Not understanding and not agreeing are two different things. You tend to argue authoritatively instead of logically. For instance in this thread you've already stated 'I understand furballs better than anybody'. How do you know some people don't understand equally - or better? Even if they do does that mean they uniquely know how to increase player numbers?
I myself don't follow your logic at all how the DA or lack of a more streamlined alternative is responsible for all the evils of AH. The DA worked just fine for me and many others in AH2. Largely as a community in itself but also many of the top sticks would drop into the lake, new players, derusting players. Numbers have reduced significantly across the board and the DA was the first to feel it.
Just for an alternative I did suggest recently that the TA be made free:-
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,386932.0.html
It's unclear even to me how the new DA works in AH3. I made a free account and while I could go to the furbal bases and select a plane I was unable to take off. I'm assuming the arena settings have changed?
Before suggesting an architectural restructuring, perhaps consider a new player's perspective looking at the official webpage. If you go to the homepage and click on game info, arenas you get this:-
http://www.hitechcreations.com/gameinfo/gameinfo-arenas
Explaining in needless detail how the AH2 arenas were disposed. In fact it's even the old version of that, explaining the coloured splits of the multiple MAs. What's that three years out of date? Four?
There's a lot of diversity in beliefs and activities and there should be. You are assuming everyone wants to spend years learning the intricacies of ACM. You must have observed some people play for the challenge / self-development, some for results. To some the game is a serious ego-aligning tool, for others it's just light entertainment. Accomodating everyone would seem to me a more logical way to maximise player numbers.
More players? I don't disagree with proposing alternate arenas, even providing a spectrum of these won't fill them though.
I do know furballs better than most. I have experience, kills, score, and I post the #s in the combat Challenge ( a giant furball) to prove it. I understand how this game works and have fought and played with the best in the game who have left because of bordem and lack of action. I know what's wrong, besides the strats issue, and it's Time along with Maps. The player #s will increase when action is easier and quicker to find. It's that simple. So many players have come to check out AH3 from the old days, and nothing has changed, they fly around aimlessly for 25 -30 minutes per one sortie and are lucky to get a few kills without getting ganged by 5. It takes too much time for lack of reward and it's too hard for most who don't take it to the extreme.
Why can't you guys wrap your heads around the failure of the DA lake? Literally no one uses it anymore. That's the problem. You want #s to magically increase by saying you want #s to increase, but then can't understand why the #s have not increased. Where is your logic? Obviously the arena has not been successful because people don't enjoy fighting in the lake. You still have to spend 10 minutes getting to the middle of the DA lake. That's boring. That's not what I am insisting that we do. This lake Does Not Work BECAUSE NO ONE IS IN THERE!! That's a sure reason to say some things need to be adjusted. Lets not forget about the water that caused people to stop playing there, since it was all water with no depth perception. Saying we have one, but no one uses it, so therefore people don't want quick action, is a poor excuse, when so many things can be fixed. It's simply a bad design. Back then people were concerned about learning air combat and could join H2H or the DA to find some quick fights. Now there is no place to besides the TA, where you have to request training. That's not what I am talking about. We need an arena where people don't have to jump through hoops and talk to people to find action. I want a battle royal arena bowl over a cool terrain. It works. You will be damned surprised.
There really isn't any harm in creating one either, so I don't understand why you all are so opposed to it.
You say #s have decreased across the board but are affraid to try anything new. Affraid to try something very easy, and something that is very fun for players. But you can't understand why #s have decreased. I'm trying my damnedest to get you to understand why, but you guys cannot connect the dots and provide no solutions besides Cav (which had good points, especially about GVs) . Boring, slow, game play.
The TA is cool for players who want to take the game a little more seriously. It's great for players who want to learn 1v1 action. It's not great for players who want quick action furball fights when they only have 15-20 minutes to play the game. You could make the TA free, but the type of arena that it is, and the lack of trainers in there, don't really provide any action for a player just checking out the arena. Hell, some people don't even know how to use the radio in their first week. A combat bowl arena is the best option and will allow players to find action without having to do much. There are so many better solutions than what we have now. What we have now doesn't work well to hook new players who want to get involved in fighter action. The MA is too slow for new players, and DA Lake is just too big.
