GET RID of 3 Country war - It failed

[Shuffler]

"Do two-sided NFL games never have ebb and flow?

Why don't they have 3-side NBA?

Unfortunately, even 3-sides wouldn't make baseball interesting.

Hmmm now 3-sided hockey is something I'd actually pay money to watch."

I think I know what you were trying to get at, but none of those are even comparable to AH.
Each of those sports have rules on how many players are on a team, how many are on the field/court/rink during play.
AH has none of those rules.  If AH did the deal where a person was automatically logged onto the country with lower number to keep it even, you might be able to make the above comparison.
I think everyone has accurately touched on potential problem areas to some extent, based on their experience and perspective.
Personally, I would like to see the playable area (number of sectors available for play) expand and contract based on the number of people in the arena.  Watched my son playing several online games in which the fighting area decreased in size as the matches went along.  Something like that "might" work if it funneled players into contact with one another and made them fight.
I would also like to see if the ENY could be tweaked so if a country has overwhelming numbers advantages, their planeset, especially bombers, be curtailed until the numbers even out.
The disparity in numbers could be addressed by either strengthening targets on the lower number sides, and reducing the hardness of the higher numbered country(ies).
Any way you look at it, there would be a ton of coding by HiTech to modify stuff, and bugs to work out, and players threatening to quit, etc.
Everyone wants to their own thing, and from what I understood of what HiTech has said, he wants it that way.  From what I've seen the past couple years, people want to hit undefended bases with little opposition, or, send the "horde" over and just overwhelm the enemy (imagine an NFL game where one team put 11 players on the field, and the other sent 22 or 33 players).  The latter is why I left the Bishops about a month ago, just not interested in flying with a horde (actually heard a couple players saying "let's go horde a base"). 
The 3 country concept definitely hasn't "failed", it is the players who make it appear that way.  I find fights against both Bish and Rooks each time I log in, just look at the map, pick a base, and go fight.

Nfl and nba have even sides by rule. They are not open like AH. Not even close.

[Devil 505]

Fly nit.  There are plenty of generals with all kinds of ideas what people should be doing at all times.

Wiley.

And I listen to exactly zero of them. 

I don't care one bit for the war. I play to fly a fighter and shoot down other airplanes. Whatever system gives me the best chance of finding decently balanced air battle is the one I want.

Seems like a 3-sided war offers the best chance - if only we could encourage players to fly planes and defend bases instead of taking GV's for spawn camps, sneak captures, and resupplying bases.

[Hajo]

This has been discussed on these boards for years.  Give it a rest.  Log on at different times of the day.  You will see in differing time zones that also reflects who has numbers.

Just play or switch sides.

[TequilaChaser]

This has been discussed on these boards for years.  Give it a rest.  Log on at different times of the day.  You will see in differing time zones that also reflects who has numbers.

Just play or switch sides.

It does get comical at times seeing these repeated.discussions for over 30+ years! LMAO.....

[FESS67]

It does get comical at times seeing these repeated.discussions for over 30+ years! LMAO.....

Do you think that maybe, just maybe, the fact that these repeated discussions keep coming up that there may be a nugget of truth in the issue?

[TequilaChaser]

Do you think that maybe, just maybe, the fact that these repeated discussions keep coming up that there may be a nugget of truth in the issue?

Possibly in the minds of the people asking for a 2 sides instead of the open 3 sided sandbox that was proven to be the best option back in the beginnings...

Even seen 4 sides tried in 2 different flight sim mmog's....it keeps falling back to 3 sides is the best way for the way the game is designed and the other 2 to 3 games that came before it....

What people are overlooking is they are asking for something to fit what they will think will improve their "own" gameplay and are not considering the effects it will have on everyone else....

To where HTC/ Dale looks at it from a different perspective as they did in AW and WB, etc.... It is  about what works best for all players as a whole verses what some individuals thinks will work for them personally....

Fess you know this because you have been around as long as I have if not longer, just like Wayne (Hajo) has....

This dead horse carcus has been beaten a million times over going back to 1989, maybe even 1988?....

It all has been tested an proven....

Hope life is going good for you...

Cheers

TC

[Shuffler]

Do you think that maybe, just maybe, the fact that these repeated discussions keep coming up that there may be a nugget of truth in the issue?

No

[Puma44]

Is this horse dead yet?

[LCADolby]

Is this horse dead yet?

It's been dead for ages, it just keeps twitching everytime they hit it.

[Puma44]

 

[hitech]

Who ever said the goal of 3 sides has anything to do with balance?

HiTech

[CptTrips]

Who ever said the goal of 3 sides has anything to do with balance?

HiTech

Exactly. 

But that isn't what they are saying. 

They are saying two sides would create horrible ganging problems and then use an example of the same thing happening in 3-sides to support their point.   

And that isn't even the advantage Hitech claims, but people keep trotting out this claim that doesn't make much sense.

But again, it doesn't matter at this point.

[atlau]

Who ever said the goal of 3 sides has anything to do with balance?

HiTech

3 sides appears to add a little more strategy to the game and even if balance is not the goal, forcing a country to own 20% of each others countries does provide a bit of checks and balance to it.

I am curious though, from a design perspective what is the goal of 3 sides vs 2?

[Ramesis]

This has been discussed on these boards for years.  Give it a rest.  Log on at different times of the day.  You will see in differing time zones that also reflects who has numbers.

Just play or switch sides.

 

[Mano]

It is way more fun to hate two countries than just one.