Arcade Game or WWII Simulation?

[dbh]

I post this with considerable trepidation for fear it will be taken the wrong way. I really like Aces High as it is and thoroughly enjoy my time spent immersed in the simulation.

There are a few patterns of behavior that seem peculiar to me and sometimes make me wonder if I'm playing an arcade game instead. I apologize if these issues have been discussed before (I suspect they have). The forum content is so large that researching these topics seems onerous.

I realize that there must be some concessions to non-realism such as the clipboard enemy aircraft locations and enemy aircraft ID icons. No problem. Also there is the internet signal lag issue. No problem, we all understand and know we must live with it.

But...

1. Auto takeoff
2. Combat trim
3. HUD for for what should be read from one's own instruments like airspeed and altitude

I can understand the newbie to AH perhaps needing/wanting 1., 2., and 3. but after say 20 hours or so of arena or mission flying these items should not be available.


4. Fighters performing "impossible" jerking and flopping around in order to avoid getting shot when someone is on their 6.

I know that jerking your crate was commonly done in WWII to avoid same but let's get sensible, I've seen too many cases of "defying physics" in AH. I've tried it myself as an experiment and the AH system software sees it and tells me to stop moving my joystick so rapidly. Don't know what a good solution to this problem is. I am a licensed private pilot and I have flown real aerobatic small aircraft. This does not make me an authority on what is realistic for a WWII crate. I dunno. Maybe I've got this wrong and should just learn to live with it. It just looks so silly and has me looking for Pac Man next on the screen.


5. Intentional head-ons. Especially when the rammer is flying close to his field and and can quickly respawn and the rammed has a long distance to fly all over again. Or you realize that you are in a hopeless situation (whose fault is that?) so you might as well take the other guy out with you because you know he has a clear advantage.

I imagine this could be a can of worms in that how does the AH software differentiate between rammer and rammed? Seems like, as with auto collisions, the guy with the big dent at the front of his crate is at fault. Could be both planes hit nose-to-nose in which case both pilots are at fault. The penalty could be something like 10-15 minutes delay before the at-fault player(s) can respawn any fighter (bombers, GVs, boats, all ok to use immediately). Or fighter respawn is limited to significantly less capable early war fighters. Naturally newbies should be exempt as in 1.-3. But after some experience we all know that collisions are avoidable unless one is flying with wild abandon. In WWII that kind of flying caused a bit longer than a 10-15 minute time out.


6. Complete immunity to getting hit by "friendly fire" from automatic anti-aircraft guns.

Really? Was WWII AA fire that good? I think that any manned guns can accidentally shoot down a friendly as can a fighter. But ISTM that the auto AA is too often used as an artificial safety blanket. Shouldn't there at least be some probability, perhaps on the small side, of getting hit by your own field's AA fire?


7. "Suicide runs" by 190s, 47s, 38s, etc on an airfield to easily take out hangars for vehicles and aircraft and perhaps other things. The pattern I've observed is that these suicide runs are most always the beginning of an effort to "win" a field/town. Not sure what a good solution to this is. Perhaps if the aircraft that takes out a hangar is also killed while doing so due to crashing into the ground and/or being taken down by AA fire then the length of time the hangar is down is shortened significantly. If that aircraft is downed by an aircraft protecting the field then there is no shortening. Not sure of the best way to handle it.

Anyway, these are some thoughts that I've had. Perhaps I've got a lot of this wrong. But I do love the game and would just like to "keep it real" to the extent that we can.

[Arlo]

There are a few patterns of behavior that seem peculiar to me and sometimes make me wonder if I'm playing an arcade game instead. I apologize if these issues have been discussed before (I suspect they have). The forum content is so large that researching these topics seems onerous.

1. Auto takeoff
2. Combat trim
3. HUD for for what should be read from one's own instruments like airspeed and altitude

All optional. Also, please bare in mind that this community spans an age range of pre-teen to 80+. Some of us no longer have keen eyesight or must make frequent trips to the head.

