Player numbers down?

[nugetx]

yeah, I really wish more of the late war fighters were perked. Running into 190Ds, yak3s, La7s, Spit16s, K4s (even though most cant aim), and a few others, would make it so most of the community would pick planes that wouldn't be able to run away so easily.

I'm guessing most of the community has enough perks to buy all the late war rides they want.

[flyndung]

I'm guessing most of the community has enough perks to buy all the late war rides they want.

most of the people playing these days have 5-10 years worth of perk points stored up

[The Fugitive]

most of the people playing these days have 5-10 years worth of perk points stored up

.....and that is why this type of RPS wont work. The sharks with all the perks will eat the newbs alive in their early war birds. Sure we will have some diversity in planes in the game, but at the cost of trying to retain new players.

[Rich46yo]

Its kind of unusual to see perk planes nowadays. The occasional 262, which os more of a hindrance then a real threat. More of the Tempest, which is actually a real threat. The C-Hog maybe. Of the others I cant remember the last time I saw them.

New players get their pick of 5 eny planes. Most will go right to the P-51D as always. What they dont have is the skill of the 5 to 10 year players. Theres no quick way to accrue that. Even in 5 eny planes most noobs will get whacked by experienced players in 20 to 30 eny airplanes.

[lunatic1]

the very 1st day I played,  when I joined this great game- I was a noob big time even had numbers for a call sign, until 2BAD said I could and should change it. the 1st plane I flew in was the P51-D. because it was my favorite plane of all time, I built models of them, you know the plastic one you assemble and paint- actually I only built 3 type of planes, pony D--corsair and the F4 Phantom 2, my favorite jet. back then as a noob, I didn't get picked on, like a new player will now, but by the same token I think a lot of new players will have been playing other flying games and won't get picked on too badly. at least I hope not.

and again -1000 to the rps.

[DaveJ]

Well, Lusche.. After much consideration, I am working on reviving the 91st. I have one other "old hand" of whom I have designated my X.O.. We're slowly getting back into this thing. Looking forward to bringing the fun fights back. I've put up a couple missions so far since returning.

I have no doubt you'll find me/us and send my bombers plummeting..      

Fun stuff!

Just came back too after a year + absence. This would be glorious. So many great memories of 91st/ThndrEGG missions from AH2 and AH1 days. High buff raids, NOE 110s. Such a blast.

[The Fugitive]

Personally I'd like to see more rewards for "combat" type play.

We already have a perk modifier for when a spit 1 kills a F4u-4 as apposed to another spit, bump it up! Add in achievement points as well, maybe a new kill message "announcing" the missmatched kill.

The same for participating in missions.

The same for the defenders, defending a base for 15 minutes while and equal number or greater number of attackers are in the dar circle. Put a dar circle around the strats and do the same there.

Promote combat with perks/achievement points/name in lights.   

[Rich46yo]

Just came back too after a year + absence. This would be glorious. So many great memories of 91st/ThndrEGG missions from AH2 and AH1 days. High buff raids, NOE 110s. Such a blast.

The 91'st was a great squad. Lots of very first class guys. I wish there was some way to resurrect the 484'th HBG or the Blind Bats, both were great to belong to.

[thndregg]

Just came back too after a year + absence. This would be glorious. So many great memories of 91st/ThndrEGG missions from AH2 and AH1 days. High buff raids, NOE 110s. Such a blast.

The 91'st was a great squad. Lots of very first class guys. I wish there was some way to resurrect the 484'th HBG or the Blind Bats, both were great to belong to.

Thanks, both of you. <S>

[flyndung]

Its kind of unusual to see perk planes nowadays. The occasional 262, which os more of a hindrance then a real threat. More of the Tempest, which is actually a real threat. The C-Hog maybe. Of the others I cant remember the last time I saw them.

New players get their pick of 5 eny planes. Most will go right to the P-51D as always. What they dont have is the skill of the 5 to 10 year players. Theres no quick way to accrue that. Even in 5 eny planes most noobs will get whacked by experienced players in 20 to 30 eny airplanes.

this is also what ENVY doesn't account for, ENVY doesn't know the skill level of the people it just applies the numbers as it see's it

[Dundee]

Thanks, both of you. <S>

Well two to take the two we lost last week........our numbers are in the toilet

[thndregg]

Well two to take the two we lost last week........our numbers are in the toilet

Meh... I'm not losing hope just yet. I just picked up two old friends in my group, and now 91st is up to three. We went on a long run last night, and still got the **** kicked out of us at 25K (thanks, Rooks.. and thanks Bish who came up to help bring us home  ) But, still that was a LOT of fun..

