SAVE ACES HIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PJ_Godzilla]

So then the question becomes:f AH did these things and saw a transient decrease in current arena pop and a large increase in the new McArenas, would the revenue recovered later - if/when people transitioned to "paying" status - be worthwhile/ net postive. IE, can we "buy" share up front and make it pay back end or is this approach just a big loser.

It would be interesting and informative if we could see Gaijin's results using the same approach. It wouldn't necessarily be predictive, though, because perhaps AH offers more and would be more attractive once people were in the door (or maybe even the opposite, dpending on what the clientele really want and are willing to pay for).

[The Fugitive]

I'd be ok with a free to play model, just tweak it a bit. Free to play players log in and like a 2 weeker can only see default skins allow them to see only one fighter, one bomber, and one gv. If you want more then only $15 a month to open the rest of the toys.

This way you bring in more player. They have time to learn their way around. They provide more resources to generate more fights. And more than likely they will subscribe to get the better equipment once they have learned enough to make it worth their while.

[jimson]

No, indeed... We need to think more like a pusher. The two-week trial is a decent idea, but the beginner needs some fast food. We need a dumbed-down WT style starter kit for people, one where most of the setup decisions are canned. The no icon thing is a discussion amongst the graybeards.

That said, old man, my experience, limited though it was, says AvA no-icon was a significantly more interesting and exciting experience. And yes, losing your enemy down there in the weeds was a viable disengagement tactic. Even the camo becomes more significant when you're not carrying a big red billboard around.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record: *****Staged missions***** With repair and a few changes to the mission system we could have an arena with no cross country coms where everyone fights against AI and they can begin with airstarts.

[The Fugitive]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record: *****Staged missions***** With repair and a few changes to the mission system we could have an arena with no cross country coms where everyone fights against AI and they can begin with airstarts.

I hope we NEVER see air starts in this game. Spawn camping at 20,000 feet! 

I think had HTC been able to continue with the "Combat Tour" setup they were working on it would have played well into todays gaming experience. Each team having a central command "leading" it toward the win. With out direction everyone is floundering around doing their own thing and not getting anywhere. Having a bit more structure would keep the "WWII realism" guys happy, mission guys would be happy as they would ALWAYS have a mission running, and the guys who just want fights would find them all over the place both in the air and on the ground.

[jimson]

I hope we NEVER see air starts in this game. Spawn camping at 20,000 feet! 

I think had HTC been able to continue with the "Combat Tour" setup they were working on it would have played well into todays gaming experience. Each team having a central command "leading" it toward the win. With out direction everyone is floundering around doing their own thing and not getting anywhere. Having a bit more structure would keep the "WWII realism" guys happy, mission guys would be happy as they would ALWAYS have a mission running, and the guys who just want fights would find them all over the place both in the air and on the ground.

Thinking more for a beginners arena where only one side can be joined and the other just AI so no spawn camping.

[matt]

I'd be ok with a free to play model, just tweak it a bit. Free to play players log in and like a 2 weeker can only see default skins allow them to see only one fighter, one bomber, and one gv. If you want more then only $15 a month to open the rest of the toys.

This way you bring in more player. They have time to learn their way around. They provide more resources to generate more fights. And more than likely they will subscribe to get the better equipment once they have learned enough to make it worth their while.

Good idea.

[Bizman]

I'd be ok with a free to play model, just tweak it a bit. Free to play players log in and like a 2 weeker can only see default skins allow them to see only one fighter, one bomber, and one gv. If you want more then only $15 a month to open the rest of the toys.

This way you bring in more player. They have time to learn their way around. They provide more resources to generate more fights. And more than likely they will subscribe to get the better equipment once they have learned enough to make it worth their while.

How about another way to tweak it: All of the toys but only for half an hour a day or even less? Even the perking system could be included. Why not longer than half an hour, you might ask? Well, for a working family man like I am one full hour may often be enough at the end of a day. A few sorties crowned with some kills on the buffer give a warm feeling for bedtime. Usually it would take several minutes to even find a place where there's action and for a beginner also some time to figure out which plane to choose so the real flying time would be much less. Pay if you want to fly longer!

Or maybe an even shorter time, like 20 minutes a day OR one sortie? That would allow for both a hectic furball defending a field as well as a looong bombing mission, or even sitting in an M3 with troops under a tree watching buildings pop up under a chess piece flag.

I don't know much about coding, but I suppose neither of those would be harder to accomplish than a mute or the current 2 weeks system.

