Are We In A Sim Gaming Dark Age?

[-gg-]

AH is right in the sweet spot for fighter games, imo. Good flight and damage models and not overly complicated like a full sim would be. And not ghey like an arcade game.

The graphics do not need to be any better. I'd say maybe the UI would be a better thing to modernize, if anything. The real enjoyment comes from the game and the people, in my opinion.

[-gg-]

Instead of a free plane set, what about a "ghost mode" in which anyone can fly or drive anything, only they are not seen  by anyone else.

They can fly and see any paying customer, but not anyone else in "ghost mode" 

They can shoot and register what would be hits on their end. So they can tell if they would have hit or shot anyone down.

No comms.

They could fully fly any plane or GV in the main arena, but no one can see them. Kind of like the old dogfight thing in Air Warrior

[Hajo]

Some of you older combat flight Sims jerks as myself, remember before online gaming there were only flight based boxed Simulations/Games. Back in the early eighties Combat Sims like Their Finest Hour, BOB were disk based.  We had to change disks (insert disk 2) to play.  With old DOS systems like DOS 2.1 we could  make a disk to alter the Auto.exe file to free up memory so we could  REM lines and drop some files that we could free up memory to play the games,copy the altered file to disk (boot disk) and play the game. (remember at this time 256k memory was huge! Yes 256k.)

As time passed the games became better, especially graphics. We had to upgrade PCs and Video Cards to play.  Also back then memory came board sized.  Anyhow, after awhile an upgrade would have to be made to a PC that had a hard drive and a higher performing CPU. Unfortunately boxed sets like Janes etc. stopped being produced. Reasons, back then flight sim fans were not great in number.  We were regarded as Snobs for authenticity etc. As a result fewer people played Flight Sims and the production of flight sims at that time was very expensive!  Those who produced them were losing money
because sales couldn't cover production costs.

I'm saying if it weren't for MMOG SIMS like Air Warrior we wouldn't be playing today. And yes there are far more gamers' playing AH today then ever.  AH has not changed, just the number of gamers versus those who love the history and accuracy of combat in the sky's during WWII.  I basically only play in Scenarios for that reason. It's a pity.

[CptTrips]

Oh forgot one last point before I put this to bed.

A F2P subset of players would have a couple of advantages. 

One might be that part of earning the privilege of playing for free means you are volunteering to be moved to any side that needs more players by the server after any death.  No need to ask.  F2P'ers are volunteers by definition.   Whenever the server needs to balance it can shuffle F2P'ers to a different side to maintain balance.  Right after a death would be a convenient time.

If fact maybe F2P'ers never get to pick their side.  Maybe they are placed where needed upon entering the arena and moved when ever the needs of game balance dictates. 

BF has a server setting where you will get switched as needed to maintain balance after a death.  You can also volunteer to switch.  The Ah version could give the arena an announced time limit and then start moving FTP volunteers as needed.  "Player balance needed.  <dot command> to volunteer.  Forced balancing to begin in 10 minutes."  Only F2P'ers get forced.


Maybe the right to choose your side and stay there unless you volunteer to move is one of the perks you get with a paid account.  Maybe a F2P volunteer get the full plane set for an hour when forcibly switched.

Maybe a system like this with a sufficient number of F2P "volunteers" can keep the arena balanced enough that ENY never needs to kick in.

[oboe]

Finding this put it to bed for me:

Iron wins the internet today.  I guess LTM it is.

https://www.hitechcreations.com/flight-simulators/2278-what-s-changing-with-our-combat-simulator-aces-high-in-2023

It is what it is.  Good luck with that.

At first, I thought you might've linked a mockup of an HTC webpage as a joke, but I was able to find it myself by navigating to what feels like one of the back corners of the website.   Can't say my heart didn't sink as I read it, but I think I can understand HTC's position.  Plus I'm sure there are a ton of reasons influencing the decision that I'm unaware of.

AH as is, still offers plenty of fun; it's up to us to enjoy what we have.

[CptTrips]

Finding this put it to bed for me:
At first, I thought you might've linked a mockup of an HTC webpage as a joke, but I was able to find it myself by navigating to what feels like one of the back corners of the website.   Can't say my heart didn't sink as I read it, but I think I can understand HTC's position.  Plus I'm sure there are a ton of reasons influencing the decision that I'm unaware of.

AH as is, still offers plenty of fun; it's up to us to enjoy what we have.

Welcome to the final stage of grief.

I hope you find peace.

[Nefarious]

This paragraph and the link needs updated... Spikes, if you see this:

Same special events

Just as we have done for years, we will continue to offer special monthly gaming events like King of the Hill, Friday Squad Operations, Scenarios, and This Day in History.

Just as we have done for years, we will continue to offer a myriad of options with regards to learning tools and a helpful staff and volunteers.

[CptTrips]

At first, I thought you might've linked a mockup of an HTC webpage as a joke,

That note made me think of this old set of skits.   

[CptTrips]

A different companies New Years message:



Hmmm those Phantoms might lure me back to try fixed wing again.

After I'm done with the Chinook.

[Spikes]

A different companies New Years message:



Hmmm those Phantoms might lure me back to try fixed wing again.

After I'm done with the Chinook.

It seems like you may be the one who needs to get to the acceptance stage. DCS seems to have a lot more backing and employees and outside companies producing content for the game. At most, HTC had what, 8 employees?

If you have all these great ideas and plans, give HTC a call. Otherwise, the stuff you say here over and over won't mean a whole lot.

[DmonSlyr]

I think maps make or break this game. When you have bowlMA, Buzzsaw, and then Crater MA, back to back over the weekend it's not good for the #s. The #s were much lower than they could have been the last 2 weeks during the holidays because the current lopsided map rotation. Atleast mix up the rotation so they worst maps aren't back to back and hog the entire weekend leaving poor off hours #s with scattered action. Why is it so hard to take them out for a couple of weeks just to see?

[Spikes]

This paragraph and the link needs updated... Spikes, if you see this:

Yeah...there was another page that mentioned the racing league and SEC...pulling from something very dated lol.

[LCADolby]

Very good points I think. Wonder if we will have a renaissance? I had high hopes for IL2-1946 with all of the post-war what-ifs but I never could install it.

You didn't miss anything. There were some interesting things you could do with the Skins and Emblems, but outside of that, its Flight Model would drive you up the wall and onto the ceiling

[CptTrips]

If you have all these great ideas and plans, give HTC a call. Otherwise, the stuff you say here over and over won't mean a whole lot.

I don't remember granting you authority over what I post.

[LCADolby]

I don't remember granting you authority over what I post,

Spikes's advise is worth heeding, you have limited time on this earth.