Countries out of balance

[texasfighter]

As you all know, in the Late War Arena, over the last year (I'm told its actually longer than that), the Knights have been outnumbered by the Bish and the Rooks. AH wont release stats on map wins but we all know that the Bish and Rooks get almost all of the map wins. And yes I know that the Knights won one map this week (Tues morning I think), but that was one of the rare wins. Many good players over the last year have left the Knights out of frustration over this and gone to one of the other teams.

Granted the Rooks have better base taking coordination and strategy. The Bish horde. I'll avoid for this discussion the sportsmanship aspect of the horde for several reasons but primarily because it's just part of the game as the game exists. Just before I started this discussion, the Bish were taking down the Knights strats because they took a nearby base and they are launching waves of B17s with escort to level our strats. Although I hate it; its effective strategy.

I believe the LWA game benefits from balance. I also believe firmly that the ENY system doesn't do much to stop the in-balance. The Bish outnumbered the Knights just now by about 20 players but they still had a 262 and P51s as escorts. ENY is not stopping the out of balance condition.

Something needs to be done to bring the Knights back up to equal or close to equal contention with the Bish and Rooks. If not, just make it a two country game. Of course the problem with that is that most Knights will join the Rooks and then the Bish will be dominated.

I am well aware that there are many good Knight pilots who don't care about the map wins. They want to furball and have fun. That's fine because I am sure there are players just like that on the Rooks side and the Bish side.

The only idea I have to help address the Knights lack of good strategic play and low numbers is to have a website or forum devoted to the Knights. This would certainly help me as I do not fully understand all of the strategic issues.  I am open to other ideas as well.

[jd]

Granted the Rooks have better base taking coordination and strategy.

 

I could continue but you get what I mean.

[Karnak]

I'd like ENY effects to happen faster than they do.  Not sure it would affect numbers, but at least it would be noticeable.

[cobia38]

 On avarage it takes 5 bish or 4 rooks to kill 1 Knight,so the numbers a fine,we like a target rich enviroment  

[Triton28]

Numbers do make a difference for sure, but having been a Rook for a year and then flying Knight the last tour or so, I can tell you there isn't much of a concerted effort to "roll bases" on the Knight side that I've seen.  That's generally the goal of the mission planner types for Rooks... just keep steamrolling bases.  For Knights it seems, they will take a base or two and just kinda hold the front.

Makes no difference to me.  Base taking and rolling bases can be fun but I'd rather fight.   

[caldera]

Oh those poor, poor Nits.  If only they could horde like the others...



That 1 green guy must be a mean old picker too.

[kvuo75]

As you all know, in the Late War Arena, over the last year (I'm told its actually longer than that), the Knights have been outnumbered by the Bish and the Rooks.

 


what time of day?

certainly not during prime time (8-11 pm eastern)

during prime time, bishops are severely outnumbered by both other sides.

[Letalis]

Yes, it is frustrating that Knights get rolled over so much, even if you're generally a furballer like me and only care a moderate amount about the greater war.  I've looked at this very issue within the last month.  The numbers issue is variable throughout a given day.  The Knights do not have substantially different fluctuations wrt numerical odds than the other countries.  I will say that of the three countries, there could be slightly more willingness to gang Knights since A. they prefer furballs and furballs don't go with hording B. They are less likely to take back what is taken.  However this is always countered in the end since any country seeking to win the war must hit both its opponents.  

The biggest issue for Knights is lack of coordination which really comes from a lack of will for coordination.  When I looked at this last month I noticed that 8 of the top 13 fighter scores at that time were held by Knight players along with 22 of the top 50 overall. (Haven't checked this month)  There was a similar trend in attack (don't remember the specific #s though). However when it came to bombing, Knights represented about 1/3 of the top.  My take is that the Knights prefer the furball to the war and they're disproportionally good at it.  In fact, some players realize that the war often times counters personal goals.  (Kill the dar or drop my ord here and kill those low bombers?)  

