Where have all the players gone?

[grumpy37]

i havnt played in 6 months or more.  I miss some of the people I flew with for years but not the game itself.  I first played in 2001.

[DmonSlyr]

It is because for many people, 2 weeks is simply not enough time to get interested in the game for someone to pay $15 a month after that to play. They die too fast and get frustrated. The learning curve is steep and I think that is great IMO, but 2 weeks isn't enough time to develop a proper sense of the game and community, therefore they don't feel like paying the $15 a month because they can hardly take off without getting murdered by AKAK  . The cost isn't that much but it sounds like it especially when you get shot down every time 5 minutes and cant even understand game play.

The graphics I think are another big issue, but with time I think they will get better. My friend IT guy, makes fun of me all the time because I play this game with graphics the way there are. Sorry HTC I love you and this game.. just pointing out criticism from people I have tried to get to play.

They need to bring Head 2 Head back. This gave people the opportunity to learn the planes, find friends to help them learn, and gain a since of the community. The only reason I signed up for the MA is because I had a better understanding of the game as a whole and wanted to see what the MA hype was all about. I would probably never signed up after only 2 weeks because I had no freaking Clue what the heck I was doing.


BTW I love this game, I am one of those "addicted" members. I've been playing for 9 years. I am just pointing out discrepancies. I left for 4 years to go to college, came back, and I too notice that there are not as many new players and the numbers have not improved. 

[Yeager]

You've got to be kidding. 

Nope. not kidding.  Same maps, same atmospheric graphics, some of the planes still have the same artwork from 2003.  Same game play mechanics from 1999, in fact I think the game mechanics was worse last time I was in game (May, 2013) than it was ten years earlier.  Adding new planes is always appreciated and the update to IL2 style paint jobs and working cockpits was obviously sorely welcome and beautifully done.   Very happy that the Yaks got some work done.  How long did that take? Now for the B26 The tanks are still in need a genuine physics model.......bushes still stop 30 ton tanks on the dime and the corners of buildings can set your heavy vehicle to the gyrations of a super nova.  Just keeping it real.  I am long past the puppy love stage of infatuation with the game.

[BiPoLaR]

The graphics I think are another big issue, but with time I think they will get better. My friend IT guy, makes fun of me all the time because I play this game with graphics the way there are.

Yeah, I actually showed a guy the game and he said "what is that? Mindcraft with planes?" I am dead serious.

[Arlo]

Yeah, I actually showed a guy the game and he said "what is that? Mindcraft with planes?" I am dead serious.

 

All games look the same when they're played in braille, it seems.

[Arlo]

Nope. not kidding.  Same maps, same atmospheric graphics, some of the planes still have the same artwork from 2003.  Same game play mechanics from 1999, in fact I think the game mechanics was worse last time I was in game (May, 2013) than it was ten years earlier.  Adding new planes is always appreciated and the update to IL2 style paint jobs and working cockpits was obviously sorely welcome and beautifully done.   Very happy that the Yaks got some work done.  How long did that take? Now for the B26 The tanks are still in need a genuine physics model.......bushes still stop 30 ton tanks on the dime and the corners of buildings can set your heavy vehicle to the gyrations of a super nova.  Just keeping it real.  I am long past the puppy love stage of infatuation with the game.

The difference between ....

.... this .... (I can't be satisfied)


.... and this .... ([I can't get no] Satisfaction)



.... and this .... (You can't always get what you want)


.... can make all the difference in the world .... perspective-wise. 

[numb1]

I have been playing this game for 11years and i deleted my account..One reason is at $15 a month for 11 years i could have bought a real 109 lol..And no one plays anymore.% years ago i could not get into arena on a saturday cause it was FULL.Now there like 280 max people lol..And i can buy a new game for $60 and play forever or play AH for 4 months..I also just built a bad bellybutton gaming rig and AH don't even use a quarter of my machine and only uses 25% of my GPUs..I would rather play BF3 for every then AH for 4 months at same price..

[Arlo]

I have been playing this game for 11years and i deleted my account..One reason is at $15 a month for 11 years i could have bought a real 109 lol..And no one plays anymore.% years ago i could not get into arena on a saturday cause it was FULL.Now there like 280 max people lol..And i can buy a new game for $60 and play forever or play AH for 4 months..I also just built a bad bellybutton gaming rig and AH don't even use a quarter of my machine and only uses 25% of my GPUs..I would rather play BF3 for every then AH for 4 months at same price..

