Author Topic: Arena cap is getting out of hand  (Read 24053 times)

Offline grizz441

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #285 on: March 19, 2011, 11:19:58 AM »
Hordes are hordes and your going to find them on ANY size map, period.

300 players on a small map is about the limit from what I've seen. Anything over that and the fronts lose those bases where you can up a couple of F6s and start a fight. If you try they quickly become part of the main battle. With the large maps these little battles can and often do go un-noticed. To some this is the advantage they want to grab a base quick (if you up to defend they disappear). If you up F6s and try to start something you either get in clean and nobody ups to defend, or you get a quick token defense by they disappear as soon as they know it's not a capture attempt and they run back to the "main battle". Or finally you run into like minded players and get a nice little battle going.

The large map has TOO many places to hide/watch and dilutes the fights, and small maps get over populated leaving little room for small side battles.

I'd love to see a "medium" map (69 bases) designed totally around strategic tactics. Meaning not so much a "capture path", but with each "path" of capture to have different challenges. Say while capturing  V12 looks good because it has a spawn to A22, A22 doesn't have spawns to V12, but it does spawn to the 2 bases they are the only ones to cover V12. Causing the fight to spread out from V12 if they want to keep it. Or, and airfield that spawns to 4 bases all close by, but is protected by a 7k base 20 miles out. The challenge being either take the high ground first, or grab the low and defend while grabbing a few of the others around to use in support to grab the high ground.

Today the challenge is to grab the base and they have figured out how to do that with ease..... bring lots of friends.  Make the maps the challenge to the win the war types. If you are the western country on Mindenao you KNOW your not going to lose that war, not because you team is better, but because the map is better on that side.

I think we do have a couple "medium maps" actually.  That newer one "Grinder" is it?  That one seems to be the perfect size.  But I agree that medium size maps, i.e. maps that have # of bases somewhere in between the two polarizing opposites were in rotation.

Offline SlapShot

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #286 on: March 19, 2011, 11:22:34 AM »
And that's a completely valid argument.  You play mostly at peak US times yes?  Imo those smaller fights on big maps that you enjoy dry up when it is not a peak time.

Yes typically between 5:30 PM EST to whenever I get tired or bored. I have popped in off peak and yes, the action is far and few between but I still can find a fight if I start one.
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Offline grizz441

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #287 on: March 19, 2011, 11:23:43 AM »
I was hoping you would give more detail in that statement, not sure where your going.  I find it to mean the cart comes before the horse if you will.

Global numbers has everything to do with what is happening on a small scale in so many different ways that you cannot simply ignore that, It has even a more profound effect when there is such an imbalance in the arenas and which is the common denominator with almost every issue there is in this game to some extent.

As I have pointed out, no matter how many players are in a particular map either it large or small, caps or no caps, if the imbalance between the sides is not addressed in these arenas then we will end up with more of the same that we have now no matter what HT does with the arenas.  

Your statement of "So many times the "low numbers" side has no fights and green hordes and the "high numbers" side is getting ganged on both fronts.  So..."
So.... As you see here you have made my point. Cause and Effect, but lets look at the other side of that coin, how about when the high numbers side is steam rolling a field because the "low numbers" cant put up any defense to it when both low numbers side are fighting it out.  You chose to look at one side of the issue and ignore the other?  Why?  Which is more healthier for the game?  Why should any 1 side or 2 sides be able to outnumbers any other side with such a large amount of players?    

I haven't seen too many if at all that have come on to the boards and proclaim their profound love of being railroaded from the "High numbers" side that is able to steam roll bases or any opposition and having their bellybutton handed to them day in and day out, matter of fact I would say you have seen the complete opposite of how many players are dissatisfied with that..... So..  


Dads, I'm surprised that you have not seen this and I'm sure many here would back me up, but the low side from a global perspective does not always tell the full story.  A lot of the time most of the low sides force will be hording the overpopulated country's one front, and the overpopulated's other front is being horded by the other medium sized country.  In a three country war global numbers do not tell the whole story very well from my experience.  In fact, it almost seems random of which side there will be a fight on.  The traditional Muppet policy is to go to the low numbers side, but a lot of the time there just aren't any fights.  I'm surprised you haven't noticed this.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2011, 11:25:17 AM by grizz441 »

Offline SlapShot

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #288 on: March 19, 2011, 11:42:07 AM »
The traditional Muppet policy is to go to the low numbers side, but a lot of the time there just aren't any fights.  I'm surprised you haven't noticed this.

