HT considering limiting/restricting.....

[2Late4U]

Rotating squads.  

In an effort to slow down the roller coaster country numbers, HT in chat today announced that switching countries when in a squad may be disabled in the future.  While no definite yes/no was given, and no timeframe provided, this would be a major change with some fairly large effects.

On the plus side, we would be less likely to see countries go from 30% of the player population to 70% overnight.  It would also encourage country loyalty, something that to this point has been lacking.

On the down side, it means that those in squads may never get to fly with 2/3 of the community, chatting and making frendships being limited to one country.

I feel that a comprimise may be a better solution, with either a hard cap of 40% (or whatever) of total squad membership per any given country, or a system where rotation must be submited as a request and then granted based on other squads rotaing in the other direction


comments?

[Shane]

i disagree with the concept...  i hop around to the country with the least nbrs, and believe me, with locked squads there will still be an imbalance in nbrs and the 2 on 1 country gangbanging.

you *can't* legislate how people play the game, it simply doesn't work...

lamers are as lamers do...

"it's the PEOPLE, stupid!"

[MrLars]

Originally posted by 2Late4U
Rotating squads.  

On the down side, it means that those in squads may never get to fly with 2/3 of the community, chatting and making frendships being limited to one country.

I feel that a comprimise may be a better solution, with either a hard cap of 40% (or whatever) of total squad membership per any given country, or a system where rotation must be submited as a request and then granted based on other squads rotaing in the other direction


comments?

My thoughts also.

[CptTrips]

That would be unwise.

Wab

[Dago]

I am going to assume this has to be a troll, surely HT wouldnt consider such a limiting rule.

**MOL** rotates every 2 months, helps keep things fresh and I think helps provide balance.

dago

[MrLars]

Originally posted by Dago
I am going to assume this has to be a troll, surely HT wouldnt consider such a limiting rule.

**MOL** rotates every 2 months, helps keep things fresh and I think helps provide balance.

dago

Saw him say it with my own eyes boss..let's hope he reads this thread and uses some of the suggestions.

[FDutchmn]

This is going to kill one of the good features in AH (compared to AW).  Not a good solution, IMHO.

[Hooligan]

There are different countries?

Hooligan

[akak]

Originally posted by 2Late4U
Rotating squads.  

In an effort to slow down the roller coaster country numbers, HT in chat today announced that switching countries when in a squad may be disabled in the future.  

That's how it was in Air Warrior.  If you wanted to switch countries, you had to either leave or disband the squadron and reform/rejoin in the new country.  Didn't stop squads from switching countries though.


Ack-Ack

[FDutchmn]

Originally posted by akak

That's how it was in Air Warrior.  If you wanted to switch countries, you had to either leave or disband the squadron and reform/rejoin in the new country.  Didn't stop squads from switching countries though.

Yes, Akak, This was the case in AW.  However, one feature in AH is that a member can be across the border, while in AW that was not the case.  Should this feature be disallowed now for the sake of controlling the influx of squads changing sides?  It would be a pity IMHO.

[Kweassa]

Restrictions and limitations may not necessarly mean a squad is stuck at a single country rest of its existence. Maybe HT's considering something simular to the pre-tour 'registration' concept I posted before.

 The key to my concept was balancing the numbers before a new tour starts, and squad rotations or selection of countries might be limited or 'encouraged in a certain direction.' For instance, if squads with average 10~20 pilots on-line registers to the Bish near the end of tour 28, smaller squads with 4~5 pilots might be limited or encouraged to join either the Rooks or the Knits in a 'registration'. With the start of tour 29, the 20 man squad would stay Bish, while the other smaller squads would be spread out to the other countries so there is no integration of many squads in a single country that destroys numbers balance.

 .. anyhow, it's up to HT to decide.

[Dead Man Flying]

Terrible idea IMO.  I hop countries all the time, and it's nice to be able to talk to my squaddies to find out where they're flying, for which country, and decide what to do with my evening accordingly.  Even if I'm flying for a different country and am nowhere near my other squadmates, it's nice to be able to shoot the bull with them in a nice, private manner over the squad channel.  These are my friends from all over the country, after all, and it's nice to find out how things are going for them.  The ability to switch sides and still maintain squad ties is one of the features that I've enjoyed the most in AH.  I hated how AW did it.

Implementing this rule would not keep me from switching sides, but it would force me to quit my squad and forego (or at least make much more difficult) this communication.  I fear that it would not only not eliminate side switching, but it would also have a chilling effect on some aspects of community building.

-- Todd/Leviathn

[cajun]

I do not think this is a good idea, I was thinking of signing up for MA and maybe join a squad, but not if they add this feature.  I'd like to be able to fly Knights a little and if rooks start dyin ill join rooks etc. or maybe a friend or some1 is on the other team?

All this would do IMO is greatly discourage people from being in squads...

Something should reward being loyal to 1 country, but not restrict a person to only that country.

[Leslie]

Nothing wrong with squad players being in two or three different countries while playing.  Whenever that is the case though, I'd like to see the "red text" squad coms disabled between countries to discourage a flanking hit by a coordinating squad on a "target" country from different countries.  Not saying anyone is doing this, but if a squad decided to do it, they could, the way it is now using the squad channel.  Haven't tested it, but does anyone know whether voice is enabled between countries?

I think it's a bad idea to complicate squadron business.  Being in a squadron is a serious emotional investment for most of us.  You can form a pretty tight bond in a game like AH.  That's one reason I'm not in a squad any longer.  It's too heart-breaking.*

Les

* I still enjoy the game and fly with my friends, whether they are former squad-mates or not.

[Revvin]

As long as any solution does not mean the possibility of squads being split over two different countries there won't be a problem. HT said he was considering it so lets not get our panties all bunched just yet. It's not like HT is a little green at this online flight sim game and we have to trust them to weigh up all the options which they have in the past. Chill out guys, go fly and enjoy yourselves.