I have a proposal concerning HQs.

[Rich46yo]

This.

It takes a strange lonely creature to up a set of Lancs on a huge map with few players and fly all those sectors, probably while doing their yard work or watching TV, drop and HQ and immediately bail. All because they can and knowing its done for nothing but the purpose of griefing, perhaps knowing its doing nothing but helping kill the game. I cant remember the last time we had 300 on at night and last May set a record for lowest K/Ds in a month. I'd bet it was cancellations that forced HiTech to act.

I dont know if Junes stats are current but if they are then this month will be a disaster. Assuming there is a connection between K/Ds and lost players. And why wouldnt there be when the decline is so constant?

 
That's a load of malarkey. Guys who drop HQs accomplish nothing except ruin fun for the players
flying for the country whose HQ got dropped.
  Ask the probably 1000 guys who dropped their subscriptions to AH over the past couple of years
how much -they- enjoyed having HQ down.
  Guys like you and the squads who do 'em do it so -they- can fly "under cover" so the odds of them
actually having to fight against another plane are lessened.
  I can understand hitting strat targets. Those have an impact war-wise. HQs is just griefin' the game
just because you can.
 
 

[715]

Ah... shouldn't you be looking at K/H not K/D to judge player participation?  K/D just cancels out... i.e. fewer K and fewer D gives the same ratio.  Or am I missing something?

[Lusche]

Ah... shouldn't you be looking at K/H not K/D to judge player participation?  K/D just cancels out... i.e. fewer K and fewer D gives the same ratio.  Or am I missing something?

He meant overall arena kills and deaths

[715]

He meant overall arena kills and deaths

Oh...  OK.  He means K+D not K/D.

[Soulyss]

The 'ol furballers vs basetakers debate has been going on for ages and will likely continue to go on for ages to come.  As someone who is primarily interested in furballing here's my take for those that care (if that means 1 or 2 of you out there actually care then I'm batting far above my average ).

Someone made the analogy of the pendulum earlier which I think it's a good way to look at it.  From a game play, community, or overall big picture I think it should be right there in the middle.  Dogfighting alone won't sustain the community, there needs to be a larger objective.  I also reject the idea that furballers or dogfighters are selfish or individualistic.  Coordination, teamwork, and have friends with you whom you can rely on matter as much in a furball as any endeavor in the game.   Base taking can be a healthy objective as well but not when it's too the detriment of combat.

The game is at it's best when there is conflict, and that conflict is at at best when there is an objective at stake.  Too often people point to the extremes as an example of why the other side is wrong.  The game play extremes at both ends also tend to be exclusionary to the other side, which is bad in the long run.

Some of the best battles I can remember where over an airfield, especially when it was a coordinated air/ground push.  They lasted hours and if my side eventually lost the field then there were no hard feelings from me, the front lines shift and the battle launches again.  For the victor that win I'm sure felt a whole lot better than the smash and grab of an undefended field as well.

What it boils down to for me is a player needs to be able to log in and find combat, whether that's a 1v1 duel, a big swirling furball, or a battle over an air/vehicle field, or port (better yet have all at once).  They need to be able to get in game, and join a battle.  Everything else flows from there.

Ok I'm done, hopping off the soapbox.  Carry on.

[68ZooM]

 I think there is a way you could tie headquarters into being a major part of the game, once the percentage of bases that have been captured instead of just winning the war the side with the most bases taken would have to drop the other countries headquarters in order to win the map.

that could really start some knock out drag out fights knowing the enemy has to drop your headquarters in order to win the map it's just a thought.

[waystin2]

The game is at it's best when there is conflict, and that conflict is at at best when there is an objective at stake.

This is Sig worthy Sir. 

[NatCigg]

This is Sig worthy Sir. 

  see, told ya.  base taking is what makes the world go round.    fighter jocks need to  get in line or go back to boot camp. 

  radar is privilege not a right! 

 

[bustr]

One country with some number of un-capture able neutral bases around the outside edges. All other bases can be captured by anyone. Everyone can shoot anyone as soon as they up at a field or GV spawn. Remove all score.

