The future of Aces High?

[bustr]

Hey Meatwad, give me the snikkers. He's probably a few cases in of owing friends and family snikkers and back rent by now. His Marvin Bakari links all died around the internet.

Unless he scammed the $64M for his new Gulfstream and is on his way to hide in Honduras already. Or is that a different public persona on another channel? I just can't keep these internet personalities straight anymore since anyone can claim anything other than their choice of syntactic parenthetics. Kind of like finger prints, but a structure signature from ones subconscious in sentence creation. You would almost need to have multiple personality disorder to create completely different ones for different audiences. Putting on a wig and fishnets doesn't change the single personality sitting at the keyboard.

His kind of reminds me of a past denizen of our forums. Blu, maybe even poison, or one of the perma banned from the 12 hour rebellion.

[JimmyC]

the future looks golden 

[Randy1]

Some online games are free but they suck money from those willing to buy there way to higher levels in the game.  Something like 10 cents a minute for a 262 or tempest or perked gv.  In the mind a 10 minute flight is only a buck so why not but it adds up real quick.

But I will note again the monthly payment is kind of a filter for bad players albeit it doesn't work for the trashy hq hitters.

[Bizman]

My $0.02 here is that AH does need a mobile presence... perhaps an app that lets you check the status of the map... maybe a player roster... you can see if your buddy is on...maybe an alert when your buddy logs on... I don't see a way to play AH on a phone but it can put AH back in your head when you away from the game.
Todd

You already can use your smartphone in AH. Pand Strat Maps are available as PDF, reducing the risk of hiding an approaching enemy behind the clipboard.

[hitech]

Some online games are free but they suck money from those willing to buy there way to higher levels in the game.  Something like 10 cents a minute for a 262 or tempest or perked gv.  In the mind a 10 minute flight is only a buck so why not but it adds up real quick.

But I will note again the monthly payment is kind of a filter for bad players albeit it doesn't work for the trashy hq hitters.

I do not know of many "Free" online games, many have a free component. In fact AH is also free under your definition. You can play missions offline with out any charge.

HiTech

[vHACKv]

That is how you get owned by a superior vernacular, after posting from a bar on a smartphone. 

Bustr you take troll to a whole new level 

http://www.pigsonthewing.org/join.php   some good ole pig excrement

[BaldEagl]

HT's Steal the Sheep game (posted here: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,372833.0.html) is a perfect example of the type of play that would translate well to mobile.

Another aspect that would translate well would be a pilots school where you compete to advance from basic controls to BFM to ACM to free combat.  Along the way you could earn aircraft flying in different theaters.  There could be a parallel GV path and once you've completed the game you're signed up for a two week free trial online with at least some idea of what to do.  Another idea would be to credit earned aircraft with perks when you first log on with your PC.

I'm sure it would have to be different/limited/dumbed down from the current online game but could still be fun and be  a great way to introduce more players to the game.

[Ack-Ack]

HT's Steal the Sheep game (posted here: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,372833.0.html) is a perfect example of the type of play that would translate well to mobile.

Another aspect that would translate well would be a pilots school where you compete to advance from basic controls to BFM to ACM to free combat.  Along the way you could earn aircraft flying in different theaters.  There could be a parallel GV path and once you've completed the game you're signed up for a two week free trial online with at least some idea of what to do.  Another idea would be to credit earned aircraft with perks when you first log on with your PC.

I'm sure it would have to be different/limited/dumbed down from the current online game but could still be fun and be  a great way to introduce more players to the game.

This game would not translate well to a mobile platform like smart phones/tablets due to one simple reason, controls.

[BaldEagl]

This game would not translate well to a mobile platform like smart phones/tablets due to one simple reason, controls.

In Real Racing 3 you have the option of using tilt control to steer with tap/hold controls for brakes/acceleration.  Alternately you can use touch control to steer where a little steering wheel  appears on your screen and you simply follow it's outline to steer.  I don't see why a similar touch/hold control couldn't simulate the stick in an aircraft with separate touch controls for flaps and possibly even rudder or throttle.

You'd lose the view system so some type of automatic tracking would have to be developed and, like I said, some of what we enjoy online would have to be modified/dumbed down/made automatic for the platform but it seems feasible.

[bustr]

This would end up being two games with two different communities where pure air combat is concerned. I can play the GV game and manned guns from my wife's Laptop using a mouse. That might allow for some tablet fun on the road if your WiFi doesn't lag you out and the game can be installed.

