Can Aces High 3 and Aces High 2 Co-exist?

[AKKuya]

From conversations with other players, the idea of having both versions available be viable?  Would the player base return?

AH3 would be the Beta Max version of the game.  The great graphics and VR would satisfy the high end players.  New players that have the newer and amplified systems could enjoy both versions.

AH2 would be the VHS version of the game.  Players that left the game could be brought back.  New players with old and regular systems would be OK.

On paper, this seems like a perfect solution to the situation with low numbers.  Using the WW1 arena as an example, the possibility of AH3 could be an Early War arena or a Mid War arena population as a result. 

Logging on to the server at the Clipboard:
Open Melee (AH3)
Open Blue Arena (AH2)
WW1 Western Front
Axis versus Allies
WW1
Match Play
Steal the Sheep
Training Arena

This would show the population of the servers.  Maybe the Blue arena will dominate and regulate Melee to lower numbers.  That's not bad.  Melee would serve as a unique server.  Just like Special Events and AvA, Melee would host their own events for players.  Being the crown jewel, over time as players decide on getting the higher end systems, AH3 will start to flourish.

In order for AH3 to flourish, AH2 will need to be available.  That player base will feed into the AH3 player base.  It might take several years to achieve that.  No time limit.  Let it happen naturally.

I prefer seeing 400 plus players in Blue arena and 100 players in Melee.  Large maps to Blue and Small maps to Melee to handle the populations.  Possibly 10 years from now, we will have a gradual shift from AH2 to AH3.  You can't expect players to spend 1500 dollars on a system right away.  On time, prices go down and compatibility is matched.

Just my 2 cents. 

[Rocco]

Is AH3 really so resource intensive that it's limiting players? I ask because the minimum specs listed on the website are really low. Any PC built in the last 10 years with any kind of gpu should meet those specs. I built a rig for a family member just last month for $500CAD (~$400USD) that meets the minimum specs and checks all the recommended except the gpu, so even a low end new system will run it as long as you're not trying to push HD graphics with everything maxed. This is all based on the listed specs, I have a bit of a monster rig so I can't test to see real world performance with a minimum spec system (I should have tested it out with that family build).

Don't mean to shoot you down Kuya, my point is that I don't think AH3 is as demanding as most people think. 

[8thJinx]

AH3 terrains suck for the ground game.  No other way to say it.  The 85 spawn, the 135/136 spawn area, the Crack Den (the Crater).  These things mattered to people.   

In AH2 you could have a great fight on the way to the town or base.  In AH3, all you're doing is driving through forests.

[The Fugitive]

FINETIME picks up $400 laptops that run the game well enough for him to have a fleet of buff formations. No AH3 isn't a resource hog. If players wanted to come back they could fairly easily. Controllers might be more of a problem than computers.

AH3 terrains suck for the ground game.  No other way to say it.  The 85 spawn, the 135/136 spawn area, the Crack Den (the Crater).  These things mattered to people.   

In AH2 you could have a great fight on the way to the town or base.  In AH3, all you're doing is driving through forests.

Thats one of the "easy" fixes Id love to see Hitech try out for a tour, cut the tree count down by 60-75%. I don't know how "speedtrees" is integrated into the map but if its an easy thing to change, why not? Would it really cause players to leave if there were less trees?

[Meatwad]

AH3 terrains suck for the ground game.  No other way to say it.  The 85 spawn, the 135/136 spawn area, the Crack Den (the Crater).  These things mattered to people.   

In AH2 you could have a great fight on the way to the town or base.  In AH3, all you're doing is driving through forests.

Ah2 I had tons of fun. In AH3 I spend more time playing "dodge the trees" then fighting

[100Coogn]

AH2 and AH3 are two different sandboxes.
No way to have them both on one server.

Coogan

[Meatwad]

Would it be such a bad thing to have AH2 back live again?

[TryHard]

Ah2 I had tons of fun. In AH3 I spend more time playing "dodge the trees" then fighting

The trees wouldnt be all that bad on some maps if you could atleast run them over. Maybe atleast they shouldn't grab arms in hold onto my tiger not letting me going anywhere while getting my bellybutton bombed by some tard  using the film viewer to find tanks.

[decoy]

Thats one of the "easy" fixes Id love to see Hitech try out for a tour, cut the tree count down by 60-75%. I don't know how "speedtrees" is integrated into the map but if its an easy thing to change, why not? Would it really cause players to leave if there were less trees?

