Attracting more players in the main arena or what ever it's called today.

[Shuffler]

Leo preferred the L&G over the Fender...

am surprised you didn't mention an old(or new even) quality made Silvertone ....

As far as WO:P, am I correct in that we don't have to go through Steam, to play it?

I sure hope so... I don't care to have anything to do with Steam nor have it on any of my computers...

Steam is not required per HT.

[Traveler]

WWI, Match Play , Mission Play, Steal the sheep, Custom user arenas all are 100% free.

HiTech

But none of that numbers in the main arena.  Please allow the free accounts with limited plane sets to play in the main arena to increase numbers, more numbers, more fights, more options for game play.

[Shuffler]

But none of that numbers in the main arena.  Please allow the free accounts with limited plane sets to play in the main arena to increase numbers, more numbers, more fights, more options for game play.

-1

[Lazerr]

I really dont see folks using a free MA platform for more than a few months.  At that point, most would become more competitive, and pay the small fee once hooked, and not getting clubbed like a seal, to get full access to the game.

I think the short retention rate now may be logging in, and realizing two weeks isnt nearly enough to learn a deep game.

And then, the lack of apparent action on the clipboard map, in relation to map size, and what country they start on.  "There is nothing going on in here, why would i bother with this game and the upcoming fee?"

The smaller maps like mindano, where all three countries can interact help this.  Two countries would help this situation, but I wont beat that horse anymore.

Just some conclusions that can be drawn from logging into the game a few times a week, and paying attention to the things mentioned above.  And then of course stepping back and looking from a new guys point of view, who is likely overwhelmed just learning flight characteristics.  Let alone, things that may need to be done to find action.  Reading the map, switching countries, tactics to kick up a fight, like porking.. etc etc..

I assume htc has some exit interview type data with the real answers.  Im not sure if its been shared before, but it could be a good thing to do that.  You are sure to get plenty of opinions on ways to relsove issues here. Some good, some bad.

[guncrasher]

you guys seem to forget that new players only stick around for 20 minutes or so.


semp

[Wiley]

I think the short retention rate now may be logging in, and realizing two weeks isnt nearly enough to learn a deep game.

I'd say it's more likely they can't figure out how to do anything, get no direction, and leave, over looking at what's in front of them and thinking it's too deep.

Listing it as F2P on Steam was a positively horrible decision IMO.  Yeah, all the unoccupied arenas are free, but at the end of the day the melee is what pretty much everybody will see as "the game".

Wiley.

[Traveler]

you guys seem to forget that new players only stick around for 20 minutes or so.


semp

The increase in numbers from free accounts is not reflected in the main arean.   Which is losing subscription players because of the lack of numbers.  With the free accounts allowed in the main arena we might retain more subscription and perhaps convert some of the free accounts to subscription so they could join a squad or fly better equipment.

[Shuffler]

The increase in numbers from free accounts is not reflected in the main arean.   Which is losing subscription players because of the lack of numbers.  With the free accounts allowed in the main arena we might retain more subscription and perhaps convert some of the free accounts to subscription so they could join a squad or fly better equipment.

You have not flown in awhile I bet.

[pembquist]

I'd say it's more likely they can't figure out how to do anything, get no direction, and leave, over looking at what's in front of them and thinking it's too deep.

Yeah, I watched a video which the author after I complained about it said "isn't a review video" but pretty much was a lazy review video. I'm not going to link to it because I assume views rank it more positive and it was just a trashing of the game. The guy was trying to fly with a mouse and kept crashing and squeaking about it, basically he wanted to just jump into the game and be able to play. He liked War Thunder.

Most people want to play a video game they don't want simulation and they are confused by it, it seems broken to them.

The problem as always is where do you find the customers for this niche in a cost effective way.

[The Fugitive]

The increase in numbers from free accounts is not reflected in the main arean.   Which is losing subscription players because of the lack of numbers.  With the free accounts allowed in the main arena we might retain more subscription and perhaps convert some of the free accounts to subscription so they could join a squad or fly better equipment.

Also with the "free" players being allowed in the MA it would also provide a much easier "help" setup. If new players are in a free arena or custom arena who are they going to ask for help? At least in the MA once they figure out the radio there are many players willing to take the time to help them out.

You have not flown in awhile I bet.

He was on last Saturday with his squad. Always in a bunch of P38s   

[TequilaChaser]

Yeah, I watched a video which the author after I complained about it said "isn't a review video" but pretty much was a lazy review video. I'm not going to link to it because I assume views rank it more positive and it was just a trashing of the game. The guy was trying to fly with a mouse and kept crashing and squeaking about it, basically he wanted to just jump into the game and be able to play. He liked War Thunder.

Most people want to play a video game they don't want simulation and they are confused by it, it seems broken to them.

The problem as always is where do you find the customers for this niche in a cost effective way.

