Boring!

[OZkansas]

I have found that if you up from a CV or a 0-0 base you can find the classsic AH furball.  But if you want to find a 1 v 1 or 2 v1 or 3 v1 you have to up at a much higher base and be prepared for fighting at much higher altitudes.  It seems that now there aren't that many people willing to fight at higher altitudes and the fights that do develope are nice and last much longer then the low altitude gangbangs. I like this map for that reason.  I know nothing about the new bombing system that has been developed.  I am sure that map also has short commings for the bombers too, but I bet the there are more ways to address bombing in this map just like there is more then one way for fighters.

I think a lot of thought has been put into this map.  I think if you know where to look you will find people who like to fight the way you do.  And the same prolly holds true for bombing.  

I think we should not rush to judgemnent too fast regarding the current map.  Please don't ever go back to the smaller maps!  This size may seem large, but after we get used to it I bet noone will want a smaller map.

[straffo]

it's true that at some hour AKdesert should be called AKVoid ....

But it happened before ...

[senna]

Wuz online in the new map recently, had just chuted BTW near an enemy V base. Watched a Hellcat come in on a run at the base, dropped its little bomb, BOOM direct hit WTG! Then a zero appeared but insteda fitin, the zero loitered about and the hellcat split. WTF is with the milkruns, this is a fitin game. I wanna see some good hard pounding action come outa this. Seems like the new AK map has made many into dweeby milkrunners. Milkrun sorties are fine but we need more action. Just comments...

I guess we currently have alot of new players in AH. That may be part of the reason for the strangeness in enemy target activity.

[Spatula]

Totally agreed Vulc, when i log on now, im very hard pressed to find any fights at all, so i normally just log off... for our timezone (Asia/Pacific) the map is just TOO big.

No fun.

[UmmaGumma]

Vulcan, make sure you click on "online" play. You can wait a long time for battles to occur in "off line" arena. You can try applying small dots on your screen with felt tipped pen to simulate a crowded environ and perhaps help with the loneliness. Quality HT Dot kits are on sale..package of 45 for $5. You can also get another computer. This sets up an interesting one on one you can initiate at any time, you know, especially when cons are sparse. But you do have to get another subscription and learn to fly a stick left handed.
 
The map offers unique battles for GVs. They are more exciting now.  Listening for approaching GVs  is fun. Need stuff to get under down in the canyons. It would be neat to have some caves/roads through the mountains for short cuts.
I budy of mine flew Corsairs in Korea. He loved hunting trains. They would try to dash for tunnels when they heard the aircraft coming. He was always amazed at how the 6 or 8 50's destroyed the trains so easily.

[fats]

those who want the map to go away. find some evil meaning for the Y in a circle that is considered politically incorrect these days too...


// fats

[Vortex]

The map does need to go.

I've been a one that's supported many aspects of it from the start, and I still do. However I will also admit there is one significant flaw...it is far to big for the size of the AH community. That applies to the size of the community now, and probably over the next 5 years as well. We're just not going to fit into this map anytime soon, at least not at the growth rates I've seen here. As an aside, I have no idea where these numbers of 1000+ during prime time are coming from either...its definely not from current growth rates, which have been nearly flat for the past 6 months.

Most people view its functionality based on prime time usage from a North American time zone perspective. With 350-450 people (max numbers I've seen in this map) during prime time the map is functional most times (say, 60%+ of the time you log in). Fights can usually be found. That other 40% of the time you might have a hard time finding the sort of action you want during prime time. I see this more and more now...lots of gang-bang type fights or milkrunning and fewer and fewer balance battles.

Check in during non-prime time hours (or through the prime time hours for the rest of the world), when there's only 100-200 people online and things become pretty frustrating. Fights that are balanced are pretty much nil. Moreover numbers seem lower than usual as I'm sure many log in, look, get frustrated, log out. That exacerbates the problem. But this only makes sense. If the map is marginally effective for peak numbers, its going to be far less effective for off-peak numbers which are 50-75% lower.

Thus the map is marginally effective with the peak load of AH right now. Its completely dysfunctional for the off-peak loads. Being that any significant growth is unlikely to bring those numbers up I don't see maps of this size being practical for some time to come (years, not months). When, or if, the time comes that the user base has doubled or tripled, then sure, try it again. In the interim the old maps need to be brought back and, if needed, the new strat disabled to accomodate that reversion. Until such time as 2-3 more appropriate, scaled down maps can be deployed simultaneously, that is the ideal solution imo.

[Turbot]

Originally posted by Vulcan
100+ people online. Nothing but milkrunning. No one in the CT. Night after night its like this for me.

I'm getting sick of the naysayers who think this is fun!

Before 1.10 I could log on and enjoy some easily found fights. Now I log on, look at the map, try and find a fight, get bored to death and log off again.

From your picture sure looks like a fight would have been easy to find - you could have simply changed teams.  It was your team doing the milking.  

The map is not at fault in this instnace, it is just the same old tired numbers arguement in disguise.  

P.S. ( Your picture is not a true snapshot of the action in any case - it does not show anyone in a ground vehicle or anyone under 500 feet AGL (I believe that is the radar level?)

[SKurj]

gotta agree with vulcan on this one... the picture says it all...

sure glad I am not playing at the same time periods he is


SKurj

[J_A_B]

"If everyone is milkrunning, wouldn't it be easy to find a fight defending bases?"

Taking off alone to be repeatedly vulched by 20 milkrunners is about as much fun as hitting yourself in the head with a hammer.

J_A_B

[senna]

No more milk runs please. Lets just all get together and tango in the new map!

[Gryffin]

Originally posted by Vulcan
100+ people online. Nothing but milkrunning. No one in the CT. Night after night its like this for me.

Consider yourself lucky Vulcan, for most of the evenings Australian time, until about Midnight or so, there are only about 60-80 ppl online.

[Steven]

Taking off alone to be repeatedly vulched by 20 milkrunners is about as much fun as hitting yourself in the head with a hammer.

Try taking off from a nearby field and head towards the vulched base.  Most likely, if it's truly being vulched, you'll be at an altitude advantage.