Furball Arena

[CptTrips]

We're running a test exploring configurations for a Furball Arena setup some have proposed.

You can find it on the "Player" tab of the clipboard when you enter the Online section.
Look for "Furball! Free-for-All! Welcome All!".  Just double click that link to enter.

The setup:

Only Bish is spawnable. 
There is one field.
Kill shooter is off.  This is a Free-for-All mode.  Every plane you see, you shoot at, even with green icon.
All planes but the Perk-Monsters are enabled.
No field guns or vehicles are enabled.  Just airplane furballing.
You call launch on the E/W runway, or use the other NW,NE,S launch buttons that are air-spawns around the fight area at 3k.
Disregard the note on the clipboard about the alt of the downdraft (this is a work in progress).  Alt cap downdraft is currently set at 8k.  Subject to further change based on tester input.  We'd like feedback on what you think the alt cap should be.

If we could get some people trying out that configuration, it would be appreciated. 
Leave full set of planes?  Limit to EW/Mid-War?  Explore setting up an hour plane-set rotation?  What are your thoughts?

If you could also add any comments on your impressions to this thread, https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,400266.0.html,
it would be helpful.

 

[Bixby]

I just left after 3 goodfights with Violator. Was a blast. A great map, better than the old furball lake imho.

I hope it catches on. I left messages about it in the melee arena. I'll be back in at 3 pm Eastern.

Well done CapTrips.

[CptTrips]

I just left after 3 goodfights with Violator. Was a blast. A great map, better than the old furball lake imho.

I hope it catches on. I left messages about it in the melee arena. I'll be back in at 3 pm Eastern.

Well done CapTrips.

Thanks.

The initial configuration was based off a suggested format from DmnSlyr.

I just offered to modify one of my 4x4 dogfight maps to incorporate his ideas and host it as a quick prototype so they could get some real-world testing.

[DmonSlyr]

Great arena! I think its good! Wish it had one more base but thats no biggie.

My only thing is that I don't believe most players even know its there because the ALL tab isn't default selected and many don't even see the ALL tab or know these arenas exist.

[CptTrips]

Great arena! I think its good! Wish it had one more base but thats no biggie.

My only thing is that I don't believe most players even know its there because the ALL tab isn't default selected and many don't even see the ALL tab or know these arenas exist.

If it got any traction at all, certainly other base configurations could be tried. 

There is certainly a problem with discoverability for anything not on the front tab. I told Hitech in the past that I think anything not on that front tab is completely invisible except the SEA which a minority of players know to go to on very specific events.  Even then, I bet they would get more walk-ons if they SEA were directly on the front tab. 

The Mission Arena has several problems, IMHO, but one big one is that it's hidden on another tab. I know it labeled, but the labels are sort of cryptic and in any case psychologically invisible to the average user. 

So I made this post so that at least some of the community know that arena is there and how to get in.  If they still don't go in, well, that is a data point too.

 



 
 

[DmonSlyr]

If it got any traction at all, certainly other base configurations could be tried. 

There is certainly a problem with discoverability for anything not on the front tab. I told Hitech in the past that I think anything not on that front tab is completely invisible except the SEA which a minority of players know to go to on very specific events.  Even then, I bet they would get more walk-ons if they SEA were directly on the front tab. 

The Mission Arena has several problems, IMHO, but one big one is that it's hidden on another tab. I know it labeled, but the labels are sort of cryptic and in any case psychologically invisible to the average user. 

So I made this post so that at least some of the community know that arena is there and how to get in.  If they still don't go in, well, that is a data point too.

 



 
 

I so agree with you about the tabs. IMO, all of the arenas need to be on the main clipboard by default. Labeled the way you would outline notes.

Perhaps have a second tab for private, invite only arenas.

[Shuffler]

8k seems like a lot of alt for a furball arena. Is that why you have air spawns?

[CptTrips]

8k seems like a lot of alt for a furball arena. Is that why you have air spawns?

I like the idea of 3k air spawns.  It's just so much quicker to get people back in the fight and is a good check against any griefer that starts to try and vulch launchers.

8K alt limit seems a bit high to me for a furball arena.  Maybe 4k was too low.  The only other option is 6k.  It has to be in 2k increments.  That would be a quick setting change, but I'd actually like to see some testing done in one mode before janking it around so I know both had actually been tried and the preference is real and not just theorized.

Or maybe no limit and let the dynamics of the fights just work it out like a free-market.

But all that may be moot. 

[CptTrips]

I just left after 3 goodfights with Violator. Was a blast. A great map, better than the old furball lake imho.

I hope it catches on. I left messages about it in the melee arena. I'll be back in at 3 pm Eastern.

Well done CapTrips.

Thanks Bixby.

I think that format is fine, it is just too difficult to get the community to try clicking on anything other than the Melee link. 

Yes, it is less visible on the Player tab, but this thread and the one in Wishlist got sufficient views that there should have been enough to get 10 people in there if the community was interested in the idea.

I saw a couple pop in from time to time, but...

$0.02.

(I'll leave it running a bit longer.)

[Bixby]

Was in earlier today and tussled with Violator and aBullet. Keep it up CptTips. I'll post in melee arena later today when I go there.

                <S> Sir and thanks again.