might re-sub for another whirl. How's things?

[Oldman731]

Really enjoying the game again thank you!

And it's great having you back!  But pleasepleaseplease DO NOT START ANOTHER ENY THREAD!  We have so many of those, so many...

- oldman

[DmonSlyr]

Well I don't want to make this about a squeak fest or anything, because I'm enjoying the game a lot. But last night eNY kicked in for our country. We had 27, the rooks had 25 and the bishops had something like 17 or something like that. And then the eny was like oh toejam I can't fly like half the planes I like to fly now. But with those kind of low numbers, the odds are not stacked against anybody really. And who knows who's sitting in the tower or in vehicles or whatever. So in my opinion when the numbers are low like that there should not even be a cap. Like wait until the numbers are in the hundreds before you start doing that. Because when you're talking like 20 players on one country and 10 on another, that's not some huge disparity. Especially with how big the maps are and how people are in vehicles or whatever they're doing.

But I have another idea for a thread that I might start called what happens in the arena doesn't stay in the arena. And I just kind of want to present a recap of the day's events in sort of a humorous way. I mean I've been online hours and hours each day. Lol. So I just want to relate the things that have happened or are happening that I think are funny or interesting, and then have people chime in on that.

You guys are really awesome and I love seeing you guys in the game. Really enjoying the game again thank you!

I agree fully with you that. Under 60 players there is no need for ENY. It just keeps more players out of the game because the third side chooses not to participate for some reason. I think that is more of a map issue than a player issue for the most part. Not being able to defend against the second country because you have a higher population than them, but it's the third team causing the ENY issue, that isnt necessarily balanced game play IMO. I always thought those planes should go perked, rather than not being able to be used at all. I think fighters and attack mode should have its own ENY since a yak3 and 190D are much better fighters than most late war planes who cannot be flown due to ability to carry ord. Why the 190D, which gets top 3 kills just about every month isnt a 5 eny like the La7 is beyond me, and the yak3s should be a 5 eny as well, atleast comparable to the P51. A LOT of people come here just to fly their beloved P51, so when they cannot fly it but then get BnZed by 190Ds and Yak3s, its tough for them and makes them want to log, on top of the fact that 50 cal bullets are tremendously weak now which should move the P51 to an 8 or 9 ENY as most in the arena dont know how to fly it any way.

[-gg-]

Well to me, the eny system works the opposite of the way it should. Because it discourages people from being online rather than encourages people to come online and fly.
It should be the opposite. Like if there's low numbers on one country, that country should get free planes or some kind of incentive to go up against the higher numbers rather than penalize people who are playing the game just because they have numbers on one side or the other. A lot of people don't like to change countries because it's a pain in the bellybutton and they like flying with who they like to fly with. It's not like there's some giant hoard  trying to screw one country over.

If you look at it from a player and paying customer incentive it would  be better to give incentives rather negative penalties for just being online when the numbers drop on one side for whatever reason.


And I know that there is the drop in the perk price based on numbers, and you can't have everybody just flying 262's around.

And this is just me thinking of the top of my head and I know that there are details that are more complex. But the basic idea is not to penalize people just for being online and on a side of a country where suddenly the numbers drop on one side. I mean that's tough toejam really. But give those players who are outnumbered some incentive rather than penalize everyone else.

The numbers are too low in this game to be doing that kind of thing in my opinion.

I wonder - does the ENY every actually increase numbers in the game or does it just cause some players to log off? I'll either log off or wait for it to come down myself.

[Spikes]

I think the biggest problem with ENY is that it is supposed to promote even sides, but the 6 hour side switch timer does not allow for that. The auto-switch feature is fine but can be frustrating when there's actually a good fight going on and you get yoinked elsewhere.

[-gg-]

Another idea, and I'm sure people have already come up with this idea because there's nothing under the sun right?

But make a free tier for the game. Free players can earn perks but can't use them. Can only fly certain planes and no GVS and no controlling the CVS or anything like that.

