Longer Free Trial

[Triton28]

I've been playing some other games recently, and was chatting on Teamspeak with another guy and the conversation shifted to WWII history, and specifically WWII aviation.  He mentioned that he flew War Thunder a bit and liked it, so I say to myself, "Self, tell this dude about Aces High".  So I did.

He downloads it, and we play for a bit.  I set about explaining everything to him and it hits me... there ain't no way I can get this guy up to speed and hooked in two weeks.  It's one thing if he can play every day for 6 hours for two weeks... and we can be on at the same time, but with jobs, families, and other games and hobby interests.  No way.

How much longer is up for debate, but two weeks don't cut it. 

[Latrobe]

We pay for a monthly subscription. I think new guys should at least get 1 month free. 2 weeks is not enough time to figure out:

-How to work the text and vox
-The important dot command
-How to takeoff from fields and carriers
-How to control your plane in flight
-How to fight (this one takes several months or even years to figure out)
-How to land on a field or carrier
-How gvs work
-How to join and make missions
-How to bomb (dive bombing and level bombing)
and a whole host of other things as well

2 weeks is just barely enough time to understand how the text buffer and vox works and maybe how to get your plane airborne. 2 weeks is just enough time to realize this is one tough game with a steep learning curve and not enough time to figure out if it's worth a monthly subscription.

+1 on upping the free trial! 

[Schen]

+1 agreed with what has already been stated and one month would be awesome or even say hours i.e your allowed 20 hours in the training areana after which you unlock the Da , with training areana still usable after 20 more hours you unlock the ma with an additional 20 hours. Total log in time is now 60 hours and should at that point be a good indication if you wish to subscribe.

[Tinkles]

+1

[DubiousKB]

+1 to elongating the trial period to match a subscription period.

i can definitely say that my dad, who's just joined the game, is having a hell of a time with the text and vox commands. When i try to teach him via phone, he just replies with "i don't care, i want to get a kill, just let me get in the air"....   

Which i've learned (like many of you i'm sure) doesn't work too well in the long run. He'll find the red dots by a base and up. This usually only helps someone pad their score...

 

[XxDaSTaRxx]

+1

I miss bullspit! 

[morfiend]

+1

I miss bullspit! 

  I dont think you were around when spitbull flew...... that was in 02/03!

  I agree 2 weeks arent long enough,personally I like the hours time base just like real pilots need certain amount of hours for a rating would add to emmersion if only alittle.

  If my math is correct 2 weeks equals 288 hours,which would be excessive IMHO but 100 hours seems reasonable,maybe even as few as 75 hours. I also like the idea of after x hours in TA you open a new arena,etc. the only issue I see is the lack of players available to help the new guys in the TA getting started.



   

[XxDaSTaRxx]

  I dont think you were around when spitbull flew...... that was in 02/03!
   

Bullspit was a user I met in August '13. He was my first friend on the game 

[Someguy63]

+1

[Randy1]

+1

A real good wish.

Make it a summer special. 

[morfiend]

Bullspit was a user I met in August '13. He was my first friend on the game 

 I was kidding..... notice I changed the name to spitbull.    That was an old handle of mine in years gone by!



   

[Delirium]

+1 I agree 100%

Two weeks isn't enough, not only to learn the game but also to become proficient enough to get kills for the simulation novices. Without the taste of the first kill in their maw, those new players will never stay.

Heck, I'd even give War Thunder refugees even more time as an introduction to help lure them over. Let War Thunder get them interested in the WWII genre, but have Aces High reap the profit.

[Zerstorer]

Heck, I'd even give War Thunder refugees even more time as an introduction to help lure them over. Let War Thunder get them interested in the WWII genre, but have Aces High reap the profit.

Good idea but likely won't work.  Most of the War Thunder population plays Arcade mode....which have always struck me as being members of the "instant gratification Xbox" population.  That said, there are those who are looking for a deeper experience so it can't hurt trying.

[bustr]

If 2-week trial accounts were not so simple to use as a shade and revolving door free account. A 2-3-4-week arena only accessible to trial accounts and trainers would be feasible. A small map mirroring the MA with constant AI running around along with trial accounters being able to shoot each other down. As soon as you submit your credit card you are locked out of it. By then the trainers the trial accounters meet in that arena would have made sure they know to visit the TA. Or HTC would have signs and instructional videos everywhere spelling out what's waiting for them in the subscriber arenas.

The downside would probably be like the old H2H arenas after some genius figured out how to spoof creating new trial accounts. Then it would be a free to play AH arena with AI and noobs to grief by free loaders along with MA vets who found out about the trial account spoof.

A longer free trial is one solution, except you are loosing money being charitable. Another solution would be a one time incentive offer of say 2 months for $25.00 after the 2-week trial is up instead of $14.95 per month. Knowing how tough this game is on new players. I suspect the game has early frustration drop out periods for a percentage of new subscribers in the first few months. A package deal could have a salutary incentive to finish the low rate period getting some of the early drop outs over the hump.

Free is not going to support this game. The front of the WEB page is not plastered with advertisements to make up the difference. Free for many these days means free loading and entitlements for as long as they can take free stuff from the source offering it.

Consider with a longer free trial period. How many more burnt out and disgruntled players would drop their accounts and then open a trial account between taking vacations from the game. One month free with a few weeks to months off. Then back to playing AH for free for a month or so. Two weeks seems to have another purpose from a profit motive.

[Bastid]

A better way to look at this would be...........



Since numbers continue to dwindle since the days of 600 players online, HTC should do something to get a subtle increase. 

After all, public or private, it's all about Recurring Revenue.