I have experienced this also. I don't think that anyone can state, with any certainty, what will transpire on each of the 3 fronts depending upon the population of each country. As far as I am concerned, it just might as well be determined by the phases of the moon ... it could/would be just as accurate.

I do remember the day, before the new capture parameters were put in place, you could bet the ranch that the 2 most populated countries would gang the lower country from all fronts to race to the reset.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2011, 11:43:40 AM by SlapShot »
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Offline ink

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #289 on: March 19, 2011, 12:08:28 PM »
Local ENY would curve down the hoards......and Grizz is absolutely correct on the low number side, actually being the side that's hoarding, it's aggravating, and seems to be what happens more often then not.

Offline muzik

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #290 on: March 19, 2011, 12:12:15 PM »
Really? Well if the arena gets halved again then there would be no reason not to go over there.

I dont know all the details, but I think it is a new version called Cliffs of Dover. They may have servers that size now for all I know. I just know that it is supposed to get raised to 128.

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Fear? You bet your life...but that all leaves you as you reach combat. Then there's a sense of great excitement, a thrill you can't duplicate anywhere...it's actually fun. Yes, I think it is the most exciting fun in the world. — Lt. Col. Robert B. "Westy" Westbrook, USAAF 6/<--lol@mod

Offline Zoney

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #291 on: March 19, 2011, 12:22:34 PM »
Local ENY would curve down the hoards......and Grizz is absolutely correct on the low number side, actually being the side that's hoarding, it's aggravating, and seems to be what happens more often then not.

Hey Ink, are you back flying with us?
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Offline ink

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #292 on: March 19, 2011, 12:23:13 PM »
Hey Ink, are you back flying with us?


That I am :D

Offline Zoney

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #293 on: March 19, 2011, 12:25:07 PM »
Awesome, welcome back to the addiction.  :salute
Wag more, bark less.

Offline ink

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #294 on: March 19, 2011, 12:28:37 PM »
Thank ya glad to be back :salute

Offline muzik

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #295 on: March 19, 2011, 12:36:06 PM »
See rule #4
Stop the personal insults / attacks.

HiTech
« Last Edit: March 19, 2011, 12:42:45 PM by hitech »
Fear? You bet your life...but that all leaves you as you reach combat. Then there's a sense of great excitement, a thrill you can't duplicate anywhere...it's actually fun. Yes, I think it is the most exciting fun in the world. — Lt. Col. Robert B. "Westy" Westbrook, USAAF 6/<--lol@mod

Offline muzik

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #296 on: March 19, 2011, 12:45:00 PM »
There are competitors to AH.For some reason the direct competitors used to have more players then us, but now do not.

HiTech

Really, who were they and when?

Air Warrior? Are you taking credit for shutting them down? Warbirds? I have the vague memory that they were dieing before you ever started AH though I never played. Fighter Ace? Maybe. But then fighter ace wasnt really a direct competitor because the game was so different. WW2online. Not. Il2 Not.

There is no "Pepsi."
Fear? You bet your life...but that all leaves you as you reach combat. Then there's a sense of great excitement, a thrill you can't duplicate anywhere...it's actually fun. Yes, I think it is the most exciting fun in the world. — Lt. Col. Robert B. "Westy" Westbrook, USAAF 6/<--lol@mod

Offline hitech

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #297 on: March 19, 2011, 01:07:07 PM »
Really, who were they and when?

Air Warrior? Are you taking credit for shutting them down? Warbirds? I have the vague memory that they were dieing before you ever started AH though I never played. Fighter Ace? Maybe. But then fighter ace wasnt really a direct competitor because the game was so different. WW2online. Not. Il2 Not.

There is no "Pepsi."

Muzik: I created Warbirds. And yes when we started they we not getting smaller. After the entire dev staff left then new game manager started implement all the thing many players were asking for. Did major change of flight models. They went to a historical arena with Axis vs Allies. Changed gunnery lethality. And many other small changes. ALL of these changes were vocally demanded by customers, and each one took a few more away, and created a game where new people were less likely to stay.

Yes fighter ace was a direct competitor. I don't know how you think they were not. They made different choices on how to build the game. But yes they are no longer here.


