Free (non account player) access to server driven missions

[Tilt]

The idea is to use a recruiting/marketing campaign to balance the arena.

1) establish server driven missions in the arena. They would be clever missions I will not go into detail other than they may launch form the country with the highest ENY handicap or they could be really clever and interact in some other way. The principle would be game balancing so they might even target strat against the country with the lowest ENY handicap. They may air spawn to shorten the time to target yet not to give the mission a massive ingress advantage. They may even contain AI (bombers?). But could just be fighter sweeps.
2)allow  non account holders free access to these missons (and only these missions) but limited to AC of higher ENY beyond #?.
3)diverting off mission by any great distance ends the mission (to avoid free melee access to non account holders)
4) missions may or may not have corresponding missions set from the other country (by the server)


HTC has developed server driven missions for CT
HTC has developed AI for CT
We would like more players?
We would like some combat orientated balancing of game play
We would like it against real people as much as possible.

New players may want instant gratification and access to action.
New players may benefit from more than two weeks in the arena environment before making up their mind.
New players may want those higher ENY aircraft and sign up for an account

Account player may sign up for these missions too
The arena players can interact by joining ad hoc (flying to) or intercepting etc etc

We open the game to folk who want to be "organised" and who do not want to have to search for a fight.

So how might it work? Just one approach.

Access is through the Lobby. (out side thre arenas)

Missions are routinely set and players sign up in the lobby.

Account holders get the options for lower ENY AC  non account holders are restricted to high ENY AC. Some AC would never be used in missions (Perked and a few others)

Missions may have corresponding missions coursed to intercept them.

They are counted down and launched some times with AI padding if its not more than a critical %.

Players country switching limitations is not relevent  to missions. Some data (CV locations, dar bars, dar dots etc) may be invisible to these missions (to stop use as a spying tool)

[gyrene81]

i just don't see htc making such modifications and changes because none of that would "balance the arena". i bet the whole arena balance thing kept you awake all night. you been here long enough you should know that whatever logic pops into your head in some momentary flash of perceived brilliance, further reflection will show it to be erroneous.

[Tilt]

i just don't see htc making such modifications and changes because none of that would "balance the arena".

Actually it was more of a method of integrating mission stuff with general arena game play that would attract a different type of player who could test it FOC.

The gameplay balance would only be limited and local but never the less a contribution toward balance if modelled appropriately.

HTC's motivation would not be gameplay balance it would be more accounts.............

[Chilli]

SNIP....
HTC's motivation would not be gameplay balance it would be more accounts.............

If I am reading you correctly, it seems that you are asking for Custom Arenas to be available to those without subscriptions.  In addition, you would like to see the option for custom arenas to add AI.

This indeed would be the old H2H on steroids.  The additon of the AI, would most likely have to be mission driven.  The missions would have to launch at intervals that would consider reasonable time to encounter mission objectives and also return to base. 

Yes, I believe this would be popular with non subscription players.  Although, I would really like to see something like this, I am afraid that the drive for most subscribers has been getting their names in lights, more so than getting perks.  Giving them viable targets to shoot at that move and shoot back, is something the WW1 arena could use. 

As far as more accounts, maybe as a source of additional revenue, there could be another subscription priced lower for this feature alone.  Buy a boxed version and get 2-6 months free.  A full subscription, has access for 1-?? months beyond their full subscription.

[chris3]

moin

its a nice idee.
i would do it like that
after your 2 week free you still get acces to the main arena but you are not able to see airfilds or dots on the clipbord and you are not able to loanch aircrafts of vehicles (oh maybe vehicles) only in missions.
maybe Htc loanch every 2 houers a nice attack or bombraid mission with escorts. the guys can see the rout and the target on the clipbort but nothing more.

we will see more nice buff raids 

cu christian