General Discussion

[MADe]

What is it that we really want out of a ww2 flight sim?

What is realistically possible to deliver concerning todays technology, with the game plays intent, a multi player flight sim?

How do you keep player interested in same basic game for years on end?

How much of flight sims is truly niche play?


Now obviously AH does touch on all these questions in some aspect or another, but maybe ............................. .

Why was it so hard for a large portion of FA players to crossover to AH? to the point that many stopped flight sims or went console and fps's/tanks.....

Now I have my own view point on this but I'd like to hear others.

Too much doom and gloom topics of late, the sky is falling yada yada.......

[8thJinx]

I'm not so sure I understand at all the criticism the game has received in the last few years.  I still find fights.  I still find fun.  There could be 6 people on, and I'd manage to have fun.  Some of funnest fights I've had were at 7 am EST with 10 total people on, in a sequence of one-on-one dogfights with some Aussie getting ready to go to bed.  I suppose people miss 600 people being on and diving in and out of a 120-plane furball.  I can see that being fun.  But I didn't play AH or FA back in the salad days, so I have no frame of reference from which to contribute an opinion.  Other than the bloody, gripping, fixated addiction I have for the current game. 

[Shuffler]

1) I want to have other live folks to fight against in fighters.

2) It is not what can be delivered but what folks do with what is delivered.

3) Don't just build a game, build a community.

4) I like flight sims. AH is the only one I have played for years now. Not all folks are interested in flight or WWII. I would not call it a niche as not all folks are interested in FPS either.

5) I came over from FA and have been here from almost the start.

[JOACH1M]

What is it that we really want out of a ww2 flight sim?
I want all out combat, more so instant action. Many players wanting to learn the game more in depth. I want want 2005-2011 AH, but that also has the eye candy that pulls people in.

is realistically possible to deliver concerning todays technology, with the game plays intent, a multi player flight sim?
How do you keep player interested in same basic game for years on end?
Simple, keep the game more complex. Players have to want to learn the mechanics. Offer many new options, features, game modes, and arenas.


Now obviously AH does touch on all these questions in some aspect or another, but maybe ............................. .

Why was it so hard for a large portion of FA players to crossover to AH? to the point that many stopped flight sims or went console and fps's/tanks.....

Now I have my own view point on this but I'd like to hear others.

Too much doom and gloom topics of late, the sky is falling yada yada.......

[Brooke]

1.  I like multi-human on multi-human fights.  I don't have an interest in flying around unopposed on a terrain or flying against AI.  That's basically single-player stand-alone gaming and is vastly inferior to multiplayer gaming.  I vastly prefer many-on-many to one-on-one fights.  I.e., single-player = 1 on fun scale; one-on-one = 10 on fun scale; many-on-many = 100 on fun scale.

2.  Just about anything can be done with today's technology.

3.  You probably can't keep a player interested forever unless that player is me or 715b.  We are the only ones I know who are still playing AH and AW before that from the late 1980's.  Most people, at some point, drift off.  That is because they are weak!    It seems that keeping the game up to date and folding in occasional user input on changes here and there helps keep people longer.  So do squads, community, and (I hope) special events.  Scenarios are what has been my main motivation since the mid-late 1990's.

4.  Flight sims are niche play compared to the whole world of gaming, but not a small niche (considering the various WWII aircraft games these days).

[bustr]

Why do the subscribers who never come to these forums keep subscribing in the face of all the doom and gloom trumpeted in these forums?

Some day soon, AH3 will go live and AH2 will cease to exist. A "negativity bloc" in these forums have laid the bricks to a foundation for a negative AH3 reception over the last two years. On face value, as though they want AH3 to fail more than they want to enjoy a resurgence of the game. One could easily observe the negative forum population for the last two years enjoying the ability to crush the hopes and dreams of others for AH3, as their personal solace over unfulfilled dreams and petty issues with Hitech from AH2.

How does a player not want to cancel their subscription after casually reading the ongoing "negativity bloc's" constant message of the game is doomed and so are you for bothering to care? You watch every voice of positive support for AH3 assaulted in the same manner you watch in Facebook, Twitter and other social media driven by a single minded Borg political correct assault. It distills down to this:

Aces High is doomed because it's all Hitech's fault and you are scum for supporting Hitech and not our negativity bloc's crusade to force Hitech to save our game.

The only visible doom for AH3 has been banging a drum in these forums for the last two years. Other wise, Hitech has chosen to keep to himself what AH3 will be until day one of AH3 go live. Then you will no longer need to hold crystal ball sessions here in the forums to try and counter the "negativity bloc" crusade.

