In-game transactions in lieu of $15/m

[Halo46]

HTC was their a bump up in members when a WW2 movie came out like Memphis Belle?

I doubt it if it did not have an AH advertisement. If you have never heard of the game you will never know where to go.

[Delirium]

I made the suggestion that a training mission would launch when the game is first played. It would reflect the users control suite (or lack thereof) and would walk them through the quick basics of the game. Something like this;

(screen opens to a Spitfire in level flight in autopilot)

"Welcome cadet! You have entered the world of Aces High! I'd like to walk you through the controls for the game, communication tools, and some flight maneuvers. If at any time you wish to leave this tutorial, hit escape and click 'end flight' to return to the main menu"

(voice narrators informs, encourages new pilot to take controls eventually)

Towards the end, you enter a simple mock dogfight with other Spitfires in the formation. At the end, have a very dumb AI 109 show up and bounce the formation and gradually increase in difficulty.


If the new player does not feel that rush of shooting something down quickly, they will not stay long. I think it was the Red Baron that said (paraphrasing) it is best that a new pilot gets their first kill easily or the lack of success will plague them.

 

[oboe]

If the handbook were phrased and composed such that it talked about the physics of things (in easy to understand terms) then it would last across many many different game updates and versions. I think there is something that could be put together with a pretty long lifespan that wouldn't have to be updated ever, if at all.

I think that would be a good idea. The question is: How do you organize it? How do you present it? What's the best way to make a handbook like that to answer a beginner's questions and get them into the fight faster?

A while ago I prototyped something like that based on the Pilot's Information Handbook, a copy of which is laying on the table behind you in AH's tower.  I used a Javascript library which allowed you to create a book cover and page content that turns just like real pages.   I tried to keep the style of it in the same theme as the actual real-life PIF.   If you click the image on the page it opens up a new webpage with the prototype. 

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,389480.msg5174982.html#msg5174982

I'm just not sure the next generation is very handbook oriented.   I think an In-game scripted tutorial like Del proposed might work better.  The YouTube training videos were a good try but after a few times I turned them off and now I don't know how to re-activate them.   

[Halo46]

I'm just not sure the next generation is very handbook oriented.   I think an In-game scripted tutorial like Del proposed might work better.  The YouTube training videos were a good try but after a few times I turned them off and now I don't know how to re-activate them.   

I like you booklet idea and it is much easier to implement than a tutorial AI sequence I think, though that would be cool too. I remember trying something similar years ago for my then FSO sqd, though not a game manual. It would be great, but there is a lot of info to transfer over and the font would need to be made a little larger in my opinion. Instructions should be large and easily read by all, but they first must be easily found to effective, and they still aren't at present.

[100Coogn]

I like this idea too.
Maybe have the instruction booklet sitting right on the desk in the tower.

Coogan

[wil3ur]

I printed up a copy of in pursuit when I first started playing here to try and understand why it seemed like everyone always had more E than me and could out turn me.  It was very helpful for beginner SA and ACM.  The rest comes with practice.  I think that did more for me than knowing all the buttons.

[Halo46]

Increasing the amount of free time would not increase the number of subscribers, if a player is not hooked enough after 2 weeks to pay $15, then another 2 weeks will not get him to fork over the $15.
But remember 75% of potential customers are gone after 30 minutes. Nothing posted above would have much effect on those people.
HiTech

I know that for me the very first turn off to this game was "No Instructions" at all when I logged on in 2008. It took me a few days before someone would tell me to go to Netaces to look for the Quick Reference Guide. Another website altogether. I eventually did find it on HT main pages, but as with so much of the training stuff it was buried, worse than now, but it is still not easy to find that simple document that would have allowed me to figure out the basics on my own. I was ready to quit too. I am not even sure why I kept logging in and out when I couldn't play the game except I finally found someone in the TA who would answer a question. I guess I am a little more persistent than young kids, but it was a close thing. That document should be in big red, bold, blinking lights for immediate download if you're not going to include it in the download of the game. Just my pennies. Other issue I have seen is little advertising. Most people in other flight sims have not heard of AH when I tell them that's where I used to fly, but they know DCS, War thunder or whatever and even IL2. I know it costs money, but if no one hears about it they will never check it out. You have to give the youngsters like my son bright colors and loud noises, so lots of things blowing up will gain their interest faster than pretty planes. Okay, my change is running out, so one last thing. I think I have seen 1 or 2 commercials on TV when I lived in Vegas and a couple internet advertisements recently because I am always looking up flight sim stuff. I'd like to see it a lot more.

There is only one thing I know Sir, is there are a lot of people who want to see you guys do well, That's the gist of these topics coming up so much. Everyone else feels the pressure too and are throwing ideas around hoping a solution can be found so you have lots of players and the players have lots of players.

[Halo46]

Actually, based on recent events, I don't think I do care anymore. Probably my last post on here. Have fun. To any who I knew, be well.

[bustr]

Three simple changes to the clip board when you are first popped into the tower looking at the first button level screen.

1. - Add a button "Keyboard Commands". When you click on it up comes the key mapping menu. Anyone who does not RTFM still looks at the key map as the simplest way to get a game going. While in the air or driving around, keep a quick popup version of this so they can easily get at the current key commands. Even make a "Hot Key" toggle so they can pop it up as some kind of a HUD reference, then toggle it off without needing the clipboard up.

2. - Add a button "Game Controllers". It's obvious and you don't force short attention span kids and gamers to hunt. Doesn't matter if it's redundant, matters that you don't make them hunt for what is paramount to playing a game like this.

3. - Add a button "Graphics Settings". This and the two others are the heart of any video game to get started from scratch with no interest in RTFM.

The next most important is already there, "Hanger", or they really won't stay around for more than a minute trying to look at the rides. The current menu system is for "Adults" who are curious, read, and maybe have worked with Unix or vocations that required learning nested menu navigation. Our menu reminds me of every ERP application I had to slog through its unintuitive nested menus. Games should not put you through that if the game is supposed to be fun and intuitive to learn. If you need it to get on the runway the very first time, put it on the first page of the clipboard like is that important.