Get some new blood in the game. It wouldn't be much different than all the other games that have kind of pay to play perks. But you're not really doing that because you're giving them a free opportunity to play the game as long as they want and then you're giving them an incentive as they see their perks build up. And they're going to want to get into GVS or control the CV or fly the better planes eventually and maybe sign up. But even if they don't sign up, it's just better to have more numbers in the game. I guess to a certain extent. I don't know what the costs are to run the server when there's more players or whatever. I'm sure it gets higher.

And I'm honestly not squeaking about any of this. None of this is a deal breaker for me. I'm just floating things out there because I'm a busy body. Lol! I really enjoy the game and I'm really appreciative that it's still around. The day that it's not around is the day that everybody's going to really miss this game. And look back and say oh shoot we had a good thing going.

[-gg-]

I think the biggest problem with ENY is that it is supposed to promote even sides, but the 6 hour side switch timer does not allow for that. The auto-switch feature is fine but can be frustrating when there's actually a good fight going on and you get yoinked elsewhere.

Yeah I can imagine. I wouldn't set myself up to be an automatic site switcher.

I just think that negative penalties should never be applied to get a result that you want from the players. Does that even ever work in real life? I mean I guess it does when it comes to like murdering people on stuff. Lol. But not when you're having fun at something. Like say you have a sailboat but then you go into an area where people can't afford sailboats so you're forced to not use your sailboat. Lol. You have to get into the book that they're in. You're not going to go to that area again.

I like the idea of giving positive incentives, but really never ever should there be a negative penalty for paying players just because numbers drop on one side or the other. Coercion and trying to get people to do something that they don't want to do in my opinion is not good ever.

[The Fugitive]

EMY works as it should. Is it as dynamic as it should be, no, it needs a few tweaks.

ENY is there to slow a team down that has the advantage of numbers. Right now bish have 13 tower, 10 air, 12.8 ENY. Knights 5 tower, 4 air. Rooks 6 tower 2 air. Giving free 262s to the knights or rooks isnt going to really help slow down the Bish. Adding a perk to more planes for the bish isnt going to slow them down either as most players playing these days have thousands of perks.

Having a large group that has to fly slow planes, or planes that cant carry as much ord IS going to slow the bish (or which ever team is under ENY) down, so ENY is working as it should.

From a players point of view, sure it sucks to have to fly crap planes, but that is the penalty you pay being on the team with the most players, by a good margin. 6 F4Fs vs 2 Chogs could be a fun fight. People have to stop looking at this as a negative. The challenge is what the game is really about.  To many people want the easy way, that isnt the point of a game, any game for that matter.

The only tweak Id do is to add a timer to cut out those players that sit in the tower for more than 10 minutes or so from the ENY calculation.

I think the biggest problem with ENY is that it is supposed to promote even sides, but the 6 hour side switch timer does not allow for that. The auto-switch feature is fine but can be frustrating when there's actually a good fight going on and you get yoinked elsewhere.

It was NEVER designed for this. As I said above the purpose was to slow the team with the numbers advantage giving the lower populated teams a more even footing by having better equipment.

A side advantage was that it COULD help even numbers but that isnt why it was setup.

The idea of a "free to play" group of planes/vehicles has been put forth many times over the years. Hitech said he didnt want to do it, but that was years ago.

[Shane]

I like the idea of giving positive incentives, but really never ever should there be a negative penalty for paying players just because numbers drop on one side or the other.

Consider it a positive incentive to use and get better in other rides you might normally not choose?   

[Spikes]

It was NEVER designed for this. As I said above the purpose was to slow the team with the numbers advantage giving the lower populated teams a more even footing by having better equipment.

A side advantage was that it COULD help even numbers but that isnt why it was setup.

Sure, if it wasn't the design intention, it certainly is a byproduct.

When side switch was 1 hour, it made a lot more sense. If ENY is 25, I may switch to another side. I can do that once. If sides change and I've got 4 hours left on my timer, I'm going to log off and do something else, not fly P-40Cs. If it were a 1 hour timer and I had 15 minutes left, I could find something to do until I'm able to switch.

[-gg-]

Didn't mean to open a complain-fest. I don't like complainers..... I'm just a troublemaker

[-gg-]

Consider it a positive incentive to use and get better in other rides you might normally not choose?   

