After 9 years...

[The Fugitive]

an interesting idea fugitive.  You could also think of other ways to attatch name in lights.  Maybe if you flying with high eny, no name in lights. Kills from vulching don't count towards landing kills, or at all.  Maybe points scored reduced when killing at break neck speeds, reduction for face shots, or formula for counting score related to friendly player density for an area.

I think score and name in light issues are only part of a larger one though.  Changes in this area would affect only those who care about scoring.  Then again, maybe there is a large portion in which do.  I think if AH will give public acknowledgement for ranking well through a tour, it will affect gameplay to an extent...though largely dependent on how many are into it.

I think the things I suggested are based of the information they already have access to so "coading" would be minimal. Detecting HO's vulches and such would add a lot of extra coding to monitor that.

I think "rank" and "Score" are important to a large majority of the players, mostly those players who are "gamers". While changing the points system won't turn the gamers into "simmers" it will turn them toward a more simmers type of play rewarding them in points and rank to play the game in a more simmers style of play. The idea isn't to take away what they want in the game....a high score or rank, but to adjust how they get it. In doing so it adjust the game play and dynamic of the game.

[Kev367th]

HT could tinker and change the scoring system until we are all older and greyer.
It wouldn't change a thing, people would still find a way to game it, it's human nature.

Much in the way the majority of people prefer to fly in an arena with a lot of players.

Try to change human nature and your on a hiding to nothing.

The solution is changes in the game itself that will allow all the various groups to co-exist in whatever arena they are in.
No, I don't know what to change.

I haven't set foot (or plane) in AH in about a year, but it seems to me the same complaints we were having a year ago, are the same complaints we are having now.
A seperate arena for a specific groups needs won't happen (nothing to fracture the community), so why not try and adapt to the current game like everyone else has had to?

I didn't like the 2x fuel burn, had to adapt.
I didn't like ENY limits (either way), had to adapt.
I didn't like caps, spent lot of time trying to get into an arena (adapted).
I didn't like uncaptureable bases, had to adapt

The list goes on and on and on and...............

[ghi]

I was never a furballer but i agree with you, i like the tactical /strategic side of the game combined with a passion for ww2 aviation history and from my toolsheder point of view, there's nothing to win, nothing left to promote fight ,with all those bases uncapturable, eny, arena split, 40% capture for win,HQ and other strategic tgts  just useless spots on the map .
All that's left to fight for is this ridiculous abused score system, and a spot on front home page.
  Let's sign peace treaty ,log off and let's go drink a beer.

[mensa180]

you mean "strat" targets.

And I agree thats part of it.
I spent 7 months away from the game.
Just got back recently after spending 7 months collecting parts for a new machine JUST so I could play this game.
Now that I can. I just dont find myself playing as much as I thought I would.

Maybe because I've played the game before. and now was looking at it from a semi outside perspective.
But within a week of comming back the reason became as obvious as the fingers on my hands.

The problem with the game is the gameplay itself has gotten or at the very least is getting stale.

I love the large maps. But really they only work well when there is no arena limit.
While I never liked the one mass furball all the time. I dont think having things so wide open due to arena number limits is good either.

But getting back to gameplay.
As I said the game play itself is getting stale.
We've had new machines to play with and BRAVO for that.
Its always good when a new plane or vehicle is added.

But the gameplay itself has changed very little.
There is little new to explore or do.
No new strategies to develop and figure out

Strat targets except for HQ are essentially meaningless.
they have next to no impact on the game so except to pad score.
There is little to no reason to attack them. And less then any reason to try to defend them.

Likewise with bridges and the rare train.
Both look cool as hell. but the bridges serve no real purpose.

you never see bridges cross an area that cant be just as easily crossed by going around them.
So there is no reason to defend these points

Cept for some tweaking Base captures essentially have remained the same as they were back in the days of Airwarrior
Pork the crap out of the field /and/or town and drop troops who simply run like little droids into the maproom.


Im not saying the game isnt any good anymore.Or that I dont enjoy playing it.
Just not nearly as much
It just isnt evolving enough.
Its becomming dated

I do have some suggestions.