HiTech

Offline muzik

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #298 on: March 19, 2011, 01:53:57 PM »
but I think we can agree that there is a number in any game where once you reach it you start to have reduced gameplay quality.  I've never played wwiionline but I imagine that 10,000 players in one war would start to degrade gameplay.  So if we call this the stagnation point, each game has a different stagnation point depending on the game itself.  Maybe wwiionline has a higher stagnation point due to the nature of the game and how much more of generic ww2 combat it encompasses.  So maybe 1000 people online in that game is deemed acceptable.  

The point is, we can agree there is a stagnation point in a one arena aces high yes?  Would 10,000 players on one map work? Clearly not.  So what exactly is the stagnation point if it's not around 600-700 as HTC saw fit?

No we dont agree on this. It is not the numbers that is the problem. It's the lack of control. I have never played ww2online either so I dont know how their game is set up except that they have a rank system that allows players to control other players. I believe that higher ranking players decide where the offensives are and there is a limit to how many players can go to certain locations. So the entire Allied army is not allowed to focus on one single part of the enemy. NO HORDING!

And by having a rank system, there is always someone in charge of policing the group. I think the commanders can reject players requests to join their offensive.

No, 10000 people would only degrade game play if there was no structure to the game and they were all allowed horde a single base! If there was a structure to the game that prevented that and if there were EFFECTIVE moderators in place to prevent players from abusing other players verbally or otherwise then it would be doable.

You can look at it this way. We have "Kill Shooter" turned on why? Because there is no control in AH to keep some spaz from shooting his own guys just for the fun of it. Say we had (as an example only) 1 moderator for every 10 guys and kill shooter was turned off. If those moderators made fair and level headed judgments they would surely notice that the spaz was a new guy with a sick sense of humor or that he was normally a non problematic guy that for some reason just jumped countries and started shooting at one guy. The mod would realize this is someone who is pissed off at someone and is getting out of line in his behavior.

The mod would immediately warn the new guy and eject him from the game if needed. He would punish the normally non problematic player to an extent that would teach him to not do it again or be banned from the game. So for the most part intentional studmuffinging would never be a problem. Only then, accidental fragging would be a problem. So the mod gets a complaint about fragging. He knows the guy who did the fragging and knows that he is not a spaz or someone prone to getting out of hand so the incident is recorded, but no one is punished because it is determined accidental.

The down side is you might get fragged accidentally, but the up side is guys have to think twice about cutting off someone who is already shooting at the bad guy. So you would start to see less kill stealing and less of 5 guys shooting over each others shoulders. No it doesnt cure all if it, but there starts to be some order in the game as opposed to every man for himself. Kill shooter is a necessity because the prevailing wisdom is that the group can police itself. If that's the case then why do we need kill shooter? Self policing on the internet does not work. If it did there wouldnt be FBI agents digging for pedophiles. There is no consequence to your actions and the report function is a joke. This is why there is a cesspool.


How do you figure ww2online has "generic" gameplay? They have a command and control system in place just like every military in the world. WE have Lord of the Flies
Fear? You bet your life...but that all leaves you as you reach combat. Then there's a sense of great excitement, a thrill you can't duplicate anywhere...it's actually fun. Yes, I think it is the most exciting fun in the world. — Lt. Col. Robert B. "Westy" Westbrook, USAAF 6/<--lol@mod

Offline moot

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Re: Arena cap is getting out of hand
« Reply #299 on: March 19, 2011, 02:05:22 PM »
A dueling ladder is already hard enough just in volume, and you're saying you want the whole AH population i.e. thousands, moderated (by volunteers, right?) on something as vague as accidental friendly fire?  Volunteers means someone not getting paid, for the job of taking his hands off the stick at random times so that he can evaluate a substantial volume of reports.  The whole thing is already way more complicated and difficult than automated short-circuit: killshooter. 

Why would "moderated" friendly fire cure kill stealing?  It's not hard at all to maneuver for a safe shot at a TKO'd plane, and being vulnerable to kill-stealing revenge TK's wouldn't work since the revenge TKer gets punished IE you're still trending towards unmoderated kill stealing only with a major admin overhead to boot. 

KS is a necessity because the p.wisdom is the group can't police itself.   

You need to give a more comprehensive demonstration of your command structure proposal.  Without details it could be either very good or very bad.  Personally I wouldn't want a command structure where I'm forced to play another player's idea of "fun".  The toolsheder/furballer debates have already proven that a command structure has the potential to piss off a major part of the players.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2011, 02:11:52 PM by moot »
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