Are there enough players?

[AAJagerX]

I did it again... 

Edited for manners.

[hitech]

Hoff is not an old timer anyone would know. I only pointed it out when he stated he was a new guy with a fresh perspective. He isn't but he also is fairly young.

HiTech

[Hoff]

Hoff is not an old timer anyone would know. I only pointed it out when he stated he was a new guy with a fresh perspective. He isn't but he also is fairly young.

HiTech

That's because I am a new guy with a fresh perspective.....

[Guppy35]

That's because I am a new guy with a fresh perspective.....

And a bit full of himself too

[DREDIOCK]

oh how i miss those days

X3

[DREDIOCK]

Since HiTech seems to be in a shade outing mood, there are a few more that he could fill us in on.

Well, Maybe it is a shade and maybe it isnt. How active has the account been in the last 7 years?

[moot]

I'm not 100% convinced either way, cause I didn't go thru the trash bins in his backyard, but if you asked me I'd say straight up that Hoff is new.

So with that out of the way maybe someone can take his arguments dead on instead of .. for once.. wasting pixels on the tired ol shade jeering fest.  On one hand you've got people like Adonai/Butcher who come back and it's the same dishonest lies all over again, on the other you have people like Hoff who as naive and... as disrespectfully "biatchy" as he might've come off to some people, DOES make an effort to articulate what he thinks with a minimum of constructiveness unlike pretty much any other player incl. some very long timers who'll regularly complain or flat out whine on this forum with zero constructive feedback.  I think Hoff under the "youth" quirks is a pretty smart guy who isn't just "arrogant".  Smart or at least driven to succeed, or stubborn in getting what he wants.

That probably does rub people who just want to take it easy and fly, who aren't about competitiveness (and you have to be to play e.g. Starcraft seriously - that thing is chess on crack) the wrong way.  I think his perspective, as off the wall as it might seem, is useful.  He doesn't have insider bias.

[bj229r]

The people that played in this Tank Town probably left the game when the caps were put in, so just because Tuesday doesn't have a cap doesn't mean the players are the same as before. I know I wouldn't be paying 15 bucks to play 4 days a month.

(I assume we're talking about the Tank Town in Trinity) Trinity poofed with the new graphics engine a year or 3 ago. (ALL the maps had to be re-done before they could be used again) TT regularly had 1/3 of the entire roster at that time, when it finally came back recently, it was and IS a ghost town...hard to figger why, other than mebbe gv'ers no longer like mindless entertainment?

[Zoney]

Yes, I believe there are enough players.  I only need one more to have a fight.  I only need a fight to make it fun.

I have fun every time I log in.  I find a fight every time I log in.

[moot]

ahem.. now that I'm done "praising" the noob that almost no one in this thread has been in contact with other than text on a forum... I'll say something on topic - I have to agree with him that AH needs something more if it means to keep new players.  Because as it is, it's still a game that has IMO just enough graphics (cause the old school crispness is definitely something great in its own right) to keep new players interested.. But the overall gameplay from a top level strategic POV is just the same thing over and over.  I still like the game (to me the infinite variations of dogfighting will always be what keeps me coming), but from the POV of "continuing subscription growth" something more's needed.

Not sure where to start with suggestions and criticism but.. Either a truly persistent world like WWII online, or ... back to square one unfortunately - something like Combat Tour with persistent career even if (somehow) in a semi persistent (semi because prone to such quick resets) world like the current MAs, or career mode applied to the AvA? ...  Or otherwise (another blasphemous idea ) find a few new people to hire so that HTC can substantially increase output of new planes and other content.

[STEELE]

I know when I started about 14 months ago, I was impressed by the large # of players in each LW arena, OTOH, if I was just starting this afternoon I would see Blue Arena 100/100 and Orange arena 150/200
(hypothetical #'s)  and think Hmm, thats not very many (compared to the big #'s i see on TiTuesdays).  Here's an idea to make everyone happy, 1 arena capped at 100 for the milkrunners to enjoy unopposed,
and the other (can be called Pink Arena or even Rainbow Warrior arena for all I care) that is 650 cap like when WW1 came out.    
I also want to see more and more new players subscribing, maybe that would do it? It could be worth a try.

