Who Loves ENY?

[caldera]

I really dont think getting folks to sit in the tower or log off is a good way to go?  Nothing about it sounds good.  Perking aircraft based on their ENY value when side balancing is enabled sounds much better IMO.

I think the last thing we need though is LESS action.

Not really liking the idea of allowing the high side to have uber rides, but if it keeps people from logging off, it would be an acceptable compromise. 

Next we'll get an avalanche of threads from the same people, demanding everything to be un-perked. 



An alternative idea would be to shorten the side switch time, based on the number of players in game.   

[SPKmes]

Coming from a guy who plays at a time when numbers are.....low and uses a plane which I have only once not been able to use(about 5/6 years ago)...I feel ENY is a little over the top... at these times of low population the use of low Eny planes and tanks really isn't going to swing things too much....To my mind there should be a minimum number on before ENY engages...Personally not fussed either way...The side change times should be lowered at these numbers too... what's the magic number...i don't know....but it is pretty dismal at times for me and those who mostly get to play at our times....The restrictions in place with the low numbers are frustrating... yes this is a personal thing as I like to fight planes wirbs sitting shut down waiting...and when Eny kicks in with Low numbers that is what it resorts to....quite seriously 1 person can really make ENY jump at my timezone/population numbers...crazy

[Vraciu]

Is already implemented.

Because people on low side could change to Hi side, then immediately switch back.

HiTech

How about a ten minute limit then?  Or twenty?

Just trying to think this through.   

In Brand X people switched all the time for balance.   Switching back and forth just wasn't a problem.

The ENY change mentioned above...I will check it out.   

[Vraciu]

Coming from a guy who plays at a time when numbers are.....low and uses a plane which I have only once not been able to use(about 5/6 years ago)...I feel ENY is a little over the top... at these times of low population the use of low Eny planes and tanks really isn't going to swing things too much....To my mind there should be a minimum number on before ENY engages...Personally not fussed either way...The side change times should be lowered at these numbers too... what's the magic number...i don't know....but it is pretty dismal at times for me and those who mostly get to play at our times....The restrictions in place with the low numbers are frustrating... yes this is a personal thing as I like to fight planes wirbs sitting shut down waiting...and when Eny kicks in with Low numbers that is what it resorts to....quite seriously 1 person can really make ENY jump at my timezone/population numbers...crazy

This perfectly illustrates the problem.   Well said.

[TheRapier]

To summarize, this argument is not about whether ENY balances numbers on a side (it doesn't but that is a whole other topic). It is NOT about how someone flies or tactics they use (but thanks for that thought). It is about sheer numbers in the game. How many people play and how many sit in the tower or leave. This is about having a game wide view, not a "me" view that says what is good for me.

I can tell you from experience, but you don't have to believe me, people leave or sit in the tower. Typically when ENY hits with 60 people on the side, 20 or 1/3 are in the tower. There are also calls of people leaving the game, others just see it and go watch reruns.  I'd call that pretty NON working. You can tell me its a total success but this kind of total success gives us what we have today. Personally, I don't find watching someone smack themselves in the forehead with a hammer entertaining.

ENY as a thing, drives people to do this. Is this the desired result? If it isn't, it has to change. The thread referenced only states it was a great idea ELEVEN YEARS AGO. Eleven years ago there were a lot of people playing this game! This is today and today we have a problem with numbers playing the game. ENY drives them to leave or not play. SO IS IT WORKING NOW?

I have absolutely no urge to tell you what you think or to win favor in this forum. I'm only pointing to what is happening, day after day, as the numbers slowly dwindle. There are other ideas to make the numbers rise but that is another topic. In this case, no one can make it more clear.

1. Numbers are dropping and the slide under the present set of circumstances shows no trend of stopping.
2. ENY drives them away
3. Does the feature increase numbers? Yes or No??

Ask yourself which is better, trying to find employment as a developer or bending and making changes to increase numbers here? It is possible to win all the arguments by closing the game down. That will show all the so and so's how the world is made. But that is limiting. It is far harder and more rewarding to make the choice to change. This game has all the basics to be a much greater success than it is. Why it is not is baffling to everyone who knows how it works. I will humbly suggest that one thing is absolutely clear at this point:

*The past decisions repeated lead to where we are TODAY. It is proved already, you don't have to re-prove it by making the same choice.
*If the goal is to be different then BE DIFFERENT! MAKE ANOTHER DIFFERENT CHOICE THAN BEFORE.
*It isn't about making minor modifications to features that makes the negative ones work. The feature itself IS the problem.

At this point there isn't a whole lot more to lose.

[hitech]

Your are assuming ENY has no effect on side %. That assumption would be false.

Think what happens with out ENY. Imbalance get worse, people get more upset because there side is always less people, some of the upset people change to high side and leave making problem worse.

Thats what was happening pre eny.

HiTech

[Vraciu]

Your are assuming ENY has no effect on side %. That assumption would be false.

Think what happens with out ENY. Imbalance get worse, people get more upset because there side is always less people, some of the upset people change to high side and leave making problem worse.

Thats what was happening pre eny.

HiTech

I will take imbalance over a lowly populated arena.

I defended against the Jokers on one of their base taking streaks all by myself once awhile back.  It was a blast.   Then ENY kicked in and they logged off little by little until the fight died off.   That sucked.   How did ENY help me in that case?   It didn't.  It ruined my fun. 

