Reworked Arena UI/Approach

[The Fugitive]

I understand that your trying to make the choices "clearer" for players, right? If so it isn't going to help at all. What happens is a player logs in, looks at the numbers in an arena, clicks on the one with the largest amount and hits ok. It has been proven over and over again.

Getting new people into a "training" arena is only going to happen if you FORCE them in it. MAKE them fly until they get 100 kills and bomb 100K objects. Then it un-locks the main arena for them. This way they will put in the time to learn the basics of both fighting and bombing and are a bit ready for the mains. Will this ever happen? I very much doubt it. HTC doesn't like to force anyone into any spot, they are all about giving you as many options as you can handle and letting YOU choose what you want to do.

So we have players that won't "train" any other way than just diving into the shark pool, and the game will never be changed to force them to learn something before jumping in. No point in wasting time to make the GUI any different.

[Myg]

I understand that your trying to make the choices "clearer" for players, right? If so it isn't going to help at all. What happens is a player logs in, looks at the numbers in an arena, clicks on the one with the largest amount and hits ok. It has been proven over and over again.

Getting new people into a "training" arena is only going to happen if you FORCE them in it. MAKE them fly until they get 100 kills and bomb 100K objects. Then it un-locks the main arena for them. This way they will put in the time to learn the basics of both fighting and bombing and are a bit ready for the mains. Will this ever happen? I very much doubt it. HTC doesn't like to force anyone into any spot, they are all about giving you as many options as you can handle and letting YOU choose what you want to do.

So we have players that won't "train" any other way than just diving into the shark pool, and the game will never be changed to force them to learn something before jumping in. No point in wasting time to make the GUI any different.

Understood fugi, I have also been wishing for a Free and open for all TA to counter-act that.

[bustr]

So Myg, will you then happen to shine your continence in the "Free PIU, PIU, PIU" arena to remind the freebies locusts, that if not for you, they would never have had this "Free Bounty"? You have plans to start a "We Luv Myg" piu, piu, piu squad?

Air Warrior had a sort of similar concept with the Relaxed Realism arena versus the Full Realism arena. We all paid an access fee though. But, there was not much of a turn over from RR to FR. The RR players were happy cranking and yanking in arcade style. The bigger community was in FR though. That community is what has survived 20 years into Aces High. With some of the RR's showing up here and remarking a decade later, that if they had known, they would have flown in the FR arena from the start.

I suppose you will want HTC to contract you to guide them through the transition of the TA into a "Freebies Locust" arena? Along with granting you CM privileges to help guide the L'il  Acrididaes to the promised land of the MAs. I doubt that will be necessary once the "Fee Lunch" sign on the Internet is posted. The "Freebies Locust" arena will take on a life of it's own from the best laid plans of you or HTC. 

Free Lunchers are exactly that regardless of their economic condition.

Why don't you simply send Hitech your resume as these posts of yours look like you are attempting to do in an online Socratic format. And leave the company to Hitech, Pyro, and their consulting firm.

[morfiend]

I understand that your trying to make the choices "clearer" for players, right? If so it isn't going to help at all. What happens is a player logs in, looks at the numbers in an arena, clicks on the one with the largest amount and hits ok. It has been proven over and over again.

Getting new people into a "training" arena is only going to happen if you FORCE them in it. MAKE them fly until they get 100 kills and bomb 100K objects. Then it un-locks the main arena for them. This way they will put in the time to learn the basics of both fighting and bombing and are a bit ready for the mains. Will this ever happen? I very much doubt it. HTC doesn't like to force anyone into any spot, they are all about giving you as many options as you can handle and letting YOU choose what you want to do.

So we have players that won't "train" any other way than just diving into the shark pool, and the game will never be changed to force them to learn something before jumping in. No point in wasting time to make the GUI any different.

 Fugi,

 What would go a long way to getting players into the TA is if players stopped degrading it or using it in a derogatory way,such as go to the TA you need it!

   Now I'm not accussing you of this but I've seen it all to often. Comment on fuel burn or no damage and how can you train like that don't help much either but there you have it.

 As far as a free TA goes,well then it would need to be staffed 24/7 and since the trainers are volunteers I don't think that's going to happen. A compromise could be to offer a couple of extra free weeks of TA only time but again it would likely lead to a need for staff 24/7.

   If the longtime players really want to improve the game they need to take a new guy under their wing,go to the TA and show them some basics and generally make them feel a part of things.


   

[The Fugitive]

 Fugi,

 What would go a long way to getting players into the TA is if players stopped degrading it or using it in a derogatory way,such as go to the TA you need it!

   Now I'm not accussing you of this but I've seen it all to often. Comment on fuel burn or no damage and how can you train like that don't help much either but there you have it.

 As far as a free TA goes,well then it would need to be staffed 24/7 and since the trainers are volunteers I don't think that's going to happen. A compromise could be to offer a couple of extra free weeks of TA only time but again it would likely lead to a need for staff 24/7.

   If the longtime players really want to improve the game they need to take a new guy under their wing,go to the TA and show them some basics and generally make them feel a part of things.


