World of Aircraft...vs...Aces High...We need to WIN

[james]

IMO, explosions, fires and hit sprites should be the next focus for HTC as they are the most common thing we see when playing.

Fires looks like a candle.
Explosions are just 2D clouds of smoke and 4-5 yellow flashes.
Hit sprites has been the same since AH1. 

Again, add the option of switching between graphics settings. I'm no code expert so I do not know whether or not this is feasible, but its still a big wish for me.
The current game is great, but still have lots of room for improvement.

Here's to hoping 2012 will bring better/new changes.

have you downloaded and seen the beta of the next update? That's what's coming.

[guncrasher]

I think there's a significant difference between being a guest in "someones home" and being a paying customer in a business establishment. I for one think paying customers have every right to comment and even criticize the product/service they're paying for if they feel it is less than it should be. Maybe it's just me being too American.

in wot it's a 7 day automatic suspension to criticize a game or the people running the game or the mods.  threads get locked up faster than you can imagine.  here you are allowed to criticize and question but all they ask is to be respectful. 

I have switched from att to verizon back to att to whichever phone company when I have felt I did not get the service I paid for.  ah is not perfect but I feel I am getting my money's worth.  I may not be happy with everything but I look at what I get and If I didnt then I would've left a long time ago.

semp

[33Vortex]

Just curious... how many have computers 2 years or OLDER here?

I don't, for one

Well I built this PC in 2008, 3.0 GHz quad core intel chip, 2 x GTX280i SLI (2 GB gfx RAM together) 4 GB RAM on Vista Home Premium, 2 HDD a 1.36 TB + 931 GB disks. The bigger one of them is for FRAPS raw film data and currently I have ~730 GB of it from AH alone. My 30" display broke down a couple years ago and Samsung was unable to replace it for me despite it being a product warranty deal (don't buy Samsung). It had a nice 2560x1600 pixel resolution and since then I'm back on a standard 1920x1200 res which force the film FRAPsing and editing into some workarounds to get the 1280x720 renders. So I am looking at getting a new 30" (but not from Samsung!). Anyone have a recommendation on that btw? In addition to this one I have 3 more PC systems I've built which are all pre-2008 builds, plus a lot of parts.

My system is in no way representative of what the average AH customer uses today, yet it is from 2008 , so I don't see what your point is? Is this not testament enough that the typical AH customer does not care much at all about the gfx quality and visual effects? This sim, while it does attract some sqeakers with well developed john wayne and/or rambo habits who either grow up some and change their ways or leave the game, is obviously built by flying and air combat enthusiasts for flying and air combat enthusiasts. What graphics has to do with the core qualities of this game making it what it is, is beyond me.

That said, it is natural to expect a certain level of quality in regards to what technology is available. I see no reason to complain on HTC for a low gfx quality in their product, none at all. If the graphics quality is a really big issue to you, then by all means go ahead and cancel your subscription. Do not try to change the orange into an apple, go get an apple instead and save yourself the fruitless effort.

[Chilli]

Just curious... how many have computers 2 years or OLDER here?

I don't, for one

Well, I am guessing where you intended to go with that question.  Technology is obsolete by the time it gets to market ....  Heard that somewhere and although overstated, I am just as certain that a 2 year old computer out of a box ..... EH.... ain't gonna be all that impressive.  Especially for gamers and all the monsters that are being built just to handle the different tasks that challenge gaming systems.

Buy the best boxed item off the shelf and live in Arizona or Alabama during a heat storm, you might still have been better off to buy a better Air conditioner to keep it from overheating and shutting down or worse.

The problems that I hear described a lot, come from folks that bought stuff thinking okay now I should be able to run everything.     I am more like Lusche in that I would rather pick up something suitable real cheap and tweak the crap out of it.  That way when it breaks, I may come out of the basement looking like Grandpa Munster  with a fire extinguisher and hair smoking, but I am one step ahead on what not to do with the next one. 

Priority for my gaming enjoyment:

video monitor
graphics card
flight controls
sound device
system cooling
system motherboard
power supply

[Skuzzy]

Some people are so stuck in the "its the DX version that makes the graphics" that you will never understand what really drives great graphics.  Hint:  The DX version has nothing to do with it.