4. Fighters performing "impossible" jerking and flopping around in order to avoid getting shot when someone is on their 6.

That's the nature of internet lag and not the game. There would be no effective method to correct that short of us all playing the game at Dale's house or him tweaking the rapid stick move disabling feature (which exists) to freeze our controls every time we breathe on them. Some players have purchased very expensive game monitors with high refresh rates and have reported less of a problem.

5. Intentional head-ons. Especially when the rammer is flying close to his field and and can quickly respawn and the rammed has a long distance to fly all over again. Or you realize that you are in a hopeless situation (whose fault is that?) so you might as well take the other guy out with you because you know he has a clear advantage.

I imagine this could be a can of worms in that how does the AH software differentiate between rammer and rammed? Seems like, as with auto collisions, the guy with the big dent at the front of his crate is at fault. Could be both planes hit nose-to-nose in which case both pilots are at fault. The penalty could be something like 10-15 minutes delay before the at-fault player(s) can respawn any fighter (bombers, GVs, boats, all ok to use immediately). Or fighter respawn is limited to significantly less capable early war fighters. Naturally newbies should be exempt as in 1.-3. But after some experience we all know that collisions are avoidable unless one is flying with wild abandon. In WWII that kind of flying caused a bit longer than a 10-15 minute time out.

The rammer loses if the other player successfully avoids (yes, it's all decided by each individual player's front end). Again, that's the best solution, given lag. No 'time-outs' needed. Re-plane and fly more carefully (or not - it's a game).

6. Complete immunity to getting hit by "friendly fire" from automatic anti-aircraft guns.

Really? Was WWII AA fire that good? I think that any manned guns can accidentally shoot down a friendly as can a fighter. But ISTM that the auto AA is too often used as an artificial safety blanket. Shouldn't there at least be some probability, perhaps on the small side, of getting hit by your own field's AA fire?

Do you really want the air to air aspect of this game to give way to auto aaa? Do you really want vulching to be easier?

7. "Suicide runs" by 190s, 47s, 38s, etc on an airfield to easily take out hangars for vehicles and aircraft and perhaps other things. The pattern I've observed is that these suicide runs are most always the beginning of an effort to "win" a field/town. Not sure what a good solution to this is. Perhaps if the aircraft that takes out a hangar is also killed while doing so due to crashing into the ground and/or being taken down by AA fire then the length of time the hangar is down is shortened significantly. If that aircraft is downed by an aircraft protecting the field then there is no shortening. Not sure of the best way to handle it.

We go from internet lag to policing players, at this point. There's no way for the game to telepathically know if a crash was intentional or not. Attempting to police such would likely have worse consequences than not.

The nature of this game isn't to provide us all with a simulator akin to what we experience in a stand-alone game. It adds an element of competition while trying to not limit us too much. Sure, there's elements to limit obvious 'griefing' (kill-shooter and such) but add too much of that and players may well suffer unintended consequences when they merely make a mistake. Better to let those that rely on stick-stirring and ramming and one-way missions to do such than to punish everyone.

[fuzeman]

Arlo types faster than I , no.... it's not me its my old keyboard   
Just my two cents, and while they were common as I found them in a parking lot, I wont admit to having common sense and these are just my thoughts and opinions.

I post this with considerable trepidation for fear it will be taken the wrong way. I really like Aces High as it is and thoroughly enjoy my time spent immersed in the simulation.

There are a few patterns of behavior that seem peculiar to me and sometimes make me wonder if I'm playing an arcade game instead. I apologize if these issues have been discussed before (I suspect they have). The forum content is so large that researching these topics seems onerous.
I lean it toward simulation with a consideration of what it can do while trying to appeal to enough people to survive, game survival here. Some want more realistic controls, like engine management for one. For your average gamer I think that's overload but I can understand the desire for it. I'm an arse, not an ace, but I'm more interested in the fight than makiang sure my cowl flaps are in and my inter-cooler temperature isn't redlining. Another reason I don't complain to much about the graphics. It's not important to me how nice the plane I'm flying in looks or the one that shoots me down, a more regular occurance, looks. Don't get me wrong skinners, YOU DO GREAT WORK and it is highly recommended and appreciated but in the fight I'm not looking at panel lines or counting rivets or making sure the bolts have the right number of facets.