Make Strat targets more of a factor. this has been way WAY overdue IMO
Reduce an ammo factory. maybe make Cannon and heavy ord  less available
Refinery maybe have more of an impact as to fuel levels when fuel is hit at a feild.
Aircraft factory/ies run them like the Spit factory setup was in Airwarrior. But for different aircraft.
Bomber factory- reduced-remove heavy bombers
Fighter factory. Remove Uber planes
vehicles.- remove uber tanks
Reduce Field radar range and add radar towers outside the bases

Tie them into the zone system so the entire country isnt effected. just that zone.
They are large enough so that one plane cant pork an entire facility
yet
That way you provide a real reason to attack and rally to these areas to defend them.
This in itself will encourage furballs away from bases. Yet will still place some importance and options on capturing bases
Leave Zone feilds as they are

The ground game
Invasion fleets
Spawn LTVs in groups of 3 like with bombers.
(the visual effect of this alone would be worth it)

Add LSTs so as to provide a way to bring lighter tanks M16's and M8s to an invasion beach. (could treat em like carriers spawn PTs Difference is they would have to be near enough land to spawn them safely)

Place Bridges over rivers waterways and ravines And make them destroyable by bombs.
Make roadways more important. Have GVs travel faster on the road then they do over terrain

Add mobile artillary

And for gods sake get rid of the arena caps. Particularly when the large maps are up.

I could probably add more if I really sat here and thought about it.

Im not stating these because I dislike the game. Idont dislike the game
But to me it has the appearence ofa game on the decline.
And I'd rather not see that happen
In fact I love the game and because I want to see it continue to succeed and get better.
To continue to evolve to become more engrossing.

Yes, I didn't even notice the typo until I read your post. 

[MerlinVI]

Good luck with that whatever the idea.  Just look at todays DA for a clue.

Lol as of late the DA hasnt actually been very good at all, cant get a nice fight in there unless you actually go 1v1 far from the madding crowd but oh well doo daa happens hehe, It all helps with avoidance techiques.

[MerlinVI]

The DA would be closer to this if the perk system was implemented (even multiplied to where the better planes are even harder to get) and there were no externals.  As it is now, it is a place to give the less skilled players something to do that can't hang in the MA or have too short of an attention span.  I am not sayng that good sticks don't make appearances in the DA and some are there quite a bit it seems, but for the most part it is a draw to keep the weaker players happy.  It is certainly not what snaphook is describing.  Of course there will always be the picking and the whining in any open room, even if it only had P40B's.  The only way to fix that (that I can see) is to have a paid H2H option that have hosts who stay logged in and actively watch what is happening.  Then rules can be established and griefers can be booted.  When that happens, I think many older players and better sticks will have a place to go for refuge.

Well said old chap, bloody good idea used to have some jolly times in the h2h arenas.

[BnZs]

wo of the things I've read in this thread stick out to me...

1. Someone raised the idea that the AHII flight model has been "dumbed down". If this is so, then I agree it is a step in the wrong direction. The point is to have an FM that is neither too "easy" OR too "hard, but representative.

However, HTC seems to have gone to a great deal of trouble with their flight model engine specifically in the attempt to get realistic performance out of the airplanes, so I tend to believe that this is their goal.

2. Okay...here seems to be the big one. Getting ganged and getting picked. Everyone gets frustrated by it. Everyone has situations where they just pulled a maneuver and are about to blow the opponent out of the sky when *boom*...back in the tower.

But okay...here is a question...I can understand the fascination of 1v1s...and they are not totally extinct in the MA, but yeah, they are quite likely to be interrupted. Couldn't it be argued that the considerations of surviving and killing in a many-on-many encounter are also quite involved and strategically interesting though?

[Lusche]

I was never a furballer but i agree with you, i like the tactical /strategic side of the game combined with a passion for ww2 aviation history and from my toolsheder point of view, there's nothing to win, nothing left to promote fight ,with all those bases uncapturable, eny, arena split, 40% capture for win,HQ and other strategic tgts  just useless spots on the map .
All that's left to fight for is this ridiculous abused score system, and a spot on front home page.
  Let's sign peace treaty ,log off and let's go drink a beer.

Excuse me, but this is so wrong and so totally off from actual facts.

"All those bases uncapturable" ? Exactly 3 out of 24-80+ bases per side are "all those" ?
"Nothing left to win" ? How comes that I still see  arenas resetting from won wars on a regular base? Just 4h ago rooks won LWO, LWb was won two or three times in the last two days ago.
"Nothing to promote the fight?" How comes that we still see all those battles?



