Capture Strategies

[Bruv119]

Yep,

New towns look great and AT guns are so cool.  But, if two passes from 4 sets of Lancs on a small Airfield and town plus 5+ attackers on buildings is not enough to take a town down and get a capture from 2 defenders, then I won't be seeing much of town, other than to fire that cool AT gun in defense.

must be some really poor bombing going on.     1 set of lancs going down the 2 main avenues of town can get 70% of town in 2 passes.  2  110's should easily be able to finish up with cannon.  Throw in a GV.  4 guys max.   The other 5 should be able to cap the 2 defenders.

[sky25]

That's my concern as well. They say they don't like hordes and don't think they're good for the game, but keep introducing changes that push the players to form bigger hordes.

Overall I like every change in the new version - the town looks great, I just wish they hadn't made it that much harder to take down (and keep down; it's much harder to see a single building popping now). The maps have become too static. 

Perhaps one solution would be to make town buildings stay down longer - say, an hour. If the intent is to force bigger, more knock-down drag-out fights, it seems to me that would serve it. It would prolong base take fights without making it any easier to sneak bases or take them in one massive first strike - after all, if the base hasn't been taken in 45 minutes, it's almost certainly because there's a fierce battle going on to defend it. It would allow the attackers to focus more on fighting for control of the air & ground and less on patrolling the town to see if anything pops, which I would think would make the furballers happy as well.

+1

[Spite]

must be some really poor bombing going on.

Rgr that.  The other day 3 squaddies in lancs who don't normally fly buffs leveled a small field, and 80 some % of town in 2 passes.  3 or 4 others finished the town and gooned it with 3 defenders who were a day late and a dollar short.

I contend that leveling a small field is easier now than ever.  Field Ack is more spread out and appears less lethal. Granted, there was no town ack at the time, but I just don't see that as a major deterrent.

[Bruv119]

I contend that leveling a small field is easier now than ever.  Field Ack is more spread out and appears less lethal. Granted, there was no town ack at the time, but I just don't see that as a major deterrent.

I agree about the ack layout.  It seems to have a more oval track feel to it and some of the perimeter guns are isolated.  If you work around the corners the actual runway doesn't seem to be covered as much. 

Speaking strictly from a vulchers perspective it feels easier

[SmokinLoon]

"the game isn't balanced any more"

"it takes an even bigger hoards to capture a base"

"buildings should stay down longer"

 

The game has never been better, imo.  The are no more massed NOE 110 raids, and I believe to have seen fewer bases change hands since the update.  That means the bases are much harder to take and best of all no more 1 man band base captures.

Again, I applaud HTC's' update.  It has done MUCH to breathe new life into AH.  Isnt it great that we're all newbs again?   

[grizz441]

Again, I applaud HTC's' update.  It has done MUCH to breathe new life into AH.  Isnt it great that we're all newbs again?  

Unless the win the war guys get tired of trying to take bases with an arm tied behind their backs and quit.  That would kill the game pretty quick actually, not breathe life into it.

[Spite]

Unless the win the war guys get tired of trying to take bases with an arm tied behind their backs and quit.  That would kill the game pretty quick actually, not breathe life into it.

Unfortunately, while I mostly agree with Loon's assessment ... your statement definitely reflects Bish range and country chatter during the day yesterday for a period of time.

Ok, so what is it that has their "arm tied behind their backs"?

I still maintain unfamiliarity is the biggest problem.  Recognizing at a glance ... which hanger is which, where they are, up or down status, remembering where everything is on the 3 different field sizes ... this all takes time to acclimate.

Town is more spread out and determining it's up or down status, while not impossible ... is certainly a little more difficult.  But not hugely IMO.  If the truth were told, it is harder to DEFEND a town now from a ground attack perspective.  The elevation changes, trees, hedgerows, brick walls, building clusters ... got people augerin' all around me in droves.  

Recycle time on town is shorter, it seems to me.  Maybe even substantially.  Perhaps I missed the memo.  As a result, those initial attacks need to be more efficient and effective.  But as with A121 in Pink yesterday ... all it takes is one clown who hears "deack and cap, THEN we will start on town" ... to saunter over to the middle of town and take out that big cluster fer points ... guess what, the clock is now ticking ... when we finally get deack and FH down and cap, vulch lamp lit, start working town and get it down, where is the goon? ...  OOPS, whats that, pop pop pop ... again, how do you spell "bust"?

