3 Hour Side Switch Timer

[LCADolby]

Was half the folks on one team posting on the BBS instead of fighting?

 

A 2 screen set-up allows one to do both. 

[Shuffler]

Based on what?  It was accidentally left on 1 hour for a long time a few years ago.  Side switching behavior at that time was not noticeably different from now.  Interestingly enough, the sun also did not turn black as sack cloth nor did the rivers run red as blood.

I'd love to see how many people switch sides to the low side on a regular basis.  I'd bet there are more people posting in this thread than would do it.

Wiley.

When our squad was at strength, we used to switch often. In fact we might have squad on all three sides.

Do not change much anymore as knights are usually the low number anyway. I also do not fly much these days.

[TWCAxew]

Based on what?  It was accidentally left on 1 hour for a long time a few years ago.  Side switching behavior at that time was not noticeably different from now.  Interestingly enough, the sun also did not turn black as sack cloth nor did the rivers run red as blood.

I'd love to see how many people switch sides to the low side on a regular basis.  I'd bet there are more people posting in this thread than would do it.

Wiley.

Okay maybe your right, who knows.

However, what downside would it have to change it? it would help me out extremely and others that want this.

Ask yourself in what way it would affect you.

[Wiley]

Okay maybe your right, who knows.

However, what downside would it have to change it? it would help me out extremely and others that want this.

Ask yourself in what way it would affect you.

It wouldn't directly but off the top of my head:

-Even more Spiez paranoia.
-Depending what they changed it to and how it was implemented, likely as not more actual spying.  I really don't care because my gameplay rarely involves stealth.
-3 hours is still longer than the typical play session unless it's a weekend or your day off, so the effect it would have on most peoples' typical play sessions would be negligible.  The main reason I don't switch is because I don't want to be separated from my squad if they happen to pop on, and that's likely over a 3 hour period.  When it was 1 hour, I can remember several occasions where a squaddie popped on and I was only stuck on the other side for minutes instead of 2 hours and change.  I liked that.
-According to HT, a shorter time makes the imbalances swing wider and worse.  He's likely got access to a bit more information than we forum dwellers.  I don't agree with his conclusions because you can watch the numbers swing on a weekend day a lot faster than over 6 hours.  I've seen each country have ENY over a 6 hour period.  But, that's his standpoint.

Wiley.

[bustr]

Accidentally left on 1 hour meant the majority of the community was operating with it by believing it was a 12 hour timer. At that time POTW all thought it had always been 12 hours and surprised by Hitech's announcement.

Hitech's argument has to do with rapid population oscillations from his experience destabilizing the MA. And from AvA experience eventually you end up top heavy on the good ride side. Or if the same rides are available to both sides, you still get one side top heavy avoiding loosing unless someone forces population control. It's more fun to punish a few guys while safe in a group in combat games. I run into that aspect of human nature in games outside of AH. And they use some form of group behavior modification from delay timers to resurrect, delay timers to spawn into new fight locations, and population delay queues to spawn into arenas when the arena is at maximum population. And I read the same kinds of complaints as this POST's thread by people who have no clue AH exists.

What is the MA average peak time population these days? Are we up around 150-170? The peak time window is what, maybe two hours before the players on one side log off tired of the current alt\run\gun 6vs1 play style.

If it is two hours, a 3 hour side switch or a 6 hour side switch is only useful to squads on squad night who want to avoid ENY and not having their late war favorite rides. POTW does this now for each squad night.

The MA max population window being as short as it is these days, 1 hour will accomplish what? CV's are no longer real strategic assets in need of secrecy. If anything they are a bright moment for many if they are visible because of the fights. Busted NOE missions? What missions? Armored assaults on towns being busted? Now we have GVDAR so 1 hour is not as good as "At Will" side jumping for killing a hidden GV. Just run 30sec of film and log out. Giving away bomber missions? Now days they advertise so a big fight can happen.

In 1 hour how many sorties can you up as a fighter pilot to get at a hot fight a sector away? Keep in mind the peak window during prime time is at best 2 hours. With 6 hours everyone who is loosing and disgruntled can mass jump to another side to take part in slaughtering the 3 guys left behind defending something. Now though you are stuck until the next day. Why does that not happen since the beginning of AH3? I've watched the Rooks log off to the point bish\knights were ENY screwed. I've never seen them mass jump to the other countries.

So if you leave out the oscillations Hitech is worried about and see 3hrs as no different than 6hrs faced with a 2hr max population fun window. What damage can those who want to abuse 1hr accomplish? All jump to the high number side to join into a beat down on their old country with ENY fired up? Even with outrageous numbers to throw at a field in ENY 30-40 planes. Three 262 made POTW log for the night because there was no way to compete and we had 5hrs left on our jump timer. An hour after we jumped to balance ENY, half the population of the country that flew the 3 - 262 logged off for the night and our ENY limited us to truly suicidal rides flying against 262. It was on one of my maps with bases that had no spawns to them. The 262 grounded all of our c47's so eventually many logged off for the night.

So 1hr may no longer be a problem since we don't have 400 in the MA during the peak window. ENY works really well against numbers.   

[LCADolby]

I read "loosing" and quickly lost the thread of this tapestry of intrigue. ^ 

[Arlo]

Likely an accidental double tap of a key that goes unnoticed because 'loosing' is the wrong word spelled right. (I've learned to overlook over time because, well, time is too short and I can't afford to be petty.) 

[100Coogn]

A 2 screen set-up allows one to do both. 

So does a cell-phone. 
Side switch time limit is BS.

Coogan

[perdue3]

And my point is, extremely few people will switch sides for numbers.  The power of chesspiece underoos V A S T L Y outweighs the side switch timer.

Wiley.

It is a shame that we have to suffer bad numbers and no fights. Can't even DA properly any more.

[LCADolby]

It is a shame that we have to suffer bad numbers and no fights. Can't even DA properly any more.

The DA needs to return.

[hitech]

The DA needs to return.

What precisely do you wish that is not provided in the match play?

HiTech

[Lazerr]

What precisely do you wish that is not provided in the match play?

HiTech

The way its set up is great, minus the cornhole  ai buffs pulling 3g's with turrets blaring.

[nrshida]

What precisely do you wish that is not provided in the match play?

HiTech

A Furball lake which had a healthy population of human players who just wanted to practice free-form ACM without any regard to score.

[nrshida]

What Ho! Dolby old chap. They let you out of the big house I see. Ich hoffe, es geht dir gut. 

Sorry for topic violation 

[Shuffler]

A Furball lake which had a healthy population of human players who just wanted to practice free-form ACM without any regard to score.

Training Arena.