[The Fugitive]

How about another way to tweak it: All of the toys but only for half an hour a day or even less? Even the perking system could be included. Why not longer than half an hour, you might ask? Well, for a working family man like I am one full hour may often be enough at the end of a day. A few sorties crowned with some kills on the buffer give a warm feeling for bedtime. Usually it would take several minutes to even find a place where there's action and for a beginner also some time to figure out which plane to choose so the real flying time would be much less. Pay if you want to fly longer!

Or maybe an even shorter time, like 20 minutes a day OR one sortie? That would allow for both a hectic furball defending a field as well as a looong bombing mission, or even sitting in an M3 with troops under a tree watching buildings pop up under a chess piece flag.

I don't know much about coding, but I suppose neither of those would be harder to accomplish than a mute or the current 2 weeks system.

I wouldn't do it that way. They could fly the "top 10" for 5 hours a night. No you want to give them a taste, and make them pay to play with the rest of the toys.

[caldera]

You could give them one free sortie in every plane and vehicle and then a limited set to choose from afterwards.

[Bizman]

I wouldn't do it that way. They could fly the "top 10" for 5 hours a night. No you want to give them a taste, and make them pay to play with the rest of the toys.

I don't quite understand. Do you mean that a new guy could master a plane to survive for hours in a single sortie? If they're that capable I'd better retire! Unless they'd just fly between the safe bases far from the fronts.

But I understand your concern and here's a solution: Refueling would not be allowed during that one sortie/20 minutes. The guy who could survive in any plane until his tank is empty would either be a satisfying opponent to the most demanding fighters or a pathetic background traveller who'd fly equally happy offline except for the illusion of company in the radio buffer... Which pops up a third group into my twisted imagination: Those who'd like to join the discussion on 200 without a paid account. But that would also be possible with the limited plane set suggestions, even worse because of no time limitations.

[The Fugitive]

I don't quite understand. Do you mean that a new guy could master a plane to survive for hours in a single sortie? If they're that capable I'd better retire! Unless they'd just fly between the safe bases far from the fronts.

But I understand your concern and here's a solution: Refueling would not be allowed during that one sortie/20 minutes. The guy who could survive in any plane until his tank is empty would either be a satisfying opponent to the most demanding fighters or a pathetic background traveller who'd fly equally happy offline except for the illusion of company in the radio buffer... Which pops up a third group into my twisted imagination: Those who'd like to join the discussion on 200 without a paid account. But that would also be possible with the limited plane set suggestions, even worse because of no time limitations.

Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you were proposing that a new player could fly EACH AND EVERY plane but only for half an hour a day.

[Bizman]

Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you were proposing that a new player could fly EACH AND EVERY plane but only for half an hour a day.

Ahh... The language barrier! 

Yes, I meant to limit the daily playing time to that half an hour or one sortie. During that time the player would be able to use any plane, even perked ones if he's earned them and get a new plane as many times as he can during that said time. And if he's on a longer trip he would be able to extend his first and only sortie past that half an hour until running out of gas or getting shot down. I don't know how long a bomber could stay up but with the refuel limit it wouldn't be a problem anyway. I'd like to see the pilot who'd fly a formation of Lancasters for another hour just for fun after dropping the eggs!

[RotBaron]

marketing when new engine is ready

guys (curators) at Pima A&S museum looked at me funny when I mentioned the game, as if to say such a thing exists?...

[PJ_Godzilla]

marketing when new engine is ready

guys (curators) at Pima A&S museum looked at me funny when I mentioned the game, as if to say such a thing exists?...

Those guys would be wise to maintain a bunch of sim stations so that the clientele could sit down, strap in, and get a taste of some head to head action against each other. If they set up a room with 8 or a dozen such stations, they could bring small groups in for ten minute quick and dirty gang on gang action as part of their museum experience...

Yet another data point counter to the "our market is exhausted" whine. No. Awareness is the first hurdle. Those guys are natural clientele.

[Badger85]

I really agree with the comments made by Motherland on page 10 of this post. I'm 28 years old and for many gamers in my generation, the aesthetic of Aces High seems very dated. I know HTC is working on a new graphics engine, but I also hope they invest in professional user-experience design to clean up the interface in-game (not to mention on their web properties) and bring it up to 2014 standards. Also, I really hope they make the terrain look more like that in War Thunder and the newer IL-2 series games. Unfortunately, some of the video teasers of the new graphics engine still have that old AHII look to their ground textures. I'm remaining optimistic because I love the gameplay, but I hope UXD and real-life terrain texturing are top priorities for HTC right now. Just my two cents...