12 hour rule and the "less" fun it created for me

[grizz441]

If I had to guess, HTC used 12 hours before, and that worked.  Six hours would probably work, but they weren't trying to experiment with a solution to the arena imbalances - they were implementing one that they knew worked based on previous experience.

Heh, the toon world didn't end when it was 1 hour for at least a month.  Then they bumped it up from 1 hour to 12 hours, a crisp 1200% increase, which pissed a lot of people off.

Still have yet to hear an official reason why such a change was made other than, "It used to be that way back in the Jurassic Era".  (See my previous story)

[Dead Man Flying]

Still have yet to hear an official reason why such a change was made other than, "It used to be that way back in the Jurassic Era".  (See my previous story)

Other gameplay issues aside, have arena numbers stabilized since the change?  Are there fewer wild swings in numbers between sides over the course of an evening?

[grizz441]

Other gameplay issues aside, have arena numbers stabilized since the change?  Are there fewer wild swings in numbers between sides over the course of an evening?

I haven't tallied the numbers but it does seem the Perk Multipliers are stable which would indicate that it is reasonably stable.

So if I used a mallet to crack walnuts would that be reasonable?  It got the job done yes?

[Dead Man Flying]

So if I used a mallet to crack walnuts would that be reasonable?  It got the job done yes?

You'll have to take that one up with HTC.  I'm just explaining the rationale for the change from 1 hour to 12 hours, which seems to have achieved its intended purpose.  Whether or not that change improves or degrades overall game play is another matter entirely.

[grizz441]

You'll have to take that one up with HTC.

Don't see that happening.

[Wiley]

I'm just explaining the rationale for the change from 1 hour to 12 hours, which seems to have achieved its intended purpose.

...was there an issue in the time it was 1 arena with 1 hour switch time?  I never noticed any more of an issue with mass side imbalances when it was set to 1 hour.  It looked to me like they just noticed the number was wrong and changed it back to what it was before because that's how it was before.

Wiley.

[JUGgler]

Other gameplay issues aside, have arena numbers stabilized since the change?  Are there fewer wild swings in numbers between sides over the course of an evening?

Quite honestly I have never seen "wide" swings in country #s. I have found if a country is low #s then it will be that way most of night until bedtime!
Just cause a country is "low #s" does not in anyway guarantee it is getting horded, in fact I've found it quite interesting how many times I see the "low # country" with the largest dar gangraping bases.

For me any imbalance in #s has always been quite insignificant and only on the rare occasion is it ever extreme.

For me this issue is a lack of choice for something I pay for. In no way do I mean that disparingly I mean it as a matter of fact. I don't think the 12 hour rule was enacted to balance countries as I've never seen major issues with balancing. If it was enacted to combat spying then it fails at that also for a miriad of reasons not least of which is, I could log in now as bish, find a cv or a mission then switch and do the "dirty deed". Now if I were in a squad prone to spying then as each squadie logs in then that dood could do the same thing and on and on and on. I understand that it use to be 12 hours but it hasn't been for quite a while now, so a new precidense and expectation has been set. I also believe the amount of folks who switch at any regular interval is quite small, now those folks may well be of a higher quality than average but the actual #s switching is quite small in comparison to those who do not!


My $.02, well I believe I have about $1.28 invested in this thread now  




JUGgler

[Delirium]

Other gameplay issues aside, have arena numbers stabilized since the change?  Are there fewer wild swings in numbers between sides over the course of an evening?

It is the same as was prior to the 12 hour change; as soon as they went to one arena, the massive difference in numbers stopped. Instead of logging on and playing in the arena with the fewest numbers, many went to where they had friends and support. So Bish would have an ENY penalty of 10+ in Orange while in Blue they were nonexistent and Knits or Rooks had the ENY penalty because of it.

Again, as soon as they went to one arena, the disproportionate numbers stopped, LONG before they started the 12 hour time change rule.

[Dead Man Flying]

Again, as soon as they went to one arena, the disproportionate numbers stopped, LONG before they started the 12 hour time change rule.

If this is true, then there is literally no rationale for the change.

[JUGgler]

If this is true, then there is literally no rationale for the change.

My guess for the change is the "squeeky wheel" concept. HT has probably recieved numerous e-mails complaining about side switchers, spyz and CV mishandling and zero e-mails from those folks who just go about their game evening with little concern for anything. The grease was then applied! 



JUGgler

[Wiley]

My guess for the change is the "squeeky wheel" concept. HT has probably recieved numerous e-mails complaining about side switchers, spyz and CV mishandling and zero e-mails from those folks who just go about their game evening with little concern for anything. The grease was then applied! 



JUGgler

I don't know about that.  It could just be as simple as that's how it was before, so they put it back to the way it was.  IMO they're pretty good about not caving to complaints unless there's some logic behind the complaints, and they're sharp enough to realize this wouldn't put a dent in a spiez operation in any way shape or form.  I hope they reconsider it in any case.

Wiley.

[Dead Man Flying]

My guess for the change is the "squeeky wheel" concept.

Alternatively, the statements that sides were balanced with little volatility are incorrect.  I'm not saying that you, Wiley, or Delirium are lying about your observations, just that your data are based on relatively small chunks of time that might paint a skewed picture about side balance.  Even an arena with wild oscillations in numbers has periods where all sides are equal.

The spy thing is kind of a red herring.  If players really want to spy, they're going to spy regardless of any restrictions made in-game to prevent it.  Eliminating cross-county communications just moves perpetrators to Ventrilo instead.  Particularly dedicated players can get around side switch limits by talking to friends from other countries and/or by creating two-week trial accounts used exclusively for spying.    Surely HTC knows this.

[Midway]

Alternatively, the statements that sides were balanced with little volatility are incorrect.  I'm not saying that you, Wiley, or Delirium are lying about your observations, just that your data are based on relatively small chunks of time that might paint a skewed picture about side balance.  Even an arena with wild oscillations in numbers has periods where all sides are equal.

The spy thing is kind of a red herring.  If players really want to spy, they're going to spy regardless of any restrictions made in-game to prevent it.  Eliminating cross-county communications just moves perpetrators to Ventrilo instead.  Particularly dedicated players can get around side switch limits by talking to friends from other countries and/or by creating two-week trial accounts used exclusively for spying.    Surely HTC knows this.

Leviathn, please get in your   and come flying.  

Please.  

...and speaking of FPHs.... Kazaa, where are you?   

[Shane]

If this is true, then there is literally no rationale for the change.

from my perspective: after going back to one LW arena, the numbers fluctuated fairly wildly as poepl found their bearings the first 1-3 weeks.  It has more or less stablized with each country being the larger number on at different times of the day.

just my subjective observation.

[Mayhem]

This is still a problem and since people are creating a ton of NMY threads I would just resurrect a Necro thread or two from days gone Enjoy