Am I imagining things or have people lost interest in the Staged Mission System? If you look at the message dates, it seems has just dropped off to nothing over the last two years? I was looking at the AH Wiki section on Offline Missions and I think all the links to mission packs were dead except for Peabody's interesting looking set, but they are for a previous version of AH. I think HTC only ships a couple of 1v1 missions with the download (and 1v1 might be the worst scenario to show off). I think they should have at least one or two "kill app" missions that really show off what the system is capable of. And why isn't HTC it self providing a repository? Most mission really aren't that big.
The system does have some sharp edges and feature gaps.
For me personally the biggest obstacles are the inability to launch and taxi from WWI fields (I'm trying to write a WWI mission pack so that is kinda annoying
) , and the inability to adjust the level of skill and aggressiveness of the AI. With WWI planes it is almost not fun for 1v1. They insta-reverse in a 20g turn, end up locked on 200yd on your six and start closing the distance no matter what you do. Even if you have a faster plane!
You can avoid their shots for a while but they will eventually just over-run you and ram you from behind. i can get them to crash into the ground occasionally, or lead them through threading trees and make them eat bark. But that is just a proximity kill, not ACM. Other than a HO, I really doubt it is possible to achieve a realistic tracking shot on a Camel vs AI Dr.I (or visa versa) in a 1v1. You can create a 1v1 both DR.I and record the fight. Watch the film from the AI view. Compare your roll rate with the AI roll rate. The AI roll rate looks instantaneous to any degree of roll. How do you fight that 1v1?
And the AI never, even, ever loses sight of you and knows your exact position at every micro second.
My best results have been create even + 1 engagements where I have an AI bro to keep each enemy busy while i try to cherry pick them. Even then, I have watched my wingies and an enemy AI (Camel vs Dr.I) chase each other around a circle that couldn't have been more that 60ft in diameter, endlessly with out energy loss. No way you are getting inside that elbow for a tracking shot. The best you can do is cut across that circle and time it to get a snap-shot. The system does work well for you against an AI bomber stream. I've created some fun ME-262 vs B-17 engagements. You might as well just make that lone wolf though, as your AI wingies try to dogfight the bombers and just lock right on to their tails at close range and stay there. That's counter productive.
Still I think there is SO much potential there. you can kind of glimpse it through the haze of pain and annoyance. It like a fabulous treasure of gold and diamonds sitting at the bottom of a lake covered in a inch of muck and fish dung.
Soooo close.
Why have you guys stopped making and posting missions?
