I'll toss in my two cents here... I've already chatted about this with Funked before the reopening.
First, let's start with a given. The MA is clearly the most popular aspect of online AH. This is indisputable.
From there, let's acknowledge that the MA doesn't appeal to everyone. Also indisputable.
The trick is to create an alternative to the MA that will appeal to a sufficient number of people that would actually consider an alternative.
Those that desire an alternative have a long laundry list of things they want. Unfortunately, I've never seen much agreement on what the "most important" aspects of the alternative should be.
Axis v Allies? No dar? Less dar? No Icons? Less Icons? Realistic terrains? Lots of ideas, no concensus.
Here's my suggestion to you. Filter.
This isn't going to happen overnight. But so far the CT isn't really happening at all.
Start with a clone of the MA with only ONE or possibly two changes. Be it the dar, the icons, the axis v allies.. whatever. Make it NEARLY like the MA... and see if anyone come then.
If they do, add another "feature" and see how much the load drops. off. Rinse and repeat.
If they DON"T come.. when it's initially pretty close to the MA.. you can reselect two different "features" to try and see if that will draw a crowd. Rinse and repeat.
It appears to me that the current "features" set is simply NOT that attractive to very many players. There's no real way to tell which "features" are having the negative effect.
If I were doing it.. and I'm not... I'd start Axis v Allied as the only change and see if folks show up for that "historical" aspect. The logic being if it is just like the wildly popular MA except for AvA, then we are testing the desirability of AvA alone and can then make a judgement on that aspect.
I just think you're trying to change to much at once.
