Author Topic: Win Da Warz?  (Read 2210 times)

Offline Tinkles

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Win Da Warz?
« on: March 15, 2014, 02:54:50 PM »
This is just a debate/discussion on the "Win the War" combat promoting system and some of the things in it.

* Is where I discuss the current win the war setup.

** Is some of my totally random ideas. Bring coffee for this.

*** Some things that could be implemented into the current AH, that might spice some things up.



Leave your Purses at the door before commenting.





*


I'm actually curious of why exactly we have a 'win the war' system anyways?  I mean that in a different way than it sounded.  You can have your bomber-types, fighter-jock-types and ground warfare-types all get together and capture bases to win the war.  I understand it's a.. 'goal' a mini-task of something to do in the game that provokes or encourages you to actively pursue a set goal or to accomplish something, most of the time damaging or taking something the enemy has. Which in turn starts combat.. which is the overall point of the game.  

I've been trying to wrap my head around the concept for some time of why we have needed to destroy the town in order to capture a base. When there is nothing significant in the town to begin with that ensures the safety or security of the base that we are initially trying to capture.  There might have been in the actual war, but not in-game.. unless bakery shops are something to be feared.  I can see destroying the town buildings to lower troop morale (so instead of 10 troops in an m3/251/c47 you would only get 5) because their homes were destroyed. But why is destroying random homes and businesses required to take a military base? I can see destroying nearby factories that would supply the base with new planes/tanks or ammunition/fuel before taking the base, but not the town.






**

Since I currently don't have a computer that can play it, I have been watching gameplay on WarThunder for the past few weeks and seen some of their 'win da war' methods.
Disclaimer: I do realize that AH is to promote combat, and many of the things that you can participate in Warthunder don't directly benefit the combat aspect, they simply take away the 'tics/markers' to get your side closer to victory.  Example: Like players who destroy only ground targets and convoys, avoiding combat and fights, while still benefiting their side.  

Currently, we have only one way to capture a base, which is to destroy the town, de-ack it, and capture it with 10 troops. Which applies to all bases, large and small, V-base and Port. Which I think is wrong. I think we should have to meet specific requirements for each type of base, that is designed around that type of base.. and if HTC really wanted to.. they could design it for specific bases.  So P63 might not be captured the same way as P71 because of the terrain around it, giving it a certain advantage of a key requirement for P63's capture.   However, that would require more time and coading, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

I'm not really sure what could be 'added' to shake up the 'win da war' system. Every time I think of something, I think of "It's a combat game, to try and promote combat" and some of the things that I might mention wouldn't promote combat in the way things might now. Making it so people could literally not interact with each other and still win the war.. if done improperly.

There is a balance that has to be met, but it would make it so players would have to work together (not in hoards), and try to achieve different goals that would eventually reach a larger task or accomplishment.. which for some is winning the war.

Right now it's capturing a certain percentage of the two enemy sides to win the war. The requirements for capturing all types of bases is the same, and normally capturing bases is dealt with in the same manner.     Hoards.    Sometimes being changed up based on player driven activities. Like 'stealth' missions or 're-enactments' etc.


So working within the current gameplay mechanics. One side could capture 5%-10% of the enemy bases. Then they hit the enemy strats. Because they hit the enemies strats, it does direct damage to downtimes for whatever was hit, but what if it made it so based on the percentage of strats (or something else) was hit, would determine how many bases you could capture?

So, Bishops are on a steamrolling adventure, mopping up rooks and knights alike. Rooks or Knights (or both) hit Bishop strats. Doing direct damage, and making it so Bishops can only capture 15% bases, when they need 20% to win the war.  Encouraging those who want to win the war, to defend strats, and giving something to defend if you are looking for combat; since that would be a target of interest for the enemy sides. In order to increase the amount of bases your side can capture, in this case Bishops', they would need to repair their strats with cargo. There would have to be multiple factors that impact how many bases a side can conquer, otherwise in this case, all the rooks & knights would have to do is flatten the bishop strats and they couldn't capture anymore bases.

