6 hours

[Delirium]

Delirium - when you install the game it asks if it can survey your hardware IIRC, I imagine that's how  HTC gets its data on systems/sticks/etc.  Very important info to know about client machines and hardware too IMO, I always check it on my AH3 gaming system. 

I asked because if the training videos were control specific, it may help bridge the gap between neophyte and experienced bit easier. As comfort grows, so does the chance they will stay longer than two weeks.

"I see you are using a mouse. The default control are......"  while posting a graphic display in the training video that loads the first time the game is loaded.

[8thJinx]

I'm trying to think back to my first week with the game.  I'm pretty sure I stuck to M-3's and M-4's for quite a white. (And I clearly remember my first real sortie in-game, I drove an M-3 to drop troops at a town, and couldn't get the door open, all the while Walleye was yelling at me "do you know what you're doing?! Can you hear me?!")

Forget about flying, I didn't have a joy stick at that point.  In fact I didn't fly in the game for a good 3 months.  I only flew in the offline terrain, trying to shoot down the drones.  And this is tough to admit, but I spent a good two weeks learning how to taxi out of the hangar, to the end of the runway, for take off!  I didn't even know there was an auto take off feature!

For me it was keyboard commands that had me the most flummoxed.  It took me forever to find a sheet of paper with commands, and never did I find a set of instructions.   

[Ciaphas]

Why not just remove the third piece and just pit side A against B. Population wise it should stable out the “not enough players on Team X” scenario. It will also open the door for a more aggressive game style in opinion.


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[Vraciu]

Why not just remove the third piece and just pit side A against B. Population wise it should stable out the “not enough players on Team X” scenario. It will also open the door for a more aggressive game style in opinion.


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I agree.  But this is another one that's been thrashed into submission. 

 

[Ciaphas]

It’s like any other open world, faction based game. Times change which means   the game model needs to change to accommodate the current game population. I get it that there are, in theory, a large volume of people that play this game but I also understand that the number of players at anyone time are like waves in the ocean. There are periods throughout the day where the attendance is high and other times it’s very low and spread out between two main factions with the smallest attendance being in the third faction (from my observations).  I also understand that HiTech will always have the final say with regards to this game but it’s easy to see where the adjustments should be made so that players can maximize their stick time as well as allow for newer cats to log on and find an abundance of knowledge from older sticks as they will be consolidated between two factions and not sparsely spread between three factions. HiTech could also adapt the third faction into an NPC type of roll as control points and requirements for war victory. This is just my opinion based on observation in the MA


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[hitech]

I asked because if the training videos were control specific, it may help bridge the gap between neophyte and experienced bit easier. As comfort grows, so does the chance they will stay longer than two weeks.

"I see you are using a mouse. The default control are......"  while posting a graphic display in the training video that loads the first time the game is loaded.

It all ready does have different videos for mouse vs joystick and plays the one the new person is using.

HiTech

[Delirium]

It all ready does have different videos for mouse vs joystick and plays the one the new person is using.

My apologies, I misspoke.

I meant to type that a training mission should be the first thing the see when the game was booted up. It should walk through the game, including THEIR control suite, communication, and some basic dogfighting techniques. That training mission needs to be that hook that improves the low retention.

[NatCigg]

its not that important to me.  A good manual would be nice, with accurate information.

If its fun Ill try to learn.

currently, its not that fun.  no mission, no war, no fun.  The lack of a accurate manual makes it worse. IMO.

 

[bustr]

I very rarely see missions which is probably a symptom of who the players are today and why no war takes place.

The only suggestions I ever see to Hitech for changing this is to force everyone into roles and make them have a war. In the MA I see everyone waiting for someone else to start "something" that looks like people are following, so maybe a crowd will be there for long enough to blend in with the herd and just happen to get some kills. Once a bit of something gets started, it's a coin toss if it self generates and grows or, just as suddenly everyone is gone and you are one against a PO'd field of defenders. Even if there were numbers with the opening gambit, perception of the short term outcome dictates if there is a second or third wave.

I don't think most of todays players know how or want to have a war. They seem more oriented than I can remember on getting their fix in the given moment and just as quick to walk away if it dosen't happen. That may be a large factor to why the prime time window at it's best is only 2 hours. And then, suddenly the arena starts to empty out. If a squad is too good at spanking everyone in a sector, that fight drys up and blows away. If they are too good in dominating a base capture, same thing or more often suddenly the whole country shows up to fight 12 guys with 30-40 guys. And that squad's green guys who thought they were going to a vulch fest courtesy of that squads initiative, are gone.

Missions used to mean mostly NOE and a good chance of capturing the target which was worth the effort. Now no more NOE and missions have a good chance of being a one way waste of time feeding kills to the other guys versus in the NOE days missions meant getting kills for taking part. Who wants to join a mission to loose most of the time which is what FB missions eventually turned into? Even long range bomber missions can end up a bust depending on how many 163 show up. And even if radar got put back to AH1 standards for NOE, the new flashing shore batteries would limit where you could navigate your mission. 

It's like no one is willing to admit they want the MA turned into a short attention span gamers arena about 1 sector square. Where they can run around and shoot each other in the back and runaway if things don't make them feel warm and fuzzy. Our competitors arena would fit inside of one of our sectors. Most of the WoT tank arenas are about the size of our NDisles TT and small airfield object. Our MA arena is 10 to 20 times larger than the competitors and you see how NDisles and Oceania's TT islands quickly turn into a backshooting, vulching, HO-n-Runaway gamer fest. Just like Leroy Jenkins with wings......   

[Ciaphas]

What’s stopping a member of the community from writing a manual?


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[Lusche]

What’s stopping a member of the community from writing a manual?

It's a lot of work. 

[Ciaphas]

Well, there are a ton of players with the know how in many different areas, this burden could be shared by many and not just one, know what I mean?


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[Ciaphas]

Even with my limited ability, I would be willing to write a manual on some bombing stuff, things that work for me and things that don’t work.


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[8thJinx]

If we're going to do a manual, let's do it.  I used to write manuals for the heat exchanger and steam ejector industry.  I served on two committees, one for HEI and one for TEMA, and I know the drill.  It's basically divide and conquer, then roll it up, then one guy - one guy - edits it for uniformity in language, sentence, length, etc.  Then each member takes a copy and edits the first edit.  But it starts with a table of contents, then divide on conquer, etc etc.     

This is THE quickest way to do it, please trust me. 

I'm going to start a new thread with a first-pass table of contents, then we pick sections to do.  Since I write for a living (engineering reports, manuals, and fiction), I'll throw it out there that I'll volunteer to do the first edit.

This really shouldn't be that hard to do.

I'm going to start it now, look for a thread in about a half an hour.

[Ciaphas]

Count me in!


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