I realize that there must be some concessions to non-realism such as the clipboard enemy aircraft locations and enemy aircraft ID icons. No problem. Also there is the internet signal lag issue. No problem, we all understand and know we must live with it.

But...

1. Auto takeoff
2. Combat trim
3. HUD for for what should be read from one's own instruments like airspeed and altitude

I can understand the newbie to AH perhaps needing/wanting 1., 2., and 3. but after say 20 hours or so of arena or mission flying these items should not be available.
They can be turned on or off at your pleasure and they can adapt the game somewhat to the level a person wants to delve into such controls and make it more simulation. You didn't mention any autopilots we have in game, what are your opinions on that?


4. Fighters performing "impossible" jerking and flopping around in order to avoid getting shot when someone is on their 6.

I know that jerking your crate was commonly done in WWII to avoid same but let's get sensible, I've seen too many cases of "defying physics" in AH. I've tried it myself as an experiment and the AH system software sees it and tells me to stop moving my joystick so rapidly. Don't know what a good solution to this problem is. I am a licensed private pilot and I have flown real aerobatic small aircraft. This does not make me an authority on what is realistic for a WWII crate. I dunno. Maybe I've got this wrong and should just learn to live with it. It just looks so silly and has me looking for Pac Man next on the screen.
Some of that is just the internet and the vagaries of connections on it. Play the game with two computers right next to each other and I wonder how that would manifest itself in that situation. I've never tried it, or could, but it's a nice thing to wonder about. Has anyone done that recently {as we do need to talk AH3} ?


5. Intentional head-ons. Especially when the rammer is flying close to his field and and can quickly respawn and the rammed has a long distance to fly all over again. Or you realize that you are in a hopeless situation (whose fault is that?) so you might as well take the other guy out with you because you know he has a clear advantage.
Again IMO, and using a reference many wont get or be familiar with, but during my old KOTH days { oh no!!! here he goes gain    } {{ inside joke }}I used to regularly use collisions and they happen in close dogfights, and I'd venture a lot more on computer than actually happened during the war but in reality I'm a Pudding Head on that matter, simply because it's a computer game and NOT real with that ultimate end of sortie.

I imagine this could be a can of worms in that how does the AH software differentiate between rammer and rammed? Seems like, as with auto collisions, the guy with the big dent at the front of his crate is at fault. Could be both planes hit nose-to-nose in which case both pilots are at fault. The penalty could be something like 10-15 minutes delay before the at-fault player(s) can respawn any fighter (bombers, GVs, boats, all ok to use immediately). Or fighter respawn is limited to significantly less capable early war fighters. Naturally newbies should be exempt as in 1.-3. But after some experience we all know that collisions are avoidable unless one is flying with wild abandon. In WWII that kind of flying caused a bit longer than a 10-15 minute time out.
Again IMO ramming fighters is harder than you think but does happen a lot and it sure happens as mentioned above. Collisions on the other hand, again IMO, are handled in a good fashion and works if you understand it, knowing there are four planes involved in your fight. many other ways to deal with it have been mentioned and discussed but their CONs usually far outweigh the PROs.


6. Complete immunity to getting hit by "friendly fire" from automatic anti-aircraft guns.

Really? Was WWII AA fire that good? I think that any manned guns can accidentally shoot down a friendly as can a fighter. But ISTM that the auto AA is too often used as an artificial safety blanket. Shouldn't there at least be some probability, perhaps on the small side, of getting hit by your own field's AA fire?
You want some guy, or him and his friends, that you just pissed off on the other side by killing him in an un-honorable way to switch sides and shoot you down every takeoff? I'm sure they'd get what they deserve for it, but until its recognized and dealt with your AH time would be fairly miserable.