I have done that. Jumped into PJs, Corsairs, Kis, Jugs and whatever. I suck at everything though. Oh, Spits.
Makes me really respect people who can fly a plane like the P38 or Jug and actually dogfight them. That's impressive. same with those Mossy and 110 guys

[The Fugitive]

Sure, if it wasn't the design intention, it certainly is a byproduct.

When side switch was 1 hour, it made a lot more sense. If ENY is 25, I may switch to another side. I can do that once. If sides change and I've got 4 hours left on my timer, I'm going to log off and do something else, not fly P-40Cs. If it were a 1 hour timer and I had 15 minutes left, I could find something to do until I'm able to switch.

I agree, I didnt see any issues when it was forgotten and left at an hour switch time years ago. Hitech has the numbers, and maybe there were some complaints by some hard core "team patriotic" players. For what ever reason once it was brought to his attention it was switched to 6 hours (as a concession as it had been 12 hours) and there it has stayed.

Id love for Hitech to have a "town meeting" type thing so everyone can get answers to some questions about the game, and maybe it would show Hitech our concerns, but Im sure that would be the furthest thing from Hitechs mind what with some of the players who might show up with questions 

[-gg-]

Id love for Hitech to have a "town meeting" type thing so everyone can get answers to some questions about the game, and maybe it would show Hitech our concerns, but Im sure that would be the furthest thing from Hitechs mind what with some of the players who might show up with questions 

haha. That would be great! Make it a video chat.

[DmonSlyr]

Ive been screeching about the side switch time for years. Especially as the #s decrease. It should atleast be cut in half again to 3 hours. 6 hours is painfully too long.

[-gg-]

EMY works as it should. Is it as dynamic as it should be, no, it needs a few tweaks.

ENY is there to slow a team down that has the advantage of numbers. Right now bish have 13 tower, 10 air, 12.8 ENY. Knights 5 tower, 4 air. Rooks 6 tower 2 air. Giving free 262s to the knights or rooks isnt going to really help slow down the Bish. Adding a perk to more planes for the bish isnt going to slow them down either as most players playing these days have thousands of perks.

Having a large group that has to fly slow planes, or planes that cant carry as much ord IS going to slow the bish (or which ever team is under ENY) down, so ENY is working as it should.

From a players point of view, sure it sucks to have to fly crap planes, but that is the penalty you pay being on the team with the most players, by a good margin. 6 F4Fs vs 2 Chogs could be a fun fight. People have to stop looking at this as a negative. The challenge is what the game is really about.  To many people want the easy way, that isnt the point of a game, any game for that matter.

The only tweak Id do is to add a timer to cut out those players that sit in the tower for more than 10 minutes or so from the ENY calculation.
 

It was NEVER designed for this. As I said above the purpose was to slow the team with the numbers advantage giving the lower populated teams a more even footing by having better equipment.

A side advantage was that it COULD help even numbers but that isnt why it was setup.

The idea of a "free to play" group of planes/vehicles has been put forth many times over the years. Hitech said he didnt want to do it, but that was years ago.

The thing about "that's the penalty for being on the team with numbers" ....   well, it's not my fault that the numbers drop on one side and I'm suddenly on that "team". I just want to fly and shoot at planes and I don't feel like being penalized for anything like that or coerced into hopping around countries. I couldn't care less about winning a war or taking a base.

I don't agree with the ENY "working as it should" unless the goal is to stop people from flying or making them log off until the ENY goes away. That's what I do. I'm sure I'm not the only one that waits it out. Sure, that gives the balance back - but I don't think it's a great idea. 

What about just having the penally be losing your bellybutton if your country can't maintain numbers? lol. Map gets reset faster and then it starts again. just let it all play out and leave the coercion and manipulations out.

Numbers of maybe a maximum of 100 players at the VERY peak times ( I actually don't remember being 100, always lower) since I've been back and online. I've been playing hours and hours every day, and mostly its around 60 or less players online. I think leave ENY off. I don't like the principle of the idea, but I also just don't think it helps the game experience for anyone.

Leave it off is ideal. If it must be on, don't let it even kick in until total numbers are 200 or more, and then only cap it at 5 ENY planes.