Dang WTH Happened to the Numbers???

[The Fugitive]

no need of micro purchases or pay to win. 6 planes, 2 gvs are free. You want to use anything else you get a subscription,  period. Pretty simple.

As for having all the answers  lol if I did id own the company.  many right answers have been posted here and a few of them have been used. I just think its time to try a few more. How's the "no ENY" experiment going? I didn't hear any complaints when I was on Saturday night.

Maybe it time to try a few of these other ideas "that are never going to work".

[Shuffler]

no need of micro purchases or pay to win. 6 planes, 2 gvs are free. You want to use anything else you get a subscription,  period. Pretty simple.

As for having all the answers  lol if I did id own the company.  many right answers have been posted here and a few of them have been used. I just think its time to try a few more. How's the "no ENY" experiment going? I didn't hear any complaints when I was on Saturday night.

Maybe it time to try a few of these other ideas "that are never going to work".

A few lower tier planes and GVs is not a bad idea. IMHO.

[Arlo]

We've had this conversation. I was on the side of lower tier freebies. 

[Rich46yo]

Claim Jumpers still rook? Didn't they make 7 or 8 squads at one time due to the 32 player limit per?

The CJ's always had a lot of class. In fact almost all the Rook squads had a lot of class which is why I started Rook and stayed Rook for my career. I bounced around and flew will almost all the Rook squads tho I did love the 484'th and the B-24s. I used to love the bomber missions.

"Big Week" was the game at its height. I do remember those battles.

[RotBaron]

A few lower tier planes and GVs is not a bad idea. IMHO.

 

[RotBaron]

What happened to the numbers seems to be a much disputed and complicated issue.

However, one thing always drives business: advertising  word of mouth and media ads...

[SpinDoc1]

What happened to the numbers seems to be a much disputed and complicated issue.

However, one thing always drives business: advertising  word of mouth and media ads...

Unless you're Tesla. But this is not Tesla.

I really want the numbers to come back up again. I have had some really nice fights lately even with low numbers (last night, 46 players online. "Hi ATLAU!"). But I do remember the days of old VERY fondly.

Honestly, this is some of the most fun I've had in AH, now that I joined the Arabian Knights. Great squad play is at the heart of this game. I also posted a 'future of the game' post back a month or two ago. It generated a lot of suggestions, and I think some could be incorporated. But it requires HiTech/Dale to want to adapt and incorporate some of the changes. It also requires the company to be in touch with what gamers today want. Quicker matches; a smoother/easier software experience, social and matchmaking capabilities for quicker melee deathmatches... This game has some HUGE pluses: the realistic aircraft models, the nice balance of ease-of-use (instead of DCS-like meticulousness), VR!!! These things are all great (did I mention VR?!?!). So where does it go from here?

I think some advertisement would be good, but it has GOT TO BE A SMOOTH FIRST-IMPRESSION EXPERIENCE. Newcomers to this game need to step into it and be able to play immediately. That may be an unbridgeable fix. It may be a literal bridge too far to change some of the very mechanics of this game that we know and trust (even something like .dot commands can be difficult for newer gamers to grasp). Not sure. But if the game will survive, it absolutely MUST adapt to the modern era. I truly hope this happens, as AH brings me a ton of joy and a super-fun recreational experience.

[Lazerr]

I feel bad for new guys.. when i was new, there was 1000 people online, and my odds of running into someone who wasnt a shark were lower.  Today they are still noobs, but 90% of their opponents are well experienced.  I wont go into current tactics of the established community though, you all see it.  Most of them wont even fight a low baddy unless help is close.

[RichardDarkwood]

There is folks coming into the game and some are actually staying around. This new generation of gamer is a controller using gamer. If they cannot play it totally on a controller they are not interested. If they have to set up a controller they will probably not stick around. There are people coming back to the game after years away like myself who are in a better place financially and are able to get a better machine and equipment to play aces high with. Advertisement would help out a lot, but who is going to fund that? Should we start a gofundme for ad revenue? 

[Eagler]

I remember the good ole days too...

When you were lucky to make it back to base ..forget about getting a kill.

Players - can you say society - today want to start at the top of everything. One way or another..

Sorry but in life when you start something new you usually suck at it for awhile.

Put 20 years and a fistful of dollars into this game  and you too can become something more than cannon fodder

But don't expect not to get your butt handed to you repeatedly in the beginning.

You learn as much in the beginning by your defeats as your victories.

<S>

Eagler

[Rich46yo]

I was frankly always surprised by the numbers crash and the only thing I could think of was the lack of hearing about the game. Ive played all the flight games at one time or another and AH always had the most stable software and I always thought the graphics were fine. It was a very good mix of both and what good are graphics if your computer has problems running them or the software itself is buggy?

Ive thought of coming back but now Im 62 yo and cant sit at a computer very long due to health problems. I havnt gamed in years, and thats any game.

Its funny how even many years down the Line you still remember specific fights. Like on the last day of Big Week I was in a P-51 escorting and got into it with a P-38 who had about my skill Level and it took many minutes as we went down the altitude Ladder trading advantage. Or the one and only time I shot down Lusche. I remember many individual fights like that and tho I usually lost them they were so good they etched themselves into my memory.

No other game ever did that for me.

I know one thing when I started the game had a very strong training pipeline for the noobs with dedicated training and trainers everywhere. I still remember Ghost sitting in his IJA fighter on the runway giving tips and clues. I dont know if any of that is still around. I hope so. Good luck to the community. <S>

[Slade]

Some good observations. 

I kinda evolved to think low numbers earlier in the morning US time were used by bomber pilots to pad their scores.  I also noticed one squad in particular that seems to take advantage of the low number times. I have gotten used to upping (with extra fuel) and flying multiple sectors for a fight when numbers are low.

That said, later in the day and into the evenings there are more numbers and much easier to find fights. 

I compliment on AH becoming available over Steam in an effort to raise the numbers.  Thank you for this and all you efforts to get more numbers. 

I naturally wonder for AH, given their staff and overhead, how many players are enough?  What is the minimum number (to pay expenses) and the max number (beyond the point they are willing to hire more staff and resources)?

Great game.  Best in class.  Best software to achieve best realism vs. play-ability and fun. Long live AH! 

[oboe]

... Its funny how even many years down the Line you still remember specific fights. Like on the last day of Big Week I was in a P-51 escorting and got into it with a P-38 who had about my skill Level and it took many minutes as we went down the altitude Ladder trading advantage. Or the one and only time I shot down Lusche. I remember many individual fights like that and tho I usually lost them they were so good they etched themselves into my memory.

No other game ever did that for me...

I find this to be true as well.   One fight in particular that sticks in my mind was a down-on-the-deck duel I had against A8Cole.  He was in a Typhoon, I was in a P-39Q.   I ran out of cannon ammo.   I fact I *think* we both ended the fight out of ammo and low on fuel.   I can't remember if I won, lost, or drew but it was memorable and fun; very sporting all the way through, and ended with <S>'s given.

Another great fight I had recently was against SKJackD (IIRC the handle).  He was in a P-47D with the yellow cowl and black skull and I was in a P-38J.   I can't recall the end, he probably dispatched me, but what I remember is the tension of the fight; the striving for position, the resets and re-engagements, and of course the <S> at the conclusion.   Its always fun to fly against someone who's equal in skill or a little better than you.   

[Meatwad]

This new generation of gamer is a controller using gamer. If they cannot play it totally on a controller they are not interested. If they have to set up a controller they will probably not stick around.

Sounds like a new generation all have ADD

[Arlo]

Sounds like a new generation all have ADD

I don't think that can be attributed to 'generation.'