Things like this need to be promoted and advertised by us, the players by all the ordinary means available to us- especially social media, which wasn't quite so big when I first subscribed in '04.. the various talents that are still in the game who take great screenies, who write up some cool AAR's, who make great films, who foster a fun positive environment. It can come back.. 

[bustr]

Anyone ever notice during the month the three Friday nights FSO runs, about two hours before that, the melee arena fills up in relative terms to today's numbers, and everyone plays like it was a decade ago? What keeps those same people from showing up the rest of the week? Or has AH always been a core population that stays constant almost every night with a similar or slightly larger number of floaters that pass through for a few sorties every night?

Steam may well increase the numbers in those two groups if Hitech chooses to go with Steam. Our constant is about 100 with maybe 50-75 floaters, and the three times a month FSO crowd which can make Friday nights in the Melee arena up to 250 for about an hour. 250 is the minimum arena population to get several large furballs or base capture initiatives going at the same time, so a player in one country can bounce back and forth between them to switch up the action and not get bored with rinse and repeat. Today you get stuck with furball or base capture depending on which the core group is doing that night. Or even a lack of doing anything while the other two countries do something.

So once we may have had a core nightly population of about 200 players who were augmented by about 250-300 floaters who passed through staying for varying amounts of time. The floaters were probably more like 1000-1500 who played with a subscribed account 3-6 months and moved on being replaced 1:1 by new players doing the same thing, and not all 1000-1500 passed through the arena during any given week. There was always those who could only play a few times a week during prime time or on weekends.

The Melee arena itself is not broken, it's as much fun as it has been for the last 15 years I've been here when enough players show up at the same place and fight each other. When we had more players you didn't have to work as hard to land kills or just survive because of the size and wide spread skill levels of the groups fighting. With a small core group like today where everyone knows each other and each others abilities. Sometimes it's just a lot of flying and looking versus fighting.   

[DubiousKB]

Anyone ever notice during the month the three Friday nights FSO runs, about two hours before that, the melee arena fills up in relative terms to today's numbers, and everyone plays like it was a decade ago? What keeps those same people from showing up the rest of the week? Or has AH always been a core population that stays constant almost every night with a similar or slightly larger number of floaters that pass through for a few sorties every night?

Steam may well increase the numbers in those two groups if Hitech chooses to go with Steam. Our constant is about 100 with maybe 50-75 floaters, and the three times a month FSO crowd which can make Friday nights in the Melee arena up to 250 for about an hour. 250 is the minimum arena population to get several large furballs or base capture initiatives going at the same time, so a player in one country can bounce back and forth between them to switch up the action and not get bored with rinse and repeat. Today you get stuck with furball or base capture depending on which the core group is doing that night. Or even a lack of doing anything while the other two countries do something.

So once we may have had a core nightly population of about 200 players who were augmented by about 250-300 floaters who passed through staying for varying amounts of time. The floaters were probably more like 1000-1500 who played with a subscribed account 3-6 months and moved on being replaced 1:1 by new players doing the same thing, and not all 1000-1500 passed through the arena during any given week. There was always those who could only play a few times a week during prime time or on weekends.

The Melee arena itself is not broken, it's as much fun as it has been for the last 15 years I've been here when enough players show up at the same place and fight each other. When we had more players you didn't have to work as hard to land kills or just survive because of the size and wide spread skill levels of the groups fighting. With a small core group like today where everyone knows each other and each others abilities. Sometimes it's just a lot of flying and looking versus fighting.

It is what you make it eh? Good points... This *newer* player also noticed the great action leading up to FSO.. Sorta hit and miss during other times though. Last Sunday or so was a great 250+ player night also... More players doesn't always equate to better quality play, but it certainly makes things interesting with lots of "action". 

Seems the classic "regulars" are just missing the additional "options", that came about with sheer numbers. This game is at it's finest the moment you get "caught" by the guy you didn't even see coming. Makes for white knuckled, sweaty palms type of action, which hooked this wannabe pilot.

I think steam will help with the biggest challenge facing this game, exposure.  Joe-consumer doesn't know what he's missing!

[Nightshift82]

Hi there!

I was coming back to AH last week. I was somewhat active a few years ago and I thought I'd give it a try agian.

Everything seems to be fine, but the number of players seems to have seriously dropped, right? I can remember times when there were 500 or so online weekend evenings. Last weekend most I saw was 150 or so. European time zone here.

Did the player base really shrink that much or is there some other reason that I saw so few people online? Just before there were just 50 ppl in the MA, thats just too little...

Thanks for your input!

Purzel

I just downloaded yesterday, after quite a few years off, I thought the same thing...