2022 and Forward

[zack1234]

I am glad to announce that I have purchased AH for a old pair of converse trainers circa 1974 and a autographed copy of the Fonz by Henry Winkler.

Hitech has agreed to support the game until the next update.

Please note I will bringing in radical changes such as colonials will be limited to x4 posts a month? Europeans will have unlimited posts.

  I thank you

[Mako-]

FSO and Scenarios mostly, not that I dislike the MA, I just prefer the teamwork you only really get in organised events, and the lack of unlimited lives really adds some spice

I'd be the newbie making videos. Just started in July but these are very fun to make and I'm adding more things in as I get better at this. Went from only music to mask the colorful conversations to now you hear everything as I can detach the audio whenever I want and add what I need to cover that up. Most views are for Combat Challenge, Scenario's, FSO's and then Sqd Night.

My view is that the MA is my practice place to do well in the organized events when they come up. We never liked FSO before and when the numbers dropped in the MA when everyone else went to FSO we thought, hey, let's at least check it out. That first time when you see two sqds coming at you co-alt, you just know it's on right then, instantly hooked. The limited life structure and actual objectives just enhances those scenarios. Then we moved on to combat challenge and scenarios and it's the most fun you can have here.

[Hajo]

Honestly, I think the physical game itself has never been better.   It appears to have reached its end-state though, so while its fun to wish for stuff I don't think we'll see any major changes, barring any unforeseen changes in the resources at Hitech's disposal.   If AH is truly down to a one-man operation now that really limits what is possible.   

The best recommendation I can make to Hajo and others tired of the game is to get a VR headset - it will change the game experience for you like nothing has before.   It's the difference between watching a movie on TV and being inside it, experiencing it firsthand.

I really believe everyone who has grown up loving flight sims owes it to themselves to experience a sim in VR before they hang it up.   Dale had a lot of foresight and made sure AH3 supported VR when it was still in it infancy, and has the best view implementation of any of the sims I've played in VR - the hat switch views can be used in combination with moving your head, so checking 6 in VR is much easier in AH than in other flight sims.

$400 for a Quest 2 and Link cable.   It's no more difficult to set up than it was to get our controllers set up right in AH back in the day.

No one is too old for this!  My wingman in the current scenario, Furz, is 79 yrs old and still enjoys it enough to show up every Saturday.  God bless him!  And you all.   The fire is still there, maybe it just needs a little different fuel. 

Oboe my friend, thank you for the suggestion.  However, spending in my case at least one thousand dollars or more to upgrade my computer, which is 8 years old or purchase a new one doesn't make sense to me.  VR is probably great!  But in my case this is the only game I've played.  It would be more or less a novelty for a short while but it doesn't solve the problem of low participation.  So in the end, I'd have spent a great deal of money for a short term that still would leave me with the same problem.  Low turnout and a society that plays the game as they wish and is their right, is not appealing to me.  I would have ended up spending for something that was a short term novelty at best. In other words, I'd end up quitting again. It's not feasible for me.

[Canspec]

I am glad to announce that I have purchased AH for a old pair of converse trainers circa 1974 and a autographed copy of the Fonz by Henry Winkler.

Hitech has agreed to support the game until the next update.

Please note I will bringing in radical changes such as colonials will be limited to x4 posts a month? Europeans will have unlimited posts.

  I thank you

Brits only have 1 post per month now they have Brexited.....

[SpinDoc1]

I love this thread Kuya, reminds me of the post I made last year when coming back to the game. Some things are universally true, based on our observations:

- There is still a dedicated core of players (some observe a decline, but it's clearly still here!)
- HiTech does care. I mean, duh. We're still here and the game still works!
- If he (Dale) is interested, advertising would likely help. Player volunteers is a good idea, but would be good to have a dedicated effort from the vendor
- VR is amazing. I mean seriously, I play a whole lot of VR games, and on-compare this implementation has a really nice feel to it. Makes the flying experience oh so much more real