What I see now is that every time I log in I am hit with ENY.   I logoff in frustration and I am not alone.   If all of us who logged had an incentive to stay the numbers might rise to a point where ENY would again serve its purpose. 

ENY of 25 when my team has 12 players in flight is, frankly, insane. 

There has to be a better way to achieve your goal.   You're using a sledgehammer to drive a nail...

[Owlblink]

Your are assuming ENY has no effect on side %. That assumption would be false.

Think what happens with out ENY. Imbalance get worse, people get more upset because there side is always less people, some of the upset people change to high side and leave making problem worse.

Thats what was happening pre eny.

HiTech

Appriciate the more informing reply.

[bustr]

Your are assuming ENY has no effect on side %. That assumption would be false.

Think what happens with out ENY. Imbalance get worse, people get more upset because there side is always less people, some of the upset people change to high side and leave making problem worse.

Thats what was happening pre eny.

HiTech

I remember this, it sucked to suddenly be out numbered by guys in high end rides clobbering you with numbers because some threshold was reached for loosing to one of the other two sides, and people wanted to fly on the winning side. So they started hopping to the winning side for the easy kills.

Hopping due to ENY tends to be risky because more often you hop from lots of action with garbage rides to suddenly wondering where everyone is. It always seemed like when POTW hopped to the rooks that all the action dissipated. The bish seem to have enough guys these days and don't need to hop. And if we could have hopped again as soon as we found the action dissipated, we would have made ENY worse for the knights by coming back. When there are "numbers", being able to switch quickly would be a bad thing because ENY would be forced out of hand due to chasing the action.

So if there is honestly a late night problem due to below 25 players per side or worse every late night now. Will that small community's human nature act any different than the prime time large community when it comes to wanting easy kills, not getting killed and winning? I've popped in late night from time to time, ENY can be outlandish. And when it's not, guys are in the tower doing nothing like guys were in the tower doing nothing on nights I saw ENY out of hand. I was curious to see how bad it really could get. Most players today don't want to be in fights alone or with low numbers. And they don't care about "the fight" as much as getting easy kills any way they can and not loosing.

This unflattering yard stick got us ENY in the first place because it describes the largest part of the MA community and how most humans approach life in general. Every change Hitech has given us that eventually had a negative untended consequence, this yard stick was the motivator. The membership of this forum may well be willing to defer gratification for the good of the community to make their ideas work. Those others won't and will gleefully abuse your ideas with that yard stick.

[Zoney]

I'm going to introduce a new product that I think this game could greatly benefit from.

Undies De-Bundler.

Yep.  it's going to immediately take care of your Undies being in a Bundle.




I'm going to call it 'Scotch", and sell it by the quart.



Ground floor opportunity here, looking for investors.

[The Fugitive]

Is already implemented.

Because people on low side could change to Hi side, then immediately switch back.

HiTech

But only once until their team is no longer the low numbered team.

[bustr]

But only once until their team is no longer the low numbered team.

Is the idea that you can switch at will to only the low number side? What happens if your team switches and is still the low number side? Is it possible to create an oscillation cascade all evening then by multiple jumps to follow the low side? If something is possible it will be done just to see what will happen to kill some time.

[TheRapier]

DAY 12 IN A ROW, KNIGHTS HAVE ENY IN PRIME TIME.

Here is the reality. You go in, have to wait for the arena frame rates to stabilize before you can up. Then you find ENY! surprise! Then you mess around trying to get a plane so you can fly this game you PAY $14.95 per month for. You have to do it a few times because ENY keeps changing, going up like a rocket (wait for it). When you finally take up a jug you have to fly a million miles to get to a fight. When you do, a guy in a 163 is there from the enemy side because ENY is so out of whack. A plane that actually shot down 17 planes in WWII and had no effect on the world conflict. (bazinga!) This actually happened, TONIGHT.

Just saying, who wants to sign up for this? Would you? Seriously, step out of debate mode. Why on earth would you do this with 40 on your side total? Try it and see how it works. PLEASE! This is a tragic demotivator. Do this several times and you wonder what you get for paying for the game.

If you want to defend ENY to the death so be it. It is not my job to talk you out of seeing reality.  You want to know why the game is empty, its been said to you and you go back to saying the same old things again and again. The same old got us here. Dealing with ENY isn't near as bad as dealing with EMPTY.

Debate may be fun but I don't really want to pay to do it. Its like "buying an argument." Pointless. 

Thanks!

[Vraciu]

DAY 12 IN A ROW, KNIGHTS HAVE ENY IN PRIME TIME.

Just saying, who wants to sign up for this? Would you? Seriously step out of debate mode. Why on earth would you do this with 40 on your side total? Try it and see how it works. PLEASE!

 

You're right again.   

Sigh. 

[Oldman731]

Then you find ENY! surprise! Then you mess around trying to get a plane so you can fly this game you PAY $14.95 per month for.

Many of us wonder:  Why don't you pick a different plane?

I mean, really.  This game has scads of planes, through all ENY levels, which are useful against the 51Ds and Doras.  Wouldn't it be a pleasant learning experience to be able to fly some of them?  Are people really that chained to one, or a few, rides?  And if you are (looks sideways at Ack-Ack and +Tiff), why not switch sides?

- oldman