Yo you going to let this game die or what?

[Randy1]

Guys, don't look at the alpha and make an assumption that you know how AH3 will come out.

On AH2 graphics.   Mustang2 and i do a far amount of heavy fighter work.  W fly close together on the way to the target.  We both are impressed with the details we see in the planes when close.  Neat too to watch a plane part go past your plane from a kill 4 miles above.  Tons of detail most don't ever see.

[FLS]

I have a mid grade pc and the above assumptions are incorrect. I just don't understand why we have angular 'curves' in some places like windows, and perfectly round items in others.

The round items aren't 3D. Making 3D items rounder would kill your frame rate.

[Zoney]

None of this other stuff matters. Nobody likes to hangout at a dead party with nobody there. No players, no money honey, no money GAME OVER

you need more players, get some before you figure out its to late!

I thought you said the game was going to end in 2006................

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,187226.msg2170946.html#msg2170946

the sky is falling, the sky is falling!

[Lusche]

the sky is falling, the sky is falling!

If you are a Euro flyer, you can actually really get such an impression.
Yesterday I logged in shortly before my prime time. 56 players on a gargantuan map like Ozkansas, 17 of them on my side. And of course, HQ was down and still had 2 hours of downtime left.

[Wiley]

If you are a Euro flyer, you can actually really get such an impression.
Yesterday I logged in shortly before my prime time. 56 players on a gargantuan map like Ozkansas, 17 of them on my side. And of course, HQ was down and still had 2 hours of downtime left.

If that was my primetime, I doubt I would be here.  I really do feel bad for the off-hours crew.  I am on Mountain time and usually go to bed around 2 AM Eastern.  If I'm flying I usually log around 12:00 Eastern and find something else to do because the numbers generally peter out around then.

Weekend daytime is usually dead as well, with not much going on and a larger percentage of the people who are on being milkrunners/bomb and bailers.  Evenings are really the only time gameplay is decent, and there are times when even then it's dead in the air.

Wiley.

[Kazaa]

xbrit, you can probably lower the saturation quite a bit with your graphics card settings

Cheeky.

[SlipKnt]

I am finishing up from my move last year and finally purchasing a home in the next month.

Once I am finally settled in I plan to put more hours into the game.  I believe I have a handful of squaddies sort of going through the same things.

We intend to make a presence again.  Just keep in mind, we are not just sweep and furball guys.  We come at your base like a spider monkey loaded up on crack and sugar with the intent of causing harm.  And our intentions are ill-willed.

We hope to be able to contribute back to the game and create more actions.  We have been pretty much non existent in the MAs and making our appearances in FSO primarily. 

Hopefully we do our part to make it fun for all involved!

 
SlipKnoT

[caldera]

it is posts like this that are ruining the game.

A little good-natured ribbing of a long time player is ruining the game?   

[lefty2]

I thought you said the game was going to end in 2006................

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,187226.msg2170946.html#msg2170946

the sky is falling, the sky is falling!

Zoney
They have lost at least half of there subscribers since, so yes the sky is falling. I don't know how any business can go forward with losses like that, but maybe there an oddball I'm not on the in side. I do hope they make it but capitalism has a way of ending silliness.

example: Go to youtube watch an aceshigh video and you will see ads from there competitors.

ignore such things at your peril.

[Wiley]

Zoney
They have lost at least half of there subscribers since, so yes the sky is falling. I don't know how any business can go forward with losses like that, but maybe there an oddball I'm not on the in side. I do hope they make it but capitalism has a way of ending silliness.

example: Go to youtube watch an aceshigh video and you will see ads from there competitors.

ignore such things at your peril.

Just think though.  One day the game will shut down, and Lefty will be able to say "I saw this coming since 2006!  Told you all!  But nobody listened!"

New version coming out.  No point in raising awareness previous to that because the state the game's in now, it's theoretically not as attractive as it will be.

What happens after the release will be what determines if things improve or stay status quo.  An ad blitz before AH3 releases would be counterproductive.

Wiley.

[715]

I have a mid grade pc and the above assumptions are incorrect. I just don't understand why we have angular 'curves' in some places like windows, and perfectly round items in others.

The gunsight is round because it isn't a 3D rendered object, it's just a bitmap drawing used as a texture.  For plane windows, which are 3D polygon objects, to be round requires way more polygons.  This is because almost all graphic cards can only render 3D surfaces as a collection of straight triangular segments.  To make something approximately round, like an engine nacelle or window, requires you use multiple short segments, i.e. many surface polygons.  This slows rendering down because many more triangular polygon surfaces must be rendered.  There is always the tradeoff between smooth detail and rendering speed.

