I don't disagree with your premise but like most things the devil is in the detail.
Yes I agree. So it's just a creative suggestion to generate some creative possibilities. Of course there would be issues and details and pros and cons. Of course those could all be worked out. There is a time for small details and a time to think 'architecturally'. This is just a top-level proposal. So bear with me here this is a bit of an out-there idea which I am just throwing out as a point of discussion (flameproof underpants on standby). This is what I imagined:-
I had in mind a sort of super lobby where you first go when you log in. I'd base it on some of the museums I've been to like the RAF museum in Hendon. You could walk around with the arrow keys like you do after you've bailed. Areas can be modelled to look like briefing rooms, lounges whatever.
To actually fly you'd go to the tower. There it would become a realistic-looking WWII control tower with entrances to the various arenas, both official and player-initiated. Missions, arenas, which map is rolling where. There could even be drones flying around outside, taking off, landing. There would be a brief explanation here about what's expected, perhaps even some previews. Hopefully stop noobs blundering into Match Play and finding out there there is a steep learning curve only after they get wrecked by a pro - for instance. Perhaps some expected skill-level thing. You'd access this directly by walking
from the lobby. The tower would be 'authentic period', a slight travelling back in time theme which would be an appropriate bridge between the modernaty of the game and the period in which it is set.
Also from the lobby there'd be a briefing room with a projector. And a complete library of tutorials, how-tos, ACM videos, aerial gunnery, player-uploaded gameplay films, matchups between differing types of aircraft, wingman techniques, BFM, ACM everything.
Also from the lobby you could access a hanger. This would be like a museum area, so in a modern setting and you could really bling it up. AH aircraft rotating on platforms with moody lighting with plaques showing info, screens showing real footage etc. Perhaps even an updated set of
Here you could select skins, fuel loadouts, ordinance etc. There could be a fighter bay, bomber area, vehicles or sorted by nation. There could be a shortcut straight into the arenas after you've selected and configured. You could, say, select and configure your P-51D, watch a movie or two choose your skin, and then spawn directly onto the runway of the TA. Through the lobby, into the hanger and 'ping' right on the runway. Shizzle.
There could also be an officer's lounge. Here you could potentially communicate with people already playing, see where people are playing or even have a live feed of channel 200, the help channel whatever. Could even have a wall of AH players who have passed if you want to go there - it is a very long-lived game after all. Show that! There could also be a notice board. Here would be requests to join squads and recruiting notices, technical questions perhaps, notifications about forthcoming special events, appointment request for training or duels, leaderboards from the various arenas etc. forthcoming game developments etc.
So the whole thing would be a sort of physical experience. You could explore in a contextual setting and it would all hopefully hang together in some kind of spatially cohesive sense.
I totally agree about those who log in knowing exactly where they want to go or who want to skip this feature. Could have a preference to go to a simple list on a clipboard as we have now as an option. That way both needs are addressed. Thus a short track as well.
There's so much to AH when you think about it, it'd be great to present it all cohesively and with some nice polish. Additionally people would be 'on-line' while they are reading / viewing movies considering aircraft etc. That might help with this minimal critical mass issue of people actually being logged in.
I know it sounds like a lot of work, but perhaps not. Much of what is needed AH already has. Obviously a set of new structures / rooms, but navigating those the game already has. The means of displaying the planes we have already... I'm sure a beta would attract a lot of contribution from the player base.
It's just a fundamentally User eXperience-based approach to showcase the game in all its broad and magnificent content. Might even get people just going into the hangar from Steam, say, just to see what's on offer. Viewing the 3D models, the fantastic player-created skins etc. Has to trump a simple text list or static pictures on a webpage description - for example.
