Is it possible to bring AH graphics engine up to par?

[guncrasher]

So you've tried it for half an hour or more?

- oldman

been there many hours over the years.  once i was there for over 2 hours.  had to rely on a guy with a crappy computer to tell me where the low cons where as I couldnt see them.  also waystin used to have special events there too when I was in the pigs.  I couldnt tell the shadows from the low flying airplanes.  I would try a couple of flights then take an m3 to the furball area and shoot at every shadow/airplane that I saw.

it's not for lack of trying but I literally cant tell the difference between a low flying airplane and a shadow.  and I have a high end computer with 3 23 inch monitors playing full frames with everything on except for em and shadows at 2048.  could play with 4096 but I see no point in it.


semp

[bustr]

If all of the other games with killer eye candy could also be Aces High's physics model along with the maximum number of players in an arena at the same time. Wouldn't Aces High already be out of business since WT and WoT are both free?

What keeps the other games functionally from being Aces High on graphics steroids and Hitech being forced to close his doors? All of these years and all of the graphics advances in games. Why hasn't a Graphics Steroids Monster Air combat game with 700 players per room shown up and we are all paying our $14.95 to that genius?

Some of you seem not to be happy with that 900lb gorilla in the room, or want to really explore why it exists in the face of today's average consumer priced technology some scream that Hitech should force all of his customers to upgrade to. Still, everyone knows someone(s) in our game playing on 10 and 12 year old equipment very happy that they can at least play this game with all of their friends in the arena at the same time. And we always have a cadre who effectively try to argue Hitech into crapping on them and cancel their $14.95 a month so they can have their graphics steroids only in the company of a select worthy few.

If the graphics steroid monster Aces High with everything we have now could be accomplished, and keep all of the customers with the existing code technology while looking like WT. Don't you think Hitech would have already been there? You are insulting Hitech based on blackboxing his code, then trying to argue with him as his equal.

[Oldman731]

been there many hours over the years.  once i was there for over 2 hours.  had to rely on a guy with a crappy computer to tell me where the low cons where as I couldnt see them.  also waystin used to have special events there too when I was in the pigs.  I couldnt tell the shadows from the low flying airplanes.  I would try a couple of flights then take an m3 to the furball area and shoot at every shadow/airplane that I saw.

it's not for lack of trying but I literally cant tell the difference between a low flying airplane and a shadow.  and I have a high end computer with 3 23 inch monitors playing full frames with everything on except for em and shadows at 2048.  could play with 4096 but I see no point in it.

OK, you tried it out, that's all anyone could ask.  Sorry it didn't work for you.

- oldman

[leitwolf]

If all of the other games with killer eye candy could also be Aces High's physics model along with the maximum number of players in an arena at the same time. Wouldn't Aces High already be out of business since WT and WoT are both free?
[..]

Merciless pounding of those poor strawmen, what did they do to you?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

If all of the other games with killer eye candy could also be Aces High's physics model along with the maximum number of players in an arena at the same time. Wouldn't Aces High already be out of business since WT and WoT are both free?

What keeps the other games functionally from being Aces High on graphics steroids and Hitech being forced to close his doors?

Uhm WT and WoT have a combined playerbase of several millions by now and they're new products. You could say that effectively HTC is already out of business if you compare figures and probably just by looking at turnover too. The new free to play business model has proven to be very lucrative for the ones who do it right. Eye candy, fast action.

Aces high then again is a game that requires loads of patience. Not only because of transfer flights to fights which may take 30 minutes on bad days (when you're trying to find action) but for the steep learning curve.

[guncrasher]

Uhm WT and WoT have a combined playerbase of several millions by now and they're new products. You could say that effectively HTC is already out of business if you compare figures and probably just by looking at turnover too. The new free to play business model has proven to be very lucrative for the ones who do it right. Eye candy, fast action.

Aces high then again is a game that requires loads of patience. Not only because of transfer flights to fights which may take 30 minutes on bad days (when you're trying to find action) but for the steep learning curve.

then why havent you left?  is it the same reason why the rest of us are still here even though we play other games?  I play wot but I"ll quit whatever I am dong over there to come here to join the guys.  there's something that ah has that wot doesnt.  the ability to bs with friends and i mean really bs with a lot of friends.  not just the 3 guys on your platoon that you manage to get into the same battle and if you re very lucky perhaps 6.  getting your squad planning a mission and coordinate with other squads is something wot will never have.

the fast action is cool in wot but considering the millions of idiots that play the game and rush to die in the first 3 minutes of every game then pretty soon it becomes bs.  you get thrown into battles where there's no chance of damaging anything or where you can damage anything but nobody can damage you.  the equal matches are very rare, most are  one sided.  I have been playing wot for a couple of years now and I know perhaps 10 players outside of my clan.  in ah I know many times over that. 

the free to play model is way more expensive than ah unless you are part of the few clans that control clan wars, then it truly is free to play.  no such thing as free to play model, somebody's gotta pay.




semp

[MrRiplEy[H]]

then why havent you left?

Again if you look at the stats you could say I already have left. Back in 2002 I logged 120+ hours a month. The last year I haven't logged that amount all together. Last 3 months how much? 0 hours total?

To be honest I've found out that if I have a few minutes of free time and I choose to play... when I sit in front of the computer I'm thinking should I fire up AH and start waiting for 10 minutes to possibly find a fight - or will I boot up BF3 and start fooling around with sniper in close combat. The latter has won 100% lately because it's instant action.

