Question for HTC: any plans to upgrade the WWI arena?

[bustr]

The super fokker may well be a super aircraft for us in our virtual world if you look back on Voss's last fight against 6 Se5. The Se5 in modern terms were the better performing aircraft. But, I've been in late night fights where a single Bf109E shot up 6 of us in ponies, spits and F4U killing 2 with 4 of us smoking before his engine stalled out and we killed him. The Dr1 versus D7 came to mind as my smoking Merlin made it clear ponis with 2 notches of flaps are no match for an Emil.

Regardless of that, a few more aircraft would appeal to human nature. When given a variety of divergent reasonably competitive choices we find suddenly more people feel some kinship to those differences. Especialy with the number of historic prejudices for famous WW1 rides. In all honesty the addition of more rides will attract more players initialy to check them out. But, over the long term may only double the current following of regulars in that arena.

I suspect a Koren War arena will have the same loyal but, small type of following. Given the nature of our players the Mig and F86 will dominate everything and be flown 99% of the time becasue very few people like to feed themselves to someone in an obviously outmatching ride to their own.

At least adding more rides to the WW1 arena would see the effort involved in their creation be appreciated due to being relatively matched. Very few players will be attracted to facing a Mig or F86 in a P80, P51, F7, F4u5, Hawker Sea Fury or F.8 Meteor. Even a Viet Nam arena would be dominated by the F4 and Mig21.

Variety and the real chance of success go hand in hand in any competitve environment like our game. Using that as a benchmark I can see a two plane mini jet arena for Korea and Viet Nam. But, WW1 has expansion possibilities based on the numbers of players attracted to the stick and rudder type of combat in the MA. Even another WW1 map or modify the current with three 5k feilds to give a more premeditated verticle element to the average fighting style currently employed. WW1 patrols were not flown in the bushes like we bush whack in the WW1 arena. The Dr1 is less dangerous if you have space under you to manuver. The bush whacking right now favors the Dr1. While waiting to get up to 5k is a snore and the bush whacking is closer and faster to get in the action.

The Dr1 is not an uber plane. We is just impatient to jerk our sticks in those put put rides and fly to it's strengths......

[Rich46yo]

I was in Rise Of Flight last night and the crwod for a Sat. night was pathetic. This, in such a capable and feature laden WWl flight game. Even their TS server had like 3 people on it. With the available servers, the ones with a decent ping, I had very few aircraft available because while I had purchased a fair amount of extra theres a whole lot I havnt bought. The quandry being why buy into a dieing flight genre / how to enjoy a flight genre without a decent amount of available server airframes?

Anyway my point being the flight genre is hurting and the WWl genre in particular is about dead. I dont see how AH could justify putting more into WWl when its goose eggs everytime I look at the arena. You have to wonder where in heck are all the flight sim enthusiasts of yesteryear?

[titanic3]

RoF singleplayer > online.

[Midway]

I like this arena a lot and the ww1 planes offer about as much turn and burn as quickly as possible. it is the first place I look when I want to dogfight in a place where no ones first thought is to run away or join a horde. the general attitude of the small following is they want to dogfight and most prefer to 1v1 or 2v2. switching to balance the sides is also pretty standard in there.

but when the population hits 0 theres nothing to do while waiting for a fight to start and numbers to build.

it lacks the depth and the total war aspect of the MA with no ground war or bombing or capture mechanics.

the general view of the players is the arena was a proof of concept that has been abandoned when it wasn't able to attract a steady 24/7 crowd.

Is there any plans to develop this arena that can be shared?

it dosn't even have to be somthing you have planned. resources are alocated to give the most bang for the buck we all understand that and know the late War MA is the prime zone of the game.

but what would you like to see happen with the ww1 arena in the long run in the most general sense of what would increase its fun factor? new game mechanics? more planes? ground vehicles? blimps, balloons? capture mechanics or strat? etc.

Agreed.  WWI is fun if you take the time to learn it.  I almost gave up on it... but Fester, after saying he understood me quiting because most people quit WWI after a few tries, prompted me to keep at it.  The more I fly the DR1, the better I got and it became much fun.