But the core air combat simulator will need controllers. And funny, you see a lot of evolving solutions for tablets like this coming onto the market. First is if our game will ever have a version that will run on current tablets. Or if tablets will evolve for the gamer Win OS market.



http://www.chinaeshops.com/joystickit-tablet-arcade-game-stick-for-ipad-android-tablet-mid-purple_p8678.html

Wonder if this thing can run Aces High?

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-edge-pro#2

[Aspen]

I cant wrap my head around something close to the current way AH works crossing over to a phone.  I do elevators, rudder, ailerons, fire and view with my right hand and sometimes all once.  With my left I do throttle, flaps, gear, radio, zoom, weapon toggle, map and misc other stuff.

I think a tablet/phone version would have to be pretty simple and basically not AH.

[masterjock]

Hi guys.  I haven't played in a while (except for four hours of the Target for Today scenario).  In fact, other than that, I don't think I've played since the Battle Over the Winter Line scenario.  A lot of things contribute to this; boredom, player numbers, dar being constantly down and the suggestion by a trainer that I wasn't very good.  I guess after 19 years he was right so I stopped playing.  I've still been lurking around the boards a little but not like I used to.

During this time I bought my first smart phone.  I was a relatively early adopter of cell phones but when I lost my job for over a year I dropped mine due to cost and went several years without one.  After moving a couple of years ago I'd bundled my TV, phone and Internet with Comcast but if my cable went out I was dead in the water.  So, for that reason and the fact that I hate Comcast I dropped their TV (the building I live in offers it free at a level I'm happy with) and phone service.
sCREW THE PHONE  GAMES PLAYED ON MY 28" a whole lot better. Decline? I think its the market has more to offer and  so numbers just adjust  everything good here you dont worry.
So being a first time smart phone owner and having always liked racing games on my PC I downloaded Real Racing 3 despite my vow to never support anything by EA (after the Air Warriors debacle).  I know, I know... in-app purchases... ugh!  Well, it turns out that I'm now about 1/3 of the way through the game both in terms of events and cars purchased (with in-race earnings) and have spent $1.99 in real money simply to get the in-app ads to turn off.  I had been thinking I'd be willing to pay for the game to not have the ads but an Internet search told me to make any in-app purchase and they'd go away so I essentially bought the game for $1.99.  It's fun, the graphics are awesome, the physics are good and you can compete online against other players.  All of this and I don't need anything other than my smart phone and $1.99.  Not only that but I have my choice of touch or tilt controls.

So while I've been whiling away my time playing Real Racing on my cell phone I've been pondering the decline of Aces High.  I notice that World of Tanks is also available for Android (but haven't tried it... yet).  How can a game like Aces High, that requires a pretty good computer, special controls (if you want to do it right) and a $15/mo. subscription compete with this?  Frankly, in the long run, I don't think it can without getting where the customers are, and there are more of them walking around with a smart phone than there are sitting in front of a computer at any given moment.

I'll admit that my PC racing games have higher fidelity than Real Racing but it's not that far off.  I have to believe that HT could create a suitable version of AH for mobile devices, if only as a means to draw people into the game on PC.  And if they don't go for the PC version that's OK as long as he can find a way to monetize the mobile app.

I know some think the new graphics update is going to draw people back into the game and, to some degree so do I but it's mostly not going to be new blood, but older players returning to check out the changes.

Buying this cell phone has really opened my eyes to the possibilities and as these things get more refined and more powerful I think it's going to be a rough road ahead for most PC games.  I had been thinking about upgrading my desktop a while back but am coming to the realization that the only reason to do that is for AH.  Outside of that my laptop and smart phone do everything I need.  How many people can you convince to spend $1000+ on a computer, $100 on controllers and $15/mo. on a subscription just to play a game?  A few I'm sure but it seems to me the competitive landscape of PC gaming is changing and doing so rapidly.

I'm sure HT is already thinking about this if not working on it.  If not he may be the last buggy whip manufacturer.

[kvuo75]

I cant wrap my head around something close to the current way AH works crossing over to a phone.  I do elevators, rudder, ailerons, fire and view with my right hand and sometimes all once.  With my left I do throttle, flaps, gear, radio, zoom, weapon toggle, map and misc other stuff.

I think a tablet/phone version would have to be pretty simple and basically not AH.

they sell bluetooth connected controllers/joysticks for phones.

[BuckShot]

Player controlled 88s at the strats via phone

That might work.

[TequilaChaser]

I wasn't aware you had stepped away from AH, BE....

You know you can play this game just as good as the majority, probably better than the majority....

We all get burnt out brother, and I hope your itch to come back and play gets to bothering you something ferious ..

Hope to see you back soon, take care BE

TC / Johnny