What IF

[RichardDarkwood]

You've been told 300 times.
There's a difference between "ready for" and "desire it". Seems you're not ready for actual fighting.
And that's just the beginning of it.

Tell me 301 times then

[Tumor]

ED doesn’t make their own AC, and currently nothing is in production including bug fixes.

Compared to AH, DCS is extremely boring, less fights than almost empty AH arena which is still more fun.

Where are  you getting this info?  ED makes plenty of their own AC.... and bug fixes are constantly worked on and patched-in on a fairly consistent schedule over the last year or more... and before that it was always an ongoing thing. 

As far as fun & excitement, that's totally subjective.  AH used to be tons of fun, I got bored.  When I was found myself doing 1 or 2 flights a month, I decided to throw in the towel.  Nothing against AH, it just got dull.  On the other hand, I wasn't excited at all about DCS (had it since LockOn was released) until I decided to put in the effort to really learn the A-10 around 2014.  That's when things changed.  It wasn't "easy" to learn the A-10, and I have so many modules now I'd have to do some refresher if I wanted to do anything other than fly around gunning stuff.  I think that's key.  DCS offers literal months of new challenges on a fairly regular basis.  Learn something, get proficient, have fun with it, move to the next one.
This is how I think ED is able to sustain and (I know you don't believe it) grow.  The DCS server numbers over the last few years shows growth, not loss.  And Steam isn't a good indicator... ED (or someone?) hamstrung Steam-DCS from the beginning.  Everyone I know (and lots I don't) have from day one tried to shoo people away from the Steam version and for good reason.  It's almost like DCS agreed to allow Steam to sell the game just to shut them up. 

So anyway, get your toejam fixed and get that Youboob vid out... and more.  Nobody wants to see AH die.  Get enough people back and I'd be back off & on too (Granted certain riffraff had been dispensed with).

[Gman]

If I had 3 wishes from a genie from a bottle, I just might spend one of them on having Dale get really healthy and be blessed with a long life, and to give him enough money to buy out ED, and use his massively multiplayer coding genius - and it is - to make a DCS plane set that is the same as the one here, and then some, and have the "Flaming Cliffs" level of difficulty along with the professional flight model (as ED/DCS calls it) for all those aircraft.  Also allow the more "techincal/study sim" level WW2 planes be available in the arena for those who want to fly them, just like how FC3 planes are combined in many servers with the others.

THAT would be my "dream" online/PVP sim, 600 or so players - more if possible - have a running war on various maps with such a merging of the strengths of both DCS/AH etc , with HT's ability to create and run a game and game arena that has been my favorite online gaming experience since I started with PC gaming. 

[RichardDarkwood]

If I had 3 wishes from a genie from a bottle, I just might spend one of them on having Dale get really healthy and be blessed with a long life, and to give him enough money to buy out ED, and use his massively multiplayer coding genius - and it is - to make a DCS plane set that is the same as the one here, and then some, and have the "Flaming Cliffs" level of difficulty along with the professional flight model (as ED/DCS calls it) for all those aircraft.  Also allow the more "techincal/study sim" level WW2 planes be available in the arena for those who want to fly them, just like how FC3 planes are combined in many servers with the others.

THAT would be my "dream" online/PVP sim, 600 or so players - more if possible - have a running war on various maps with such a merging of the strengths of both DCS/AH etc , with HT's ability to create and run a game and game arena that has been my favorite online gaming experience since I started with PC gaming.

[RotBaron]

What if you didn’t 💩 in a gracious host’s guest bedroom and ask them to have you back.

[M0nkey_Man]

You've been told 300 times.
There's a difference between "ready for" and "desire it". Seems you're not ready for actual fighting.
And that's just the beginning of it.

You can just say you're scared of actually having to manage the plane in a fight instead of throttling up and hitting the WEP button and it would get the same point across.

[Animl-AW]

You can just say you're scared of actually having to manage the plane in a fight instead of throttling up and hitting the WEP button and it would get the same point across.

Phffff!
Boring.

[fd ski]

for me those are two distinctly different games. Learning curve in DCS is must steeper and I can't imagine remembering all the controls and procedures specific to planes I like to fly in AH. For occasional flyer like myself, there is no chance to become truly proficient at DCS without rearranging my life. AH on the other hand is quick and easy. You get in, fly/fight/have fun, you're done. You learned one plane controls, you know the most. Rest is just "how you fly that thing?".

[LCADolby]

There is no specific single event that caused it. It's just a long decline in player numbers since about 2010. Basically, the game can't attract enough fresh blood. (And no that's not just a 'lack of advertising)

The great split of 06

[Lusche]

The great split of 06

Numbers went way up after that. 

[LCADolby]

Numbers went way up after that. 

False positive? I know lots complained and some eventually left due to getting stuck outside of the arena for prolonged time

[Eagler]

The economic downturn of 2008 didn't help sub numbers here

Nor will any future ones

Eagler

[DmonSlyr]

False positive? I know lots complained and some eventually left due to getting stuck outside of the arena for prolonged time

The split arenas IMO too, was a false positive. #s were already on the up and up. It took a while, like economics, for the effect to have a showing impact once squads got so pissed they decided to just leave because they couldn't fly together. Or having to chose the other arena where had friends on, or lack of fight ect. To me, there was no reason at all to split the arenas, why not just have 600 people all flying at once? I had thought that was the entire point... I honestly just never understood that decision.

From what I realized about DCS, is it's really not that scary if you can get with the right people to help you get set up. It's a bit daunting at first but the ww2 planes really aren't that hard to learn and the War birds arena has auto start engines. The no icons and no map radar at all is kinda hard to tell what's going on though. I really love the dar bars in AH. AH you can still use 8 way hat switch where as DCS you really need track IR and or VR. I'm still getting use to both. I think having to buy each plane and some terrain is a pain but I've spent way more money playing AH at $15 a month lol. I do think they should have a warbid package with a few planes in order to get more market. DCS fights feel a bit tougher, and most axis sticks I've encounter have been decent but I'm still learning the flight model. The constant trim with no auto pilot and the views of following multiple planes with no icons has been challenging. It does sorta feel like flying in a vacuum sometimes. The aim is much more challenging and damage model is quite strange with the 50 cals. I do think once they have more planes, there will be some pretty big servers and big fights. I do think chevrons over the planes would be nice though.

[Lusche]

False positive? I know lots complained and some eventually left due to getting stuck outside of the arena for prolonged time

But still, player count went on to record highs, and it took about 2 1/2 years + until the numbers started to fall off significantly.

As much as I hated the split (which as a Euro player affected me more than most people), I can't see that as "the one decision which killed AH"

[RichardDarkwood]

I do think once they have more planes, there will be some pretty big servers and big fights. I do think chevrons over the planes would be nice though.

There are plenty of warbirds servers with a ton of action.

Turn your labels on as some servers have a certain level enabled.