I visited it again the next day and nobody was there to fight.  If we had more incentive for people to try it and stay with it, it's a great break from the normal LWA fighters.

[bustr]

I was in Rise Of Flight last night and the crwod for a Sat. night was pathetic. This, in such a capable and feature laden WWl flight game. Even their TS server had like 3 people on it. With the available servers, the ones with a decent ping, I had very few aircraft available because while I had purchased a fair amount of extra theres a whole lot I havnt bought. The quandry being why buy into a dieing flight genre / how to enjoy a flight genre without a decent amount of available server airframes?

Anyway my point being the flight genre is hurting and the WWl genre in particular is about dead. I dont see how AH could justify putting more into WWl when its goose eggs everytime I look at the arena. You have to wonder where in heck are all the flight sim enthusiasts of yesteryear?

RoF is not AH nor has the active and long time resource of AH's constantly playing player base. You cannot compaire the two business models in this way. As a consumer you only have a consumers perspective which results in trying to compair Electric Eels to Sealions as zoo attractions.

Most AH players in the face of the rinse and repeat pure offering of stick and rudder in the AH WW1 arena, are not wired to enjoy it.

It too quickly reveals your weakneses in piloting skill and ability to or not rapidly learn from your mistakes. You don't have the luxury to run away for a breather like WW2 rides give you. And the hot sticks in the WW1 arena are absolutly merceless about sticking your nose in the dirt for the slightest mistake becasue of the short distance meat grinder aspect of AH WW1 air combat on the deck.

(Fester, maybe a new WW1 map with 3 5k bases to get the fight out of the grass....you could probably update the current one for a start.)

Given a few more alternatives to entertain themselves in that arena, player numbers of the current following would probably expand some. It may never challege the MA numbers but, on occasion be its own equal to the AvA and DA lake if a few more toys and functions were available. Not a whole universe of WW1 like the MA is with WW2 toys. Just toys and functions offered in balance to the expected numbers to play with them. Too many toys for small numbers is as bad as poorly chosen toys to offered that fail to entertain them. (Try keeping 5 house only cats entertained day to day. Not much difference in fun motivation for cats or AH players. Ever try herding AH players........)

HTC is in a better position to make a balanced offering to a long established community versus RoF had to bet the farm out the door becasue WW1 is all it is for them. The advertised only WW1 and so their universe is all WW1. It's obvious how many customers have ever demanded a WW1 flight sim at any one time. Though in AW I do remember one evening spent in a 30 plane epic WW1 furball for 2 hours with my squad. AW had a nice offering of rides at that wayback time in PC gaming history along with a slightly more interesting map.

I could just be remembering castor oil fumes......

[Yeager]

This thing was hashed out, placed in a shallow grave and buried a few years back.  Let it go fester.

[Citabria]

well ww1 arena is my first stop when i log in if I see anyone flying in it. I even log in to it and wait a bit to see if anyone else sees it populated and takes interest.

the one glaring problem with the arena is it has no downtime play mechanics that can keep you occupied while you wait for the arena to populate.

your only option is to wait for the fight to get the arena running.

[Midway]

well ww1 arena is my first stop when i log in if I see anyone flying in it. I even log in to it and wait a bit to see if anyone else sees it populated and takes interest.

the one glaring problem with the arena is it has no downtime play mechanics that can keep you occupied while you wait for the arena to populate.

your only option is to wait for the fight to get the arena running.

PM me when you are there & lonely, I'll bail and fight, if I'm not about to log.  WWI = fun.

[pervert]

Had a good time flying there last night was nice to see 10+ in the room already! 

I vote for balloon busting as something to do when no ones there, make them heavily defended by ground fire and get them to start winching down as soon as your in visual range, also add points if you machine gun the observer in his parachute! 

[SmokinLoon]

I will admit that I have not spent enough time in the WWI arena, but hopping in to a Camel and seeing but the WWI equivalent of the Spitfire 16 gets old real quick.   

