The status quo IS hurting the game as we have less options now than we did before. The big city is a loser and it hurts the game. What is really bad is any new player coming to the game really has NOTHING, including help. Sure, this will probably get a severe backlash, but it's true. As a whole, the AH community is very negative towards new players, offering verbal abuse and hard times rather than help. I'm sure that statement will bring a bunch of stories out to counter me here by do-gooders , fire away. Just watching country chat in the game one night, any night, shows just what I am saying.
At least with the old strat system a new player could sort of get his feet wet and have a little fun at the same time, attacking some static target, gaining a few perks in the process, learning the flight system and how the MA works. As Krusty mentioned, it takes too long to run a mission to the big cities with bombers; and forget making an attack run with some ground attack plane on the cities. And how is a new player able to comprehend that kind of attack anyway, especially when they aren't even sure if their flaps are up or down. Attack an airfield you say? How is a new player supposed to understand that one (to make a successful run that is)? Moreover, whats the point anyway as there is really nothing to gain; fraction of a perk maybe, high chance of death for a new player, doesn't hurt the field enough to make a regional difference anyway.
Worthless system and the game is paying for it on many levels. I don't need the numbers on paper to tell me there are fewer players in the game.....just log in! Obvious that there are less and less playing these days and with nothing to capture newer players this is just a slow death.
