Axis v Allies Arena combined with AI

[Arlo]

I still think this would have a very fundamental affect, regarding:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,347308.0.html

 

[jimson]

This all hinges on the development of the staged mission system for CM run arenas.

The SEA wants it too.

If we could run a series of stacked missions and counter missions that kick off every hour or half hour, players could join, replacing an AI slot so we could have huge escorted bomber missions and counter intercept missions.

Most players would take up the fighter slots first and most of the bombers would be AI. It would be a great thing to focus the battles at altitude.

We would like to have the ability to run them along side and not instead of the regular free play that goes on in there.

There would always be something going on in there and I imagine people would pop in just for some gunnery practice. There would be a fog of war uncertainty where you would never know if you were about to battle a bot or if a real player had shown up.

Kind of like in real life if you didn't know whether you were going up against a green replacement enemy pilot or an ace.


We are just waiting to see when and if this ability comes to pass for us.

[Zoney]

No.

I don't want to fight AI.  There are thousands of offline games for that.  I like going up against another person, who may or may not be skilled, may or may not use their aircraft as well as possible, may or may not see me coming, may or may not make logical decisions.

Thank you.

[Gman]

Which is why the main arena would still be around.  As it stands now, NOBODY plays in the AvA arena, I've seen 15 in there at a time as a maximum, I think I may have even seen 20 once since its inception, other than a really special event or Jet week, and even then the numbers are a fraction of a fraction of the MA's.  I'm not talking about a game wide change, just ONE arena, and a specific one, as it has the element of being scenario/period based.

And there aren't thousands of games that do this, only a few in the last 5 years, as in count on one hand, that have swarms of WW2 aircraft in formation flying about.  And NONE of them have a multiplayer component like what I'm suggesting, a merging of Massively multiplayer with large scale single player dynamic campaign type of gaming.  And none of these current games have a constant server running 24/7 that would allow players to just jump in whenever they like at the click of a button like the servers at HTC.

[Arlo]

No.

I don't want to fight AI.  There are thousands of offline games for that.  I like going up against another person, who may or may not be skilled, may or may not use their aircraft as well as possible, may or may not see me coming, may or may not make logical decisions.

Thank you.

Too late. AI is already in the game, from bases and fleets to drunks to drones. Making the AI role more complex is another issue.

[jimson]

No.

I don't want to fight AI.  There are thousands of offline games for that.  I like going up against another person, who may or may not be skilled, may or may not use their aircraft as well as possible, may or may not see me coming, may or may not make logical decisions.

Thank you.

If we get it, we are going to use it. Players being able to take over AI slots is going to ensure that at any time you could run into a real human.

Who cares if the bombers are AI? they will fly a better formation pattern.

[Zoney]

If we get it, we are going to use it. Players being able to take over AI slots is going to ensure that at any time you could run into a real human.

Who cares if the bombers are AI? they will fly a better formation pattern.

I care.  The OP's post seems to be a request to make the lack of patience of some to fly to a fight and spend the time doing so obsolete.  There is plenty of instant action in the MA.  Just up from a base being attacked.  Oh, wait, you don't want to do that because you would then be at a disadvantage?  Then take off one base away and fly there.  Oh, wait you don't want to spend the time doing that? 

I also hear constantly folks saying, "I would fly there more if more people flew there".  If those who lamented that observation would just go there then there would be more people there to fight.

[jimson]

I also hear constantly folks saying, "I would fly there more if more people flew there".  If those who lamented that observation would just go there then there would be more people there to fight.

That's the whole problem, and that's why I think with staged missions we will get more humans in too.

I don't think of it as replacing real players but augmenting. Bigger, more realistic formations etc.

Always something going on in the arena and still people can come in and furball. This will be a welcome addition.

PS: We have a lot of creative talent just on staff. Me, USRanger (technically with CM terrain team but he works with us too.) Soda and now jaeger is dabbling a little in content creation, not to mention friends of the arena who make things for us.

We get this, and you won't believe your eyes when you see what we put together.

[Butcher]

Karnak what does the plane list have to do with the allies winning? Nothing. If its setup how it should be, there is an equal chance for victory on either side.
The allies have to survive until early 1943 - which is pretty tough to do since the Axis were dominating on every theater, however the allies of course by pure manpower take 43-45.
If its setup the way it should be, there is a decisive victory, marginal victory, win loss and decisive loss.
If you break it down with a margin of error of 5% the chances of someone getting a decisive victory would be very tough, given for one thing - you don't start out with P-51Ds or Me-262s.

I would like a campaign type setup - something like what Il-2 sturmovik has, you start out as a lowbie pilot, you build rank and medals, after so many "months" at a squadron you can transfer.

For example if I wanted to choose to be a Red Army pilot in 1942 defending Leningrad, I would face the Finnish/Germans for a series of scenarios like our FSO has - you do defensive missions, fighter sweeps and intercepts etc.

Score would be same as it is already, once a month it resets however your "online dossier" never disappears, showing your overall ranks/medals etc (achievement system we have).

