I would like to propose a system of rewards to encourage the use of arena missions.
The biggest asset of a massively multiplayer online game such as Aces High II is the community of players and the associated teamwork that the community provides. The squad-based system in place goes a long way toward achieving this goal, although it requires a fair amount of cooperation from a number of people to be effective at any given time (most squads that I've spoken to have only one "squad night" per week - merely anecdotal evidence, to be sure).
The mission system in place is fantastic. It allows a large number of players to mobilize from the same base at the same time. With aircraft, fuel, and weapon loadouts being predetermined, players immediately recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their team and are able to perform their roles more adequately.
I also understand that there are a number of players in Aces High that do not seek the same level of teamwork that I do. For these players the fun is simply engaging in dogfights, tank fights, naval combat, or what have you. Therefore, I think it would be a great asset to the game if there were to be some sort of reward for participating in missions.
The rewards for successfully completing missions could be simple: Perhaps a small boost to the perk-point modifier bonus, or separate statistics tracking of mission results to improve bragging rights. Nobody wants to be the player with no mission stats! Another, more complex possibility could be the institution of an "achievement" system (hey, it's working for XBox360, PS3, and now Steam...). In this scenario, HTC could release a series of missions that psuedo-randomly begin throughout the day and are announced in the SYSTEM chat interface. These missions, once successfully completed, could be displayed proudly as badges or patches (noseart?) for each pilot involved.
My only hope here is to see the mission system in Aces High utilized more frequently, as without the organized team effort I sometimes wonder if I should just be playing IL-2: Sturmovik, or some other "free for all" style game.
I would like to hear what other members of the community think of my proposition, as well as what members of the HTC staff have to say. I have done my best to present an argument that I hope will at least capture the attention of the development staff long enough to think it over.
Thank you very much for your time.
Tim