New ideas that play on the themes mentioned above, subject to interpretation:
- I don't know jack about game design. Also, I don't code. But I have a great long-time affinity for AH and want to see it succeed for well into the future! (look at how EveOnline (circa 2003 - present) continues to develop and expand. They have a mix of game designers, as well as a 'public' player-based council of reps who help inform and influence the game)
- The generational difference is hard. But there are ways to combat it. From my observations last year:
     -- New players seem to like and respond well to the "daily login" or "weekly" (or even monthly?!) rewards. How bout a couple perk points per day, with a weekly bonus of some sort? I know it's easy-mode and players don't exert effort for logging in, but it does get the "eyeballs on" needed to keep players coming back
     -- a true instant-start mode. The Match arena is one option, but the MA could benefit from this in a certain zone/area (like the middle 10% of each map?) because THAT'S WHERE ALL THE PLAYERS GO DAY TO DAY! Separate arenas means that any effort with a small player base becomes fractured and diffuse
     -- People love online/streaming/YouTube/Twitch viewing. I would love to do this, I just don't have the time and inclination - with a very busy day job and small kids in the house. Just no time...
     -- DCS, WarThunder, IL-2...they all seem to get a TON of players. In my mind they still lack the collective fun and gameplay of AH. I don't get excited learning every dang switch, lever, and button to turn on an airplane in DCS. Just frustrates me. I've downloaded IL-2 recent editions and they look great, but they don't play like the flight model in AH

More pile-ons? I feel like I'm rambling.

[oboe]

This quote from Hitech regarding AH3's experience being offered on Steam for the first time hit me pretty hard:

Quote from: hitech on November 29, 2017, 10:21:00 AM
Don't mean to jump on ya but on this rare occasion I want to point out how mistaken almost all people on this board are about the dynamics of AH.

In the last 100 days aprox 40,000 people have installed Aces High, 20,000 new people have created accounts and entered an arena. Of the people entering the arena 65% are gone and do never reenter by the 10 minute mark of being in the arena. 75% are gone after 30 Minutes.HiTech

40,000 people trying the game in 100 days - what kind of advertising budget would be necessary to duplicate that?   I think being on Steam was a much better solution than spending money on advertising, and for a brief time anyway, solved the problem of getting people to be aware of and try AH. 

We need to figure out why, of the 20,000 people who created accounts and entered the arena, 75% were gone within 30 minutes.    When they don't even stay an hour out of a two week free trial, AH must have a first impression problem.

Dated-looking UI?   Learning curve too steep?  Unfriendly arena environment?   Second thoughts after seeing what they get for $14.95/month?   Do they not understand the concept of a 3-sided war based on chess piece countries, in an open-sandbox type environment?   

I cut my teeth on multiplayer flight sims with Warbirds in 1998, and I was immediately hooked when I went online, and saw all the activity, and heard the players' radio chatter over the games built-in vox.   I thought it was the living end, so I cannot figure out why players wouldn't even stay around for the free two weeks.



 

[Meatwad]

I would guess they were looking for instant action and got bored quickly, or learnt that they need a joystick to play properly?

[SpinDoc1]

This quote from Hitech regarding AH3's experience being offered on Steam for the first time hit me pretty hard:

40,000 people trying the game in 100 days - what kind of advertising budget would be necessary to duplicate that?   I think being on Steam was a much better solution than spending money on advertising, and for a brief time anyway, solved the problem of getting people to be aware of and try AH. 

We need to figure out why, of the 20,000 people who created accounts and entered the arena, 75% were gone within 30 minutes.    When they don't even stay an hour out of a two week free trial, AH must have a first impression problem.

Dated-looking UI?   Learning curve too steep?  Unfriendly arena environment?   Second thoughts after seeing what they get for $14.95/month?   Do they not understand the concept of a 3-sided war based on chess piece countries, in an open-sandbox type environment?   

I cut my teeth on multiplayer flight sims with Warbirds in 1998, and I was immediately hooked when I went online, and saw all the activity, and heard the players' radio chatter over the games built-in vox.   I thought it was the living end, so I cannot figure out why players wouldn't even stay around for the free two weeks.

