I'm a bit timid to post, but I've loved AH since AH 1 and I would LOVE to see the game make a comeback. Back during the glory days of AH1 and early on into AH2, the competition was crap. Charged a ton of money, didn't provide the content, didn't provide the LEVEL of content, etc. That situation has changed, but AH hasn't. It's the same exact game it was back then with pretty graphics.
To be perfectly honest, I haven't played in quite a while. I played for years until I went into the military, then I played for quite a while after I got out, then I stopped during college. Tried to pick it back up for a month I believe and the numbers were so low that I just couldn't enjoy it, I was really expecting a return to having good fights and good times. What I found was a desolate wasteland.
The reason I don't play now? It's not worth $15 a month, compared to basically any other game that charges the same price. I'm a big fan of Eve Online, have over 9,000 hours in-game. You can mine resources, take space, lead groups, follow, have alliances of corps, PVP, PVE, go exploring, engage in the player-driven market, etc. and all for 14.95 a month (if you pay month-by month, discounts for paying multiple months). And that doesn't include the HOURS UPON HOURS of things you do when you are leadership for a corp or alliance! Why on earth would I pay $15 a month for a game where you can only go PVP, and there's almost nobody that plays anymore? The social aspect is nearly gone, and THAT is what interests me most in gaming these days. Oh and I'm not one of those WT players, hated it, only played it twice. I have World of Tanks, rarely play that either.
Also, I'm perfectly fine with the long flights to get to a fight, so I'm not jumping on that horse. I enjoy the realism aspect and the wonderful flight characteristics. I don't really think that should be changed.
Here's one of the problems. Out of the players that ARE left in the game, a lot of them don't want, even despise, game change. They want the same thing it has always been, and it's killing the game. Even though the players are leaving and new players aren't enjoying it, they don't care. And I do feel that this goes clear up to the game creators as well. I'm not trying to be rude or condescending, I think you guys are great and have done a lot of great things with the game, and gave me many many hours of enjoyment. But times have changed, there's a new breed out there, and honestly I'm trying to figure out if you guys are even still interested in the game or are just waiting for it to die. There's no social media, even the home page doesn't change for months. I check the home page once a week hoping to see something to excite me and bring me back. But re-skinning airplanes isn't fixing the game. Without advertising, this isn't getting to new potential players.
My list of things that need changed:
1. Content vs. Price - You can't have a high price and low content, that doesn't fly anymore. Either lower the price for current content, or keep price and increase content.
2. Advertise, advertise, advertise! Facebook, Twitter, there's plenty of free ways to advertise. Get the game out there!!!
3. Update SOMETHING! Even posting who won the last map on the home page, something to make it look like the devs are active AT ALL.
4. Content - This is the million dollar question. Here's my problems with current content:
A. Accomplishment is short-lived (not sure how to combat this)
B. Sense of investment: The perk planes address this some, but there's not enough feeling of investing in something, no reason to improve to not lose.
C. Mission system: This just royally sucks, has for as long as I can remember! Please god improve this interface.
D. Player interaction needs to be encouraged more. Love the sandbox, I really do, but for example you should never be able to take a base by yourself. Should basically require 2 people or more.
E. I want to say add some kind of PVE element that isn't really instrumental to the game, but something other than bombing hangars. I'm just not really sure what that would be honestly.
F. Has anybody talked about a financial system? Not real-world money, but in-game money. Each sortie gains you money and perk points. Better outfittings cost money (not a lot). Those outfittings last until you lose that plane, etc. Successful sortie nets more money, etc. I dunno, something along those lines. Just an idea, probably complete poo, but would actually give players something to work towards on a personal level, both for survival AND for better guns.
G. Make squads more meaningful than just "oh you're on a roster somewhere on the website"
H. More interactive devs. The games that are really kicking bellybutton are pretty responsive to player feedback. That's basically the expectation these days, and the companies that aren't good at responding or don't respond period have largely failed. AH devs are cool guys, but the game seems to be what THEY want, not what the players want, and that will definitely hurt business with the new crowd especially.
I. Add some kind of (I hate to say it) facebooky "like" system for posts to see if a lot of people actually like ideas....
I know my thoughts/ideas are far from perfect, and my points will fall upon many deaf ears, be scoffed at, criticized, whatever. Honestly I don't care because I hope that enough people voice their opinions that something finally changes. Like I say, I loved this game, and I literally check weekly to see if SOMETHING has happened to excite me and bring me back, but it cannot just stay the same thing it has always been and hope to survive. Miss the adventures and the fun <S>