About the new terrain

[MrRiplEy[H]]

I fear just this.For a long long time HTC takes the safe road ,afraid of  to big of any kind of change.And numbers keep shrinking.

I hope HTC can find a boost either from the new graphics improvements, marketing or dropping the subscription price for example. They have more longevity through having 1000 players paying 7 dollars / month than with 500 players $14.

[Sunka]

I hope HTC can find a boost either from the new graphics improvements, marketing or dropping the subscription price for example. They have more longevity through having 1000 players paying 7 dollars / month than with 500 players $14.

I would say i think 15 is more then fair....I would but at the end of this sub im canceling my account do to needing to tighten my belt,i can afford 7 $ for hulu but 15 is a bit much for AH.And though i like that there is a GFX update,i think more changes are needed to save this game.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

I would say i think 15 is more then fair....I would but at the end of this sub im canceling my account do to needing to tighten my belt,i can afford 7 $ for hulu but 15 is a bit much for AH.And though i like that there is a GFX update,i think more changes are needed to save this game.

Perhaps. But F2P business model has proved to be extremely successful for other games. It's about going past the critical mass of users when a trickle of income becomes a gushing river. A large user base also makes your business extremely valuable typically, especially if there's even a marginal hope of turning that user base into revenue through ads or something.

But perhaps AH:s biggest problem is that old gits like us are getting too busy with their real lives and the young generation is too adhd to travel 10 minutes to the next battle.

[Changeup]

I think the game should just die...plain and simple.  Pull the plug and do a KingsX...


That way all the stud pilots can't fly for a year or two and when it comes back, they'll suck.

[The Fugitive]

They don't give any software 'away' to anyone. They sell a service which is based on the piece of code called AH. Most busineses need to keep growing in order to survive. If design decisions are made that keep the company from growing, it's a path of diminishing returns. I can't see how it would be beneficial to them to throttle development just because a portion of existing users are too poor or cheap to upgrade their hardware to this millenium. The only logical reason for doing that is that they believe there is no market and through that no new potential customers. In that case it makes sense to ensure that existing users do not have to quit if they can't upgrade their hardware.

But if that's the case then HTC is in big trouble.

hmmmm..... lets see, I can download the software, install it on as many computers as I want and use it as often as I want and it doesn't cost me a dime..... I don't know about you, but that certainly falls under my definition of "free", so ya they give away the software.

As for "growing", it depends on what you consider "growing". They have added many new toys to the playground, some would call that "growing". They have upgraded and moved to newer better servers to keep the service available to as many people that wish to join, some may call that "growing".

You being a tech guy seem to be hung up on the need to advance technology wise. At this point many would say "why?". The game works, is playable, and fun....or their wouldn't be anyone here paying to play in the big sandbox that HTC is renting out. So why does it NEED to be updated? For a small game company that has hung around in such a competitive field with such a diverse amount of competition vying for peoples "gaming dollar" for over a dozen years I think they may have a handle on how to run the company.

Yes the numbers are down, and game play at this time is a bit on the crappy side, but I don't think any of it is due to poor technology used to run the game. I'm sure we don't know half of what is going on behind the scenes at HTC. Maybe they have been working on this new move to the 3.0 shaders since WT was rumored to be coming out? Maybe they had the new terrain elements in the works since IL2 was picked up by that new company?   Who knows? A small company takes longer to get things done as far as all those technology leaps your looking for. They have established a solid base with good coad to keep the game running along smoothly. Extras are always good, but needed to keep up? Not necessarily.

[Sunka]

I think the game should just die...plain and simple.  Pull the plug and do a KingsX...


That way all the stud pilots can't fly for a year or two and when it comes back, they'll suck.

I love it!
Its brilliant! Make ones self better from all other getting worse!

[Sunka]

Perhaps. But F2P business model has proved to be extremely successful for other games

It is a fact i wont be quitting the f2p games i play, and i wont be affording AH soon.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

hmmmm..... lets see, I can download the software, install it on as many computers as I want and use it as often as I want and it doesn't cost me a dime..... I don't know about you, but that certainly falls under my definition of "free", so ya they give away the software.

Umm.. no. You have a right to use the software which is owned by HTC - offline. You do not get to use the services and at no point you own a single bit of the code. They do not give you away anything.

As for "growing", it depends on what you consider "growing". They have added many new toys to the playground, some would call that "growing". They have upgraded and moved to newer better servers to keep the service available to as many people that wish to join, some may call that "growing".

Growing means having a growing customer base and growing revenue. This is the only thing that matters. You're talking about investments not growing.