[Zoney]

1.  I like multi-human on multi-human fights.  I don't have an interest in flying around unopposed on a terrain or flying against AI.  That's basically single-player stand-alone gaming and is vastly inferior to multiplayer gaming.  I vastly prefer many-on-many to one-on-one fights.  I.e., single-player = 1 on fun scale; one-on-one = 10 on fun scale; many-on-many = 100 on fun scale.

I'm 100% with you on this.  I also prefer it to be random, not knowing who, how many, what plane or high high they might be.

3.  You probably can't keep a player interested forever unless that player is me or 715b.  We are the only ones I know who are still playing AH and AW before that from the late 1980's.  Most people, at some point, drift off.

You might be surprised there are more here than you think.  I've been playing about 25 years, starting with AW, then WB, and now here AH, (also called "Valhala").

I do agree that those who quit are weak, we call them quitters.

[The Fugitive]

1) I want to have other live folks to fight against in fighters.

2) It is not what can be delivered but what folks do with what is delivered.

3) Don't just build a game, build a community.

4) I like flight sims. AH is the only one I have played for years now. Not all folks are interested in flight or WWII. I would not call it a niche as not all folks are interested in FPS either.

5) I came over from FA and have been here from almost the start.

These are pretty much my answers as well.... tho I didn't play FA long. (the community wasn't very helpful and the planes flew like crap). I did have a few years in AW. Came over to AH just after they dropped the price from $30 to $15. Been here ever since. (add me to your list Brooke!)

#2+#3 are the biggest ones.

I think that is what made AH so great during its hey day. Back then there was a friendly community. Yes we had friendly trash talking back and forth but it was just that friendly. There wasn't any bullying, there weren't any clowns being @zzes just for the notoriety. It was one big happy family. Squad against squads fights lasted most of the night and when they were done if you bumped into one of them in a bar afterwards you didn't have the need to rearrange his face.

There were tank battles, fighter furballs, raids and base captures galore. You didn't want to furball tonight, you could find fights in GVs, or join porking missions/raids, or help grab a base or two. Everyone was into PLAYING the game. Now it seems more like they are looking for ways around things in the game. Quickest easiest way.

[Brooke]

I've been playing about 25 years, starting with AW, then WB, and now here AH, (also called "Valhala").

Sorry, Zoney -- yes, you are quite the old timer as well! <S>!  I count anyone who has been in the genre since, say, the early 1990's as an old timer.  1995 and later, though, are noobs!   

[Brooke]

(add me to your list Brooke!)

And the Fugemeister! 

[gpwurzel]

I'm not an old timer - only reason I've not been playing in the last few months - after a week at work where people cant grasp the basic concept of how to reboot a computer, let alone do anything on there - I dont want to be sat in front of one playing all hours.

Did consider deleting my account - but that's not going to happen - when I do find the time, I'm sure it'll be fun to get up and die repeatedly again.........

[Brooke]

Wurz!  <S> to the Wurz!

[MADe]

Sorry, Zoney -- yes, you are quite the old timer as well! <S>!  I count anyone who has been in the genre since, say, the early 1990's as an old timer.  1995 and later, though, are noobs!   

not fair,  I did not even know how to turn a PC on until 1998 or so. I only ever played FA and AH. The 2 games are more similar than different.....

maybe I will add a noob noseart to my collection.

[Oldman731]

There could be 6 people on, and I'd manage to have fun. 

Agreed.  Provided, however, that the six people want to fight each other.

- oldman

[MADe]

What is it that we really want out of a ww2 flight sim?

peoples on peoples air combat, unplanned, uneven sided, adhoc WW2 like combat, realistic physics as realistically possible for game play. AH is missing the ability to be and use ground troops.

What is realistically possible to deliver concerning todays technology, with the game plays intent, a multi player flight sim?
I think its safe to say that the only thing lagging behind is internet connection latency's and the actual realtime feel, when online feels like offline bang zoom...
How do you keep player interested in same basic game for years on end?
peeps need a vested interest in the game beyond price tag..and actual gameplay. This has been achieved in some respect already, community involvement in skins, maps, sounds, but it could go a lot farther...
How much of flight sims is truly niche play?
considering how many peeps want ai only combat or flying just a pc......................yes


Now obviously AH does touch on all these questions in some aspect or another, but maybe ............................. .

Why was it so hard for a large portion of FA players to crossover to AH? to the point that many stopped flight sims or went console and fps's/tanks.....
most were basically lazy and pouting because we lost our game, some would have rather seen AH fail and so were being petulant, some had older pc's that just could not handle AH. When FA died, there were still 400+ players flying AH and poor pc/internet performance was a downer.

Most baby boomers luv ww2 nostalgia, the new generation to impatient.