MISSION ARENA: How will it support squadrons?

[CptTrips]

AH is a great game.  It keeps getting better.  HTC has proven they are WAY ahead of the curve in almost every department and are just plain leaving their competitors in the dust.  When you stop and think about all the toys we've been given over the last 3 years, it's really quite amazing.

One of the most important features AH will ever add, IMHO, is the Mission Area.  I think its going to be big.  Really big.  I think it will fundementally change the genre.

I know HTC is just in the beginning stages of thinking it out.  Its far too early to whine or cry the sky is falling.  I do want to put a bug in their ear though and spark some discussion on a feature I think would be VERY valuable to the Mission Arena.

The Mission Arena MUST support squadrons as a discrete unit to be successful IHMO.  

TOD's (when the server cooperates) can be the best experience available in AH.  One of the things that make the TOD so fun is you get to participate with your squdron within the context of the event.  Each squadron (if they have sufficient numbers) is given its own task to complete.  It may require cooperating with other squads.  If you don't have the numbers you may have to augment with guest flyers.  But you generally DON'T have to split your guys up and send off the different places where they won't get to fly together.

I would like to see the Mission Arena support squads in a similar way.  I would like to see the CO be able to submit the squad for assignment (specifying number of pilots available) and then have the system generate a mission with space reserved for the squad to all fly together.

If this could be achieved, I wouldn't be suprised if our squad, and many others, would just commit to the Mission Arena as our permanent home.  If on the other hand, we're constantly having to split our guys up,  if guys are getting left behind because we can't all get into a mission, if the squad is not allowed to function as a cohesive unit, then I'd imagine we would be less apt to spend the majority of our time there.  

There are a lot of lonewolf pilots in AH.  There are a lot of squads whose pilots don't really fly together.  There are also a lot of squad that prefer to fly together.  They fly together in the MA.  They together in the TOD's.  I think they would prefer to fly together in the Mission Arena.

Anyway, just wanted to provide HTC with some food for thought while they are still in the begining stages of working it all out.


Regards,
Wab

[jonnyb]

I know that most, if not all, of the 412th are REALLY looking forward to the new mission arena.  I can't wait until this arrives on the scene!

I'm also curious for details as to how the "Missions" will be set up.  Will it be more like the SEA, or more like the MA, where anyone can prepare a mission to carry out?

I'm hoping HTC might chime in and give us all a little more to drool over

[Sabre]

From my discussions with HiTech, the Mission Theater will be akin to the TOD's, but starting every 30 minutes (or every hour...still under debate).  Players will not be able to submit their own missions in real-time, but I imagine those that help administer the MT will gladly accept mission scripts to the community.  That's just a guess, but it makes sense based on what HiTech has said about it so far.  Anyone can sign on for a mission, unlike the TOD where you have to be in a squad or a squad's invited guest pilot.

[Tumor]

Will there be anything to keep the suicide dweebs from infesting the Mission Arena?

[sling322]

Originally posted by Tumor
Will there be anything to keep the suicide dweebs from infesting the Mission Arena?

Nah...I am sure they will allow the Knits to fly there also.

[FiLtH]

I truly hope the mission arena idae doesnt turn out to be a carrot dangled before our eyes. Ive seen a couple other games that tend to do that and pump everyone up, only to drop the idea later on.

[AKDejaVu]

There's only been one other thread that I've seen regarding squads and the new arena wabbit: This one

I too think its important for the sqads to be able to fly together as a squad in the Mission Arena.  But I can see alot of monkeywrenches to implimentation.  Here are some of the problems that need to be overcome:

• You can't just make people wait for another 15 minutes because a squad came in together.
• You'd have to set up some kind of scheduling system where a squad had specific times and missions alocated for just their squad.  You'd then have to hope that it had the right amount of slots and that the squad regularly showed up. (This one seems implimentable to me).
• There would have to be a way from keeping people that weren't in the squads from joining a squad's mission.
• There'd have to be a way that a squad could invite a non-squad member to join their mission.

That's just a few things that have occured to me.  There's a bunch of other stuff running around up there that I'd like to see with no realistic way of implimenting it.... so I'll keep it to myself until HTC shows a real interest in going in that direction.

AKDejaVu

[AKDejaVu]

Originally posted by FiLtH
I truly hope the mission arena idae doesnt turn out to be a carrot dangled before our eyes. Ive seen a couple other games that tend to do that and pump everyone up, only to drop the idea later on.

You must be new?

This really isn't HTC's style.  As a rule, they are conservative with their announcements.  HiTech and gang know that these communities seldomely forget someone's inability to deliver what was promised when it was promised.

HTC's announcements can all be found in the news and announcements forum.  If you want, select "all" at the bottom and read through them.  Try and find a single feature  "promised" that was not delivered.  My money says you won't.

AKDejaVu

[fullback]

Don't be too hard on FiLtH. We all  run some form of Windows OS and most of us are jaded about promises vs. reality.