I like winning, I like coordination.  From a philosophical perspective I am very much Rook, but my squad is knight and doggone it, it's fun.  You have to be on for 2-3 hours to see any significant swing in the war and many of us simply don't have the chunk of time required to glean that satisfaction.      
  

[BaldEagl]

I've been a Bish forever and I've seen both Knights and Rooks hording equally.  Every single time I log on I have the chance to go fight against a horde.  Every single time.  

In fact I often log back off when my only choices are to fight against one or to join one and this is what many longer term players see as the degradation of the game.

If Knights have so many more top fighter pilots it's most likely because they make sure they have numerical superiority in a furball.

[Getback]

It's the Knights that drive people away and not the hording done by the other countries. Countless times I've begged and pleaded for help none came. Oh maybe a guy jumped in a manned gun but that is about it. I use to make excuses for them for the longest time. Not any more. I'm trying to get my C.O. to go Rooks. He won't do it but I'm loyal to the guy.

I'm not sure about Bish but I flew Rooks for a while and had a great time. They will up under a capped base and duke it out. Just the way the knights used to. Not sure what happened there. I've been wanting to check how many Knights are in the air at any given time. My guess is most are sitting in manned guns or tanks. If that is what they prefer so be it.

For the record Rooks don't run that many missions. What happens, and you can see it if you pay attention, is that Knights appear apathetic. First a couple of Rooks up off a CV and no one defends. Then more up and no one defends. In a few minutes you have a horde of rooks upping to take the base. This happened at 36 the other day. The Vbase by HQ. One guy called for help for over an hour and only a couple came. Finally when a full herd of Knights showed many were not interested in taking the base. They wanted to farm the kills. Again if that's what they want to do so be it. Even with all those planes there bombing the GVs still a couple of GVs made it to the strats. Then they didn't want to capture it. Go figure.

Having said all of that I took a screen shot of a map earlier this week. What it showed was every Rook and every bish but maybe 2, one rook and one bish fighting the knights. I think that was on Tuesday. You're not going to beat those odds. It was the worst case of hording I have seen a very long time.

One thing becomes clear if you go Rooks. When Knights put together a mission it's not to take a base. It's to set up vulching. Many come into the base with no ordinance. It's a Joke among the Rooks.

I could go on but that is plenty if not too much.

[Karnak]

On avarage it takes 5 bish or 4 rooks to kill 1 Knight,so the numbers a fine,we like a target rich enviroment  

'Twasn't the case when records were kept, don't think it has changed since.  Back when you could look up country vs country kill/death it always went Rooks, Knights, Bishops.  Rooks always (literally) had a positive K/D ratio against Knights and Bishops and Knights always (also literally) always had a positive K/DF ratio against Bishops.

For some reason HTC stopped publishing that data.... 

[zack1234]

 

I could not care less about winning the map

This is the beauty of AH, if you don't want to take part in a certain aspect of it, ie GV's,Score or as you have stated Winning the map it will not affect what you want to do in game:)

Imagine if AH required you to fulfill every aspect of the game to play it

We have heard this before individuals not happy with game and wanting to change it because they assume other players think the same.

I have issues about game ie New Planes that in my opinion are poo!, guess what i am not forced to fly them

The new clouds in games are Awesome and we need more of them, oh dear we can't because some peoples PC's are poo

[Zacherof]

Sometimes it seems like only jayro can snap the knights halfway to attention, only to hvw the biggest dweeb drop troops NOE on the concept of hordes, all you need is 5 262's a set of balls and presto! 6kills atleast and a
busted horde.( or people can pork, tis cheaper) and your the número UNO awesome peep!

[Flench]

On avarage it takes 5 bish or 4 rooks to kill 1 Knight,so the numbers a fine,we like a target rich enviroment 

Because the Muppets are flying Knights right now or what every country has the low number's .

[FLOOB]

Knights are scrappers. Knights like to fight which is why they are generally always on defense, because that's where the hardest fight is. Whereas the bishops and rooks have a larger portion of their population doing offensive stuff. The Knights are probably the hardest to take a base from. But defense doesn't win the war, it just prolongs defeat, which is why the knights rarely win the war.