7. "Suicide runs" by 190s, 47s, 38s, etc on an airfield to easily take out hangars for vehicles and aircraft and perhaps other things. The pattern I've observed is that these suicide runs are most always the beginning of an effort to "win" a field/town. Not sure what a good solution to this is. Perhaps if the aircraft that takes out a hangar is also killed while doing so due to crashing into the ground and/or being taken down by AA fire then the length of time the hangar is down is shortened significantly. If that aircraft is downed by an aircraft protecting the field then there is no shortening. Not sure of the best way to handle it.
You KNOW they all intend to make it a no return flight? Many times, I've 'Shufflered' {do I need to send a royalty?} a P-38 into the terrain because of compression and not meant to do it. And your version is you succeed in hitting your target and you have to die because your good at what you did? I'm more dismayed by bomb-and-bailers, but that's me.

Anyway, these are some thoughts that I've had. Perhaps I've got a lot of this wrong. But I do love the game and would just like to "keep it real" to the extent that we can.

An opinion is never wrong and the vast majority of us want to keep Aces High as best as it can be.
Paraphrasing Rush 

So many things I think about
When I look Aces High way
Things I know, things I wonder
Things I'd like to say

Nope, not off that train yet

Last edit- on this BBS, it seems someone will ALWAYS take you the wrong way and mention it   
Another Rush line       Don't "let your skin get too thin"

[The Fugitive]

I post this with considerable trepidation for fear it will be taken the wrong way. I really like Aces High as it is and thoroughly enjoy my time spent immersed in the simulation.

There are a few patterns of behavior that seem peculiar to me and sometimes make me wonder if I'm playing an arcade game instead. I apologize if these issues have been discussed before (I suspect they have). The forum content is so large that researching these topics seems onerous.

I realize that there must be some concessions to non-realism such as the clipboard enemy aircraft locations and enemy aircraft ID icons. No problem. Also there is the internet signal lag issue. No problem, we all understand and know we must live with it.

But...

1. Auto takeoff
2. Combat trim
3. HUD for for what should be read from one's own instruments like airspeed and altitude

I can understand the newbie to AH perhaps needing/wanting 1., 2., and 3. but after say 20 hours or so of arena or mission flying these items should not be available.


4. Fighters performing "impossible" jerking and flopping around in order to avoid getting shot when someone is on their 6.

I know that jerking your crate was commonly done in WWII to avoid same but let's get sensible, I've seen too many cases of "defying physics" in AH. I've tried it myself as an experiment and the AH system software sees it and tells me to stop moving my joystick so rapidly. Don't know what a good solution to this problem is. I am a licensed private pilot and I have flown real aerobatic small aircraft. This does not make me an authority on what is realistic for a WWII crate. I dunno. Maybe I've got this wrong and should just learn to live with it. It just looks so silly and has me looking for Pac Man next on the screen.


5. Intentional head-ons. Especially when the rammer is flying close to his field and and can quickly respawn and the rammed has a long distance to fly all over again. Or you realize that you are in a hopeless situation (whose fault is that?) so you might as well take the other guy out with you because you know he has a clear advantage.

I imagine this could be a can of worms in that how does the AH software differentiate between rammer and rammed? Seems like, as with auto collisions, the guy with the big dent at the front of his crate is at fault. Could be both planes hit nose-to-nose in which case both pilots are at fault. The penalty could be something like 10-15 minutes delay before the at-fault player(s) can respawn any fighter (bombers, GVs, boats, all ok to use immediately). Or fighter respawn is limited to significantly less capable early war fighters. Naturally newbies should be exempt as in 1.-3. But after some experience we all know that collisions are avoidable unless one is flying with wild abandon. In WWII that kind of flying caused a bit longer than a 10-15 minute time out.


6. Complete immunity to getting hit by "friendly fire" from automatic anti-aircraft guns.

Really? Was WWII AA fire that good? I think that any manned guns can accidentally shoot down a friendly as can a fighter. But ISTM that the auto AA is too often used as an artificial safety blanket. Shouldn't there at least be some probability, perhaps on the small side, of getting hit by your own field's AA fire?


