Arena Breakdowns

[SlipKnt]

I know AvA offers some of this.  But not exactly what I am asking for here.  Though I believe FSO and AvA maps should be used in rotation for this request.

Remember how we used to have the Blue and orange arena for LW?

I would love to see something similar yet different.

Keep the EW, MW, and LW scheme as is. 

Perhaps offer two more arenas (I know we are currently low numbers)...

Would anyone agree it would be cool to have 2 AvA arenas.  One is a Europe Theater and one is a Pacific Theater? 

But open up the planes to the planes that were available only in that theater throughout the entire length of the war..

It would be like the current LW arena but broken down into AvA style of play with 2 active chess pieces instead of the traditional 3.  To take it a step further, decide on the percentage of fields you need to take vs. keep.  Then introduce that you must take a base with 20 or 30 troops.  Adds a bit of a challenge to the effort.

It is a bit of a stretch of a request.  if anything, I want to get a conversation going on the thought of something like this. 

 
SlipKnoT

[Zacherof]

I know AvA offers some of this.  But not exactly what I am asking for here.  Though I believe FSO and AvA maps should be used in rotation for this request.

Remember how we used to have the Blue and orange arena for LW?

I would love to see something similar yet different.

Keep the EW, MW, and LW scheme as is. 

Perhaps offer two more arenas (I know we are currently low numbers)...

Would anyone agree it would be cool to have 2 AvA arenas.  One is a Europe Theater and one is a Pacific Theater? 

But open up the planes to the planes that were available only in that theater throughout the entire length of the war..

It would be like the current LW arena but broken down into AvA style of play with 2 active chess pieces instead of the traditional 3.  To take it a step further, decide on the percentage of fields you need to take vs. keep.  Then introduce that you must take a base with 20 or 30 troops.  Adds a bit of a challenge to the effort.

It is a bit of a stretch of a request.  if anything, I want to get a conversation going on the thought of something like this. 

 
SlipKnoT

Actually I like this idea 

[guncrasher]

I know AvA offers some of this.  But not exactly what I am asking for here.  Though I believe FSO and AvA maps should be used in rotation for this request.

Remember how we used to have the Blue and orange arena for LW?

I would love to see something similar yet different.

Keep the EW, MW, and LW scheme as is. 

Perhaps offer two more arenas (I know we are currently low numbers)...

Would anyone agree it would be cool to have 2 AvA arenas.  One is a Europe Theater and one is a Pacific Theater? 

But open up the planes to the planes that were available only in that theater throughout the entire length of the war..

It would be like the current LW arena but broken down into AvA style of play with 2 active chess pieces instead of the traditional 3.  To take it a step further, decide on the percentage of fields you need to take vs. keep.  Then introduce that you must take a base with 20 or 30 troops.  Adds a bit of a challenge to the effort.

It is a bit of a stretch of a request.  if anything, I want to get a conversation going on the thought of something like this. 

 
SlipKnoT

think the ava guys would be more than willing to accommodate a couple of maps and plane set you have in mind if you ask.  just speculating on my part.  just  wondering what they would do if you say bring 50 or 60 friends a day for a couple of weeks?


semp

[Oldman731]

think the ava guys would be more than willing to accommodate a couple of maps and plane set you have in mind if you ask.  just speculating on my part.  just  wondering what they would do if you say bring 50 or 60 friends a day for a couple of weeks?

I imagine that it would take a commitment of fewer than that.  The AvA staff bends over backwards to get folks to come in.

The odd thing is that the very best fights to be had are in the AvA.  Yet so few want to fight there.

- oldman

[SlipKnt]

I'll be quite honest with you.  I would love to participate in AvA stuff. 

A couple things keep me out. 

#1 being timing for me is out of whack.  Perhaps after I get trained as a CM, maybe I can help and run an event on Saturdays when the scenario isn't running. 

#2 is the no icon thing.  Though I assume it is fun for everyone doing it, I'd like at least a 1K icon (I probably just lost any stock I might have had for that...). 

But I do know I love the Pacific Arena most mainly because I love blue planes. 

[715]

The AvA staff already had a week like this recently and announced it on this BBS.  I believe almost all planes were made available.  I do not believe anyone showed up.  Note that the AvA arena is up all week; there is no timing.  It's there, set up, all the time.  (Occasionally there are special events, but most of the time a setup is made and run for a week, and then the setup is changed for the next week.)