Funny how he liked WarThunder..... just had a stupid War Thunder Sponsored Ad pop up on my FB, after reading through the 20 or so comments ( more than 1/2 were trashing the game, btw) there was some Greyed Out Text at the bottom.



here is my reply/comment:

Tequila Chaser: I looked through the comments, then greyed out text at the bottom of the comments, it says "Most Relevant is selected, so some comments may have been filtered out." .......yep, that is what you call "Sponsored Advertising".... when the Game Developer is paying FaceBook to remove most all of the negative comments......ROFL

[bustr]

Short of convincing Hitech to reduce the MA to 5x5 terrains to create the illusion of numbers and activity, there is another way. Each of my three terrains was an experiment in understanding how to use what Hitech restricts the MA to with his building rules, and help players produce activity. After riftval I could not see anything more I could do inside of the rules but, I still see possibilities without I think a large change on Hitech's part.

We have capture the flag objects you are required to capture from each country to achieve 20% of that country's territory for a map reset. That has been fixed for over a decade and ongoing complaints have shown it to be stale. I tried to spice it up with my terrains and to a point succeeded by adjusting field distances, spawn paths, and adding new objects. My ongoing goal of trying to make more real world looking terrain features didn't hurt either. It only lasted as long as I was willing to produce new terrains since you get a "novelty" effect with the community that lasts for a few months. It's not enough to solve the underlying "novelty" effect problem which contributes to the complaints about time to fight and being bored.

The assertions are new potential players log in and don't see activity on a scale to make them believe the game is worth investing, and customers are leaving due to same old same old nothing going on. Activity of that sort is concentrated groups from two countries battling over an area of real estate for long periods of time and consistently from login to login. My three terrains point to that. Hitech won't change to a two country game in the MA. How do you concentrate players willingly for long periods of time? Change the capture method\focus to something new but, it stays within the existing framework.

This will probably result in faster flipped maps but, the lynch pin capture object will concentrate air and land combat probably for the whole prime time window. If Hitech can generate a second city object(copy of the original) that will be seen as a field object in the capture order needing a map room object. Then require 60-75% of it to be destroyed to allow troop capture. It can be set as part of a new map win capture requirement, "own it" and 10-12% of a country's feilds. Allow the nearest airfield to be minimum 13 miles. The terrain builder would see the value in placing it in easy attack distance or Hitech can require that, so it's not hidden in the rear of each country next to the 163 field making it impossible to capture. Then require a minimum of GV spawns to it since at this point capturing feilds with GV spawns to it will collect most tank players into that new city. The new city object will only have it's ack tower and auto ack(maybe more added by Waffle) while the surrounding friendly feilds provide it's defense land and air. Hitech would probably allow M3\C47 to resupply the destroyed buildings like with towns. Then smart groups would drop all vehicle hangers and ordinance bunkers to this new city object's defending spawn connected feilds, when they capture their first enemy field with a spawn to it. Or I would like to think so versus they will all spawn in with tanks first thing and get carpet bombed from those feilds.

One or two of this in rotation would address the "novelty" problem and there are probably some terrains sitting around that would make good candidates for a modification. I could do this given access to the project files and permission to change "all" the field layouts, local micro terrain, add paths\bridges and clutter painting. With this change in capture percentages, the combat radius on a 10x10 could be shrunk to a 5-6 sector diameter to shorten transit time and condense activity. From my recent experiences, unless Hitech will create a "total new capture system" with smaller MA terrains, 2 country or 5x5 3 country terrains. It's a matter of small modifications using the existing backend code to address "novelty" while maintaining the traditional look and feel of the MA as a large sand box.

Some of this came from experiences on buzzsaw with my squad all in tanks taking down a city while defending tanks and aircraft were hammering us as a coequal force. In all the time buzzsaw has been in rotation, it's happened only twice with my squad. The rest of the time we just flatten the town in tanks unopposed. If the spawn points had been closer so the drive was 1\2 mile from the city, the place would have filled up with tanks. If we had the option to capture the city, we probably would have been carpet bombed and our spawns camped which would have brought in more of our fighters and theirs. I suspect that is what Waffle thought would happen but he placed the spawns too far away turning getting to the fight into a chore not worth doing. Time to the fight has been my most important experiment with all three of my terrains since bored customers have made that factor quite clear over the years. And the next issue was "novelty".

[SlipKnt]

This is a great thread.

My 0.02 fwiw

Two key things happened when AH3 came about. 

1.  Old players that left simply couldn't afford to upgrade or get new PCs to meet the game requirements.
2.  New players trying it out have a rough time affording basic equipment to play the 2 weeks for free and likely don't have a good enough system to support what AH3 has to offer.

There are some new players that just don't know.  We need to be helping them. 

Example:
Ran into a new player the past few days that was getting ready to quit the game citing graphics.   I then walked him through the settings I have set up for myself and he couldn't believe the difference.  Needless to say, he is deciding to stick around. 

Talk to them.  Get them involved.  Get them in squads so they get that camaraderie many of us enjoy.  I love working with new players.  Like Shuffler said.  Reminds us of the excitement we experienced when we started playing.

[asterix]

One way to attract more players into the MA is to play in the MA and not wait for things to get better. Make them better.  It`s like people expect someone else to do all the work for them.

[Lusche]

One way to attract more players into the MA is to play in the MA and not wait for things to get better. Make them better.  It`s like people expect someone else to do all the work for them.

I tried that, it did not work.