7. "Suicide runs" by 190s, 47s, 38s, etc on an airfield to easily take out hangars for vehicles and aircraft and perhaps other things. The pattern I've observed is that these suicide runs are most always the beginning of an effort to "win" a field/town. Not sure what a good solution to this is. Perhaps if the aircraft that takes out a hangar is also killed while doing so due to crashing into the ground and/or being taken down by AA fire then the length of time the hangar is down is shortened significantly. If that aircraft is downed by an aircraft protecting the field then there is no shortening. Not sure of the best way to handle it.

Anyway, these are some thoughts that I've had. Perhaps I've got a lot of this wrong. But I do love the game and would just like to "keep it real" to the extent that we can.

Arlo pretty much covered it all. A bit more detail on collisions.....

There are two realities involved with a collision (or near miss). Each player has a slightly different view due to internet lag. So if you avoid the collision on your computer, you will NEVER collide. You may get shot up as the other guy flies through your plane on his computer, but you wont get the collision message "you have collided with player XXX". I always look for the "player XXX has collided with you " as I avoid them. Fun to laugh as they spiral in and I fly away 

Unfortunately like the flip flop attempts and the suicide runs you cant really change player behavior. Years ago the game was filled with more players that played it strait up, fought fair ..... well as fair as you can in a war game You had these things back then, but no ware near as much as we do now. In the old days we were "hobbyist" playing, today its "gamers".

[Mongoose]

Aces High is a game built primary on a flight simulator using WWII airplanes.  Flight simulator, not arcade game.

Having said that, there are some concessions to game play, but at the core of the game is a flight simulator.  Given the limitations of a computer at a computer desk, the goal is to as closely as possible simulate the real flight characteristics of real airplanes. 

One of the concessions to game play is that we get to fly the airplane without the overhead.  I can jump into any airplane and take off without having to spend a lot of time doing the pre-flight check and engine warm up.  Some people have argued that Hitech should make this part more realistic.  But that would mean that I would have to spend a LOT of time learning the specifics of each airplane.  As it is now, I can switch from a P-51 to a Fw-109 without having to learn a lot of new stuff about the airplane. I can concentrate on the flying part without having to pay attention to the oil temperature (for example).

Now for your specific points:

1. Auto takeoff
That's part of "flying without the overhead".  Some airplanes take a lot more to get off the ground than others.  This and auto climb are also concessions to the fact that I am flying a flight simulator on my computer at home.  This is especially true for bomber pilots who can auto takeoff, then let the plane auto climb.  In the mean time the pilot can do some real life things without having to baby sit the computer.  The drawback to this is when you get caught and shot down while Away From Keyboard, or if one of your kids tries to help you fly and crashes your B-29s.  (one of our players shared this experience with us)

2. Combat trim
Again, "flying without the overhead".  Different planes are trimmed differently. 

3. HUD for for what should be read from one's own instruments like airspeed and altitude
This is handy for someone who hasn't learned to read instruments yet, or whose eyes are fading.

4. Fighters performing "impossible" jerking and flopping around in order to avoid getting shot when someone is on their 6.
How do you know they are impossible?  Have you tried that maneuver in a real airplane yourself?  In truth, some of what you see is due to network lag.  Nothing we can do about that.

5. Intentional head-ons.
That's behavioral.  You can't really program that out of the game.  You would have to program it out of the players, and you will never be fully successful at that.  As much as we hate head on attacks, some pilot training actually taught the head on attack.

6. Complete immunity to getting hit by "friendly fire" from automatic anti-aircraft guns.
Kind of necessary for game play, along with killshooter.  And it's not complete.  I have been hit by friendly ack a few times.

7. "Suicide runs" by 190s, 47s, 38s, etc on an airfield to easily take out hangars for vehicles and aircraft and perhaps other things.
Again, this is behavioral.  You can't program the game to eliminate this.  And again, it is a tactic used during real combat.