The "no icon" thing is not quite as bad as you might think.  Friendlies are dragging around a big green neon sign, so if you see a moving dot without a green icon, it's a bad guy.  Also, radar dots show up everywhere, all the time, so it is easy to find a fight.  That is not to say it isn't substantially different than the MA.  In particular the skin chosen for your plane, and the skin the enemy choses, are important as in a dogfight it is possible to lose sight of an enemy when he goes below you and you are viewing him against the background of the terrain.  It is actually sometimes possible to successfully disengage in the AvA while in the MA it's an impossibility as no one is going to miss your neon sign.  There is no doubt, however, that it is a different dynamic.  If you plead enough, however, you might be able to get the AvA staff to relent on icons, say for a week. 

(Also, the AvA is always set up as two sides only.)

[stabbyy]

#2 is the no icon thing.

But I do know I love the Pacific Arena most mainly because I love blue planes.

that is pretty much why AvA stays empty people like spotting aircraft some 5 miles out(even if camo'd or they disable skins) i  mean we all see how people react to dusk/nighttime they are lost with giant neon signs that give you away from impossible ranges(at least plane make)

while i do like the idea of mixing it up..is a steep hill to climb

[jimson]

that is pretty much why AvA stays empty

Totally false. The AvA stays empty simply because people don't concentrate in there at the same time and they would rather go to the MA where the people are.

I can flat out guarantee there would be no difference under any icon settings. FLAT OUT GUARANTEE.

It's all been tried before back when the player base was much larger.

We do however sometimes get enough people in to have a fun time.

[The Fugitive]

I'll be quite honest with you.  I would love to participate in AvA stuff. 

A couple things keep me out. 

#1 being timing for me is out of whack.  Perhaps after I get trained as a CM, maybe I can help and run an event on Saturdays when the scenario isn't running. 

#2 is the no icon thing.  Though I assume it is fun for everyone doing it, I'd like at least a 1K icon (I probably just lost any stock I might have had for that...). 

But I do know I love the Pacific Arena most mainly because I love blue planes.

This is why an arena like this won't work. Many players have a favorite plane, but it isn't blue. Limiting players is how you drive them away. The main arenas has EVERYTHING available so it caters to the widest variety of people. The AvA limits Icons, sometimes plane set, and terrains. Each setup removes players because they took out the things they like.

[jimson]

This is why an arena like this won't work. Many players have a favorite plane, but it isn't blue. Limiting players is how you drive them away. The main arenas has EVERYTHING available so it caters to the widest variety of people. The AvA limits Icons, sometimes plane set, and terrains. Each setup removes players because they took out the things they like.

It's a double edge sword because no matter what is done, it will drive players away. There are other things hampering AvA. There is no mechanism to choose which terrains are rotated when the war is won and no way to keep a custom plane set and field order on those rotated terrains.

It's like a no mans land in between an MA style play and an SEA style play.

[The Fugitive]

If they had the population numbers the arena would work better. With 500 players you guys are only catering to 2-3% of the players due to the limitations you have in a setup, thats 15 players over a day. What are the odds of them building enough energy to get things rolling?

With 5000 players on the game the same percentage would bring 150 players a day. Much better chance to get something rolling. AvA just doesn't appeal to a large enough group to ever get rolling......until the number really come up in the game.

[jimson]

One thing we would like to try in AH3 is to have AI missions running in the back ground, ie: missions a player doesn't have to join to fight in, say alternating bombing missions that players could choose to escort or intercept. That way people could always find something to do in there and players draw players.

[bustr]

If you can get a massive AI air war going 24x7 that a player is not required to join in a mission slot, you will have something neat. It will be the getting at the AI on your own which will be time consuming(put offing). The massive missions we tested for the alpha had the convenience of your assigned position being spawned and teleported to each stage of the fight at those high alts. But the inconvenience of being auto assigned a plane, rather than you choosing a side and plane before being teleported to the action if you came into the arena after the mission launched.

The ability to choose your side and then your ride. Then the choice of launching from the ground to find your flavor of trouble or, be spawned into range of the AI combat going on. That would be ideal for today's gamers but, along with all the problems of a group only wanting to fly the better rides of the matchup, and unfairly outnumber the other side. One of the problems that the CT\AvA has had since I can remember for the last 13 years.

It sucked when Waystin was an AvA CM and I agreed to fly with him on Thursday nights in the crap rides to give guests the illusion of numbers to abuse with the good rides. And yes Lois, they showed up in the good rides and abused us over and over and over because they could.