If I was unemployed and without kids / other life, I probably would have no problems sitting again for hours just setting up a fight.

[leitwolf]

I don't understand the hostility towards people who argue for better graphics in AH.

AH has so many things done right that as a game of its genre, it's unmatched.. and yes, because the game and simulation part are done brilliantly, it wont need to be ahead of the graphics curve to stay competitive.
However, we are in a state where the "unshinyness" of the game cuts into the supply of new blood.
Losing MA population despite it's strengths is why I care. Yes I know, gfx is very likely not the only reason. But it pains me to see the gap becoming wider.

This game has so much potential, in many areas it is actually way ahead [view system!] and if you look closely, even the GV part of Aces High is a better tank sim than WoT [Smoke grenades? View range?] (not that WoT is supposed to be die hard sim, just an example of a very successful game that overlaps with AH).
The GV stuff could be AH's entry card to pull new folks in. You don't need a joystick and the learning curve is much more benign than having to master both an airplane and in addition to that air combat.
Right now, unfortunately, in terms of polish AH is still worse than the original IL-2. That's more than 10 years. AH is worse than FSX. That's 5-7 years.

[titanic3]

I don't understand the hostility towards people who argue for better graphics in AH.

AH has so many things done right that as a game of its genre, it's unmatched.. and yes, because the game and simulation part are done brilliantly, it wont need to be ahead of the graphics curve to stay competitive.
However, we are in a state where the "unshinyness" of the game cuts into the supply of new blood.
Losing MA population despite it's strengths is why I care. Yes I know, gfx is very likely not the only reason. But it pains me to see the gap becoming wider.

This game has so much potential, in many areas it is actually way ahead [view system!] and if you look closely, even the GV part of Aces High is a better tank sim than WoT [Smoke grenades? View range?] (not that WoT is supposed to be die hard sim, just an example of a very successful game that overlaps with AH).
The GV stuff could be AH's entry card to pull new folks in. You don't need a joystick and the learning curve is much more benign than having to master both an airplane and in addition to that air combat.
Right now, unfortunately, in terms of polish AH is still worse than the original IL-2. That's more than 10 years. AH is worse than FSX. That's 5-7 years.

I played Jane's WWII Fighters long before I discovered AH in 2005/06. It's a game from 1999 and it still looks better than AH.





I understand comparing to AH to WarThunder isn't fair, but this? C'mon. A game from 1999 looks better.

[ttso]

I'm all for graphic engine upgrade, not to make it looks better, but to make it more efficient to run.

I'm doing 3 monitors with TIR on, running with a not-lovely Radeon HD7800, and I still need to turn off some VFX to make the game smooth at 60FPS when lots birds flying around...

I wonder if we got Rift-VR in future which require even higher FPS to avoid motion sickness, will current graphic engine have the efficient to do so.


---
I'm from Confirm Kill over 14.4K modem, so I guess I can say this is my life-love?

[Karnak]

I played Jane's WWII Fighters long before I discovered AH in 2005/06. It's a game from 1999 and it still looks better than AH.

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

I understand comparing to AH to WarThunder isn't fair, but this? C'mon. A game from 1999 looks better.

Sorry titanic3, but those definitely don't look as good as AH.  I agree AH's graphics are quite dated, but that is hyperbole.

[uptown]

Other than Eve Online for a couple of months and ERacing, this is the only online game I've ever played so the graphics don't bother me at all. As a matter of fact I think the game looks tons better than it did when I started back in 2005 or 2006. Would I like to see better graphics.....yeah I guess so but it wouldn't improve gameplay any. If anything we would get swamped with tons of gamey little twits squeaking on the vox 24/7 stinking up the game because they think it's real. No thank you! My motto is "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

[Tank-Ace]

Again if you look at the stats you could say I already have left. Back in 2002 I logged 120+ hours a month. The last year I haven't logged that amount all together. Last 3 months how much? 0 hours total?

To be honest I've found out that if I have a few minutes of free time and I choose to play... when I sit in front of the computer I'm thinking should I fire up AH and start waiting for 10 minutes to possibly find a fight - or will I boot up BF3 and start fooling around with sniper in close combat. The latter has won 100% lately because it's instant action.

If I was unemployed and without kids / other life, I probably would have no problems sitting again for hours just setting up a fight.

So basically you're being lazy. Closing shift 4 days in a row, getting home at 1:00AM, I made the time to log into the areas and play around a bit in the morning. If nothing else, I got to say high to friends, BS with my buddies, and slay a few tardlets.

[Wiley]

So basically you're being lazy.

Aw... now that's completely ridiculous.  This game, like any other, is entertainment.  If it's not enjoyable/relaxing, why are you doing it?  You shouldn't feel obligated to log in unless it's something scheduled like FSO.

If a person has limited gaming time, instant action is very attractive and it's not a matter of 'lazy' it's a matter of 'fun'.  The things that make instant action attractive are part of why I don't care for it very often.

Wiley.

[Eric19]

I've been playing WT for abut 2 days now its FM is jacked man just saying it has great eyecandy even on low graphics settings but I can't play on it very good because that "awesome eyecandy" makes my Frame rate take a dump and when I mean a dump I mean it I can play AH all day long with 60fps but in WT I'm lucky if I get above 13fps and that's flying at alt down on the deck I barely get 10fps and that sucks honestly