Really good points Oboe, I think you nailed it.

My wife does a bit of work with Google Analytics for web traffic, and there's a ton of insight embedded in the data. I wonder if HiTech has such similar data for AH? What were players doing in those 10 minutes? Did they not understand how to get into and launch an aircraft? Were they endlessly clicking through help menus, and getting nowhere? Did they launch and die like 5500 times on takeoff?

Also, DATED UI. Yes, yes, and yes. I think a little "slickness" in graphics would go a LONG way to making the game more attractive.

[CptTrips]

I would guess they were looking for instant action and got bored quickly, or learnt that they need a joystick to play properly?

There is certainly a lot of that.


But Steam also sells millions of copies of IL2, DCS, MS Flight Sim.  Those should have been prime demographics to convert.  They either weren't convinced to download based on the previews and reviews, or they quickly decided it wasn't even going to be worth configuring their gear to try based on the UI and overall initial look.

This community sometimes likes to think that this game is so complex and difficult that only a small fraction of humans can play it.  I think that attitude is self-serving and meant to emotionally justify the falling numbers and failure to convert trials.  But other flight sims like IL2, DCS have some complexity too.  Do you really think an IL2 or DCS veteran would be totally incapable of groking AHIII if they liked what they saw? 

And frankly, I think an impression, fair or not, of a bait and switch expecting a game that had a F2P onramp instead were first presented with a two week trail.  Let's not waste time with lawyerly arguments on why some empty side arena's could technically justify the F2P labeling. It's an attempt to be too clever by half. 

Just look through the negative reviews.  It was a prevalent gripe.  Like it or not, there was an impression of bait and switch conveyed to many of the potential customers. 

Subscription models are a REALLY hard sell nowadays.  You have to really blow their socks off.  There are too many games they can play with one time purchase or limited free plane set to justify sticking with it long enough to learn. 

UI..yeah...graphics..somewhat ...if they did get wheels up, gameplay pacing and finding a fight at all were probably the final straw.

But I will tell you this.  No expensive media ads sprayed and prayed blindly on to the History/Pawn Stars channel is going to be nearly as targeted as a Steam release in accessing known money spending active PC gamers.  If your product couldn't get traction there, it won't get any with 30 sec spots in between Tales of the Gun.

[SpinDoc1]

Subscription models are a REALLY hard sell nowadays.  You have to really blow their socks off.  There is too many games they can play with one time purchase or limited free plane set to justify sticking with it long enough to learn.

I hate to also draw attention to it, but in my mind (personal observation here, no actual data), the $14.95 monthly fee is a huge detractor for today's gaming population. They expect things for free. And if it's not free (like Netflix, etc) then it better come with a catalog of 100,000 options for when one gets bored...

[Lusche]

Dated-looking UI?   Learning curve too steep?

Dated-looking UI? Absolutely. Even years ago, I had those two guys interested in WW2 aviation. They didn't even try AH because of the dated looking interface. They actually laughed at my beloved favourite game 
Also, when I revisited AH this summer, I decided to go for that new-guy experience: New installation without joystick.  If I had never played AH before, I would have given up after a few minutes. Worst things was the program constantly telling me to press this or that button, but nothing did work as I don't use a US layout keyboard (luckily I still remembered which buttons I really had to press).
As a genuine new guy, I probably would simply have gone back to War Thunder or DCS

As for the learning curve of the game itself, it may turn away some players, but there are far more complex/complicated games on the market doing just fine.

Unfriendly arena environment?   Second thoughts after seeing what they get for $14.95/month?   Do they not understand the concept of a 3-sided war based on chess piece countries, in an open-sandbox type environment?   

The environment may suck at times (especially when you notice it's a US game by those frequent, wacky political 'discussions'), it's still much tamer compared to many other online games.

I cut my teeth on multiplayer flight sims with Warbirds in 1998, and I was immediately hooked when I went online, and saw all the activity, and heard the players' radio chatter over the games built-in vox.   I thought it was the living end, so I cannot figure out why players wouldn't even stay around for the free two weeks.

