Okay Fugitive,
I have been a bit cranky, so forgive me. Anything that discourages players to the point they log off, decreases the potential game play options. Also, I suggest that you post a few missions via mission planner to understand the dilemma better. Post a mission that does not include a popular plane and good luck finding more than a couple good ole buds, if anyone at all, to join.
The way that ENY changes behind the scenes without any indication of when or how much, (unless you are constantly monitoring country status), many missions have launched only to find that only the goons and a couple of bombers were able to spawn on the runway, the rest receive the ENY jack in the box. This happens quite often with veteran mission planners and is not what it was intended to do.
This has nothing to do with ENY, but it has everything to do with the type of players we have today.
Todays player only wants the biggest and baddest so that they can roll over bases as quick as possible with the least amount of effort involved. They log because they haven't a clue how to fly the "lesser" planes. They log because they haven't a clue how to create a mission that involves tactics, not just an overwhelming force.
I agree with Karnak, I think more people log off due to the imbalances as well as seeing the same old horde running around the maps.
As for running missions, very few know what they are doing. All most of them know is to launch with as many late war monsters as you can, run NOE across any water they can find and hit a base nobody is at. Personally I love to see far more information be available for mission planners, and I'd like to see them use it.
1) a ready room/ planning room. Mission leader goes in and has 2 maps on the wall. One map is the active world map showing all dar info. Second map is the mission planner map. Planner can lay out waypoints for different wings with short notes on objective for each wing. In a center panel, ENY numbers, base count, population count, and base capture system announcements updated each minute.
2) ready room text/vox is a separate channel no outside text or vox. everyone that's wants in on the mission has to request entrance and be allowed in. Once mission numbers are met, a message will pop up that" the mission is full, please join another". With a separate text/vox channel assignments would be easier to get out, and everyone would know their objective/assignment before they left the ground....no more playing 20 questions as you fly to the target.
3) a data display on the kneeboard of the mission leader. As each wings mission is accomplished ....:ie FH down.... a check appears before it on the board so the leader can have up to date info on how the attack is going and better control what he/she needs where.
The problem is half of this stuff can be done now and nobody bothers. Why? Because most don't know how to get/use the info that is available. Next, to many players don't have the patients to do the research, compile the info, and put it together. On top of that, the followers can't be bothered with learning how/what they have to do to accomplish their objectives.
Todays game has become like every FPS out there. Spawn, kill as many as you can, die, REPEAT. We spawn, bomb the town repeatedly dieing often until someone gets enough troops in for the capture, then REPEAT someplace else. Even if we are given the "tools" most won't bother to use them.