[Baine]

(I assume we're talking about the Tank Town in Trinity) Trinity poofed with the new graphics engine a year or 3 ago. (ALL the maps had to be re-done before they could be used again) TT regularly had 1/3 of the entire roster at that time, when it finally came back recently, it was and IS a ghost town...hard to figger why, other than mebbe gv'ers no longer like mindless entertainment?

The problem is that Tank town these days isn't like the Tank Town of old - a real town where you'd spawn into an immediate fight. Where you'd have to make a short dash to town full of blown up buildings and then worry about turning the next corner. The new TT has too much driving, so unless you have a good number of tankers, it just takes too long to get into a fight.
My own 2 cents is that AH would do well to go back to shorter distances between bases and and spawn points. Fighting is fun, I'd much rather spawn into a fight, then have to drive several minutes to then get blown away by a tank I didn't see, only to have to try it again and hope I saw him this time, only have to try it again. ...
The same goes for flying. These days I fly a four or five minutes, go to engage, get shot down immediately and then have to decide if I want to have the fun of flying another 4 to 5 minutes before I get shot down again.
I chose AH because I was into air combat, not commuting

[grizz441]

Kind of a side point, but just throwing it out there..

I find it a little suspect that War statistics aren't kept track of from map to map and from year to year either in game where they can be checked or on the website.  For a game where a lot of players are trying to win the war, and where it is advertised on the front page, you would think it would be a priority to keep score.  You are inadvertently devaluing your customer base that enjoys that mode of game play and sports chess piece loyalty.  

[DREDIOCK]

ahem.. now that I'm done "praising" the noob that almost no one in this thread has been in contact with other than text on a forum... I'll say something on topic - I have to agree with him that AH needs something more if it means to keep new players.  Because as it is, it's still a game that has IMO just enough graphics (cause the old school crispness is definitely something great in its own right) to keep new players interested.. But the overall gameplay from a top level strategic POV is just the same thing over and over.  I still like the game (to me the infinite variations of dogfighting will always be what keeps me coming), but from the POV of "continuing subscription growth" something more's needed.

Not sure where to start with suggestions and criticism but.. Either a truly persistent world like WWII online, or ... back to square one unfortunately - something like Combat Tour with persistent career even if (somehow) in a semi persistent (semi because prone to such quick resets) world like the current MAs, or career mode applied to the AvA? ...  Or otherwise (another blasphemous idea ) find a few new people to hire so that HTC can substantially increase output of new planes and other content.

They can start by bringing back the "zone base" system

Folks always seemed to find the zone base relatively important to both take and keep.
 Keep the big strat targets but spread em out a bit more. and have local smaller strat targets. Course the whole concept of the strat targets is pointless if they really arent tied into anything meaningful. Something that seems to be occuring to the buff guys based on the declining number of runs on the big strat targets Im seeing.

Of course if they are tied into something meaningful. it also provides for greater incentive to defend them.
As it stands now. Even when a strat target is attacked. There arent a whole lot of people tripping over themselves to try and defend them.

Folks dont just want something to do. They also want a reason to do it. If strat doesnt have a noticble effect on anything. Why bother attacking it when you can bomb a base in 1/4 the time and have an immediate impact. Course sometimes that impact not only irritates foe. But friend alike.

Likewise, why bother trying to defend something. When its not going to impact anything anyway? From a defensive standpoint. Your actually better off just letting them hit the strats un opposed as it takes that many bombers away from hitting the base your flying out of or fighting with for that much longer.

[DREDIOCK]

Kind of a side point, but just throwing it out there..

I find it a little suspect that War statistics aren't kept track of from map to map and from year to year either in game where they can be checked or on the website.  For a game where a lot of players are trying to win the war, and where it is advertised on the front page, you would think it would be a priority to keep score.  You are inadvertently devaluing your customer base that enjoys that mode of game play and sports chess piece loyalty.  

In fairness. It might be better not posting such stats. Reason being is that people like playing for the team that wins the most. If new players see that one side is winning more often then the other two. they may be more inclined to also join that side. Thus creating a further imbalance in numbers at any given time.