There may be a few advanced professional graphics systems than can render B-spline surfaces (smooth curves), but not for game computers.  What modern game computer graphic cards do have are tessellation systems which automatically interpolate smooth detail by adding extra polygons.  I thinks some advanced games use them.  I am not sure how much they impact rendering speed.

[bustr]

I had to disable AMD tessellation to gain back FPS in AH2 and the alpha. I got the impression reading at AMD the game developer has to write the game's video functions specifically to use it. It's on the player to actually look up these things to see if they help or hurt FPS in AH2 and then AH3 if you don't have a Godzilla class video card.

Wonder what Hitech did that has Lefty this bitter since 2006? Hitech seems to have a Mickey Mouse type  fan club of ticked off fans who periodically drop bombs about the end of days for Aces High.

Wonder if their little caps have horns instead of big round ears....

[oboe]

Maybe I'm not the right person to comment but I dont think TV ads will do much unless you have lots on money to flood the airwaves with multiple commercials,sort of like those free to play games.....

  I watch a fair amount of TV,but I seldom see commercials as I record/PVR most the shows and skip the ads whenever possible. I also watch several commercial free or low ad content channels simply because I hate being interupted with some TV ad.

   I dont think I'm that far from what most do so TV ads IMHO are not the best value these days. 10 or 15 years ago I would have been on the bandwagon with pushing for TV ads but not so much today.

 Social media,whatever that is, seems to be the wave of the future,a rat farts in india and it's all over the net,complete with video and commentary.

  I like to wear my AH Tshirt when I go out were there's going to be a crowd and often people stop me and ask what my shirt all about. I think a buddy pass type system plus a free trial would do wonders.

 Players could convince a friend to try the game then tell them if they like it all they need do is sign up for the 2 week free trial,which IMHO should be increased to a month or 30 days whichever comes first.

  Then the rest lays at the feet of the players,if you are helpfull and treat others the way you would want to be treated we just might see those 5 to 600 player nights again!

 As usual YMMV.

   

I think a few years ago now, HTC advertised AH on the History Channel, or something like that, using a promo video called "Fly Aces High".  I'm sure they kept track of the results of that marketing campaign, and know $ cost per new player.  I think it did result in an influx of new players, but only HTC knows what the ROI was.

Maybe an inexpensive way to increase numbers is gamer-to-gamer word-of-mouth.  They could implement something like WT does, except as a clipboard MOTD popup, maybe once a month - the first time a player logs in after his month-a-versary:



I wonder also if it would be cost effective to print a bunch of CDs and put them in cardboard envelopes, and send a few dozen to every WWII aviation museum around the country, for free give-away in the museum's book shop.   

And I've always thought it would be great for AH to have an organized presence at air shows.  Build a few demo cockpits and hook them up in a tent, let air show attendees fly the planes online to see what its all about and give them a free game CD when they leave.

Last thing I can thing of that might help is a real cinematic presence on YouTube.  And I don't mean filming your flights and setting it to a soundtrack of rock music, I mean planned short films and movies like Dolby, LePape2 and NirosAH2 did.   "Hunt or Prey" and "Fly to Live" still get my blood pumping, imagine them with AH3 graphics.   VuduVince has some great video tutorials, too.

[bustr]

During WW2 the NAVY put out a number of air combat instructional films. I remember one that showed the reasons in detail for working as a wing pair, and following your lessons from air combat training. The film took place from a carrier that had flights out looking for a Japanese scout plane. The first flight out found the scout and the method of tracking then attacking was illustrated. The second team out was two slackers scrambled for another scout who screwed the pooch and needed a third team to finish off the scout using the training SOP of the time before it located the CV.

I've always wondered why someone has never used clips and audio from those films, then injected AH footage to showcase doing the same thing in the game beginning to end of the movie. I doubt there would be copy write issues. Just a boat load of AH filming to mirror the action as closely as possible in the NAVY film and a month of AVI film editing.

The alpha Euro arena big week bomber mission over the continent with the giant banks of clouds and gargantuan B17 stream is mind blowing. Especially from the cockpit of a German attacker with gaggles of G14, 110 and 152 everywhere slicing through. It's pretty breath taking as a gunner trying to survive. The NAVY film I'm talking about  used Wildcats from a CV. I doubt anyone would mind the 6 fighters being F6f looking for a Betty unless Waffle kicks out updated 3D models to replace all the AH1 models some time soon.

The alpha looks good enough to insert segments into some 1940's instructional or PR air combat film to help new customers get the bug for AH3.

[lefty2]

o brother lololololooolool

I'm not bitter, I just want more players!!!! Who is responsible for the loss of half there subscribers? In the real world someone would lose there job. Who ever is running the show seems disorganized at best. How about a target release date for AH3? A common practice among stable companies.