Thank Heaven for Squeekers and Newbies

[VonMessa]

Your attempt at being coy notwithstanding, I appreciate the honesty and civility.

The standard response from me is still going to be, "Go ask a trainer"

There is nothing chest thumping about it.  I am not a trainer.  Period.  If I was, I would have volunteered to be one.
I have a hard enough time keeping my crate in the air on my own.

You may take the liberty of substituting the words "online community" for fraternal organization.  Throwing straw-men or arguing semantics, however amusing it may be, is making me want to yawn again and was not a point of the original debate.

Contrary to what you believe, there ARE those that take some pleasure in defeat, knowing that whatever is gained from the experience can be learned from and used to one's advantage in a future encounter

Do you fence as your moniker suggests?  When one practices épée, instead of the foil, it becomes less restrictive as the "right of way" no longer exists and the area one has to defend is larger, a corps-à-corps (collision between fencers) is no longer penalized unless executed with intent to harm or if it is excessively violent. There are no restrictions on crossing of the feet or use of the flèche attack.  In essence, it's more difficult, but the rewards are greater.  One WILL eventually learn to defend against, or even defeat, an opponent with more skill.  I would say that it is a great and fulfilling experience to land one's first touche on the teacher.  Some folks refer to this as learning.

The reason people practice is to get better.  Not everyone is born with every skill set, hence the reason to seek out a mentor. 

Not everyone will take the easy way out, either.  Denial of that fact also suggests willful ignorance  I honestly wish more would not, but it seems that instant gratification is a sadly growing trend in today's world.  If they can't win right away, they give up.  If the philosophy of "People will naturally be drawn to something that they feel they can be successful at"  were 100% true, then why do people climb mountains (we're not, as humans, built like a mountain goat), fly airplanes (we do not have wings), or run a marathon (a race in which the original runner died after finishing it)?

They do it for the challenge.

The do it because the rewards far outweigh the agony of the learning curve and the monotony of practice.

I just can't imagine that excelling at something that is easy can be rewarding, nor should the philosophy of "you should do <insert activity/occupation> because you are good at it" be perpetuated.  Just because one is hung like a horse does not mean one should be a porn star.

I for one, prefer to be surrounded by those whose skill sets are better than my own.  It forces me to be a better player.

I would hate to think that the measure of "success" for a company would be measured by the amount of warm bodies that they can populate an arena with.

I would also not participate in the reception line to shake HiTech's hand and say, "Congrats, Dale!  You have attracted every unemployed, slack-jawed, mouth breather on the planet, WTG, you are now just like WoW!"

No thanks...........

[GhostCDB]

I remember getting ALT+F4'd, ahh. Good days, good days.

[LLogann]

This deep conversation needs........................ ...   A few facts.....


Newbies are always needed.  There is no other way to look at it.  This game I love will not stay strong without new blood, new subscribers.

Squeakers on the other hand, deserve the ridicule that they receive.  Simply because they squeak...  And they have chosen the "hard way" to learn internet etiquette.

These two topics are completely separate. 

With that said, I will say that all the ALTf4's should really calm down with that crap.  So many of you auto-reply with ALTf4 for even the simplest, most innocent of questions. 

And that hurts HTC.  The last thing in the world any of us want to do is hurt HTC. 

Everybody sits around the wishlist all day long, wishing for this, wishing for that, yet never realizing that the handful of people at HTC need to make all this stuff happen, not to mention, run a BBS, deal with all the back end game stuff, deal with processing payments, as well as invoices (  Carrie  ) and deal with the 100 or so phone calls they get a day from our dumb arses. 

And so HTC, as well as we, need those darn Newbies......  And we should treat them with a certain amount of respect.  At least until they transition from Newb, to Noob.......   



 

[uptown]

I welcome all the newcomers to the game, and I tend to treat folks with the same kindness and respect that they give others. Rapier, did you by chance run into JoeBlow from FA yet?

As far as the decline of the online flight sim. If it's in the decline as you say, I can't tell it. This game is the only online game I have ever played and it has continued to grow year after year. True that Warbirds, AirWarrior and FighterAce are no more, but for all I know it's due to poor management and lack of improvement to keep it's players interested. I think as long as people want to fly old war planes in a competitive setting these type of games will be out there. Heck, companies like Saitek and CH Products have a stake in this as well. If flight sims go belly up, so do they.