   

Agreed Morf, there are a LOT of things said in the game that shouldn't be. I think the over the top "trash talk" (which isn't really, its more along the line of verble abuse these days) should be grounds for immediate suspension. How many new player does HTC lose because of this internet tough guy routine? I'd love to see some moderators with some real power in the arenas. Give them HTC shade accounts called MOD 1, MOD 2, and so on so everyone KNOWS there are mods on watching and give them the power to suspend players for a few days.

A less toxic environment would certainly go a long way in helping retain new players. Putting positive spins on training and helping players out instead of the childish abuse they get now couldn't hurt.

[Myg]

So Myg, will you then happen to shine your continence in the "Free PIU, PIU, PIU" arena to remind the freebies locusts, that if not for you, they would never have had this "Free Bounty"? You have plans to start a "We Luv Myg" piu, piu, piu squad?

Air Warrior had a sort of similar concept with the Relaxed Realism arena versus the Full Realism arena. We all paid an access fee though. But, there was not much of a turn over from RR to FR. The RR players were happy cranking and yanking in arcade style. The bigger community was in FR though. That community is what has survived 20 years into Aces High. With some of the RR's showing up here and remarking a decade later, that if they had known, they would have flown in the FR arena from the start.

I suppose you will want HTC to contract you to guide them through the transition of the TA into a "Freebies Locust" arena? Along with granting you CM privileges to help guide the L'il  Acrididaes to the promised land of the MAs. I doubt that will be necessary once the "Fee Lunch" sign on the Internet is posted. The "Freebies Locust" arena will take on a life of it's own from the best laid plans of you or HTC. 

Free Lunchers are exactly that regardless of their economic condition.

Why don't you simply send Hitech your resume as these posts of yours look like you are attempting to do in an online Socratic format. And leave the company to Hitech, Pyro, and their consulting firm.

I always thought the wishlist forum was part of their outsourced, slave labour, consulting firm 

[guncrasher]

I always thought the wishlist forum was part of their outsourced, slave labour, consulting firm 

so that's why we get so many dumb wishes?


semp

[Myg]

so that's why we get so many dumb wishes?


semp

Wishes are only as dumb as people let them be. You are welcome to add to any idea/thread if you like or know of a way to make it better (since that seems to be the format).

[Arlo]

Wishes are only as dumb as people let them be.

 

[guncrasher]

Wishes are only as dumb as people let them be. You are welcome to add to any idea/thread if you like or know of a way to make it better (since that seems to be the format).

they key is making something better.


semp

[muzik]

Division effects everything.

Your perception that the LWA guys are out to get the "weaker", less populated arena's is not paranoia, its actually because you know you are taking from the union of the game

Pssst, Hey new guy. If you really want to know what "dis-union" is, ask them to bring back split LW, you'll have a hoot.

[morfiend]

Agreed Morf, there are a LOT of things said in the game that shouldn't be. I think the over the top "trash talk" (which isn't really, its more along the line of verble abuse these days) should be grounds for immediate suspension. How many new player does HTC lose because of this internet tough guy routine? I'd love to see some moderators with some real power in the arenas. Give them HTC shade accounts called MOD 1, MOD 2, and so on so everyone KNOWS there are mods on watching and give them the power to suspend players for a few days.

A less toxic environment would certainly go a long way in helping retain new players. Putting positive spins on training and helping players out instead of the childish abuse they get now couldn't hurt.

  I agree completely with you Fugi!       I noticed a change from smack talk to as you put it verbal abuse some time around 06/07, if you look at Lusche's chart that was just before the decline in numbers!  A coincident,I think not.

  It used to be funny and even some real intelligent comments,now it's just sad.



   

[Myg]

Pssst, Hey new guy. If you really want to know what "dis-union" is, ask them to bring back split LW, you'll have a hoot.

Oh I remember that, that was terrible. When the LWA was full they would automatically generate a new one (I think the programming is there to still do that).

If they leveraged p2p traffic as well as centralized at the same time, it might of been possible to circumvent the limit due to the O(n2)? situation going on with cpu usage+bandwidth with such high density of players (at-least to account for 50-60 maybe even 100 more players).

Personally I would of scaled the monthly subscription based on the player count, so it would go up a few dollars every month for every hundred or so active subscribers; to keep the house in order (in retrospect ofc) in situations like that.

[gyrene81]

Personally I would of scaled the monthly subscription based on the player count, so it would go up a few dollars every month for every hundred or so active subscribers; to keep the house in order (in retrospect ofc) in situations like that.

     seriously? so you would alienate all players just because more people decided to subscribe? talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face... 

[Myg]

     seriously? so you would alienate all players just because more people decided to subscribe? talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face... 

Well, it may seem like that at first gyrene, then you realise that all games are a closed/non-public experiences and the best way to keep high standards of play is to make people feel like they have to by paying relative to the experience offered (more people, better experience). If a game was good enough such a system might work, but I suppose it would have to be one heck of a game!