This game is dead unless things change

[The Fugitive]

Yesterday I logged on and we had the Beta map. A small map on a Saturday..... going to be crowded. Take a quick look at the country situation and Bish need one more Knight base and 2 more Rook base. OK, this isn't going to last long, hardly any dar on either front....most people are in tanks I guess.... Bish are in the tower trying to figure out how to NOE through the valley to get those last few bases 

I up a Tu2 figure I'll work on a couple achievements.  6 runs later, nothing has changed. I have run back and forth across the same 3 bases (2 V bases, 1 Small Airfield) dropping ammo, fuel, and radar. 4 hours down, I've been attacked twice at 15k, but hey! I have 3 new achievements!

I did get a couple fighter runs in, had a great fight my mossie vs Kvuo75's P47-11 a real knock down drag out fight, but that was it. Rook numbers finally started to grow and we took the bases we needed for the win. New map, nothing better. Rooks horde up in the north against minimal resistance, Knights and Bish fighting on their front. I make a couple more buff runs and get two more achievements. Still no fights, I log for the night.

Sure I could have upped a pony and chased a single con here or there but I would rather have a few battles going on that I could join in either defensively or offensively. Sure doesn't seem like it was in the old days..... when I was almost never in a buff. 

[moot]

Would it be wrong to disable flight at bases within a varyingly large contiguous part (starting at periphery?) of bigger maps, the way the planeset is gradually ENY-limited proportionately to country balance?  Or was that tried already?  It kinda seems familiar.

[Chilli]

  moot making suggestions that could actually help.  No, they have never suspended flight from any base in MA.  Other arenas have done so.  Limiting active hangars to frontline bases (allowing for bombers only a reasonable number of sectors away) would do what it does any other arenas, guide the action.  In addition, high altitude combat would be dialed back a good deal.

It would present some challenges that are not readily foreseen, like defense from fleet attacks, and HQ defense.  But focusing  attention would generally be a good thing in my opinion.  You could still do all the types of things that you currently do.  Those tasks would just have a bit more risk involved. +1

[bustr]

The new release Hitech is working on will probably address much of this. But, I added into a wish months ago that off prime time late night, bases be shut down except for a 10x10 in the center of the map. Since Waffle was talking about the new fields and how the town would be spilt out into villages along active roads. You can see this on the front page in the new teaser film about Hitech's progress. He mentioned something about focusing terrain detail to something like 4x4 miles. Most of our base capture action takes place in a relatively small area while we fly time consuming distances to get there.

Yesterday's tiny map was perfect to force everyone together to fight. The teaser film showed a much expanded airfield with roads and villages lining them leading to the airfield. Nothing stood out from the area the film focused on to indicate what you would capture though. I wonder if the capture mechanics will be changed in the next version. So, Hitech did agree with some misgivings in a non binding manner from a disgruntled player about some things needed changing. Non binding = no specifics admitted to but, an agreement of a need for change. That is quite an admission from our master of mum.

Hitech is keeping the specific changes to the game from us. Probably a good strategy, since many here would spend forum pages ad infinitum nit picking them to death because they don't like them. Or aren't the ones they wished for, or they are so angry at Hitech and the game now, they only gain enjoyment by trying to kill the game in these forums.

I wish Waffle was able to preview more about the direction the new release is taking from the previous brain storming session he posted. It's silly to beat this version of the game to death when soon it will no longer be relevant. The real danger from these posts, is everyone has been indulged and allowed to trash the game with their collective years of unhappiness. There is a good danger they have poisoned themselves against anything Hitech could ever change. Unhappiness is a self fulfilling prophecy and a powerful group disease.

[shoresroad]

It's silly to beat this version of the game to death when soon it will no longer be relevant. The real danger from these posts, is everyone has been indulged and allowed to trash the game with their collective years of unhappiness. There is a good danger they have poisoned themselves against anything Hitech could ever change. Unhappiness is a self fulfilling prophecy and a powerful group disease.

Maybe your best post ever, Bustr.  Well said.

[ReVo]

Unhappiness is a self fulfilling prophecy and a powerful group disease.

Yes, god forbid we voice our displeasure with the game that we pay money for. 

[scott66]

Maybe your best post ever, Bustr.  Well said.

+1

[hitech]

Buster we have not designed any field layout at this time

[Jed]

I like the distance between bases.  And wouldn't mind seeing more space between bases.
If you can catch somone in these spaces they are forced to fight!!
No ack to run to, or meat grinder of aircraft taking off to come get you.

[Slate]

 
        Things have always Changed in this game thats why I've been here this long. 

       

[bustr]

Buster we have not designed any field layout at this time

Ratz, I liked what I saw from the film. More immersive value for air and GV fans. Still, what promise from just your proof of concept Hitech. 

[Delirium]

I like the distance between bases.  And wouldn't mind seeing more space between bases.

More space between bases = higher altitude fights

I am of the opposite opinion, the less space between bases, the more lively the fights become.

[Bear76]

More space between bases = higher altitude fights

I am of the opposite opinion, the less space between bases, the more lively the fights become.

+1

[Brooke]

I really really wished the things you describe would be actually true. That would bring back my enjoyment at offpeak times to a satisfactory level.
Unfortunately, when a huge map like ozkansas is up, all the 15-100 players online during my timezone usually are spread all over the map, with darbar rarely indicating more than 1-2 enemy cons in a sector at all.

That is my experience also at far-off-peak hours.  Peak times -- things are fine and great.  Far off peak, well . . . I think we need smaller play area at those times.

[shoresroad]

I like the distance between bases.  And wouldn't mind seeing more space between bases.
If you can catch somone in these spaces they are forced to fight!!
No ack to run to, or meat grinder of aircraft taking off to come get you.

+1