Skyyr

[hazmatt]

secondly, i don't think 15$ a month is a such a huge barrier. To play sims people spend thousands on desktop/VR hardware/GPU. For sim enthusiasts, 15$ a month likely isn't a challenge. I would say that currently it is outdated graphics that are simply pushing people away.

You are right: "15$ a month likely isn't a challenge" however there are some situations to consider.

What about a 15 year old that want's to play but doesn't have access to a credit card? I know if all my kids came to me asking me to pay 15 a month for an online game I would tell them to get a job! lolz

$180 a year adds up over time especially if you have other family members that want to play together. One account for me and each one of my family members is equal to $900 a year...

We all play WoW together (including my wife) which is 5 accounts but there is a FTP option for characters under level 20 so it is affordable.

We also play WW2 online together sometimes because they have the limited FTP account option.

I'm working on getting IL2 set up so we can play together there too. Looks like I can buy accounts to play for as little as a one time payment of $14 when it's on sale and I'm going to setup a free server for us to play on with friends at some point.

I can't justify $900 a year for a game that we might play together once or twice a week on average.

I have noticed there are a few players that I see in the free arenas that I don't recall seeing in melee. Would be interesting to know why they aren't there.

[Shuffler]

Should be free to play with early rides. Pay for perks to get later planes or pony up the $15 for full access like it is now.

The more I’ve read this thread, the more I wonder why HT even posted it. If Skyyr really changed his stripes and was going to be a good boi, why bother giving him the name back and telling any of us? Just let him fly under a pseudonym and let it go. As far as I can tell, ego is what got him (Skyyr) banned in the first place. If he’s really changed why does he need to be Skyyr?

I would probably take that limited plane set and drop my monthly cost.

[LilMak]

I would probably take that limited plane set and drop my monthly cost.

I think there’s a few that would fee the same way but many of the old guard would keep going with the $15. I’m only on a few times a month these days but I still throw down that $15.

The point behind my idea is to get that addiction started. Limited early/mid war stuff for free. Then perks that you pay for to get anything else on the list. The second that kid whacks a pony with his Spit1, he’s gonna be hooked. He’s gonna want that Spi16 to see how he does in that and will probably pay a couple bucks to get it. Eventually, it’ll be more cost effective to just throw down that $15. Sure their will be a lot of seal clubbing but that’s always been the case. Two weeks of free time has never been enough to get the addiction going and I’d bet that there are still enough of us left to coach the new kids to at least bring some in. And there are still peeps (even in the younger generation) that would get sucked in to the challenge.

AH is kinda like golf. As soon as you hit a good shot you’re hooked. Then you’re at the pro shop buying shoes, gloves, clubs ( aka T34s, Spits, Yak3s, 262s).

[CptTrips]

My assisting softfurware is limiting some options. Stall limiter Roy and AimCat Ria. They are sometimes causing some unwanted and peculiar aerobatics. And voice commands work poorly with them.   😼


(Image removed from quote.)         (Image removed from quote.)

I see fur-lined cap and gloves for those high alt sorties.

Problem solved. 

[GasTeddy]

I see fur-lined cap and gloves for those high alt sorties.

Problem solved. 

Based on your opinion, I presume you like to live dangerous life...        

[Icer]

free to play planes to be lambs for a slaughter sounds like a bad idea for all involved.
- new players get their heads bashed in before they can learn anything and even if they do learn/know something - are hopelessly outclassed by vets in superior rides
- old players are degraded to "club the seal" game and i don't know about you, but killing newbies ( even in late war planes ) is no challenge/fun for myself.

secondly, i don't think 15$ a month is a such a huge barrier. To play sims people spend thousands on desktop/VR hardware/GPU. For sim enthusiasts, 15$ a month likely isn't a challenge. I would say that currently it is outdated graphics that are simply pushing people away.

I just got it running again after MANY years away and the graphics (to me) are acceptable for a large scale multiplayer game, but it's the fact that there have been no updates for close to 4 years that has me more concerned.. if something isn't moving, it's not good. 

Current Version : 3.05 Patch 7
Last Updated : March 3, 2020

[RichardDarkwood]

I just got it running again after MANY years away and the graphics (to me) are acceptable for a large scale multiplayer game


if you like air to air Minecraft

[Icer]

Please don't mis-quote me, the "if you like air to air Minecraft" came from you...

[JimmyD3]

Icer, there have been 6 new maps added to the Melee rotation, and 1 original map updated. As of today, there are at least 3 more new maps in the works. 

[Eagler]

Seem some love the external views so they can watch their pretty planes fly around very pretty maps for extended periods of time between any kind of contact or battle..

Il2 and dsc look very pretty on yt but don't see videos from those games that can compete with even the lowered 100 a night AH MA pulls in consistently these days...around a quarter century since it launched..

Instead it's a bunch of flying with a single fight maybe two then you get to watch them fly their pretty plane usually in external view all the way back and land..