Now your into a 3 hour long out of sequence thingey.  It's not that is all that much harder in execution or that our hands are tied, it is that we now need more discipline and mutual coordination.  Perhaps that's where our hands are tied.  

Overall, lots of whining yesterday, no doubt though ...

As a land grabber myself, I still like most of the changes.  

[grizz441]

Ok, so what is it that has their "arm tied behind their backs"?

You answered your own question.

As a result, those initial attacks need to be more efficient and effective.

Requiring more efficiency out of the most skillless crowd in the game is why they might give up.

It's like all the players that whine about newbs flying spit16s and dominating them.  If you put all the noobs in P38s, lets say for example, how long do you think it would be before they quit because they would not be successful?

[groundfeeder]

Yep,

New towns look great and AT guns are so cool.  But, if two passes from 4 sets of Lancs on a small Airfield and town plus 5+ attackers on buildings is not enough to take a town down and get a capture from 2 defenders, then I won't be seeing much of town, other than to fire that cool AT gun in defense.

One set of lancs of can take down 80% of the town, the problem tends to be the outlying "neighborhoods", where before it was a few sets of lancs and cleanup detail....you need more cleaners. If you have cappers that's a bonus, unfortunately the horde is playing a bigger part in the capture.

[sky25]

Unless the win the war guys get tired of trying to take bases with an arm tied behind their backs and quit.  That would kill the game pretty quick actually, not breathe life into it.

Well said Grizz..

[waystin2]

Unless the win the war guys get tired of trying to take bases with an arm tied behind their backs and quit.  That would kill the game pretty quick actually, not breathe life into it.

I never really looked at it from this standpoint (thinking, thinking).  I guess I just enjoyed the added challenges, but I can see that some players may get frustrated easily.  What do you think would untie that arm so to speak?

[Slate]

  There was a time when 2 people could take a town down, Gv's or bombers. One bails and runs back with troops, Capture! Woo hoo!   Not very realistic. Then It became harder and you needed more help. Timing was important. Now as others have said Timing is Critical! Also it forces us to work together like a real military.  
   The changes are great and learning the "New Game" will take time but is anything but boring. Picktards are going to love it though as the field ack is less of a threat but they must be countered with Flak. More places for gv's to hide in town so bring bombs.
   Do the Graphics also seem clearer and sharper? They do on my older PC.
       Good Job HTC keeping the game fresh.  

[grizz441]

I never really looked at it from this standpoint (thinking, thinking).  I guess I just enjoyed the added challenges, but I can see that some players may get frustrated easily.  What do you think would untie that arm so to speak?

Keep the towns down for longer would be a good start.  Loki, whom I rarely agree with, summed it up nicely.

[RufusLeaking]

Also it forces us to work together like a real military. 

Two flaws in this sentence:
1) Being forced to work?  I want to play on Aces High.  A little challenge is a good thing, but anything too laborious is just not fun.  HTC does a good job keeping the fun in and the ‘not fun’ out. 
2) It will be difficult and ‘not fun’ to try to impose military discipline and standardization to the Aces High player base.  ‘The perfect mission’ is as elusive as a unicorn or ‘the perfect woman.’   

[sky25]

I never really looked at it from this standpoint (thinking, thinking).  I guess I just enjoyed the added challenges, but I can see that some players may get frustrated easily.  What do you think would untie that arm so to speak?

I only got frustrated since they added the ack guns back in town.. You try to get a GV into town and the ack is shooting you through the hedge rows. You cant see the ack gun and when you shoot at it your round does not penetrate hedge rows..Got tracked by it the other night.. How can ack shoot me through a hedge row, but I cannot shoot it back?  I think more adjustment is needed with the new town set up.. Town down time also needs to be longer.. The new town base take is a challenge to say the least.. It does require a larger horde if the base is defended. Or it requires a joint bomber mission to completely level the base... I opt for completely leveling the base..