Night Arena

[PJ_Godzilla]

im curious, about this myself. i can have night time in the offline practice by setting my time to 01:00. and when i do that its not pitch black. there is a moon, so why not make it liek that. but only able to identify the con at 3.0k out insted of 6.0k? you will still be able to see them at night with the moon, and still shoot them down. to be honest i think HTC shoulda done something like WoW did. linking its day and night cycles with RL day and night cycles. but sadly with the introduction of the LWOH arena that cant be done.

Actually, I've seen accounts of night kills made without the use of radar - mos tnotably by the AVG in China. As pointed out earlier, night is NOT usually pitch black. Back when I was a kid, I used to think it fun to travel at high speed at night lights out (just like a bootlegger was the drunken fantasy). Try it some time, but not around me.

Of course, add that 3rd dimension and higher speeds and getting it right is more critical. In any case, I think there is an element of visual combat in most night fighting, but not all of it. That's part of what I'm saying here: this thing merits a lot of investigation and is not simply a matter of turning out the lights. Indeed, ambient light intensity would doubtless be a critical variable for the success of dedicated night craft. After all, they have an advantage when it's comletely dark yet are vulnerable illuminated.

[SlapShot]

For those who weren't here when we did have night in AH ... bottom line ... IT SUCKED BALLS ... except for those who jacked their gamma up to make it daylight again. It is hard enough to engage in a decent dogfight when the arena simulates dusk never mind simulating night with moon light.

For the life of me, I cannot subscribe to the fact that the US/Germany/Japan sent out fighters at night to engage in active dog fighting. The term "Night Fighter" is, as far as I am concerned, a misnomer. Did these "Night Fighters" actually engage in dog fighting combat in the dark of night or were they simply "Night Hunters" equipped with air to air armament looking for unsuspecting bombers/cargo planes making their runs under the cover of darkness.

Ack Ack you know quite a bit about the P-38 fighter groups ... did any of them, that you know of, ever actively engage in night time dog fighting the enemy as a regular operation ?

Think about it people we had Spits, P-38s, P-47s, P-51s, F4Us, F6Fs, which were some of the most proficient dog fighters in WWII why in hells bells would we go ahead and  develop "Night Fighters" with RADAR to find and engage the enemy ... answer ... because you can't "fight" at night in a dog fighting plane.

Now, if when the arena turned dark and all of a sudden all the "fighter jocks" either jump into bombers/C-47s and/or "Night Fighters", then what in the blazes would we need night time for?

You can't properly dog fight at night and it wouldn't take long for those who wished for it to wish it away once they get a real taste of what it is like.

I'll repeat it again ... IT SUCKED BALLS !!!

[fullmetalbullet]

Who cares about the dogfight or the kill. i would love to fly night fighters, and see night time bombing raids in the MA. kinda like what they did in WW2. it gives a good reason for night fighters and it gives a good reason to learn something about flying at night and having a squadie use the radar on the night fighter to guide you in. who are you to say it sucked? it may have sucked when you didnt have the night fighters, but i believe HTC should bring it back. but only when their ready to unleash the night fighters and have a proper radar control. that way, it wont suck.

[The Fugitive]

HTC has said that they will NOT bring it back, the reason was people left the arenas in droves because it SUCKED!

[fullmetalbullet]

HTC has said that they will NOT bring it back, the reason was people left the arenas in droves because it SUCKED!

the reason people left in droves was becuase they had no way of fighting at night. and to be honest i dont know why people didnt like it in the first place. i loved it.

[SlapShot]

Who cares about the dogfight or the kill. i would love to fly night fighters, and see night time bombing raids in the MA. kinda like what they did in WW2. it gives a good reason for night fighters and it gives a good reason to learn something about flying at night and having a squadie use the radar on the night fighter to guide you in. who are you to say it sucked? it may have sucked when you didnt have the night fighters, but i believe HTC should bring it back. but only when their ready to unleash the night fighters and have a proper radar control. that way, it wont suck.

Your missing the point. Those who fly this game for dog fighting, which are much greater numbers than those who fly bombers, will not magically jump into bombers because it is now dark out.

So ... just imagine all those guys jumping into night fighters and looking for the far and few between bombers that may be flying around ... and if they encounter each other, they would actually be trying to dog fight in planes that were not really meant for dog fighting ... sounds like fun?

People who fly fighters primarily, want to fly fighters, and from a vast and past experience ... when darkness descended upon the arena ... they logged off ... waited an hour and then logged back in.

I can't see that changing just because there will be night fighters available because they really won't be fighting ... just basically hunting and killing bombers, if they can find any.

[SlapShot]

the reason people left in droves was becuase they had no way of fighting at night. and to be honest i dont know why people didnt like it in the first place. i loved it.

Flying in a P-61 aimlessly looking for the occasional bomber to show up in your radar, in the cover of darkness, would be somewhere in the realm of watching grass grow.

[guncrasher]

when i started playing somebody told me how to adjust the gamma so i could see better.  that's when I found out in the so called night fighting, only the newbies were in the dark.  everybody else adjusted the gamma so it could be daylight.

semp

[fullmetalbullet]

Your missing the point. Those who fly this game for dog fighting, which are much greater numbers than those who fly bombers, will not magically jump into bombers because it is now dark out.