In order to take more than 20%, you should have to do something different. Perhaps get a certain amount of kills (as a whole side) to prove to the higher-ups that you can handle taking more bases?   Can't really think of anything for it, that last sentence was a pathetic example, but I'm trying. This would make it so one side doesn't have 50% of another while working on the other side.  Making winning the war more difficult, and most satisfying when you win.  


My goal here isn't to change the game - but to brainstorm.  Right now no matter what 'tool' you use, what you have to do is the same in order to capture a base or win the war.  


I think it would be cool if we had multiple ways of winning the war, all that promote combat, but that aren't.. funneled into a repetitive task.


Another idea... resource.. wars?  *shrug*

Here's the idea.  You need a certain amount of resources in order to cripple your enemy and thus 'win the war'.

Ports have specific resources, Vbases and small medium and large airfields too.  You need certain amounts from each type of field.

There would be a system made mission that gives you planes, loadouts and a task.  "Take this port with this plane and loadout, you have 40 mins to capture this base to get your reward. Only X amount of players can join, and the mission launches in X minutes".






***

There would be 'serious' missions and maybe a 'goofy' mission maker.

Serious would be.. 5 p51 escorts 2 p38s w/ rockets and DTs escorting a few formations of B17s.   Take out at least 5% of the rooks AAA strats. Anything over the required amount gets you more perks rewarded.  If you die you only get 70%, if you land you get 125%. If you land at the base you took off from 200%.  You have 3 hours to complete this mission once accepted.

Goofy would be something like this.

Capture a port with 5 ju87s (37mm anti-tank version) and 2 Me410s (no ordinance).

This would award perks if completed, but it would be for fun.. not so much for capturing the base. (For Goofy Missions Only).

There could even be achievements for these. "Complete # # # of Goofy Missions" and "Complete # # # of Serious Missions".

Then perks earned on Goofy / Serious Missions (from rewards based on performance) etc.

Then Destruction Missions for bombers or attack types.

5 SBDs and 2 FM2s and capture a base.  (For a challenging one).

For Heavy Bombers

5 sets of (heavy bomber here) and attack the strats. Overall mission should do at least 10% strat damage, anything over 10% gets more perks.. same multipliers as the "serious" mission type.



Daily challenges could be something that we could have.

Shoot down 5 planes by killing the pilot.
Destroy a bomber by shooting the wing off.
Sink a CV.
etc etc.

Which would award perks, not so much for veteran players (would could disable this if they wanted to), but more for newbie players. The serious and goofy system missions would take the 'spot' on the clipboard currently occupied by staged missions. These cycle through, so there is always something to do.   There could be 'serious' or 'goofy' missions that require the team as a whole to succeed (those who fail take away from the reward of others), or individual performance benefits the individual.  I think the latter would be most preferred.

The daily challenges would reset every 24 hours. So newbies could at least do some of the simple things and get to fly the "elit3" planes.


I know some are strictly against the daily challenge part, for making it easier on the newer players. Why I'm not entirely sure, but if you are against it, please give a detailed none derogatory reason as to why.

 :cool:



That's pretty much all I can think of right now.

Please stay on topic and try to give detailed reasons as to why things will work and others won't. If you like something please say why,  :aok  's or +1s don't really help me or HTC understand why you like it.  Same applies for those who go No, -1 or (waystin's) NOPE.jpg


Thanks for reading.

 :salute

 :cheers:



« Last Edit: March 15, 2014, 03:01:33 PM by Tinkles »
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Offline USRanger

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2014, 04:41:50 PM »
If there was no "win the war", there would be no real goal for any side to work towards.  There'd also be no reason for CVs, GVs, etc.  All we would have is a dueling arena, which would keep players like myself for about a month before moving on.

Just my opinion.
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Offline HawkerMKII

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2014, 05:27:17 PM »
If there was no "win the war", there would be no real goal for any side to work towards.  There'd also be no reason for CVs, GVs, etc.  All we would have is a dueling arena, which would keep players like myself for about a month before moving on.