Hope this helps.  The biggest thing, as I see it, is to keep in mind that this is built on a real flight simulator, but that flight simulator is running on my home computer, with all the limitations that come with it.

[Busher]

Flight Simulator of course. Kind of shocked we haven't all received our FAA credentials.

[pembquist]

1. I see no real advantage to a player using auto take off vs manual, I usually let the thing take off but often my joystick is flopped over ,(eww,) and have have to take off manually anyway, pretty much every CV take off is manual and if it is turning auto take off isn't going to help. It is there so you can hit take off and go out for a sandwich while the plane takes off and for brand new guys who don't know what a rudder is.

2. Well, I only use the manual trim when I am in a death dive or if I want to play pilot when the flaps are out on approach. My take is if you don't have enough buttons it would be cruel to make people use manual trim, the airplanes we fly have very different controls than real ones in terms of feedback, little button trimmers to me is as fake as autocoordination. Also use of trim by aces gives them an advantage so auto trim isn't hurting anybody.

3. Well, I don't use it so I cannot comment. I did want an aural tone relating to G forces like a vario in a sailplane but got laughed at so.....

4.The Flippy Flop, this isn't as far as I can tell on purpose but is due to the internet or something, very annoying would love to see it go but we might need quantum technology for it to be fair.

5. Yep, nobody does it except for some reason it happens. Everybody likes to complain, if you have read "effing HO me on the first pass" it has nothing to do with sex work. As for collisions most people don't get it. The collision that damages you takes place on your computer, the collision that damages them takes place on theirs. You are actually flying two slightly different games at any point in time, it is a speed of light/internet issue. The alternative is watching a plane go past you several feet away and suddenly your plane explodes. If you haven't noticed I will tell you how you see this in reverse: an enemy plane shooting at you when you know they cannot possible have a shot, the tracers going behind your plane and suddenly you are dead. That is because the bullet hits that happen on his computer are what counts, not the ones on yours, those are just for show!

6. If you think about it a little this makes no sense, how likely are these anger management types going to stick around if they killed by their own ack? You have perhaps read or heard "hiding in your ack you panzy" so everybody likes to complain but still mysteriously planes still keep using their ack as a pick. You have to remember that the game is designed to balance competing miseries. It is the best of bad choices a lot of the time.

7. Whose to say suicide vs determined? Again there isn't anyway to really punish this without being a jerk. Plenty theory to read on the BBS about it though.

[dbh]

All optional. Also, please bare in mind that this community spans an age range of pre-teen to 80+. Some of us no longer have keen eyesight or must make frequent trips to the head.

That's the nature of internet lag and not the game. There would be no effective method to correct that short of us all playing the game at Dale's house or him tweaking the rapid stick move disabling feature (which exists) to freeze our controls every time we breathe on them. Some players have purchased very expensive game monitors with high refresh rates and have reported less of a problem.

The rammer loses if the other player successfully avoids (yes, it's all decided by each individual player's front end). Again, that's the best solution, given lag. No 'time-outs' needed. Re-plane and fly more carefully (or not - it's a game).

Do you really want the air to air aspect of this game to give way to auto aaa? Do you really want vulching to be easier?

We go from internet lag to policing players, at this point. There's no way for the game to telepathically know if a crash was intentional or not. Attempting to police such would likely have worse consequences than not.

The nature of this game isn't to provide us all with a simulator akin to what we experience in a stand-alone game. It adds an element of competition while trying to not limit us too much. Sure, there's elements to limit obvious 'griefing' (kill-shooter and such) but add too much of that and players may well suffer unintended consequences when they merely make a mistake. Better to let those that rely on stick-stirring and ramming and one-way missions to do such than to punish everyone.

Thanks for the reply.

Auto takeoff and auto combat trim are not related to eyesight. I believe that non-newbies should know how and do their own take-offs. Should we also have auto-landing?  Some of these crates are trickier to take-off. I like that AH is modeling that correctly. Btw, and this is big, I have measured the time-to altitude using manual and auto takeoff. Auto is a lot quicker/higher on the few planes I tried. Try it yourself on a 109K4.

