The "Oh Look, Squirrel!" Generation and LFG/LFM System

[DubiousKB]

Ok I've given some thought to the Pickup Mission feature. And after being weighed and measured, the Pickup Mission (and even more so Staged Missions) have been found wanting...    (by more than just whiny me)

Why do we not have some form of Looking For Group And/Or Looking For More system? (it could be argued that we already have this in the form of Pickup Missions/ Staged Missions, but I'm referring to the systems in place for most popular Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). And I know this is not a MMORPG, but I've stated this before, my generation and younger (30) are VERY accustomed to this style of play. Instant Gratification. Now I understand that this game is not really an instant gratification game, but I believe it is far enough away from it that new players are discouraged within their two week trial.

The best part of this game is flying beside another person(s), whether you know them or not, into battle.

I wish that our Pickup Missions could accommodate some form of an already established Looking For More/Looking For Group system. The problem with Pickup Missions is that the system is not geared to the "look a squirrel" crowd, like myself. I see some red on the map and just jump into an aircraft for action. Unfortunately this usually results in the pearl necklace effect of players heading into enemy territory one-by-one.

I believe that their is significant value in retaining new players by implementing some form of LFG/LFM system in support of the Pickup Mission functionality. I envision a pop up window similar to the window you receive when a player is attempting to join your aircraft as a gunner/observer.

"Your Group of <B-17's> for <Bombing> from <A94> is ready, Do you want to Join the Pickup Mission? Yes, No;take me off LFG/LFM list"

You apply your pilotID to the LFM/LFG list with your preferred aircraft/vehicle and sortie type you are interested in, which also shows all other players LFG/LFM. Ideally, the Pickup Mission would be generated when a minimum number of pilots of similar LFM/LFG type are in the queue. I realize there's some logic decisions to be made programmaticly to achieve this, but the metric is configurable; 4 pilots required in LFM/LFG list with identical preferences before a Pickup Mission is generated. One should still be able to simply create their own Pickup Mission, but I would like to see it automatically generated when conditions are appropriate.

Beyond this system, there needs to be another form of Pickup Mission notification for users, as discussed in previous threads, perhaps an increase in the visibility is a simple and effective update which is all that is required. A prompt window would be nice, but a pain to some; think a heated turn fight when a pop-up blocks your perfect deflection shot. Perhaps, the below messages would be better served on the clipboard map as an overlay (on by default for new users) just like field altitudes or the wind layers. This provides a highly visable notification for Pickup Missions on the GUI which is very often used in AND out of flight.

Fighter Sweep Mission Posted: x/y positions filled; 5Min Until Launch...
Bomber Mission Posted: x/y positions filled; 10Min Until Launch...
Attack Mission Posted: x/y positions filled; 15Mn Until Launch...


A quick estimate on the LFM/LFG listing:
Player ID   Preferred Aircraft/Vehicle   Desired Sortie Type   Field Of Origin   Player Status   Private Message
ABC           B-17                                   Attack                   A94                   In-Tower           x
DEF           P-47M                           Escort                   A94                   In-Tower           x
GHI           P-51D                           Patrol                           A102                   In Flight           x
JKL           P-51D                           Patrol                           A102                   In Flight             x   
MNO           FW-190A8                           Attack                   A95                   AFK                   x
PQR           B-17                                   Attack                   A95                   In Flight             x   
TUV           B-17                                   Attack                   A95                   In Tower            x   
WXY           M3                                   Attack                   A94                   In Tower           x


I dunno. Just thinking about the gaming industry and how I could maybe help retain new players (especially younger generation players), whilst satisfying veteran players who aren't part of a niche group/squad. The idea is to promote multiple aircraft and/or ground vehicles launching at the same time. I believe it will aid in the promotion of combat because a large dar bar ALWAYS seems to draw the attention of veteran and "attentive to the map" players.

  Always entertaining if nothing else...

P.S. I killed poison AND Skyrr last night!  I know it doesn't mean much to them, but there is a certain satisfaction  in downing specific players. <S> 

[Skyyr]

P.S. I killed poison AND Skyrr last night!  I know it doesn't mean much to them, but there is a certain satisfaction  in downing specific players. <S> 

You did? I've not been killed by you all tour. I just checked my stats to confirm that.

You did gang me with about four other players after I shot you down several times, but you weren't the one that got the kill. Please feel free to check them yourself.

Regardless, I'm not sure why you brought up killing someone in a Wishlist thread.

[DubiousKB]

because killing you guys IS a wish of mine.     

First one was a gank and i only got the assist; I retract my blasphemous statement.   

[Skyyr]

because killing you guys IS a wish of mine.     

First one was a gank and i only got the assist; I retract my blasphemous statement.   

lol... no harm done. Good fights. 

[DubiousKB]

any thoughts on the pickup mission wish Skyyr?

[Wiley]

Y'know...  Loathe as I am to see too much MMORPG stuff seep in here, I could see people who don't have a squad possibly using this.  I wonder if it might get more people moving in a direction if there was something that said there are people wanting to launch from A23 to head to A42.

Wiley.

[xPoisonx]

lol that was dirty you dove on me when I was fighting 3 others

 

Good idea tho

[DubiousKB]

Y'know...  Loathe as I am to see too much MMORPG stuff seep in here, I could see people who don't have a squad possibly using this.  I wonder if it might get more people moving in a direction if there was something that said there are people wanting to launch from A23 to head to A42.

Wiley.

This is what I'm sorta pushing towards. May keep people together a bit more, (promoting combat) and yeah for those of us sorta in no-man's land who haven't found a home in this community, it may make it easier to play together.

[bustr]

You may have a better outcome working on wishes for an auto notification on player's clipboards and the text buffer of posted missions that is meaningful.