Just my opinion.

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Offline xPoisonx

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2014, 05:32:33 PM »
I like the idea of resource wars.. maybe bombing them could play a bigger role in winning the war such as decreasing the % of bases required to win.
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Offline Volron

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2014, 06:06:49 PM »
As is, other  than affecting various things like ords, dar, fuel, etc., strategic facilities have no direct effect on the war.  What if knocking them down to x plus having required bases captured would result in a win?  IE: 20% bases and knocked down their strats to less than 10%?
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Offline Tinkles

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2014, 06:07:50 PM »
If there was no "win the war", there would be no real goal for any side to work towards.  There'd also be no reason for CVs, GVs, etc.  All we would have is a dueling arena, which would keep players like myself for about a month before moving on.

Just my opinion.

 :confused:

I didn't say anywhere in my post of getting rid of the win the war 'attribute'.  The only thing I really addressed in section one (*) was what was HTC's reasoning behind destroying towns in order to capture a base?  

In section two (**) I gave some ideas of having multiple methods of 'winning the war' like having resources being assigned to key bases.

I do agree that winning the war is a key role, if not THE role. Without a major goal to achieve there is literally nothing to do.

Just got another potential idea, as I mentioned in section two (**), we could have resources and our current percentage capture system together. But what if each side had factories that would benefit perked vehicles, or perk multipliers?  If you capture these thing you increase your perks earned, or decrease the cost of perked planes/gvs down to a certain percentage.  (And do not worry, if you log on when your side is suffering, you as an individual player would be able to select perked rides, you wouldn't have them disabled or anything due to your teammates not defending or whatever).


Maybe resources could take the place of ENY? If you have X amount of resources you can 'afford' to fly perked rides. Giving incentive to defend the factories or key bases with resources.  If you don't have X amount, then you are limited to how many perked 'tools' you can take off in.

So if you are limited, lets say you can only take off 2 of each perked 'tool' with the perk price of course(tool ranging from planes to GVs to keep it simple).  If your side exceeds the minimum required to take off, then you can take as many as you want, with the usual perk cost of course.  And if your side exceeds a certain portion, then you may get a discount on perked rides.

Just ideas, I will post more ideas on the resource piece when I get them.

Again, I am not voting to get rid of the win the war, I am merely saying that the current method of winning the war is .... rather repetitive and not very diverse.   No matter what plane you up or vehicle you drive certain requirements must be met, that can't be changed no matter what 'tool' you choose to complete the task with.  The town must be de-acked, the town must be destroyed to a certain percentage and 10 unharmed troops must enter the maproom.    Then the fact that all bases are re-guarded as equal, when they have vast differences.


Does anyone else like the resource idea? Note: I'm NOT saying what I have typed here would be in stone, or that 'it's this way only or get out', I'm just throwing this out quickly without much editing, and hoping you guys will like it, or give your own versions of it.

 :cheers:
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Offline 9thAFE

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2014, 06:37:23 AM »
Let me start by saying that I appreciate the thought you put into this post, and I hope that people can stay open to the discussion, I do like the resource idea sort of, I am a big fan of the idea of adding more factories, doesn't have to be a bunch but maintaining the central strat importance beyond just being a city as it is now on most maps, I don't necessarily have a problem with the scattered strats but maybe we could pull couple of those in to the old cluster along with new factories filling the rest of it and being scattered, like the rail yard, and shipyard ideas that have been mentioned in past posts. Also on the resource side not sure about tieing all that into the ability to capture "x" amount of bases but tieing it into a zone and somehow maybe limiting the overall number of planes that can lit off from a particular size field within a certain amount of time I don't know.

I would like to see some changes to the format of winning the war. Maybe tip the hand saying if you have to capture 10 bases then at least 2 have to be ground assaults, 2 air assaults and 1 CV attack then the other 5 could be however you want. Nothing that makes it overwhelming but does encourage different aspects of gameplay.

