Honest Information on Competition WW2 Games

[AKKuya]

Those who play the other WW2 games.  Please describe what they offer in comparison to AH?  What do they share?  What is different?  Subjects (graphics, payment, types of arenas for gameplay, etc...)

What can be done to attract those players to AH?  Will it take posting AH on those game's BBS?

This is being pro-active.

[hazmatt]

Those who play the other WW2 games.  Please describe what they offer in comparison to AH?  What do they share?  What is different?  Subjects (graphics, payment, types of arenas for gameplay, etc...)

What can be done to attract those players to AH?  Will it take posting AH on those game's BBS?

This is being pro-active.

I think much of this has been beaten to death previously, but I'm responding because you post appears to be sincere AKbigbrother.

As one who plays a bunch of other games and had previously tried to recruit from them, I have found in my experience that the monthly sub is where interest is lost. Too many other games out there that offer free to play. I have 4 IL2 GB accounts and 4 WT accounts currently. You do the math and figure out how much a month that would cost total if I had to pay a monthly sub for each of those accounts.

This is gonna start the all it's less then a coffee at Starbucks crew up again but it's not the way most of the younger people think. Even WoW has a free to play level and that was from the old school sub games.

Not to be a Debby downer, but I think that ship has sailed. Maybe if something had been done to get younger people interested early things might have ended differently.

[Eagler]

HT needs to lower it to $9.95...if the current sub numbers permits it..

Eagler

[Meatwad]

WW2OL

It has free to play, a cheaper subscription tier at $10 a month (but thats infantry/trucks/c47 only, you pay $18 a month to fully unlock all gvs/ships/aircraft for free).  They have just recently started a perk points program that works exactly the same as it does in aces high, lets you use infantry and gvs that are not free but you can use at a perk cost.

It does have some lag and glitchiness in other players

graphics - probably worse then aces high

If you want to attract those players to aces high, you need to offer a real free to play and then re-advertise it, not 2 weeks then your shut out.

[hazmatt]

WW2OL

graphics - probably worse then aces high

The fact that WW2OL still has players proves it's not all about graphics (or lack of)

[DmonSlyr]

The subscription is 100% the problem, IMO. Espcially now that all the damn TV services are subscription based now. People are having huge subscription expenses. Those are prime expenses to cut when reviewing expenses. In AH it holds so many players from coming back because the hassle of repaying for a game $15 just to see how it is these days doesnt bring many players back. If people could have a way to jump into the MA without paying, it would bring many players in. Unfortunately, there is just too much competition for free games.

[Eagler]

The fact that WW2OL still has players proves it's not all about graphics (or lack of)

https://steamcharts.com/app/251950

Numbers are as low if not lower than AH...

Eagler

[Meatwad]

That doesnt count the numbers that are playing the non steam version. I have the non steam downloadable

[Lusche]

The only comparable one I play these days is IL-2. What it has over AH? A single player mode. Not a particularly good one, and I resolved to using an external tool to create a better career mode - but still, there is one.
I also used to play War Thunder a lot (only tanks, not flying), because it was cheap and gave me some quick action, but I stopped about a year ago because of some design decisions.

What can be done to attract those players to AH?

Nothing.

The past has repeatedly shown that the core problem is that people don't like the game. Thousands upon thousands of people have tried AH, and almost none have stayed. The retention rate is abysmal. In my opinion, you would basically need a fundamentally new, modern game to have any chance of keeping them, and I don't know how that could be done.

[hazmatt]

https://steamcharts.com/app/251950

Numbers are as low if not lower than AH...

Eagler

I never said there were a lot of players. I just said that it's amazing that it has players with it's 1990ies graphics.

You' sure those numbers are accurate? I play lots of "steam games" but not on steam so I'm never counted by steam.

[Lusche]

That doesnt count the numbers that are playing the non steam version. I have the non steam downloadable

But it's the same for AH, and just comparing the steam numbers, WWII Online has about 3-4 times more players. Which is still bad in my book

[hazmatt]

I stopped about a year ago because of some design decisions.

In my opinion, you would basically need a fundamentally new, modern game to have any chance of keeping them, and I don't know how that could be done.

Care to share what "design decisions"?

You don't think adding a free to play option like many of the other games would bring in some numbers and they higher numbers would bring in more players?

I know my kids and I would pop in at least a couple times a month when we play together online. I'm just not willing to pay $720 a year for that ability when there are so many other games we can play together online for free.

[Eagler]

I think AH is just too much of an investment of time for the youth these days with their ADHD, instant gratification needs and easy/cheaper ways to get the fun they need from an online game..

A2A with ww2 planes is about as difficult as it comes..

Most ww2 action I see in DCS and IL2 videos is A2G not A2A..

AH is the best a2a going when the numbers/map combo falls just right imo

Nothing beats its VR implementation either..

Can't speak of anything concerning the gv world as that is not my cup of tea..

Eagler

[Lusche]

Care to share what "design decisions"?

They narrowed down the maps in the tiers I was playing, basically funneling the action into a head-on scenario and making flanking very difficult or impossible. I lost interest right there.

You don't think adding a free to play option like many of the other games would bring in some numbers and they higher numbers would bring in more players?

I am very skeptical. I would certainly have a short time effect, but if it were just about the numbers, Ah would have never fallen from 300 to 30 players online during euro prime time.
We had full arenas and people still left (which is totally normal) and could not be replaced (that's the problem).

Also, I think the way Ah is set up makes it difficult to implement a good working f2p scheme, the main problem maybe being the non-tiered nature of AH's single main arena and the kind of gameplay when the numbers are very low.

[Lusche]

I think AH is just too much of an investment of time for the youth these days with their ADHD, instant gratification needs and easy/cheaper ways to get the fun they need from an online game..

Simpler games always had a bigger appeal than complex ones. That's not just a 'youth of today thing'. More players were playing pacman than Silent Service. 


Current steam charts:



I included Elite Dangerous, because it's still a kind of simulation (you are flying spaceships), and it's a nightmare of setting up the utterly complex controls and get into the game.

And by way. I have ADHD. AH is way easier to get into than DCS, IL-2 or Elite Dangerous.