Most players who post missions are usually squads or well known personas players like to follow. You have probably listened on range while players throw out ideas for attacking fields and no one was interested. You do have the "freedom" to post a mission then ask everyone on country channel to join your mission.

In all of these kinds of wishes over the years, the OP wants a process that does not address the actual problem. You want to join something but, don't have the influence to inspire others to put up missions for you to join. Yet HiTech has given you the unilateral freedom to create your own missions and inspire others to follow you if you can pull it off.

Obviously you have been in missions that just pickled you tink, and you want more of that feeling all the time. And now you have run into the reality that a player personal relationship driven community has really high ups and boring in betweens. The reality is, no one can be "on" all the time and give you those kinds of missions every time you login.

The sad reality, a sign up board for being interested in some mission activity, will be ignored just like players ignore others on range throwing out requests for a mission to attack some field. In Aces High, if you want to attack something with a mission and no one puts one up if you ask, put up your own and create the relationships to be a persona players will follow.

[DubiousKB]

You may have a better outcome working on wishes for an auto notification on player's clipboards and the text buffer of posted missions that is meaningful.
...
In all of these kinds of wishes over the years, the OP wants a process that does not address the actual problem. You want to join something but, don't have the influence to inspire others to put up missions for you to join. Yet HiTech has given you the unilateral freedom to create your own missions and inspire others to follow you if you can pull it off.

Obviously you have been in missions that just pickled you tink, and you want more of that feeling all the time. And now you have run into the reality that a player personal relationship driven community has really high ups and boring in betweens. The reality is, no one can be "on" all the time and give you those kinds of missions every time you login.
...

I hadn't looked at it that way, well stated bustr.

As pickled tink as I am with this game and it's community, I have only been lucky enough to be part of it for a short time. This game and it's community have a long history, and in my haste sometimes that is lost on me. Perhaps the auto notification on player's clipboards and the text buffer of posted missions that are meaningful, like Wiley and yourself suggest is a less-intrusive, more-bang-for-your buck type of approach.  Would you envision it as something like; "X players are Attacking A45 to Knight/Rook/Bishop A44", or "X players are Defending A45"?

[bustr]

I only envision, HiTech, if he is interested, will create something purpose driven that is neither too hot, nor, too cold.

You have only a single man who changes and creates code for this game and he is busy running a company. Not waiting breathlessly for every idea in the wish list to drool over. You are more likely to get wishes granted for small things that benefit his vision rather than try to wish him into recreating functions from other games you are enamored of.

If he wants to change this game into the other games he will. Until then, work with what he gives you in this moment.

[bozon]

Bustr, this is not a big wish at all and has been suggested before in different formats. I think it is still valid.

It actually breaks down into two: one is advertising a mission you have generated (LFM in mmorpg language). Earl/ET37 has recently posted a wish to create notification of new missions and thus attract interested players without having to spam county channel with "JOIN THE MISSUN!" cries. This makes lots of sense.

The opposite direction is a request for a mission to be created by someone else (LFG). Not all players, especially new ones want to lead a mission. Most will not get much of a following anyway even if they posted one. I think that the value of a LFG flag is to let the mission leader types that there are a number of interested players to join a mission if one is to be created. Sort of an encouragement for the leader types to post missions. It also allows the leader to PM individual players that expressed interest in joining a mission - again reducing the need for text buffer spamming.

We. Should not underestimate the value of mission in keeping new players subscribed. Noobs love missions and it is a good opportunity for them to experience team play and initiate social interactions - the latter is what binds player to this game for a long period.

[DubiousKB]

It has been made very clear to me that I shouldn't have posted this.... Didn't realize I would get so much anger directed my way for something (underneath it all) that was supposed to be a wish to benefit the game, specifically, younger generation players and what they are accustomed to seeing in the gaming world.

It would appear that my wish was solely based on my own narcissist desires to affect game-play for others. Not my intent. Wanted to add to a great game without significant design/code change.  I've been in the industry long enough to know it's easier to do a 2.0 to 2.01 version than it is to go from 2.0 to 3.0.

Bustr, I did not intend to sound like every other crying child with this wish, I'm sorry if that is what was inferred. I *thought* it was just an idea which i had not seen exclusively discussed on the board in my short time being a member. You make some very valid points via the PM's you sent me, which I hadn't considered in my youthful exuberance. I refuse to believe, however, that discussing ideas (even bad ones) is a waste of peoples time who have been involved with the game since it's inception. 

The moment you refuse to explore new ideas is the moment you've given up.

Many Canadian Apologies....



 

[xPoisonx]

It has been made very clear to me that I shouldn't have posted this.... Didn't realize I would get so much anger directed my way for something (underneath it all) that was supposed to be a wish to benefit the game, specifically, younger generation players and what they are accustomed to seeing in the gaming world.

It would appear that my wish was solely based on my own narcissist desires to affect game-play for others. Not my intent. Wanted to add to a great game without significant design/code change.  I've been in the industry long enough to know it's easier to do a 2.0 to 2.01 version than it is to go from 2.0 to 3.0.

Bustr, I did not intend to sound like every other crying child with this wish, I'm sorry if that is what was inferred. I *thought* it was just an idea which i had not seen exclusively discussed on the board in my short time being a member. You make some very valid points via the PM's you sent me, which I hadn't considered in my youthful exuberance. I refuse to believe, however, that discussing ideas (even bad ones) is a waste of peoples time who have been involved with the game since it's inception. 

The moment you refuse to explore new ideas is the moment you've given up.

Many Canadian Apologies....

(Image removed from quote.)

 

Better off adding bustr to your ignore list... saved me from seeing a lot of his wisdom and love for HTC.