Daily challenges could be alright, though I do think after while people would stop paying attention to them. Maybe make them a weekly or monthly, incorporate achievement points as well as perks, and make some of them squad based to encourage squad play as well as individual. Like capture 10 bases from the air as a squadron. Something like that.

I'll stop there and maybe if I come up with something else I'll put it up.

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Offline zack1234

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2014, 07:29:10 AM »
How many paragraphs to whine :rofl

The game is awesome but hitech goads us with the fact we cannot have our sheep back :cry

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Offline BnZs

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2014, 08:05:39 AM »
Some parameters: This is a Massively MultiPlayer online combat game. The main point of the whole exercise is to put your guns on other player-controlled machines. To try to make Aces High into a pure "war game" is fatuous, there are massively better strategic wargames both stand-alone and online. Aces High is a maneuvering and shooting in real time game.
Therefore, insofar as the rules and conditions of the "war" promote players shooting at other players, it is well designed, and vis versa.
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Offline FLOOB

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2014, 08:28:50 AM »
The evolution of the base capture dynamic started with air warrior. I'm probably not remembering it correctly but in air warrior bases only had a couple of acks and you had to destroy the tower, then you brought a bunch of drunks via c47 to capture the base. Air warrior gave birth to warbirds and in warbirds the bases had a lot more ack, but you just had to kill the ack to capture the base, and when you dropped troops from the ju52 on to a base the troops would destroy base objects. Then warbirds gave birth to aces high and in the beginning there was no town, you just had to kill all the ack and get troops in. With that system there was little need for using bombers, so to make bombers relevant and perhaps to make base capture more challenging towns were created. As far as the winnable war thing, I believe that came after the introduction of perk points and the 262. So the winnable war thing is a fairly new mutation in the lineage. And I'm sure that I'm probably not remembering everything correctly, maybe someone can correct me.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2014, 08:36:37 AM by FLOOB »
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Offline Lusche

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2014, 09:16:31 AM »
As far as the winnable war thing, I believe that came after the introduction of perk points and the 262. So the winnable war thing is a fairly new mutation in the lineage. And I'm sure that I'm probably not remembering everything correctly, maybe someone can correct me.


The war is being won at least since January 2000 (Tour 1), because that's the earliest reference I found to it in General Discussions with a casual search. The perk system was introduced in tour 14 (March 2001), the Me 262 in tour 21 (October 2001)
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Offline DREDIOCK

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #11 on: March 16, 2014, 09:43:26 AM »




Leave your Purses at the door before commenting.





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Offline Shifty

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #12 on: March 16, 2014, 09:43:46 AM »
The evolution of the base capture dynamic started with air warrior. I'm probably not remembering it correctly but in air warrior bases only had a couple of acks and you had to destroy the tower, then you brought a bunch of drunks via c47 to capture the base. Air warrior gave birth to warbirds and in warbirds the bases had a lot more ack, but you just had to kill the ack to capture the base, and when you dropped troops from the ju52 on to a base the troops would destroy base objects. Then warbirds gave birth to aces high and in the beginning there was no town, you just had to kill all the ack and get troops in. With that system there was little need for using bombers, so to make bombers relevant and perhaps to make base capture more challenging towns were created. As far as the winnable war thing, I believe that came after the introduction of perk points and the 262. So the winnable war thing is a fairly new mutation in the lineage. And I'm sure that I'm probably not remembering everything correctly, maybe someone can correct me.

True, base capture goes all the way back to Air Warrior DOS. As Bs and Cs were fighting this war long before Bishops Rooks and Knights. It has always been there in all three games. Air Warrior Warbirds and AH.

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Offline The Fugitive

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #13 on: March 16, 2014, 11:10:18 AM »
First, I think we should all pitch in and buy the OP a computer so he can play. He seems to have wayyyyyyy to much time on his hands thinking about this!  :D

In the old days it took 2 or 3 guys a pass or two to kill the ack and so capture a base. Then we got towns, then we got ack in towns, then we got 5 times the ack on bases, then we got bigger towns. The whole progression I think was to make a base take one, more interesting, 2 and a bit more difficult. The detailed towns also added to the GV side of things as a place for battles to happen. Too bad they didn't have those during the LTAR's hey day, I think we would STILL have major battles in the towns today if it had.

