A few development suggestions for AH Beta

[TalonTSG]

A few development suggestions for AH Beta

This Beta provides a great and unique opportunity to correct some old problems that may have been too time consuming or difficult to rewrite in the current version.

This has always been, largely, a team and squadron oriented game, seriously focused on historic accuracy in aircraft performance and vehicles, and otherwise bringing about a very realistic battle scenerio that is fun to play. But even back in the Air Warrior days where ever there was a way to exploit the game, it was found and used repeatedly.

For example: I still remember being new to Air Warrior (late 1980's or early 90's), and being willing to fly gunner for a bomber pilot. He was giving me pointers on lining up e tc, and all was fine and good and I was very impressed... then he said "watch this" and landed a B-17 on an enemy carrier. This was possible in AW. He wanted me to man the guns and gun down enemy aircraft as they appeared for takeoff. I think I shot down two... and then stopped. He was angry that I would not keep shooting. He claimed to have gotten as many as 100 kills once doing that.

As hard as the previous programmers and designers, re: Kelton Flynn, worked to ensure historic accuracy in every detail of the aircraft... I would find it hard to believe any of them would take pride in or smile on that event. It is not historic, it is not realistic, it discourages new players. It is not good for the game.  ....continued below...

[TalonTSG]

Needed Changes:

1. SPAWN POINTS: Today, we have a great group of players on all sides.. and we have AH, much improved, more realistic than ever, but we have a few problems that need to be fixed. Back in the old days I don't even think we had spawn points... adding them was a big lift to the game, but just as in the example above... a few players figured out they could sit behind a spawn point (spawn camping) and shoot vehicles from behind... racking up dozens of kills to help their kill record and just for the cheap thrill at the expense of any players who show up.

I would like to see a battle that is won by both sides on the field of battle in a more realistic way... by having a solution to spawn camping. One easy solution would be to spread out the spawn area wide enough that it would require 12 or more enemy tanks to effectively suppress it.

Let the battles for territory be won on the field by the best teamwork, not by 3 sharpshooters sitting behind every spawn.

[TalonTSG]

2. VEHICLE HANGARS:

These, too, can be camped by 1 or 2 players, usually by locating themselves inside the indestructible and firing through the gap in hedge and back door of the hangar. One easy solution to this is to design all Hangars with back door shut. Also.. Vehicle bases have 3 hangars... let the player choose which hangar to up from (provided it is not damaged.)  Another solution is to provide a short spawn to the left side (not the maproom side) of the base, again with a wide enough spawn to prevent it from being camped. If the main hangar is camped, player can take the short spawn and kill the camper in a few minutes.

There are better, more challenging ways that develep teamwork skills and comraderie than to spawn camp. Lets remove this ugly practice as much as possible.

Respectfully submitted:

57Chevy (previously known as FBTalon, TalonTSG, etc.)

[A8HatTrick]

Delete the first post (forcing people to read through 2 paragraphs before you get to your point), leave the 2nd and 3rd post as is since it states it perfectly.

And <S> for bringing it up. 

[Kazaa]

I think the player should be able to choose which hanger on a GV base to spawn from.

[guncrasher]

dont forget that gv's in ww2 could not kill at more than 4k like they do no, most kills in ww2 were at a few hundred yards.  seriously could an m4 take out a panzer at 5k?

semp

[slyguy]

Why don't you just use that team work to get rid of the spawn campers?  It's not really that hard.  How much more easy mode do base defenders need?  They already get unlimited 1945 aircraft at their disposal to up from within 3.5k of the enemy, really healthy AI ack, some towns almost right on the base, spawn ins from other bases....   defenders don't need their butts powdered any more.  Seriously now.

[BaDkaRmA158Th]

When it comes to base defence ack, i have "and have always found" the limit of the A.i. very lacking.

How many times do you se gv's walk on air fields with the guns firing into the ground, ack needs the ability to know A:This is a tank, aim higher so the rounds reach the target. B: Air craft are priority, if a tank is sitting there, forget it and aim at the aircraft.


All too many times i see a single gv sit outside a base,while someone else flys in and deacks the place, all while the gv hammers down on buildings "towns included"

This to me is fundamentaly unacceptable, if the change in gun A.i. was implemented gv's couldnt just walk upto bases, there would always be that threat.

This is why manned ack is able to inflict death unto incoming tanks, simply put..they have the brains A.i. guns do not..to simply aim higher to make sure the rounds strike  a target, period.

Com'on HTC please make this change ASAP.

[Infidelz]

By extension you would ban vulching???? That we cannot have.

Infidelz.

[Pyro]

Nothing against your suggestions but they really don't have anything to do with the beta.

[Tilt]

I will hark back to "Spawn Roads" as a possible solution to all the above.

Firstly terrians will join fields (where appropriate) by roads which will be shown on the clipboard map.

Basically when a vehicle is chosen these roads on the clip board map become interactive with the mouse such that by clicking on a portion of road you spawn to that portion. The road has to be "served" (ie connected to) the field you are in.

This way you can spawn along the road either close to the field of origin or closer to the field of destination or some way in between.

The methodology of achieving this can be either very simple or quite complex (but very interactive)

The simple approach would be to split the road in to segments e.g 6 segments as you pass the mouse over the clipboard map COAD detects which segment you have chosen and sends you to a spawn point  in that segment when you click. The segments become buttons much the same as a field is a button when you want to interrogate its status.


Now you can spawn just outside your own field to thwart the hanger camper. Or you can spawn a bit further from your enemies field to thwart the spawn camper. The same Coad re spawn delay and zone would apply so you dont always spawn on the same spot. In fact the Spwan coad its self remains unchanged. We are simply adding more spawn points and identifying them to the player in a logical and easily understood fasion. The player spawns down  or along side roads which is logistically correct.

Where spawn routes now seem to cross water there would be no active road but there may be an active "sea lane" for PT boats and LVT's to spawn in.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Better yet make the spawn area clickable and mark the last spawncampers location on map so you can spawn directly behind him and return the favor.. 

[TalonTSG]

Nothing against your suggestions but they really don't have anything to do with the beta.

Having a Beta infers that when it is finished it will replace the original.

[TalonTSG]

Why don't you just use that team work to get rid of the spawn campers?  It's not really that hard.  How much more easy mode do base defenders need?  They already get unlimited 1945 aircraft at their disposal to up from within 3.5k of the enemy, really healthy AI ack, some towns almost right on the base, spawn ins from other bases....   defenders don't need their butts powdered any more.  Seriously now.

The concept is to let there be a good ground fight. Sitting behind spawners and popping them in the rear before they can even get their engines cranked is not a good definition of "a good ground battle". I think it also discourages new players, so its bad for the game.  If theres a concern to have a bit of realism, and fun at the same time, then the camping right behind or next to main barracks needs to go (along with spawn camping imho.)

[TalonTSG]

By extension you would ban vulching???? That we cannot have.

Infidelz.

Vulching hasn't been brought up. To me, air base vulching represents a more realistic scenerio because it requires a reasonable amount of teamwork to effectively do it (although there are a few that can just about vulch by themselves).  Most players probably know my fighter kill score is so low because I'll up to defend a dozen times against nearly impossible odds... i just think its a blast to defend a base. One the best fights ever was A76 on the last map where i was killed repeatedly but we saved the base. I wish I had filmed that one... honestly it looked like Midway film at times. All kinds of explosions, near-collisions, that was ton of fun.

57Chevy (previously known as FBTalon, TalonTSG)