The Fighter Ace guys(with the exception of the one mentioned above) have all been quite knowledgeable, well mannered and competitive. Offering them a helping hand is a pleasure. The ones I've talked to seem to really like AcesHigh which makes me glad I picked the right game when I was searching for one.

Sure, they'll be picked at and made fun of for a while by some, but it's happened to all of us at one time or another. It's part of the fun and learning experience IMO.  

[LLogann]

"Decline" isn't really the correct term.  Fore it gives us a sense that we are no longer playing..............

It really is that there are less companies keeping their flight sims afloat.  Which places a very strong implication on the actions of such companies as HTC. 

[VonMessa]

This deep conversation needs........................ ...   A few facts.....


Newbies are always needed.  There is no other way to look at it.  This game I love will not stay strong without new blood, new subscribers.

Squeakers on the other hand, deserve the ridicule that they receive.  Simply because they squeak...  And they have chosen the "hard way" to learn internet etiquette.

These two topics are completely separate. 

With that said, I will say that all the ALTf4's should really calm down with that crap.  So many of you auto-reply with ALTf4 for even the simplest, most innocent of questions. 

And that hurts HTC.  The last thing in the world any of us want to do is hurt HTC. 

Everybody sits around the wishlist all day long, wishing for this, wishing for that, yet never realizing that the handful of people at HTC need to make all this stuff happen, not to mention, run a BBS, deal with all the back end game stuff, deal with processing payments, as well as invoices (  Carrie  ) and deal with the 100 or so phone calls they get a day from our dumb arses. 

And so HTC, as well as we, need those darn Newbies......  And we should treat them with a certain amount of respect.  At least until they transition from Newb, to Noob.......   



 

I dare you to find a screenie or instance of me giving the Alt-F4 response.

I have and always will reply with a "Go to the TA", "RTFM", or "Find a trainer"

Sure we need new blood.  Every business does.  It would be folly to think that HTC would not want to increase its customer base.

The very nature of flight simming requires multiple investments.  Money (equipment, stick, pedals, track IR, etc) and time (to learn about the basics of flight, etc)  Yes, I understand that you do not need fancy equipment, or even a stick.  Yes, I know that so-and-so is a mouse flier that can pwn half the arena.  This is the exception and not the rule.

The accuracy of the flight models in this game is what is appealing.  Unfortunately, in the beginning, this means that it is not easy.  I like to think of this as a filter for the "I want it now" gaming console lemmings looking for a quick fix.  

The only way to "appeal to the masses", ala, WoW, would be to make this game more arcade-ish.  I think that would ruin it for most folks.

Flight sims are a niche market.  They always have and always will be until today's auto industry is replaced with personal aircraft.  Not everyone is interested in flying or flight sims.  

I believe that the business model that HTC follows right now will ensure their continued success.

A+ Customer service, from the CEO to the guy that changes the TP.

Prompt response to questions.

An accurate as possible flight model (which is always being tweaked to reflect this desire to be historically accurate)

A willingness to listen to the player base (within reason)

Giving the customer what they want (not what they ask for). The ability to accurately figure this out and know the difference between the two is what makes or breaks most companies.

Reasonable updates (but not constant ones interfering with the product everyday)

The willingness and integrity to admit when they are WRONG and the cajones to roll back to a different patch until they fix the bugs in the newest one rather than stick their fingers in their ears and say "We know what you are doing, we are the designers.  You, the customer, are clueless and don't know as much as we do", which would be the standard response (if you even got a response) from most big gaming companies.

[uptown]

I've been alt F4ed before. I never got pissed at HTC for that. I thought it was kind of funny after I realized my computer wasn't fubared  Ya have to be able to take a joke man. It's just harmless fun. No one gets hurt. If that's all it takes for someone to get pissed and quit the game, they won't be here long anyway, because Alt F4 is just the tip of the iceburg.

[LLogann]

I'm not attacking you Monseigneur Messa.  And I'm not sure why anybody else would either.....  All you said is a realistic interpretation of life on text channel.

I dare you to find a screenie or instance of me giving the Alt-F4 response.

