You guys were doing good deconstructing and analysing your monoliths for holes untill the resupply the strats personal wish part created a whizzing match.
Remember the current model protects all of the player's fun factor so they are free to do what ever, where ever, when ever. The counter to the unlimited action is each mini strategic object flashes a warning, anyone interested responds which generates imediate conflict over the object or just between players.
At any time a group of players can form a coalition to achieve goals up to capturing the prerequisite numbers of mini strategic objects from the opposing two countries to achive the maximum reward of winning the war. All of the capturable objects are the real strats because owning 20% of them from the two other countries is the Currency to win the war. If the "Strats" or the HQ really mattered other than as a bomber destination, they would be required Currency to winning the war.
For the new player obviously it's challenging and highly immersive for 1-3 years if they stay that long. Or untill the learning curve is run and they graduate to veteren player status. I suspect this audience has reached or exceded veteren status and so the source of the collective "bordom".
The game as is works very well allowing 3 countries to combat each other while protecting the player base from being denyed an equal ability to wage war at all times. HTC will probably never host and help direct these idea fests to change the game. You would be tinkering with their livelyhood while not being personaly exposed to any risk. That is absolutly unfair to HTC.
If you have to carry on this excercise year after year keep some basics in mind. They have become a bit obvious over the years.
1.) You cannot create a system by which a minority can deny the majority the equal ability to wage war at all times. That works well as the primary strategy for a 2 country death match style war game. With 3 countries you will create side imbalancing as players jump to other countries that still have the ability to wage war and then eventualy drive away customers. You cannot force players to stay in the inferior country and be abused, or goof and create a potential Catch-22 MAD condition.
2.) Keep it simple. Complex ideas are mental candy but, no one really wants to fly ww2 fighters to play chess.
3.) How will neophyts honestly respond to it? They are the future of the game. Are you adding to their drudgery of learning the game while feeding your imagination candy? Who are you really designing your game change for? 50 bored hardcore vets or an equal community of 500 paying players?
4.) How can it be gamed and abused. Spend alot of time working on debugging your masterpeice. Or the players will for you, then use it against you.
5.) What is the late night small numbers crowd going to do with your monster? Will you login to an unplayabel map primetime the next day? Wil they get bored becasue it's too much of a construct for so few?
6.) Is it really a good fit for this game? Your 50 bored cohorts will agree to anything that looks good in the off chance any kind of change will happen. Design by Committe often devolves into personality contests, compromises and lost focus over miniscule details down dead ends becasue everyone is a Chief.
I still think it's a better idea to let HTC do this becasue it will cost them if they are wrong. We'll just go find another game to fight over and reminisce about Aces High in the new game's forum like we do Air Warrior here.