I'm certain that what I'm about to suggest is like looking for whiskey in an empty bottle, but yeah, a desert terrain map would really turn the gv warfare people on.  And, no, I'm not a coder or gamer tech person, it's just my observation.  In WBs there are maps that are tank friendly and those that are not.  I have not begun to explore ground warfare in AH, and the way things are going, it may yet be a while.

And to answer Fugitive's question, I would be in favor of fewer trees.

[wrench]

In AH2 the gv battles were epic and fun.

When we moved to AH3, gv battles changed a lot, not so epic.

I like the idea of AH2 and AH3 both available. Might bring back some gv'ers who bailed when the fun died off.

 

[CptTrips]

https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,400743.0.html

If I remember correctly HT uses blade servers in a rack.  I believe the Western Front arena runs on a different blade than the Melee.

I doubt server/blade availability is the issue.   The question is fragmenting and dividing the player-base vs luring back older players and offering an option for the subscription adverse.  Would require some account/billing code changes.  I would assume that is easier than core simulation code changes.


As far as GV,  The clutter tiles could be edited and new versions of the terrains rebuilt.  Alternatively, existing terrains could be edited to use more grassland tiles  around GV spawn points and between there and any target the would move toward.  Like I think Buster did on his last terrain, but I never GV'd so I don't know if that experiment was successful.

$0.02.

[RotBaron]

Yes to less trees, especially the type that grab your GV and won’t let go until you reverse/forward enough times that the game actually picks your tank up and moves you free.

If a player(s) is determined to bomb your GV, you are going to get bombed. If they miss, they’ll just rearm. In these situations where you’re out there in a tank and have no flak or ftr support close by (which is not guarantee to shoot them down anyways) regardless of how much tree cover is you’ll get bombed.

Happens to me almost everyday I play, usually numerous times.

So yes to cutting down some trees, they are hampering the GV game rather than helping.

 

[Max]

My 2 cents:

Bring AH2 back at $9.95 @ mo. Enable all planes & vehicles that were available in the Early & Mid-War arenas. Send out an e-blitz mail to ALL present and past subscribers offering a complimentary 2 week pass predicated on providing a credit card #that automatically kicks in on day 15.

Would present Melee players sign up? I bet 50% would.

Would present Melee players drop their present accounts in favor of AH2? Maybe 10% +/-

I know I'd sign up for AH2 and keep my present Melee sub. I suspect a chitload of old players would bite on this, as well as some new blood.

What ya think Hitech? What would be the down side? Seems to me this is a WIN WIN for everyone.

[Eagler]

And make both smaller and closer so fights don't take forever to get to

What about the rolling planeset some are mentioning in other posts?

Sounds like a neat idea

Eagler

[The Fugitive]

My 2 cents:

Bring AH2 back at $9.95 @ mo. Enable all planes & vehicles that were available in the Early & Mid-War arenas. Send out an e-blitz mail to ALL present and past subscribers offering a complimentary 2 week pass predicated on providing a credit card #that automatically kicks in on day 15.

Would present Melee players sign up? I bet 50% would.

Would present Melee players drop their present accounts? Maybe 10% +/-

I know I'd sign up for AH2 and keep my present Melee sub. I suspect a chitload of old players would bite on this, as well as some new blood.

What ya think Hitech? What would be the down side?

I dont understand why anyone would want AH2 back. Players arent going to log in just because AH2 is running. It is the same exact game with crappier graphics and no VR.

If you reduce the aircraft to only mid and early aircraft everyone will just switch to the fastest plane with the best guns of that set and all we will see is that plane running from others instead of ponies and yaks.

Also, creating another arena is only going to split the low population and give us LESS players per arena.

Dropping the sub may help, but now your cutting into Hitechs money and if he is just getting by as it is that will only bring the end quicker.

And make both smaller and closer so fights don't take forever to get to

What about the rolling planeset some are mentioning in other posts?

Sounds like a neat idea

Eagler

Rolling plane sets was the first thing that drove away the majority of players in Warbirds back in the day, I doubt it would work here any better. While you are fulling into fighting in fighters, the majority of those playing now are not. Most like to bomb or grab bases, or just defend by porking bases or running resupply. MOST do not like to fight remember all those guys that run away in the fast planes?

To answer the OP, can they run both AH2 and AH3, sure, I run both on my computer, I have lots of older films that seem to run better on AH2. Should they run both? I dont think so, as I said whats the point, no VR and crappier graphics.