I do AH because I want a fight within 5 minutes of logging on..I don't get that in any other ww2 flight sim

Eagler

[Icer]

Seem some love the external views so they can watch their pretty planes fly around very pretty maps for extended periods of time between any kind of contact or battle..
Il2 and dsc look very pretty on yt but don't see videos from those games that can compete with even the lowered 100 a night AH MA pulls in consistently these days...around a quarter century since it launched..
Instead it's a bunch of flying with a single fight maybe two then you get to watch them fly their pretty plane usually in external view all the way back and land..

I do AH because I want a fight within 5 minutes of logging on..I don't get that in any other ww2 flight sim
Eagler

As I said above, I find the AH graphics just fine as-is. BMS Falcon is my all time favorite simulator, and i've been flying that with terrain graphics that make AH look state-of-the-art! As you say, it's the play (and used to be comaraderie, hopefully still exists) that makes it.. IMO DCS, though pretty, is a really dead world, as is IL-2 due to their lack of consistent damage and scripted campaigns. AHIII offers an ongoing battles and scenarios that are quite unique, always did.

[CptTrips]

As I said above, I find the AH graphics just fine as-is. BMS Falcon is my all time favorite simulator, and i've been flying that with terrain graphics that make AH look state-of-the-art! As you say, it's the play (and used to be comaraderie, hopefully still exists) that makes it.. IMO DCS, though pretty, is a really dead world, as is IL-2 due to their lack of consistent damage and scripted campaigns. AHIII offers an ongoing battles and scenarios that are quite unique, always did.

Everyone has their own preferences in graphics.  Some demand state of the art graphics, some are fine with still flying VGA 256 color.

However, as a whole, it seems the general market demands state of the art graphics.  Or at least state of the art graphics give that sim a strong advantage over an equally good sim that has worse graphics.  For todays market, graphics are very important.  You can tell by where they spend their money.

I'm curious on your opinion as someone who has been around here as long as me.  You remember the 600 players a night time.  If you could list 3 things that you think most contribute to all the players that used to be here say in 2006 (600 players a night), not being here now, what do you think the explanation is?

I guess most players eventually tire of any game so that may be natural.  But then the question moves to what 3 things is preventing AH from convincing new players from signing up and replacing old players that leave?

Or, if you were king, what 3 things would you change first to put 600 players a night back in the game (assuming there was a possibility of that)?


I have to assume it is not just advertising else more of those 40,000 downloads from the Steam launch would have bit.  You'll never get that targeted an audience broadcasting on tv.

 

[RichardDarkwood]

Please don't mis-quote me, the "if you like air to air Minecraft" came from you...

Air to Air Minecraft

[Dadtallica]

Everyone has their own preferences in graphics.  Some demand state of the art graphics, some are fine with still flying VGA 256 color.

However, as a whole, it seems the general market demands state of the art graphics.  Or at least state of the art graphics give that sim a strong advantage over an equally good sim that has worse graphics.  For todays market, graphics are very important.  You can tell by where they spend their money.

I'm curious on your opinion as someone who has been around here as long as me.  You remember the 600 players a night time.  If you could list 3 things that you think most contribute to all the players that used to be here say in 2006 (600 players a night), not being here now, what do you think the explanation is?

I guess most players eventually tire of any game so that may be natural.  But then the question moves to what 3 things is preventing AH from convincing new players from signing up and replacing old players that leave?

Or, if you were king, what 3 things would you change first to put 600 players a night back in the game (assuming there was a possibility of that)?


I have to assume it is not just advertising else more of those 40,000 downloads from the Steam launch would have bit.  You'll never get that targeted an audience broadcasting on tv.

 

In 2006 there were twenty times less the options for people to do anything let alone a flight sim. AH has entered a niche category and it’s silly to compare the past to now expecting some sort of resurgence. No amount of coding is ever going to change it.

Having hired many a developer I can promise they do not come cheap. I have a hard time believing the amount of time, effort, and resources it would take to bring AH up to modern standards would ever come close to a favorable ROI for anyone. The time spent and resources required for testing itself would be massive. That doesn’t even include all the proposed community changes that are blasted all over the BBS daily.

Lusche’s chart tells the tale.

[Max]

If you could list 3 things that you think most contribute to all the players that used to be here say in 2006 (600 players a night), not being here now, what do you think the explanation is?
 

This probably warrants its own thread, but here's my 2 cents, in no particular order:
Hitech Creations employed 3-4 FT coders, 2 graphic artists, community support mgr & an office mgr. Update patches rolled out every other week. There was a palpable sense of game expansion that generated excitement/growth.

AHI morphed into AHII and the graphics saw improvement...i.e. eye candy.

H2H was still up & running (to my best recollection) which converted many non-payers (affectionately known as freeloaders in the day  to paying MA customers. I was one of those guys.

Trainers were more assessable back then. I recall a one named Ghosth, who monitored the TA and MA...helping noobs learn the ropes, set up a joystick and explain how the TIC TAC TOE boxes worked so as to get airborne.

Computers were fairly reasonable in cost to buy new, or build. XBox, Playstation etc was still in it's infancy.

The launch of AHIII on Steam incurred numerous issues, and some very negative reviews from players who had an axe to grind with Hitech.

In recent years, the player base has reduced to a collection of full time seasoned vets, who club baby seals into submission and the exit doors.