So far with the maps I've built based on observing how players utilize terrains, when average numbers are on for the evening and one of my terrains is up, they work for player utilization as planned. I've had 15 months of observing the MA community on my terrains and the converted AH2 terrains and I have one conundrum I cannot solve through all the direct observation over that time.
I erroneously thought solving game play utilization issues inherited from AH2 in terrain design would help players to want to logon more often. Because those were issues complained about since I did two years in the alpha\beta testing. When players are on my terrains, they enjoy the changes I've made from the AH2 design philosophy. Unlike 10 years ago, they don't have any sustained need to be on every night like the game back then was also a social media app. Even in the face of FSO Friday night warm ups in the MA when the roster at times breaks 200 players and everyone is pumped about all the action. Some ask why these same players don't show up the rest of the week to keep this going.
A more accurate question to ask about the current numbers: Why has AH stopped acting like an addictive social media application for it's community?
Games are designed to addict people because of how people interact with them, even back when AW was on top of the industry, it was obvious it was an addictive social media. The creators of our popular social media sites of today are now admitting how they engineered those apps to addict people. Much of it is subliminal in those apps while games do it overtly because that is the "hook" to keep players logging in.
You gents can scream that the sky is falling forever, how to get the hook working again is a realm for Hitech to solve at a level none of use are privy to becasue were are "only players". Very few of our numbers builds "anything" for the game and even for those from what I have now experienced, I suspect they have the same question about the "hook" with no answers.
Creating terrains has given me a momentary glimpse at the mountain Hitech has to climb every day to bring us this game. That is why I don't build terrains by asking all of you for your ideas which some of you have joined the lynch mobs about that. It would end up being a chimera stinker of a flop becasue your ideas have to be tested against the reality of creating a terrain and it's limitations. Most of you have no clue how to or what goes into building a MA terrain but, once your ideas are thrown out, you are convinced you have saved the day. I might have a better idea now why most wishes and saving the day ideas don't make it into the game. All of you can always build a terrain if you truly believe your ideas will make this game a utopia to play, but then that means you will have to face your idea and test against the road when you try to put it's rubber down.
Hitech has to work out the conundrum of the "hook" himself and I think we forum members all have the problem all anthropological observers do in the real world. Being an observer disqualifies us to observe the subject once we interact with the subject on a personal level. It changes both sides forever and the original subject will no longer ever be the original subject you started out to anonymously observe. Then the only observation of the original condition is to listen to oral memories from the elders of that group. The current generation has already responded to interacting with you and changed direction into it's future. Hitech has to do his own observation of that group to solve this problem.
Yelling at Hitech won't change anything he has not already decided to change.