When I see someone using a pic of one of our oldest models in the game as a comparison to another game with the latest graphics, I have to shake my head a little.  Just FYI, all that does is make a person look like a whiner whose only agenda is to take a cheap shot at us.

Anyone believing that is a true representation of our game only need to download the current beta release and take a look at the Storch, as it represents the current generation of graphics the game will have.

[VonMessa]

I'm still wondering what it is that HTC is supposed to be "winning"...

[Skuzzy]

I'm still wondering what it is that HTC is supposed to be "winning"...

Well, seems every time a new flight game hits the market it is an "Aces High killer".  I remember when Targetware hit and we were "doomed", and then IL2 hit (along with several incarnations) and with each version, we were going to be "out of business".

There seems to be a never ending supply of people who want to proclaim Aces High is going to be killed by the next game.  They all come in here and talk about how we have screwed up so bad and how the next best thing is going to kill us.  They are happy to recite how we must change our business and are very willing to tell us what we need to do to stay in the game.  It is simply amazing how many people think they are experts in this field.

It is easy to sit back and act like you have all the answers, but when it becomes a matter of keeping a roof over your head and feeding your family, it takes on a different perspective.

Over the last 12 years, we have shown the industry we never rest on our laurels.  We challenge ourselves more than any other competitor could.  There is a passion at work here that is still alive and well.  One only has to look at how many times this game has been updated over the last 12 years to know that is true.

One of the most frustrating things to deal with are end users who measure the complexity and sophistication of a game by its graphics.  Anyone in the business knows great graphics is about artwork and a lot of it.  The underlying display code is trivial as compared to the amount of artwork needed.

A major cost, in our business, is the download size.  We have to be conscious of it.  End users are so used to just downloading whatever they want without worrying about that cost.  Who do you think pays for that?  We do.  There are other issues that go along with the size of the download, but those are irrelevant for the purposes here.  Resource management is what it ends up being about.  We could build a single airplane model that would swamp a 512MB video card.  How far would that take us?  You cannot make a slider which reduces the artwork for a model.  You would have to make different models to solve that one.

How many of those great looking cars are you going to see on a race track?  What is the actual view distance?  Again, resource management.  The fewer models you have in view and the less the distance, the more detail you can afford to add to them.

Personally, I have yet to find a game, with so many models, do what Aces High does, while keeping the entire game under 300MB.  I am not saying there are not any, but I have not found one.

[Masherbrum]

I do agree with you Skuzzy.   I guess some ultimately have no clue about the comparisons they make.   

Right now, I play World of Tanks.   But AH and it are not comparable, they fulfill different needs.  Some just like to beat down either game for the sake of making them sleep better at night I suppose.

[VonMessa]

Well, seems every time a new flight game hits the market it is an "Aces High killer".  I remember when Targetware hit and we were "doomed", and then IL2 hit (along with several incarnations) and with each version, we were going to be "out of business".

There seems to be a never ending supply of people who want to proclaim Aces High is going to be killed by the next game.  They all come in here and talk about how we have screwed up so bad and how the next best thing is going to kill us.  They are happy to recite how we must change our business and are very willing to tell us what we need to do to stay in the game.  It is simply amazing how many people think they are experts in this field.

It is easy to sit back and act like you have all the answers, but when it becomes a matter of keeping a roof over your head and feeding your family, it takes on a different perspective.

Over the last 12 years, we have shown the industry we never rest on our laurels.  We challenge ourselves more than any other competitor could.  There is a passion at work here that is still alive and well.  One only has to look at how many times this game has been updated over the last 12 years to know that is true.

One of the most frustrating things to deal with are end users who measure the complexity and sophistication of a game by its graphics.  Anyone in the business knows great graphics is about artwork and a lot of it.  The underlying display code is trivial as compared to the amount of artwork needed.

A major cost, in our business, is the download size.  We have to be conscious of it.  End users are so used to just downloading whatever they want without worrying about that cost.  Who do you think pays for that?  We do.  There are other issues that go along with the size of the download, but those are irrelevant for the purposes here.  Resource management is what it ends up being about.  We could build a single airplane model that would swamp a 512MB video card.  How far would that take us?  You cannot make a slider which reduces the artwork for a model.  You would have to make different models to solve that one.

How many of those great looking cars are you going to see on a race track?  What is the actual view distance?  Again, resource management.  The fewer models you have in view and the less the distance, the more detail you can afford to add to them.