Do you actually recall how gameplay was in the last months before the "win" requirements were changed? Winning awar simply meant both bigger countries throwing themselfs on the smaller one, the question was just who's able to get the bigger share of the pie, thus "winning" the war. At that time it was indeed usually Knightland having to suffer from this. Now there's still ganging, but at one point a winnign coutnry has o face not only the weakest adversary, or you won't win the map. More challenge, more possibilites for smallest country to recover, less players logging in disgust when you are again just victim of the bigger coutnrie's hordes, HQ is gine, HQ bases gone, and you just know it will be the same again after next reset.

[shreck]

What you superheros need is a, superduper hero arena, call it the " HT JUSTICE LEAGUE "    Then you can stand around and admire each others cape and tights  . never really fighting each other and always talkin about how lame the hero cadets are 
OK! get ready, set---> GO I'm ready to be ganged by the chivalrous--->

[dentin]

the idea for subscriber H2H rooms with say up to 16 slots would do it for those guys wanting a decent fight.

Or to host squad vs squad fights.

INdeed....

[dentin]

Quote from: SunBat on November 08, 2008, 03:04:56 PM
The DA would be closer to this if the perk system was implemented (even multiplied to where the better planes are even harder to get) and there were no externals.  As it is now, it is a place to give the less skilled players something to do that can't hang in the MA or have too short of an attention span.  I am not sayng that good sticks don't make appearances in the DA and some are there quite a bit it seems, but for the most part it is a draw to keep the weaker players happy.  It is certainly not what snaphook is describing.  Of course there will always be the picking and the whining in any open room, even if it only had P40B's.  The only way to fix that (that I can see) is to have a paid H2H option that have hosts who stay logged in and actively watch what is happening.  Then rules can be established and griefers can be booted.  When that happens, I think many older players and better sticks will have a place to go for refuge.

Well said old chap, bloody good idea used to have some jolly times in the h2h arenas.

Good solution to a complex problem..everyone gets what they want..IMHO.  CAn't beat the K.I.S.S. principal. 

[bongaroo]

No name in lights and no ranking system would be fine by me.

[shreck]

I suspect any  "ELITE ARENA" would be filled with the old EGO heads for about 3 days, Then after they find it hard to dominate cause so many will be at their skill level, most would gravitate back to the MA, all the while citing that the new elite arena is lame. The reality is you superheros are finding it hard to dominate as you once did cause the population has grown---> good for HTC. Whether you admit it or not you want your name in lights and also want to be recognised as being the top echelon! Unfortunately the only way for this, is to have a good score, but you are unwilling to perform all the anoying little tasks required to do so! Hmm maybe Brett Favre could win the superbowl all by himself,--> NOT! it takes a vast support system where even a lowly water boy is needed! My point being, if you want to be recognised in this system then do the things required, otherwise stop yammering already 

I'm really quite sad for you guys actually, the game is still fun to me, I'm not good enough to be bored yet and many fights are a challenge and quite exhilerating at times, probably much the way you felt back in the day! I think the game is probably the same as it always was, but your skills are higher but not high enough to overcome #s, and when you're found to be in an area your gonna be a target, everyone wants to eliminate the top dogs even if it is dweebery! I find myself being targeted allot, this is the way I like it as the few victorys are that much sweeter, a few rantings on 200 and I'm guaranteed some ganging attention even from the chivalrous superheros 

[PFactorDave]

I'm not good enough to be bored yet and many fights are a challenge and quite exhilerating at times, probably much the way you felt back in the day!

I expect that there is a grain of truth in this. 

[macleod01]

Shreck, As I said in my last post, im not good. There is no way on earth I could ever count myself as 'Good' I have trouble landing a kill. I have trouble GETTING a kill. But for me, whiter I live or die through a fight is no differance. I had some amzing duels with Batfinkv the other week. Left me feeling really good about myself, caus I managed to keep the fight going. I can honestly say I dont care about rank, or name in lights. Yes its good, and I get a pat on my back, but if I relly cared about it, I would fly a spit XVI / LA 7/ Niki. But I dont. I fly the a6m5b, or the Spit 1. Therefore, any kill I get, I really feel I earned and I didnt get it in 'Easy mode' by picking or HOing. I dont dominate the arena, but im still getting bored by the same stale play of 'finding a fight, dodge a HO, he runs, then you get picked. Rinse repeat.' To me, thats boring gameplay. Im not the same as everyone, thank god, for if I was, it would be a boring world. Now despite all this, I would still choose this new ACM arena over all others. I would get hammered, time and time and time again, but I would learn what I like, a nice ACM fight.