Good point about eyesight for reading the instruments, I think. If one's eyesight is that poor (have many, any reported this as an issue?) ISTM that many other aspects of the simulator will be a problem such as seeing that tiny black pixel on the horizon to know the approximate altitude of the approaching con.

Sounds like the flopping around is an unsolvable problem. I have noticed that (most?) of the higher-ranking flyers have mastered the flopping. I dunno. I'm not sure I can do that in good conscience even though I would land many more kills.

Intentional ramming also sounds like an unsolvable problem. I guess. I hate to see it done as a tactic depending on the time for each pilot to respawn and fly back. Or as a last resort when you put yourself in a no-win situation.

Another good point, about vulching and auto aa. You've changed my mind on that issue.

Regarding the suicide runs to take out hangars. I would not want to punish the player for doing that. But as it is the hangar owning team gets punished by a no-brainer no-skill action. If the attacker has the skill to take out a hangar without immediately killing himself then the hangar is down for the fully allotted time. But a no-skill hangar kill would mean the hangar is back up more quickly. I think that makes sense and would not be hard to implement. And hopefully result in guys learning how to properly drop bombs and fire rockets while staying alive.

Thanks again for your thoughtful reply.

[pembquist]

I believe that non-newbies should know how and do their own take-offs. 

What would it add to the game if you were required to not use auto take off? It is a trivial skill to take off without it, much easier than landing.

Sounds like the flopping around is an unsolvable problem. I have noticed that (most?) of the higher-ranking flyers have mastered the flopping. I dunno. I'm not sure I can do that in good conscience even though I would land many more kills.

The fact is you may already be flipping and flopping like a pro! I think a lot of things in game get assigned agency when they are just random.

Intentional ramming also sounds like an unsolvable problem. I guess. I hate to see it done as a tactic depending on the time for each pilot to respawn and fly back. Or as a last resort when you put yourself in a no-win situation.

I don't think you understand how the collisions work, I mean you can intentionally ram but it isn't consistent and if you say fly head on into another plane so that his engine fills your screen most likely you will get the damage and he will not because he is a few feet below or above you on his screen. I think you are overestimating how many people are trying to ram. If you are getting a lot of collisions it is probably your own fault because it is only guaranteed that you can see them.

Regarding the suicide runs to take out hangars. I would not want to punish the player for doing that. But as it is the hangar owning team gets punished by a no-brainer no-skill action. If the attacker has the skill to take out a hangar without immediately killing himself then the hangar is down for the fully allotted time. But a no-skill hangar kill would mean the hangar is back up more quickly. I think that makes sense and would not be hard to implement.

Ha ha ha, that's a good one, but seriously just search for "Bomb and Bail" and you will find all kinds of schemes for behavior modification. Really though wouldn't discriminating between damage from a pilot who died vs one who survived be a little....I don't know....arcadish?

[AKKuya]

I'm not a trained private pilot for a single engine high or low wing aircraft.  I know how to climb, dive, roll, and pull the trigger.

I fly this as an advanced arcade game.  With no quarters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also fly this as a flight simulator when I lose myself in the virtual skies of combat thinking I'm a WW2 pilot.

Done thinking.  I return you to your thoughts on this topic. 

[FLS]

How do you know if somebody is using auto-takeoff or auto-trim? In other words, how does it affect you?

Auto take off is the same fight model as manual control. It's just programmed control inputs.

WW2 pilots could do torque maneuvers. Check out the airshow films from the period. The Hartmann escape maneuver is also a crazy thing to do in an aircraft.

The MA is a game arena. Some players don't want to do it the 'right' way. If you want less game and more simulation fly the scenarios. 

Flight Simulator of course. Kind of shocked we haven't all received our FAA credentials.

It's not a cockpit simulator but it's a great stick and rudder simulator.

[dbh]

Thanks for your reply.

