Country switching changes/beating dead horse

[atlau]

The "auto country" option was a step in the right direction but often leaves you stranded out of the action when numbers are very low and the action shifts to another front. Other times you have a good fight between country A and B, country C becomes the low side and you get switched out of it.. so I've stopped using auto country.

How about a side switch timer that changes based on the numbers of players? Or the option to always switch to a lower country? In other words if A has the most, B the second most, and C the least players allow someone to switch from A to B... No fight? Switch to C and only implement timer of going to country with larger numbers.

[caldera]

That is exactly why I don't use the auto switch feature.

The problem could be somewhat alleviated if the darbars corresponded with the GUI colors you use, so the darbar on the map would show which country has the comparatively large numbers.  Then you could see if it's worth it for you to join one of those countries.

As it stands now, you can see a flashing base, but switching to the side you think is getting ganged may have you stuck in a green horde.

[Oldman731]

I've used the auto-switch since it first was implemented.  If you're on the side with absolutely no opportunity to find a fight, you can switch to either of the other sides.  You won't be able to switch back to auto-switch, or to any other side, until the timer expires, but you would have to be online for a very long time for that to make a difference.

I believe I've done this twice.  Usually I'm able to find a fight, even if I have to pick a long range aeroplane and cross a sector or two.

- oldman

[atlau]

I am only able to play at off peak hours and usually end up logging when stuck on the wrong side of the map. I'd love to see a change to the timer rules when numbers get small (<20-30)

[hazmatt]

Autoswitch is great when it works properly but I've experienced the same frustrations with the addition of coming back from a disco and it appears that I crashed on auto climb and switched countries.

[Dadtallica]

1-2 hours is the leading segment in my current poll.

[hazmatt]

1-2 hours is the leading segment in my current poll.

I quit doing the polls as I'm not an currently active player. That said, I think it would be interesting if you could get data from prior players as to why they left and what would make them come back but I don't think there's more then a handful here and would have no idea how to reach the others.

[Banshee7]

I quit doing the polls as I'm not an currently active player. That said, I think it would be interesting if you could get data from prior players as to why they left and what would make them come back but I don't think there's more then a handful here and would have no idea how to reach the others.

As a "former" player that still pays the subscription, the country time switch was definitely a motivating factor.

[hazmatt]

As a "former" player that still pays the subscription, the country time switch was definitely a motivating factor.

I think paying the sub qualifies you for a vote.

That's interesting. I had heard grumblings of the country switch timer but I was unaware that it was a deal breaker for some.

[Banshee7]

I think paying the sub qualifies you for a vote.

That's interesting. I had heard grumblings of the country switch timer but I was unaware that it was a deal breaker for some.

My main issue was exactly what the OP described. The lowest side doesn’t always have a fight, and the fights can change and have moved so quickly that manually changing sides leaves you stuck.

[Spikes]

I liked the idea of always being able to switch to low #s. That can, of course be abused when numbers are even, but maybe some sort of percentage or numerical threshold. You can switch to lower # country if they are outnumbered by more than 5 players (as an example).

[hazmatt]

I liked the idea of always being able to switch to low #s. That can, of course be abused when numbers are even, but maybe some sort of percentage or numerical threshold. You can switch to lower # country if they are outnumbered by more than 5 players (as an example).

That actually sounds like a good idea. Who did you steal that from? 

[Banshee7]

I liked the idea of always being able to switch to low #s. That can, of course be abused when numbers are even, but maybe some sort of percentage or numerical threshold. You can switch to lower # country if they are outnumbered by more than 5 players (as an example).

The auto switch has a 3 player threshold I believe.  I could be wrong (it's been a while).

[LilMak]

Aside for the “spying” thing, wasn’t it always the primary argument that the perk bonus was the reason the extended timer was in place? Presumably so you couldn’t switch sides just because someone was about to win the war? Couldn’t that be addressed by having a 24 hour threshold for earning perks yet still allow for a switch?

Example: Side switch allowed at two hour intervals as much as you like but perks are only awarded if you were on the winning team for the last 24 hours?

[atlau]

Who cares about the war win perks?

Last night used auto country. Got stuck on team C while A and B duked it out and called it a night.

We also need much smaller maps. The current maps are good for 100-200 players but not 10-20.