.

Everyone has different expectations from a sortie. One person's expectation may be to land 5 kills. Another person's expectation may be to get into a fight that gives him an exhilarating adrenalin surge. Regardless of your expectation, what you consider "reasonable" will be within that context. While it may be reasonable for Slapshot to dive into 7 Spit16's and see how many he can take out before he dies, that would not be reasonable to me. Conversely, I would have no problem egressing from a Co-Alt or higher Spit16 in my Typhoon until I had some E on him then come back and bounce him, that's very reasonable to me, but probably not to Slapshot.

Then there's the plane/player dynamic. What is reasonable for a 10 year veteran is not likely equally reasonable to a 2 weeker. By a similar token, what is reasonable in a Zeke may not be reasonable in a Jug.

So, assuming having fun is the goal for everyone, creating expectations, which is really just a short-term goal, combined with the player and the plane determines what is reasonable. There is no overarching, universally acceptable definition of what is reasonable. It is a very subjective concept. It doesn't increase the fun for you or anyone else to attempt to superimpose your concept of reasonable onto someone else. If you get to the point where everyone else seems to be playing "unreasonably" and that's making you unhappy, it's probably you that is being "unreasonable" in your expectations.






Slappy, I used you in my example because I knew you wouldn't mind for the purpose of illustration...