mERv's ChatGPT post was dead on regardless of how many peoples panties it got in a bunch.
"Aces High III," the long-running World War II combat flight simulator developed by HiTech Creations, is in decline for a mix of reasons. Here’s a breakdown of the most likely causes:
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1. Aging Game Engine
Graphics and mechanics haven't kept pace with modern expectations. Despite periodic updates, AH3 still feels dated compared to newer flight sims like War Thunder, IL-2 Sturmovik, or DCS World.
It lacks advanced lighting, weather systems, and cockpit fidelity that modern sims offer.
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2. Small Developer Team
HiTech Creations is a small indie studio with limited resources. This restricts the rate of development, marketing, and community support.
Larger titles have dedicated dev teams and bigger budgets to innovate and fix bugs faster.
(Note I think the current development team consist of 1 person)
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3. Niche Appeal
Hardcore WWII sims already appeal to a small segment of gamers.
AH3 is more MMO-style than simulator-focused, which splits its appeal—it’s too arcade for hardcore sim fans and too complex for casual players.
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4. Lack of Player Base Growth
New players struggle with the steep learning curve and outdated UI, leading to poor retention.
The community is loyal but aging, and without fresh blood, player numbers steadily decline.
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5. Competition
War Thunder (free-to-play, massive player base, constant updates) and IL-2/DCS (ultra-realistic, VR support) dominate the space now.
AH3 hasn’t innovated enough to carve a competitive edge or new identity.
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6. Marketing and Visibility
Minimal advertising or influencer engagement means new players don’t even know it exists.
Steam launch in 2016 didn’t result in sustained growth.
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7. Subscription Model
Monthly subscription in an era dominated by free-to-play or one-time-purchase games is a turn-off.
Especially hard to justify for a dated product
On top of that you have the Side Imbalance Issue and Aircraft Selection Lock outs that also drive players away from the game. To add to player loss we have members passing away like TC Whels and NB just to name a few. Without a new game engine or major updates Aces High as we know it will end and if nothing else Hitech isn't going to live forever.
I'm not even touching on the game getting Jon Ray'ed a few times.
What the game has going for it is that competitors don't have
1) It's a true Mass Multiplayer Game
2) It has a PTO plane set
3) It has the AH community that is the spiritual successor to the AW community.
The only things I can think of that can save the game for any measurable length of time that lack major retooling/coding time is .....
1) Drop the subscription price to the bare minimum to keep the game running and put a bottle of scotch in HiTech's liquor cabinet every Friday. (>$10) PLUS longer term subscriptions with a discount say 6 months for $50 1 year for $90 etc.
2) Change Eny so that it only effects perk cost without locking aircraft out.
3) Turn the Side change lockout to a much shorter period say like 1 hour.
4) Disable the Side change lockout for people exiting the "Country Auto Swap"
5) goto a 2 sided war and/or smaller maps.
But none of this will happen and the communities pleas will fall on deaf ears (Doesn't help the community is divided on the issues).
Any one wanta start a betting pool as to how long the game is going to last? My money is on 2 years and 3 months.
To put it bluntly, I'm not going to pay $15 a month for a game I hardly have time to play, and that when I do play it I get locked out of the aircraft I want to fly to the point I rage quit.
Plane lock outs have caused me to cancel my subscription a couple of times and there is no way in Hell I'm coming back wile the current ENY feces Fest is still ongoing.
If I want to get screwed to the point of rage quitting I'll go play "Dark Souls" at least Dark Souls doesn't come with a monthly subscription fee.
Oh ya we need a popcorn emoji too.