This is the funniest satire posted on this forum to date!  

Please confirm this is satire.

[Triton28]

All the players left because they feared Arlo would figure out a way to post pictures in the game.

That's what they told me, at least.

 

[Arlo]

All the players left because they feared Arlo would figure out a way to post pictures in the game.

That's what they told me, at least.

 

They told you that? Imagine that.  

I'm standing in line for my $2000.00 real BF-109.  

[Lazerr]

The number of players seems to have dropped, and of the amount left seem to all be in tanks.  I hope HTC runs some commercials or some sort of promotion to keep this thing going.  Coming from someone who plays for the fights, it currently sucks.

I am not sure if they are currently running promotions, but people definitely aren't going to appear her if you're doing nothing to draw them in.

Still a nice game, but the gameplay is slipping.

[Ardy123]

I can't speak for others but the time it takes to retain a certain skill level and muscle memory is fairly great and as such once a player is unable to make the time commitment, the appeal is wanes.

[Solar10]

Having joined in Dec 2004 and only just cancelled my account last month, having not actually played seriously for a couple of years, I am one of those who have gone.

One of the big attractions for me in the days was not so much the game but the community.  Building online relationships, both friend and foe, was part of what kept me coming back.  It wasn't about the winning (thank god cause I sucked) but it was about having fun.  That mean't, for me, joking on Vox or text, or having a fun dog fight (<S> Copperhead), just hanging in a bomber formation with the likes of Thndregg or Flaydone shooting the breeze, or winging with some great sticks in the Hells Angels.  Truth be told my experience changed over time as the community changed over time to a more "win at any cost" type, where numbers replaced skill, and the old community got diluted beyond recognition.

I tried introducing my kids to the game now that they are 18 and 15, but they are of the next generation and don't get it when they have to climb out to a base for 5-10 mins only to be killed by superior (not good, just better than they are) pilots in the next 30 seconds.  My 15 year old spends many hours gaming and can find his fun in many other games, none of which have communities like Aces High, because this not what the next generation is looking for.

Long live Aces High, and long live the Aces High Community. <S>

Solar10... 

[thndregg]

Having joined in Dec 2004 and only just cancelled my account last month, having not actually played seriously for a couple of years, I am one of those who have gone.

One of the big attractions for me in the days was not so much the game but the community.  Building online relationships, both friend and foe, was part of what kept me coming back.  It wasn't about the winning (thank god cause I sucked) but it was about having fun.  That mean't, for me, joking on Vox or text, or having a fun dog fight (<S> Copperhead), just hanging in a bomber formation with the likes of Thndregg or Flaydone shooting the breeze, or winging with some great sticks in the Hells Angels.  Truth be told my experience changed over time as the community changed over time to a more "win at any cost" type, where numbers replaced skill, and the old community got diluted beyond recognition.

I tried introducing my kids to the game now that they are 18 and 15, but they are of the next generation and don't get it when they have to climb out to a base for 5-10 mins only to be killed by superior (not good, just better than they are) pilots in the next 30 seconds.  My 15 year old spends many hours gaming and can find his fun in many other games, none of which have communities like Aces High, because this not what the next generation is looking for.

Long live Aces High, and long live the Aces High Community. <S>

Solar10... 

<S> Solar.. I haven't hung out with you in a long, long, time. We did indeed have a lot of fun times, no matter how the game went.

As far as why I personally don't play as much.. work, family, and my band. I still subscribe, and I still log in a few hours here and there. There's no burnout factor for me on Aces High simply because I don't play every day. But, I still play, and I still hang with my 91st buds. As Solar said, it's more about comradery and friendship.

[Brooke]

And no one plays anymore.

Drat.  I'm a nobody.     My only consolation is flying with all of those other nobodies out there.

And i can buy a new game for $60 and play[1] forever[2]

[1]Against the computer or with up to 32 other guys.

[2] Not really forever -- the game companies don't support the purchased games for long before they move on to something else.  For example, I really liked Battlefield 1942 (except for the imbecilic airplanes), but after a 2-3 years, I couldn't play it anymore as it would crash my machine too often (buggy PunkBuster/BF1942 combo conflicting with RivaTuner on my setup).

Stand-alone play is to AH's multiplayer play what a McDonald's hamburger is to a Ruth's Chris T-bone.  32-player is OK, but it, too, but a whole dimension less than what AH can offer.  BF1942 or Quake are fun, but are in comparison popcorn.