Its getting lonely in here! Aussie time is dead in MA.

[Lusche]

In another thread there was talk of raisingthe war victory requirement on small maps. Perhaps that would be something, as we are usually racing through them like crazy. I for one almost never have the opportunity to spend time in the tank crater of CraterMA, because that map is usually only up for a few hours. Slowing down the small maps reset frequency could balance things a bit better.

[TonyJoey]

Yes and lower the requirements to 15% on large maps to shorten their duration. If not a greater proportion of small maps in the rotation then at least their duration up should be balanced.

[BaldEagl]

I wonder why there can't be maps bigger than the small maps but smaller than the big maps.

[Lusche]

Exactly one year ago I tracked map uptimes for two months.

At that time,  31% of the maps were large ones, but were up 79% of the time.

[TonyJoey]

Exactly one year ago I tracked map uptimes for two months.

At that time,  31% of the maps were large ones, but were up 79% of the time.

 

[beefie]

One big problem like someone mentioned are the people running around at the corner of the maps on milk runs trying to get their score up. There might be 100 people on but if nearly half of them are doing milk runs or sitting in GVs at a spawn, of course nothing is going to happen. I log on, check around the map and see if there's any decent fight happening. If not, I log off. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who does something like this.

There is a need for a system to encourage people to fight and defend. Milk runners do what they do because the score they get is a lot easier and faster. Maybe have a system that randomly select a base near the front lines, highlight it, and give that base perk bonuses. Defenders that up from that base gets an increased perk multiplier and the attackers that damage the base get a perk bonus.

Good idea, the extra perks for front line bases, it should be easy to setup and would make for some good battles! Great idea.

[pervert]

Just spent an hour and a half in there right now and its mind numbingly boring hardly an incentive to log on is it, I'll regret that hour and a half on my death bed 

[Rich46yo]

I deleted my account myself yesterday.

Some reasons arent game related. My motivation to game has gotten less and less over the years. Its hard for me to sit for hours at a time due to an injury, most of all after sitting in a car for 9 hours a day.

But also the loss of players, the small action on big maps, and the lag in keeping up with current graphics played a part. I found myself time and again signing in for one or two sorties and then shutting down the computer and watching TV instead. We'll see what the future brings.

[titanic3]

Today was a good day. 

Had a nice 1v1 with Dweeb. Some funny banter on 200. Certainly wished it happened everyday but just once a week is enough for me to keep my subscription.   

[TDeacon]

I'm an occasional player.  It's worth $15 to me for the realistic flight model.  I like the fact that the game is mostly played by adults, too.   I'm fine with the graphics.  I also think there are enough planes and tanks to choose from.   The one significant problem I have is with the maps.  They are too large for the number of players on.   Much smaller maps would be a real positive, IMHO. 

Don't agree.   Best fights I've had, both with GVs and (years ago) planes, were with small numbers of people.  In planes, 1-1 or at best 1-2.  In GVs, a few on each side is sufficient, assuming good terrain and no ground attack planes ruining the GV maneuvering game.  I don't like hordes and large furballs. 

BTW, how is it *possible* to not be able to find a fight, even with only 100 up???  Just switch to the side with the lowest numbers, and head for the dar bars.  Or with GVs, pick a GV base which isn’t blinking, and spawn near it.  Take down the radar tower, and start killing the acks at that end.  Without fail, someone notices and spans at that base.  If they sit on the tarmac, you just pick firing positions they can’t see and keep killing acks.  When they eventually come out after you, fight them.  In the 1% of cases where nobody notices, take an M3 in and capture the base.  Foolproof, and independent of map size.  What am I missing here???

With respect to graphics, it may attract players initially, but I doubt any normal person plays a game long-term because of graphics (think about it…).  They play long-term because of game-play.  Thus, I think that the suggestion that AH’ problem is graphics, and that cutting-edge graphics will significantly increase player base, is wrong.  It may actually reduce player base, depending on the mix of hardware currently being used. 

MH

[Zacherof]

These days, most of my play is around 11 pm US Pacific time (4 pm Melbourne time), and it does sometimes get hard to find fights.  It gets harder as it gets later beyond that, too.  So, I can very much sympathize with the Aussies, Kiwis, and Japanese.

Also, it is annoying to go on at that time, see no sizeable fights, yet see a sprinkling of goofballs flying around by themselves, spread thin over nearly the whole map.  Who are those people, and what the heck are they doing?

So, I, too, think it would help to have the fight more focused, but how is that best accomplished?

HTC can't run small maps always, or during the times where there are 500 people flying, it might get too cramped, or one country overrunning another completely might happen more frequently than is fun for most people.

There used to be a capture order that focused fights into smaller areas.  I really liked that, but clearly it wasn't highly popular, as that went away after it was tried out for a while.

As a person who runs special events, what I typically do to focus the fight is have planes and vehicles available only in some smaller region and not the whole map.  So, I'd probably try that -- start disabling more of the map as numbers of people in flight decline.  But then you have to be careful of what to do with task groups.  If someone sails one off into a region where the opponent can't up anything, you have a problem.  So, it would probably also require disabling launching anything from a task group that strayed outside the active-fighting area.

It's not a small thing to figure out all of the ramifications of any such implementation or to code it up upon concluding that it has a good chance of working, though.

I'm either poping town centers or trying to remove AKAK from his perch

[palef]

BTW, how is it *possible* to not be able to find a fight, even with only 100 up???  Just switch to the side with the lowest numbers, and head for the dar bars.  Or with GVs, pick a GV base which isn’t blinking, and spawn near it.  Take down the radar tower, and start killing the acks at that end.  Without fail, someone notices and spans at that base.  If they sit on the tarmac, you just pick firing positions they can’t see and keep killing acks.  When they eventually come out after you, fight them.  In the 1% of cases where nobody notices, take an M3 in and capture the base.  Foolproof, and independent of map size.  What am I missing here???

100 would be marvellous, though I have struggled to generate any interest in a fight using your ideas even with 100 on. With only 60 or less on, you'll probably only have 20 actually "in-flight". A lot of the time people on at these times simply quit and go elsewhere if you try to engage. It is incredibly dispiriting to get through an evening's chores, sit down to play AH, only to find that the only thing offering a fight is auto-ack. Killing buildings and taking v-bases gets really boring, really quickly.

[steely07]

I haven't been playing a lot lately, but at 19:30 Sydney time, the high numbers are about 75, and low about 50, I also find if there is a reset during that time, numbers go to around 35 / 40 until I stop playing.

Also, despite showing this game to a lot of people, I've only ever managed to recruit one, and yes, it's Beefie <G>

[Brooke]

and yes, it's Beefie <G>

Well, he's worth many other recruits! 

[TDeacon]

100 would be marvellous, though I have struggled to generate any interest in a fight using your ideas even with 100 on. With only 60 or less on, you'll probably only have 20 actually "in-flight". A lot of the time people on at these times simply quit and go elsewhere if you try to engage. It is incredibly dispiriting to get through an evening's chores, sit down to play AH, only to find that the only thing offering a fight is auto-ack. Killing buildings and taking v-bases gets really boring, really quickly.

That sounds like it's more an issue with people not wanting to fight, rather than low numbers.  Have you tried to engage from a position of disadvantage?  Come in at a lower alt, or use a high-ENY plane?  

MH