But I will disagree, to an extent, about the "niche" thing.  Since I was a child, the only thing I had ever wanted to do was fly.  This game is now my outlet to such desire.  And I have to believe that a good portion of the population, in any modern country, shares that aspiration.  And thus, there will always be a need for a combat flight sim. 

We just need to get rid of those other sims now! 

[VonMessa]

I'm not attacking you Monseigneur Messa.  And I'm not sure why anybody else would either.....  All you said is a realistic interpretation of life on text channel.

But I will disagree, to an extent, about the "niche" thing.  Since I was a child, the only thing I had ever wanted to do was fly.  This game is now my outlet to such desire.  And I have to believe that a good portion of the population, in any modern country, shares that aspiration.  And thus, there will always be a need for a combat flight sim. 

We just need to get rid of those other sims now! 

Monseigneur?

A priest?  Me?

Hardly.......

Although I DID wear a black shirt and white priest's collar for my driver's license photo at the DMV one year   

(yes I know it's not the same as Monsignor, but I'm not French      )

As for the desire to fly? That's you.  It's me.  It's 99% of the folks that play this game.  Some are actually pilots, and some of us are currently working on becoming a pilot.  You can't say it's not a niche.

How much money have you spent to play this game over the years on subscription fees, computer upgrades, hardware, etc?  Are all of your friends' computer rooms full of the same equipment?  If you add upp all of the time and money you have invested in this game over the years, I'll bet you could have gotten your PPL by now   

I can't say that for most anyone I know, personally.  They think I'm crazy for being addicted to a "game". 

They are the same ones that rush home from work in time to watch the playoffs, etc. 

Hello, pot?  This is the kettle................. 

[hitech]

"Decline" isn't really the correct term.  Fore it gives us a sense that we are no longer playing..............

It really is that there are less companies keeping their flight sims afloat.  Which places a very strong implication on the actions of such companies as HTC. 

You have this completely backwards, there are less companies because of the declining interest in flight sims.

HiTech

[SHawk]

How do I take off?

[LLogann]

I can agree with how you're seeing my comment...  But let me flip it back the other way....  Your love Dale, not only for flight, but for this company you have brought up, will not decline (ie. your comments in you know you're addicted to AH when....)  And therefore it can be assumed that as the FA & Warbirds continue to sink, you'll be able to add more members here.  As such, decline can be viewed from an overall sense sure, but in the end, there will always be a need for at least 1 flight sim.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is be that sim!  

Taking the convo out of MMORPG and into banks.......  Lehman & Bear burned out and faded away....  Does that mean that people are less interested in investing?  In banking?  Perhaps their anxiety has increased but it won't stop investors.  

FA going down, in many respects is exactly like the banking problem.... Lehman went bankrupt but Barclays Capital picked up their proprietary property and holdings, as did JP Morgan with Bear Stearns.  WE are picking up FA players and making our game larger, more fruitful.  

I look at the "decline" as a KOTH, not an end of the flight sim world.......  WE JUST NEED TO BE ON TOP, or rather, you sir, need to keep us on top!  And I have full faith that you can, and will!  

You have this completely backwards, there are less companies because of the declining interest in flight sims.

HiTech

Hit ALT-F4 dude!!!  

How do I take off?

[Soulyss]

How do I take off?

I take off the same way I do everything else in AH, close my eyes and pray.

[Shuffler]

I've already talked to a few who are wondering why they did not come over sooner. Every one I have talked to loves AH.

[TheRapier]

Great debate on this! And debate in a community is healthy.

Rather than try to answer each person individually, I'll just make this statement.

That we all love and enjoy this is not the question. The very fact that we are willing to debate it says that. The outline goes like this:

1. There is a problem, there are fewer people interested in and playing this genre of game.
2. Are you part of the PROBLEM or part of the SOLUTION?

My only point is that we, the people who benefit and enjoy this, should think about our actions and how they play into #2. If I reflect on my actions and they have served to drive people away, then I'm part of the PROBLEM. If I reflect on my actions and I've encouraged people to stick to the difficult but rewarding path of getting good at this, then I'm part of the SOLUTION.

BTW, VonMessa, I ONLY fence epee because it is the only weapon that has a realistic premise. I've been fencing and teaching epee for 25 years.

For all of you that have responded in any direction, THANKS for caring!