1. Auto takeoff
2. Combat trim
3. HUD for for what should be read from one's own instruments like airspeed and altitude

I can understand the newbie to AH perhaps needing/wanting 1., 2., and 3. but after say 20 hours or so of arena or mission flying these items should not be available.
They can be turned on or off at your pleasure and they can adapt the game somewhat to the level a person wants to delve into such controls and make it more simulation. You didn't mention any autopilots we have in game, what are your opinions on that?

I know they can be turned off. But all 3 are an advantage. When scrambling a fighter to intercept incoming I have measured auto takeoff as a significant advantage. See my reply to Arlo.  One should know how to trim a plane, IMO. But I agree that monitoring, for example oil press and temp is taking it too far.
Knowing where to look on your instrument panel and how to read your air speed and altitude instead of using HUD is the better way to simulate a 1940s fighter without taking things too far (oil press and temp example). But that's just my opinion. It's also the way I used to do it before AH had the HUD option. I know I don't HAVE to use the HUD option but it is a game-play advantage so while it's available I must use it to stay competitive even though I detest it.

The autopilots are great and while totally unrealistic at least for fighters they are a no problem concession to some of our aging bodies that complain at having to hold the stick and keep the feet on the rudder pedals for many minutes at a time while traveling from here to there. They take away nothing from the flight simulation.

7. "Suicide runs" by 190s, 47s, 38s, etc on an airfield to easily take out hangars for vehicles and aircraft and perhaps other things.

You KNOW they all intend to make it a no return flight?

No, I can't know that.  But I'll bet a dollar's worth of donuts that far too many have exactly that intent (take one for the team). 
Why not reward those that can take out a hangar with the skill that does not immediately kill them?

Thanks.

[Arlo]

If you want less game and more simulation fly the scenarios. 

There's an opportunity to participate in a practice run of such at 10 est tonight, I believe.

[Arlo]

Why not reward those that can take out a hangar with the skill that does not immediately kill them?

Probably because there's more reward when you're outnumbered in the quick turn-around if you're focused on the land grab (which is, alas, an element of this game - perk reward and all).

Rest easy, old codgers like me really do try to 'live' to rearm. I'll most likely miss the target but have a planned egress (which tends to amuse many on both sides).

[CAV]

Flying Aids -- Combat Trim Auto takeoff etc.…. 

IRACING has a number of driving AIDS they all come with some form of penalty for using them, usually in the form of speed.

 Suicide Runs

The unlimited supply of aircraft and tanks AcesHigh has always made it feel more like an arcade game then a simulation. And has led to behaviors that are not “routinely” seen on the battlefield…. suicide runs… going head-to-head with Cannon armed aircraft… bombing and bailing. To name a few.
But if we fix a certain number of aircraft (points?) to each side….. this will probably just lead to more bad behaviors by some of our more immature players.
But if we throw out the current perk points system that is nearly useless anyway… and rebuild it around the player.


1.   At the start of each monthly Tour of Duty the player is given XXXX numbers of we will call it , equipment points, to fight the Tour of Duty.
2.   All aircraft and tanks are given a cost much like the perk system now. With the exception of supply and Troop-carrying vehicles, they stay free to use…. You will see why in a min.
3.   You gain points by Landing kills and or damage points… you don’t make it home, your out of luck. Also, points are awarded to for your side for capturing enemy bases, you get a bonus if you're part of a mission that captured of base. And there's always winning the map.
4.   Loss of points… You did not return to base; you lose the cost of your aircraft. Maybe we can do a partial loss if you ditch on the base. Your side loses a base or an aircraft carrier to enemy action. Loss of Points……… Anytime the map changes and you're not the victors. Loss of Points.
5.   You're having a really bad week and you're getting low on equipment points… Welcome to Transportation Corp… troop and Supply vehicles are free and a way to replenish equipment Point losses.
6.   Side balancing---- Like the eny system in place now this can be used in side balancing. If your side currently has the highest population, your Ssss.. Stuff is going to cost more, but you still get to fly your P-51,  you just have to pay out the nose for it. Your side's outnumbered now you get to fly your crap on the cheap side.

CAVALRY