Personally, I have yet to find a game, with so many models, do what Aces High does, while keeping the entire game under 300MB.  I am not saying there are not any, but I have not found one.

OK, confusion resolved.

Sounds like you have been winning for 12 years 

[mipoikel]

I do agree with you Skuzzy.   I guess some ultimately have no clue about the comparisons they make.   

Right now, I play World of Tanks.   But AH and it are not comparable, they fulfill different needs.  Some just like to beat down either game for the sake of making them sleep better at night I suppose.

I play too WOT, it is fun and looks nice. I've been also AH subscriber since tour 17 (or was it 18)  thats more than 10 years (huh). People often talk about "moving to another game from AH", I believe one can play several games, not just one. 

[SilverZ06]

When I see someone using a pic of one of our oldest models in the game as a comparison to another game with the latest graphics, I have to shake my head a little.  Just FYI, all that does is make a person look like a whiner whose only agenda is to take a cheap shot at us.

I don't believe it shows them as a whiner, I believe it shows how badly AH needs an update. You guys already have the flight model, update the planes. It shouldn't take 10 years to update planes. I would much prefer better cockpits to grass...

[Skuzzy]

I don't believe it shows them as a whiner, I believe it shows how badly AH needs an update. You guys already have the flight model, update the planes. It shouldn't take 10 years to update planes. I would much prefer better cockpits to grass...

When you have 80, or so models to update, and each one takes about 6 months to do and you are still adding new models and content and other updates in parallel,.....well, do the math.

On one hand you want better graphics, but then ding us for not updating the older models first before updating the graphics.  


A legitimate question and not a dig, but how many other games update the base game like we do?  I am talking complete graphic engine updates as well as art?  Or do they just come out with new versions/sequels and charge for the complete box again?  Just curious really.


I still call a person, who makes the conscious effort, to make our game look as bad as they can and place it next to a state of the art game and claim this is what we have, as being a whiner with no real goal other than to take a cheap shot.  All it does is wreck the credibility of the person making that comparison.  No one is ever motivated by that.

[Shuffler]

Just curious... how many have computers 2 years or OLDER here?

I don't, for one

I have 5 online none older than 2 years. I do have a Compaq Suitcase from 84/85

[Shuffler]

Well, seems every time a new flight game hits the market it is an "Aces High killer".  I remember when Targetware hit and we were "doomed", and then IL2 hit (along with several incarnations) and with each version, we were going to be "out of business".

There seems to be a never ending supply of people who want to proclaim Aces High is going to be killed by the next game.  They all come in here and talk about how we have screwed up so bad and how the next best thing is going to kill us.  They are happy to recite how we must change our business and are very willing to tell us what we need to do to stay in the game.  It is simply amazing how many people think they are experts in this field.

It is easy to sit back and act like you have all the answers, but when it becomes a matter of keeping a roof over your head and feeding your family, it takes on a different perspective.

Over the last 12 years, we have shown the industry we never rest on our laurels.  We challenge ourselves more than any other competitor could.  There is a passion at work here that is still alive and well.  One only has to look at how many times this game has been updated over the last 12 years to know that is true.

One of the most frustrating things to deal with are end users who measure the complexity and sophistication of a game by its graphics.  Anyone in the business knows great graphics is about artwork and a lot of it.  The underlying display code is trivial as compared to the amount of artwork needed.

A major cost, in our business, is the download size.  We have to be conscious of it.  End users are so used to just downloading whatever they want without worrying about that cost.  Who do you think pays for that?  We do.  There are other issues that go along with the size of the download, but those are irrelevant for the purposes here.  Resource management is what it ends up being about.  We could build a single airplane model that would swamp a 512MB video card.  How far would that take us?  You cannot make a slider which reduces the artwork for a model.  You would have to make different models to solve that one.

How many of those great looking cars are you going to see on a race track?  What is the actual view distance?  Again, resource management.  The fewer models you have in view and the less the distance, the more detail you can afford to add to them.

Personally, I have yet to find a game, with so many models, do what Aces High does, while keeping the entire game under 300MB.  I am not saying there are not any, but I have not found one.

This is where the rubber hits the road.

[/thread] ==

[33Vortex]

I'm just waiting for someone to claim that "World of Warcraft is a threat to Aces High, we need a update now!".