Are the towns too hard to take now? I don't think so, but the player base must think so due to the numbers of players you see attacking them.

The resources idea has been mentioned before, as well as any number of "tweaks" to adjust the "win da waz". I think, and this is only my thoughts, is that this is a game and while it shouldn't be simple (gets boring quick and people stop playing) it also shouldn't be too hard (people get frustrated and stop playing). HTC has to walk a very narrow line in keeping it interesting while not pushing it over the edge.

"BnZ" said "The main point of the whole exercise is to put your guns on other player-controlled machines" which in this day and age is pure BS to most players. Yes there are many that are purely into nothing but fighting, and as been stated if the was no "win the war" goal the fights would dry up and disappear quickly. Today the majority of players are looking for the "pat on the back" they get when their "team" (AKA horde) captures another base, and ultimately the "Your country has won the war and you are awarded perk points". It's not so much fighting any more.

I bring this up because adding any other parameters to the "win the war" equation may not change much of anything. As it is there are a number of things in the game that could be used to make winning the war quicker and easier but they are not used. Why? Most likely the old "tried and true" methods will continue until someone comes up with something else but most players can't see "wasting time" to hit strats and then pork a bunch of base as a good plan. While it hurts the enemy, and forces them to resupply not only the strats but the bases hurt it stops them from taking base as well as mounting a defense that the porkers could use to run a bunch of bases at once. This stuff is all ready IN the game but is rarely used, why? Players aren't interested, why bother when they  know hording one base after another can get them there.

Adding the "tweaks" and forcing them to use them as in "you must destroy 15% of HQ as well as capture 20% of each of the other countries bases" brings us back to that LINE HTC must walk. HTC has never been big on "forcing" any kind of play on players in the main arenas. They have to keep as many players happy at the same time as they can.

As for the missions, I've suggested much the same before. I also think HTC was looking to add that to the game. When they shelved the CT idea they had a mission generator in that and it was thought it might make it over to the mains. I believe you can use it in the Custom arenas and I think the AvA guys are using something like it too. I think it would be great for generating smaller battles all over the map. Be it "perks" or "achievement point" completing these posted missions would help break up the hordes and give players more options. Even those "fighter" guys would be able to find some fun in this.



Now as to the real reason the OP posted this book..... thread  :neener:

Everyone has there idea of how this game should be played. BnZ thinks its all about getting guns on another player, GHI thinks its all about rolling bases, Stampf thinks it's all about historical squad battles with strict military structure. Other thinks its about "lone wolfing and killing as many as you can before you die.... Latrobe comes to mind. The point is "we" have these ideas of what we think should happen in the game, but HTC has to walk that line to keep as many of us happy as they can. Ideas like these have to be thought of with that in mind....how will it effect how other play the game?

Then you have to think on the devious side of things.... what is the ulterior motive of this idea? Forcing the players to hit HQ could mean the guy likes flying the 152 and buffs are his "bread and butter" so this forces an easy way for him to find his lunch so to speak.

For me, I'd love to see the strategic, and tactical side of the game come back. It's boring seeing the same mission performed over and over again. Maybe if we had the tools like a "ready" room for mission briefings with a map that you could lay out waypoints for the different wings/groups to hit different targets or different approaches to the main target would add enough "spice" to make more diverse missions.

Maybe something for those unsung hero's that defend against ridiculous odds to stop a base capture. Something that might entice a few more players to defense instead of only playing the offensive side of things. Nothing to "force" a player to play a different way, but something that could help a player step out of his/her comfort zone and try something else.   

Offline SysError

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Re: Win Da Warz?
« Reply #14 on: March 16, 2014, 11:25:32 AM »
Good post.   :aok

A lot to think about. 

While I'm thinking, here is a question: Do you think that the game should have an "easy side to it" to keep newbies interested in staying?

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