OK, first of all I'm not much of a poster, more of a lurker, but I can't resist this thread. I've seen the same thread in many different online games. "Gangbanging sucks, its no fun. These people are all no talent newbies", or something along those lines. Well I can tell you with 100% certainty that no matter what HTC does there will always be gangbangs and people will always complain about it over and over again. How many times has this thread repeated itself on these boards? I wouldn't know cause I've only been here a couple of months. (AW Refugee: I'm sure at least a few of you have a low opinion of AW'ers, though I'm not sure why.) Gangbanging is not a problem with the game design, or the field distances, or the effort required to capture a base; it's a problem with the people playing the game. The gang bang problem is happening right now in every online game on the market. It's human nature to survive, even in a virtual enviroment. And people will do just that in the easiest way possible.
I have devised a few theories on the reasons that this is happening in AH, (drawing in part on my AW experience).
Theory 1:
I'm fairly new to AH so I'm not quite sure what people "value" in this game, but it looks to be score
. People look at the rank beside their ID and think, "If I lower my rank, I am getting better at the game. Therefore I am better than those with a higher rank. The easiest way to get a lower rank seems to be flying in packs and picking fights you are certain to win. Of course there is always the group of people who could give a rats arse about their score and just do whatever it is that they find most entertaining at the time
.
Theory 2:
The majority of people want to "win the war". The easiest way to take a base is by mass invasions where you easily wipe out the opposition with few losses, then move on to the next. That's why you see raids on undefended bases. It's the old idea of bait and switch. See those 15 enemies halting our attack on base X? Base Y is nearly undefended so lets hit it hard and fast when they aren't looking. I think the best solution would be defensive missions with fast climbing interceptors when it is apparent an attack on a base is imminent. However, I find that only a few people in my country can actually draw a large amount of people for any type of mission. (I think I will try to organize defensive missions from now on.. who knows, people might join)
.
Theory 3:
Most people enjoy winning even if the odds are overwhelmingly in their favor. Who wants to lose right? So they do it the easiest way possible... Gangbangs! Solution: Ummm???
What do you guys think?
Mike
http://www.479thRaiders.com