I think it could be easily do able.

[jimson]

I would like a campaign type setup - something like what Il-2 sturmovik has, you start out as a lowbie pilot, you build rank and medals, after so many "months" at a squadron you can transfer.

I would like to have something similar, but it probably couldn't be done quite like this in AvA. We have no logging program, so the only way to get stats would be monthly and we couldn't run the same scenario for a month.  

If the mission system had some sort of logging/scoring itself, we could do it. A player might have a character for each theater and then could fly the missions whenever that theater was in the AvA.

A couple of us were once working on a system where a player would have a randomly generated character and if killed or captured, would become a replacement pilot with a new character.

There was a lot to figure out. Would a character have a certain number of life's or just one? etc

With the staged mission system and some sort of logging it would be possible.

It could possibly be done as an addition to AvA without affecting the traditional play that happens there, but if HTC ever wants to revisit Combat Tour, they would probably set up an arena just for that.

If not, maybe we could someday do Combat Tour lite.

This was dreamed up before the staged mission system was ever on the horizon

BROKEN SKIES

This event will have a character role playing aspect.

Each player will start with a randomly generated character. This character will have a name, hometown etc.



The character will have only one life, if lost or captured, the player will recieve a new identity as a replacement pilot.

The player will advance in rank based on a point system that will recognize individual successes as well as missions participated in and completed.

Players will also be eligible for awards and commendations based on this point system.

This is an event for hardcore simmers. It will be run in a military fashion and players will assume and accept their roles, both the good and the bad, but it will be so dynamic that they will not be stuck in any particular situation for long.

Each side will have a commander that will be an event CM. The commanders will work together to provide a realistic and fun event.

Current squad affiliations will not apply to this event, there will be too much replacement going on to keep squads intact and this is a military simulation.

Players will have to work with those they are assigned with. In the event of a players death or capture they will be reassigned as a replacement pilot with a new identity to the next squadron that has an open slot.

Squadron leaders will initially be designated. If a squad leader is killed or captured, the next highest ranking survivor will assume command. If all survivors are the same rank, the one with the highest point total towards promotion will assume command. As in real life, there will sometimes be inferior leaders.

There will be an avenue for transfer requests but such requests are not guaranteed.

Fighter and attack squadrons will be 8 pilots strong. Bomber squadrons will be made up of 4 pilots. Initially there will be no ground war but one could later be added if the event is successful.

Campaigns will be on a night that does not compete with any other event. There will be one or more concurrent missions run with corresponding counter missions. The side commanders will work together to assure that the forces meet in battle. Following the nights battle the cm team will start all the admin work for the following weeks battle.


The staff will be made up of experienced players and former SEA and AVA staff members.

It will require an arena that has logging capability and greater than 16 player capacity. It would be helpful if it could be password protected.

Future HTC developments such as a coop AI mission system could be incorporated to add numbers.

[Gman]

I care.  The OP's post seems to be a request to make the lack of patience of some to fly to a fight and spend the time doing so obsolete.  There is plenty of instant action in the MA.  Just up from a base being attacked.  Oh, wait, you don't want to do that because you would then be at a disadvantage?  Cry Then take off one base away and fly there.  Oh, wait you don't want to spend the time doing that?  Cry

I think you complete misjudge what I'm asking for.  In fact, I think that what I envision would require even MORE patience, not less.  Flying in a formation of bombers taking off from France and flying to the UK, jumping into fighter sweeps already airborne - you would have to be MUCH more patient waiting for fights, it'll be more like FSO than the MA, that's for certain.

Posting little crybaby faces like I'm whining about not being able to handle the MA instant action?!  WTH is wrong with you, that's not what I asked for at all in an AI type of supported arena.  Personally, my kill per time ratio is always in the top 20 or 30 of the entire arena nearly every month, I'm getting between 9 and 11 kills every hour usually.   In order to have numbers like that you can't spend time transiting or climbing looking for advantage obviously, and that's not why I'm asking for an AI arena, it has nothing to do with it IMO anyway.  

I find fights very quickly and have no complaints at all about that, nor have I made any, not the opposite like you're making up from thin air.  And besides, captain reading mis-comprehension, I said several times that I wasn't asking for this in the main arena, or game wide, just an arena - I used AvA as an example, as AvA type scenarios is what would work best - that would have AI aircraft as WELL as human pilots, in order to be able to create huge FSO like scenarios and missions almost instantly.  NOT because I'm "whining" or "cry baby face icons" because I don't want or can't find fights, or don't want to "spend the time doing x or y" like you said, it's the precise opposite IMO, players would HAVE to spend more time and thought in this type of arena, as opposed to just clicking take off, and flying a few minutes to a fight.

Just because you dislike an idea doesn't give you license to create your own ridiculous reasons for why someone comes up with it.

[jimson]

Don't worry about it Gman.

We in AvA have been lobbying for this for years now. If we get it, we will definitely put it through it's paces and with what our content creation guys can do with it, You will love it.