So ... just imagine all those guys jumping into night fighters and looking for the far and few between bombers that may be flying around ... and if they encounter each other, they would actually be trying to dog fight in planes that were not really meant for dog fighting ... sounds like fun?

People who fly fighters primarily, want to fly fighters, and from a vast and past experience ... when darkness descended upon the arena ... they logged off ... waited an hour and then logged back in.

I can't see that changing just because there will be night fighters available because they really won't be fighting ... just basically hunting and killing bombers, if they can find any.

i think thats whats downplaying the addition of night fighters. people want to go 1v1, i dont get it. they have an arena for that sorta stuff. why cant you go there? the MA should be for those who want to have a bit of realism to the game. who like me love flying over dueling someone 1 on 1. who love aspect of teamwork and working together, insted of just picking a fight just for kills. this is just my opinion but seriously i believe its time for HTC to add more realism to the game.

[SlapShot]

i think thats whats downplaying the addition of night fighters. people want to go 1v1, i dont get it. they have an arena for that sorta stuff. why cant you go there? the MA should be for those who want to have a bit of realism to the game. who like me love flying over dueling someone 1 on 1. who love aspect of teamwork and working together, insted of just picking a fight just for kills. this is just my opinion but seriously i believe its time for HTC to add more realism to the game.

Dueling, under the restrictions and rules of engagement, could never produce the same type of fight(s) you get in the MA. I don't need to go to the DA to get my fix, I find plenty of targets and situations in the MA that keep me going ... and to be honest, I suck at dueling, but can more than handle my own in the MA.

What "extra teamwork and working together" will be brought forth by bringing back night to the arenas?

I would bet the ranch that you would see what happened in the past ... a mass exodus from the arenas after the sun sets and there goes your "extra teamwork and working together" out the window.

Adding "realism" is a fine line to walk in a game such as this. Too much realism could drive people away faster than less realism ... it's a balancing act for sure.

[fullmetalbullet]

Dueling, under the restrictions and rules of engagement, could never produce the same type of fight(s) you get in the MA. I don't need to go to the DA to get my fix, I find plenty of targets and situations in the MA that keep me going ... and to be honest, I suck at dueling, but can more than handle my own in the MA.

What "extra teamwork and working together" will be brought forth by bringing back night to the arenas?

I would bet the ranch that you would see what happened in the past ... a mass exodus from the arenas after the sun sets and there goes your "extra teamwork and working together" out the window.

Adding "realism" is a fine line to walk in a game such as this. Too much realism could drive people away faster than less realism ... it's a balancing act for sure.

and how would you know? everyone i talked to says they would love to have the night time back. i even discussed night time bombing missions with some friends and squadies. and another thing, if those who want the P-61 they will find out its not that great as a daytime fighter compaired to the others in the game. frankly i think we all should shift to a day and night type of game regardless of what you "dogfighters" want i think everyone should get what they want even the small numbers who want HTC to do something for them insted of bending over for the majority of those who play the game. and i will stand by my opinion that HTC should bring back the night arena for those of us who do like the cover of darkness.

[SlapShot]

and how would you know? everyone i talked to says they would love to have the night time back. i even discussed night time bombing missions with some friends and squadies. and another thing, if those who want the P-61 they will find out its not that great as a daytime fighter compaired to the others in the game. frankly i think we all should shift to a day and night type of game regardless of what you "dogfighters" want i think everyone should get what they want even the small numbers who want HTC to do something for them insted of bending over for the majority of those who play the game. and i will stand by my opinion that HTC should bring back the night arena for those of us who do like the cover of darkness.

  ... and everyone that I have talked to says NO to night so we are even ... look at this thread ... the majority say NO.

Sadly, it is the majority (most amount of money) that usually wins. HT is not in the business of driving more players away from the game to appease a few. There are mouths to feed, mortgages, and car payments to make.

If night were to come back, personally I wouldn't quit, but I surely would log off for an hour until the sun was back up. Some may not be so understanding and quit and that's the bottom line from where I sit.

And what is with the "dog fighters" crap ... I can guarantee you that I have participated in more base captures than you can even imagine. I play all aspects of the game, and after more than 9 years playing this game, there is one aspect that I enjoy more than the other and that is dog fighting but that isn't why I dislike night.

YOU CAN'T SEE PROPERLY AT NIGHT AND THE MAJORITY OF WWII PLANES WERE NOT MADE FOR NIGHT OPERATIONS.

[Ack-Ack]

Actually, I've seen accounts of night kills made without the use of radar - mos tnotably by the AVG in China.

Early nightfighters were like this as this type of fighting was still in its infancy when war broke out.  The Japanese for the most part didn't use radar on their nightfighters at all during the war.

ack-ack

[Ack-Ack]

Ack Ack you know quite a bit about the P-38 fighter groups ... did any of them, that you know of, ever actively engage in night time dog fighting the enemy as a regular operation ?

The only P-38 squadron dedicated for night fighting was 418th Night Fighter Squadron flying the P-38M but didn't enter into active service until the war was over.  As far as I can tell, the P-38M never saw any action at all.

ack-ack 

[Ack-Ack]

everyone i talked to says they would love to have the night time back.

Only the ones that never flew when we had night time I'm sure would love to have it back.  Again, when night time came around, the arena would drop from 500+ to probably a little over 100 until dawn broke and then the arena would fill up again.

ack-ack