You being a tech guy seem to be hung up on the need to advance technology wise. At this point many would say "why?". The game works, is playable, and fun....or their wouldn't be anyone here paying to play in the big sandbox that HTC is renting out. So why does it NEED to be updated? For a small game company that has hung around in such a competitive field with such a diverse amount of competition vying for peoples "gaming dollar" for over a dozen years I think they may have a handle on how to run the company.

Simply because let's face it, AH does look a decade dated compared to the new F2P rivals. And since they prosper at the expense of AH you must consider the grim chance that a change of some sort might be needed to steal some of their glory. I have no idea if fancy graphics would change anything, maybe there is a deeper problem in gameplay. I know for sure that MA is an unforgiving place for any noob or even rarely playing vet. This is partly why I've been suggesting to try and change the game in a way that would make the late war super planes attractive only to noobs. The noobs die even in Tempests, but they probably die a bit less than in a non perkie. Dying less on your 2 weeks -> more chances of subscribing.

Yes the numbers are down, and game play at this time is a bit on the crappy side, but I don't think any of it is due to poor technology used to run the game. I'm sure we don't know half of what is going on behind the scenes at HTC. Maybe they have been working on this new move to the 3.0 shaders since WT was rumored to be coming out? Maybe they had the new terrain elements in the works since IL2 was picked up by that new company?   Who knows? A small company takes longer to get things done as far as all those technology leaps your looking for. They have established a solid base with good coad to keep the game running along smoothly. Extras are always good, but needed to keep up? Not necessarily.

Dunno. I love AH but I have simply no time to invest to it anymore. I paid my sub for years without playing much at all - but when my CC changed I just couldn't see the point in resubbing anymore.

[Changeup]

I love it!
Its brilliant! Make ones self better from all other getting worse!

It's excellent and it only requires that I continue to post backseat improvement ideas to the BBS to make me look like I'm contributing and staying involved!!!!

[Sunka]

I continue to post backseat improvement ideas

The backseat is the safest place to sit.

[Vraciu]

MrRipley makes good points.

My question is this: How is it that F2P games thrive and make money?  Ads? 

[MrRiplEy[H]]

MrRipley makes good points.

My question is this: How is it that F2P games thrive and make money?  Ads? 

Micro transactions. You pay a dime here dollar there, to get a better plane, better cannon ammo etc. If you have a lot of users it turns up as big bucks.

[Sunka]

Micro transactions. You pay a dime here dollar there, to get a better plane, better cannon ammo etc. If you have a lot of users it turns up as big bucks.

Which AH "traditionalist" will tell you is lame and gamey i think.

[The Fugitive]

Umm.. no. You have a right to use the software which is owned by HTC - offline. You do not get to use the services and at no point you own a single bit of the code. They do not give you away anything.

That sounds very much like the software you buy like office or windows, or any game on steam.... except I didn't pay anything ..... free.... for this one.

Growing means having a growing customer base and growing revenue. This is the only thing that matters. You're talking about investments not growing.

Again, this is YOUR idea of growth, not every ones.

Simply because let's face it, AH does look a decade dated compared to the new F2P rivals. And since they prosper at the expense of AH you must consider the grim chance that a change of some sort might be needed to steal some of their glory. I have no idea if fancy graphics would change anything, maybe there is a deeper problem in gameplay. I know for sure that MA is an unforgiving place for any noob or even rarely playing vet. This is partly why I've been suggesting to try and change the game in a way that would make the late war super planes attractive only to noobs. The noobs die even in Tempests, but they probably die a bit less than in a non perkie. Dying less on your 2 weeks -> more chances of subscribing.

Dunno. I love AH but I have simply no time to invest to it anymore. I paid my sub for years without playing much at all - but when my CC changed I just couldn't see the point in resubbing anymore.

Looks pretty dang good to me! I don't play those "other games" because they just don't have what this one does. I don't bother comparing those to this one because it is irrelevant, I play this one. I too have been paying HTC for over 11 years for the use of their playground. I too am bother by the poor gameplay in the main arena, but unlike you I still find that one or two great fight a week that keeps me coming back.

It sounds to me like your looking for, or need a reason to come back. Graphics isn't going to do it. Like people like SUNKA have found coming back to the same crappy play that turned you off when you took your break just makes you want to quit again. If you can't find a reason to enjoy the game now graphics/new technology isn't going to help.

MrRipley makes good points.

My question is this: How is it that F2P games thrive and make money?  Ads?  

Stupidity  

It is much easier to "buy" your skill than it is to "work" for it. Todays "gamers" look for short cuts because they haven't the time to put in to learn/train to get ahead. 

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Which AH "traditionalist" will tell you is lame and gamey i think.

I agree. It is. But it's profitable. If AH would have a F2p arena with micro transactions and a subscription hardcore MA perhaps it would be best of both worlds.