Players can form alliances and would need a mechanism to give members an alliance icon color, bases that color on the clip board map when they capture one. And no ability to shoot each other while wearing that color. Bases with a capture color can only be upped from by members of that alliance(single player capture also) or you have to capture it to change the color. Auto ack shoots at anyone not wearing the capture color. All capturable bases off the reset, auto ack shoots at everyone until the base is captured.

Person or group alliance that has some pre determined percentage of the map's bases wins. Map resets and all alliances are null and void. The 12 hour rule rebels will love this kind of a map. They can form a wolf pack and do nothing but whizz on everyone else to their uber skillz Lil hearts desires. Either launching from the neutral bases or capturing a few to make flight times shorter. Now hoards would have a purpose with greifers being needed to keep them from winning the map.

Arm chair generals can have strategygasims and furballer greifers will be hero's. And Gvers would be needed to place pressure on fields to keep other arm chair generals guessing.

Some genius would figure out how to get 75% of all players on his side as the end all of win strategies. And Hitech would probably close it down.

At Bentnail's missing man flight in the AvA, when it was over, kill shooter was turned off and we all shot at each other chasing around the feild. The world didn't end and we had a boat load of fun. That is what inspired this idea of a KOTH style capture arena.   

[NatCigg]

 Maybe a ww2 type game with a open moving front line like ww2 with MISSION PLANS like ww2.

[DmonSlyr]

Hitech, you should put one Free for all arena and one Team death match arena on small maps like smog 8 and another good FFA map in the online game choice. Limit these 2 arenas to 16-20 players. That way people can do what ever they want with no scores attached. They could still win the TDM war but it would reset the same map. Also, you can keep the other arenas as well. It wouldn't take too many away from the MA, but it would give the furballsers, small map players, and limited time players to have some quick fun!

[NatCigg]

Lol not only fighter jocks play for them self they want everyone else to do the same. is not war thunder what your describing.  You do this and you have what we do now with out the big number at login.  DONT FORGET ABOUT ALL OF US THE DONT WHINE AND THE GREAT GAME WE HAVE PLAYED FOR SO LONG. 

[JunkyII]

Lol not only fighter jocks play for them self they want everyone else to do the same. is not war thunder what your describing.  You do this and you have what we do now with out the big number at login.  DONT FORGET ABOUT ALL OF US THE DONT WHINE AND THE GREAT GAME WE HAVE PLAYED FOR SO LONG. 

I don't think anyone doubts that the base take mechanism is what spawns fights...but the HQ being down all the time was the issue for finding those fights. Even with the HQ up, you have to look for where the horde is going next.

[The Fugitive]

Hitech, you should put one Free for all arena and one Team death match arena on small maps like smog 8 and another good FFA map in the online game choice. Limit these 2 arenas to 16-20 players. That way people can do what ever they want with no scores attached. They could still win the TDM war but it would reset the same map. Also, you can keep the other arenas as well. It wouldn't take too many away from the MA, but it would give the furballsers, small map players, and limited time players to have some quick fun!

Why do people ask for this? It is already available. You can already build a custom arena and set it as you want. Have at it!

The reason you don't see it is fighter guys like to hang out in the MA with every else. Fighter guys need the win the war guys and believe it or not the win the war guys need the fighter guys as well.

[bustr]

Because they would have to do some work and face their grand ideas being rejected. It's easier to try and get Hitech to do all the work, which looks like arenas that force players into smaller areas with no place to run for Demon to harvest them.

The DA as a purpose built sand box has everything he wants except it has become a ghost town of late. Unlike "Field of Dreams", building it has nothing to do with anyone wanting to play in it.

Back around 2007-2009 at the population peak for the MA, the DA held a constant population under 10% of the MA most nights. That is demographically proportional to the personality spectrum seeking fun in our game. Patience for gamers will never be a virtue while they cannot get their game fix.

AH3 should see an increase in the personality spread which will probably see a new influx to the DA even if it's only the lake for adolescent picking and HOing. Along with what ever Hitech has in mind with those sheep and anything else he is cooking up. But, I seriously doubt he is going to purposely pack people into a 4x12 with nowhere to run and call that Aces High anything while the DA and custom arenas exist for those so inclined to that kind of masochism.