The funny thing is hitech has made an arena specifically catered towards people who want instant action. IE -Match Play. It's disguised under the name Dueling Arena. I really can't see violaters point here. His direction is like "I know what's best for this game, listen to me" but what he's wanting is already here it's called match play.
Nope, see you don't get it either. It's amazing how you guys don't see my vision, but then can't comprehend why it's not working and why #s arent increasing.
The DA match play is cool. I'm not taking anything away from that. Here's what you are not getting. It takes at least 2 players to have a DA match. You have to go around and ask people to go to the DA with you. New players don't know anyone, and sure as hell aren't going to ask a random player to go DA with them, becuase they don't even understand the DA in the first place. Secondly, the DA is not filled because a player has to wait until the other players are ready, before the fight can begin. Again, that's awesome when people know what they are doing, it doesn't work for new people. They will go to the DA, see no one there, and leave. No one is going to sit there until enough players join the DA.
A simple FFA fast action bowl arena would attract people much more easily. They can choose their plane. See the action in a sector big map, spawn at 3K, and instantly be apart of the action. The #s would build up much easier here than in the DA. You dont have to ask or wait. More players will join this arena because it's so easy to find action. You will know where the action is on a 1 sector arena. I'm talking something similar to a KOTH arena with a few more bases. Once a few people get in there, the fights will pick up. This concept would work much better than the current Da lake. The reason why the lake is a failure is because of distance and team play that limits players you can fight agaisnt, and causes gangs. The DA map is also just too big for people to understand.
The DA map should also just get rid of the DA lake, and renamed Match Play.
There should be. Separate arena all together that is for furballing. Which is what I am suggesting.
The main page should be
Main Arena
Training arena
Match play dueling arena
FFA fighter bowl
These 4 on the front page would attract #s.
The custom arenas will start to get more populated when smaller maps are created.
My idea would work a hell of a lot better and actually get results. I guarantee it.
So are you looking for duels or furballs?
As nrshida said, the DA is setup as match play and you can have 1v1 2v2 or more flight after flight. The old DA WAS a furball setup and you say that doesnt work, so why set it up again?
If your looking for a MA were you can have fights in piece with out others jumping in, forget it. None of this is going to increase fighting or make better play in the game. The game is what it is due to the way "most" players play it. Years ago the players were more into fighting for a base, think the BOPs, the LTARS, and the 444th Air Mafia. Those days there were lots of fights because that is what the majority of players wanted. Score was unimportant, and it was all about the fight. Today the player mentality is more geared toward the kill count (HOs for the WIN!) quick base grabs to roll the map and win the war.
Late last night there was only about 100 players in the MA. Knits and Bish were fighting over bases on the west side of the map (bish had the numbers and a small ENY). Us poor Rooks had nothing to fight. LilMak and I hit the Bish field on the east side of the lake as our CV was closing in. This made the Bish nervous as all hell and they came across the lake to defend. YAAAAAA!!! a fight. Out numbered 2 to 1 we valiant Rooks pressed on! 10 minutes later the Bish sank the CV and everyone left to continue to fight the Knits.
They used the quickest easiest way to STOP a fight 
then went back to grabbing bases from the Knits. The majority of players dont want to fight today. We need more players, hopefully some of those WILL want to fight.
I am looking for FFA quick drop furball bowl arena action. This would actually work in getting more people interested in fighting and interested in the flight model. It would go along way to promote fighter combat understanding and provide a smaller arena for people to figure out the game. No scoring would go a long way to promote action and not greedy game play. There wouldn't be gang up teams. There wouldn't be base ack and 15K tempest. It would be a great place to figure out the fighters, maybe a place to work on new planes, and just a place to let off some steam.. the majoirity of players do want a fight, but the MA has all types of action, and people take it more seriously. In this arena it would just be based on fighting and action. This is what I'm talking about Fugitive. If you get tired of Bombers constantly taking down the CV or FHs, ruining your fights, then wouldn't you have fun being able to go to arena that only promotes fighter action? I think it would be great. Many people would still play in the MA, and nothing would be takin from it. I'm simply just figuring out a way to make the game overall more fun for more types of players. This will attract an increase players because it would keep them in the game fighting, instead of logging off after the other team kills the fight in the MA.
