THE FINAL SOLUTIONS

[49ZERO]

Been many months since I played but still pay my 14.99. The two reasons are side balance and player numbers. For months I have read the forums and done a lot of thinking. I was rooting for steam to be the much needed salvation for the Big Two. There are two even chess pieces that move differently but are of equal value, Knight and Bishop. Two countries fighting each other is as balanced as one could get. This game takes months to learn and years to master. All early war air craft and ground should be free to play. It really is that simple as a concept to solve the Big 2.

[nugetx]

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,389368.0.html

[TDeacon]

I don't think giving someone a free low-end plane to die in, over and over, will help player retention.  That's not fun, and people have other gaming options. 

FWIW, the only solution to your problem may be to learn to enjoy gameplay while outnumbered, and forget "winning the war" if your on the outnumbered side.  If you just focus on your individual plane or GV, there are plenty of goals you can achieve.  There always will be opportunities for a skilled player to pick away at the horde.  And if you're not that skilled, then becoming so is an additional goal to achieve. 

[49ZERO]

I would think that early war and lack of experience would justify getting shot down. A new player would accept such out comes. It would be much harder for a new player to keep playing getting killed over and over in a p51.

[Vraciu]

Been many months since I played but still pay my 14.99. The two reasons are side balance and player numbers. For months I have read the forums and done a lot of thinking. I was rooting for steam to be the much needed salvation for the Big Two. There are two even chess pieces that move differently but are of equal value, Knight and Bishop. Two countries fighting each other is as balanced as one could get. This game takes months to learn and years to master. All early war air craft and ground should be free to play. It really is that simple as a concept to solve the Big 2.

+1

[FLS]

Why would the players who don't balance 3 countries ever balance two countries?

[Vraciu]

I don't think giving someone a free low-end plane to die in, over and over, will help player retention.  That's not fun, and people have other gaming options. 

FWIW, the only solution to your problem may be to learn to enjoy gameplay while outnumbered, and forget "winning the war" if your on the outnumbered side.  If you just focus on your individual plane or GV, there are plenty of goals you can achieve.  There always will be opportunities for a skilled player to pick away at the horde.  And if you're not that skilled, then becoming so is an additional goal to achieve.

It's also not fun to spend two weeks trying to figure out the steep learning curve only to be told PAY UP!   Some free rides (a few EW and one or two MW) would bait the hook I think.   A lot of us took the plunge but took longer than two weeks to do it.  I've been paying for years now.   That small investment in a free arena has been repaid dozens of times over in my case alone.

[Vraciu]

Why would the players who don't balance 3 countries ever balance two countries?

Because they just do.  If they don't then ENY will crush them.

As it is this is a de facto two-sided war with three chess pieces.

It will never be changed so no use discussing it.   

[Lyme]

When my two week trial ended in 2005 there were commercials on television and 500+ persons in the arena, $15/month was a no brainer.  Today with low numbers and a steep learning curve there really isn't much incentive to spend the monthly fee after your trail is complete.  + 100 on free EW birds or a plane of the month.

[Arlo]

I find the thread title politically offensive. 

[49ZERO]

You have to realize that we are in the free to play era. The competition for players is more than ever. Sometimes you need to bait and wait and I believe most gamers would be drawn to the mid and late planes and tanks eventually. As of side balance if one side had eny the other would not have a 3rd country spoiler. The battles would be bigger and defense more intense.

[BuckShot]

early war air craft and ground should be free to play.

This would cost htc $$$. I'd save $15 per month and have a blast flying nothing but the early war stuff.

[Vraciu]

This would cost htc $$$. I'd save $15 per month and have a blast flying nothing but the early war stuff.

Good.  Bring your friends so the rest of us can shoot you down.

I'll get a couple of my squaddies to re-up and that will more than offset your cancellation.

[Arlo]

You have to realize that we are in the free to play era.

"Free to play" is a dishonest ruse. Dale knows this and seems disgusted by that. FTP games gives you just enough to support a FTP claim but it requires endless 'grinding' to get anywhere, meanwhile it also offers advantages to players who make constant piecemeal purchases that end up costing more than what a subscription would. Some 'FTP' games will even offer the form of a temporary subscription (say, two weeks of 'veteran status') which really offers you very little, in return ... AND ... you're still stuck grinding/purchasing while at a small advantage.

I admire Dale sticking to his honest business plan while other games bait and switch an intellectually immature customer source. The only reason I suggest a 'free plane/vehicle of the week' option is to try to help wean the FTP addicted player off that.

[waystin2]

"Free to play" is a dishonest ruse. Dale knows this and seems disgusted by that. FTP games gives you just enough to support a FTP claim but it requires endless 'grinding' to get anywhere, meanwhile it also offers advantages to players who make constant piecemeal purchases that end up costing more than what a subscription would. Some 'FTP' games will even offer the form of a temporary subscription (say, two weeks of 'veteran status') which really offers you very little, in return ... AND ... you're still stuck grinding/purchasing while at a small advantage.

I admire Dale sticking to his honest business plan while other games bait and switch an intellectually immature customer source. The only reason I suggest a 'free plane/vehicle of the week' option is to try to help wean the FTP addicted player off that.

QFT Arlo describes the free to play business model fallacies perfectly.