[pervert]

I will admit that I have not spent enough time in the WWI arena, but hopping in to a Camel and seeing but the WWI equivalent of the Spitfire 16 gets old real quick.   

I started flying the camel because it was the hardest to fly, but it can still compete with a Dr1 even in a flat turn it is only slightly better, turning to the left the camel is actually easier to control than the Dr1 in fact, any maneuver that is affected by gyro the Dr1 is at a slight disadvantage .

But yes the better sticks should ditch the Dr1 to let the newer guys fly the Dr1.

[pervert]

And it would be nice to hear htcs views on this! Nudge nudge 2 years !!

[bustr]

Dr1 is the king of BushWhacking, Lawn Care and Tree Topping.

Once you get in the grass with no real virtical component the Dr1 has you by attrition or by the Camel not having enough basement to recover when it stalls you into the grass. The D7 gets boring BnZing Dr1's and most eventualy wind up in the grass fighting to the Dr1's virtues. If you keep your D7 high long enough, someone always comes higher in a Dr1 to BnZ you. If you come along higher later in your D7 the Dr1 will run for the deck or try to succer you into a turn fight with too much E diving while he spiral turns away and up behind you.

The Dr1 is the defacto Super plane and the WW1 arena gets boring from it, and so many bad reviews becasue of it. Eventualy if you want a chance to succeed you fly a Dr1 and become a master gardener and arborist. This is why I suggested 5k feilds to start everyone with some basement manuvering room before the inevitable bush pruning gymnastics. The WW1 arena operates like the DA furball lake. At least update the WW1 arena with some higher airfeilds since no one is takeing pot shots with MG's, enfeilds, mausers, pistolas and chamber pots while the planes are manacuring the trees.

In WW1 no one flew patrols in the bushes. Biplanes were so slow everyone with a slingshot to a chamber pot could accidentaly hit you and patrols were first trying to kill scout and artillery spotter planes with cameras while second defending against any escorts. Patrols were not flown in the grass.

[Noir]

Spad VII 

[Citabria]

Dr1 is the king of BushWhacking, Lawn Care and Tree Topping.

Once you get in the grass with no real virtical component the Dr1 has you by attrition or by the Camel not having enough basement to recover when it stalls you into the grass. The D7 gets boring BnZing Dr1's and most eventualy wind up in the grass fighting to the Dr1's virtues. If you keep your D7 high long enough, someone always comes higher in a Dr1 to BnZ you. If you come along higher later in your D7 the Dr1 will run for the deck or try to succer you into a turn fight with too much E diving while he spiral turns away and up behind you.

The Dr1 is the defacto Super plane and the WW1 arena gets boring from it, and so many bad reviews becasue of it. Eventualy if you want a chance to succeed you fly a Dr1 and become a master gardener and arborist. This is why I suggested 5k feilds to start everyone with some basement manuvering room before the inevitable bush pruning gymnastics. The WW1 arena operates like the DA furball lake. At least update the WW1 arena with some higher airfeilds since no one is takeing pot shots with MG's, enfeilds, mausers, pistolas and chamber pots while the planes are manacuring the trees.......

Bustr ENTIRE ww1 record (all tours since ww1 tour 1)

last sortie in ww1 arena? over a year and half ago bustr and your waxing on with your typical blatent uninformed BS about what ww1 arena needs when you don't even bother to play it.

ww1 tour 8 10/2010: 2 kills and 2 deaths in DR1. 27 minutes

ww1 tour 3 05/2010 7 kills 11 deaths in dr1 and f1  1 hour 34 minutes

ww1 tour 2 04/2010 60 kills 37 deaths in D7 and Dr1. 7 hours 48 minutes

ww1 tour 1 03/2010 251 kills 159 deaths in mosty Dr1 and some in d7 and f1. 35 hours 50 minutes

why did i bother too look? I started playing AH again in march of this year after a long break. and I have been enjoying the ww1 arena ever since I came back (ww1 tour25-ww1 tour29). and NOT ONCE have I seen you in there bustr. not once.

next time youve got a long winded pile of BS to unload go take a long restroom break and bring a magazine instead of your laptop.