Subs have been a wishlist thing since Hitech first brought them up on the BBS probably 14 or 15 years ago, for me at least. I know HT's father is an x-submariner that was in the pacific on a US boat. Pretty cool stuff. It'd be just another great addition that is possible, which would only serve to expand the greater game at large IMO. What could be better than the old Microprose Silent Service vs real life opponents: make the destoryers have actual ASW WW2 technology like early sonar and depth charges and ASW mortars and the like. Stalking CV groups with your sub, using sonar and periscope and such. ASW missions from all the various aircraft of WW2 that performed that mission, dropping depth bombs, skip bombs, and fighting them off with deck 20 and 40mm guns. So much potential is still out there, I hope there is rapid success with the new version which keeps the lit fire under HTC burning hot - if that ends up being the case, the sky is the limit IMO.
I do still believe strongly that the time has come to blend both FTP and subscription in this game. There isn't many games out there that would have something like this, a FTP set of units like my infantry/ground idea, and I also could get behind what others just mentioned, maybe the Storch and a couple really really high ENY planes that would be free with 25 percent fuel from certain bases or something for the FTP crowd. That is a great idea whoever just mentioned that, another great vehicle for hooking FTP clients into the "meat" of this game, which is still the fighters and bombers and their superb flight, damage, and armament models and the combat which results from that. I truly hope HTC is considering something like this, as there is no better time to strike than right now IMO, what with the response that Star Citizen has gotten, and the fact that there is only one competitor, WT, which has nothing on AH in terms of current and future potential gameplay.
Another idea I have, which will be controversial I'll bet, but is current with the times with online gaming, is things like perk points and perhaps some very specialized aircraft, available for extra costs. I know a lot of the "fairness" brigade won't like this, but in terms of a revenue function, allowing subscribers to pay on a sliding scale for single use or even stockpiles of points, whatever form they be in, is a force all its own nowadays so far as driving customer retention and commitment. World of Tanks does this, while not being a monthly sub type of game, there is the ability to spend real life $ to get points others choose to grind out in real life time for. Again, controversial, but overall a very good feature IMO for the health of the company. I would in a second personally spend an extra 10 or 20 bucks or whatever for a couple thousand perk points in order to fly the 262 or perhaps future stuff like the P51H, or the L/W Arrow - stuff like that. Again, it'd be a huge change from how things are done now, and as many long term guys wouldn't necessarily be fans of it, with new players, it serves as a feature that further invests them into playing the game, and to keep playing it. Just my opinion, not a feature high on the list for me personally, but I've heard others mention it and feel that it should be put on the table at the very least.