That was a whole different era. There were very few truly massive-multiplayer games around, even back in 2005 when I joined, this kind of multiplayer gaming was an amazing and almost unique experience. But time has moved on and online multiplayer games have become standard and there's a lot of competition.
And even worse, for most of the day AH isn't like that anymore at all! When you log in at Euro prime time, and you have a largely deserted map with 30 players online, of which only ~20 are active, which means only like 6 (or even less!) on your team - that's bordering on single player offline mode...

[The Fugitive]

This quote from Hitech regarding AH3's experience being offered on Steam for the first time hit me pretty hard:

40,000 people trying the game in 100 days - what kind of advertising budget would be necessary to duplicate that?   I think being on Steam was a much better solution than spending money on advertising, and for a brief time anyway, solved the problem of getting people to be aware of and try AH. 

We need to figure out why, of the 20,000 people who created accounts and entered the arena, 75% were gone within 30 minutes.    When they don't even stay an hour out of a two week free trial, AH must have a first impression problem.

Dated-looking UI?   Learning curve too steep?  Unfriendly arena environment?   Second thoughts after seeing what they get for $14.95/month?   Do they not understand the concept of a 3-sided war based on chess piece countries, in an open-sandbox type environment?   

I cut my teeth on multiplayer flight sims with Warbirds in 1998, and I was immediately hooked when I went online, and saw all the activity, and heard the players' radio chatter over the games built-in vox.   I thought it was the living end, so I cannot figure out why players wouldn't even stay around for the free two weeks.

They were NOT ready for Steam. The influx was far more than any of them thought and they were a bit over whelmed I think.

The bait and switch certainly was an issue. The VR only being partway done and implemented, and as Lusche said, not being setup to bring in Euro players with different keyboards.

On the good side HTC knows where they went wrong.

1. Adjust coad to "see" different keyboards and load the right layout.
2. Add a usable configuration setup to fly with a mouse (not something that needs to be tweaked just to get off the ground).
3. Add  a usable configuration for a game controller to be able to fly with the joystick on it.
4. Remove 40-60% of the trees, or get rid of speed trees and go back to the old way of putting tree tiles in maps (which ever is easier/quicker)
5. Add 4 fighter, 1 bomber, and 2 vehicles to a free set to be used indefinitely in the MA.
6. Rebrand Aces High to something like "Aces High 20th Anniversary Addition" and relaunch on Steam.

Of course the videos would have to be updated to cover the mouse and/or game controllers setup but we didnt have them for the last launch so they would help now. For the first couple of weeks the trainers and all other volunteers in the game should be available for as much time as they can to help with players coming in. Maybe HTC can give those volunteers a setup to ID newbies coming (make their icons "pink", but only for the volunteers) to ask them in that first 5 minutes do they need help or have questions? Maybe a message of the day for the week leading up to the relaunch asking everyone to be as helpful and accommodating as they can be for the first couple of weeks and then we can all go back to being the A holes we all are 

How much work that is, I dont know. Is it worth it to try for one more big influx of players, maybe. 

[AKKuya]

Reading the above posts on HiTech's release of statistics of new players from Steam, this would be a very solid reason to justify a player based promotion of the game vis instructional videos.

What if?

What if there had been a substantial amount of instructional media already established and organized for easy understanding?  All those new players signing up were directed to the fountain of informational wealth.  How many would still be playing?

From those possible new players, would they have positive experiences and talked about this game to others for some osmosis of more new players?

Just some more food for thought.

[Lazerr]

A decent default mouse control setup would be ideal.

I would guess under 50% of those steam folks had a joystick.

[Spikes]

The bait and switch certainly was an issue.

Assuming you're talking about the "f2p" tag, I believe HT addressed that saying he didn't have a choice but to put F2P due to the nature of how AH is set up, eg. it is literally free to play the game, but a subscription is needed to access some of the main arenas. It is listed the same as World of Warships is on Steam (free to play, in app purchases).