It's getting Nasty here

[Karnak]

Midnight,

I agree with your sentiments.

Many of us have posted many suggestions as to changes to better integrate strategic assets into the game.  Of course some of us, such as Lazs and Hazed, have posted the exact opposite desire.

But what it boils down to is that I simply don't think the strategy portion of the MA is going to improve.  Based on things I've read and a brief communication with HTC I just don't foreseen any really changes to the strategic portion of the game.  The way I see it they might fiddle with the downtime effects on items governed by strategic targets, but that's about it.

Personally I don't think downtime means jack.  Its so unimportant that nobody notices.  The fact that C-47s and M3s can resupply cities and factories (which I think is rediculess in concept) means that it simply isn't worth the effort to bomb them.  You have more of a positive effect for your country by flying a clean fighter than you do in a bomber sortie that takes five times as long.

Add to that the upcoming Me163 that will make the HQ (the one strategic target worth hitting) nearly impossible for bombers to get.

I think bombers will become even rarer than they are now in 1.11.


Of course I could be wrong and HTC could surprise me.  I wouldn't complain about it.

[Swager]

Midnight,  many people get a wild hair up their arse right before the possible release of a new version.  Happens before every drop.  Nature of the beast.

Hope that helps!  

[Lazer1]

I blame it on Saw;)

[BNM]

at least 50% of the dorks would disappear if the price went up 100%

Dumbest damn thing I've heard in a while... and that's saying something.

[Saintaw]

<--- tempted to post a "Vote on Lazer suckyness" post

[Dowding (Work)]

Things have changed, but not neccessarily for the worse. I started playing back in July 2000, the game had been around a year and was still quite small. I enjoyed the MA more back then, than now, but that's probably because AH was the first massively multiplayer game I'd tried. I knew the map SFMA inside out, but I don't play enough to recognise any part of the pizza map. Or any of the others.

The scenarios are better than they used to be that's for sure, but I still remember the first snapshot I played - the 'Memphis Belle'. There were about 20+ B17s and one of them was designated as the Belle. The aim was to protect the Belle from the LW (who didn't know which one it was). It was great fun.

[beet1e]

Midnight - I tend to agree, and found myself nodding to much of what you wrote.  A few moons ago, I made the suggestion in this thread to turn off the bardar and mission editor. Since then, I've seen Mission Editor instigated gangbangs calling for 40 (FORTY!) goons.

My favourite recent analogy of the MA is a hamster wheel!. Says it all... I would be all for stealth missions, but in this community those are simply dismissed as "milk runs". I can't see how these can be described as runs to undefended bases. If they ARE undefended, it's not the fault of the attacker. We've got bardar, "base under attack", radar, the flashing map - all these things clearly give warning of an impending attack. And the result is that the enemy is already up, waiting for you to arrive, and the nett result is another furball.

In the current MA, with a slow climbing plane like a F4U or P47, it can be difficult to gain attack alt. without running into the skirmish next door in one direction, cherry pickers in another direction, and your own target area in the other direction. And then there's the angry mob coming down from a distant field to defend the one from which they can't take off...

[-tronski-]

Originally posted by Midnight

When you got Half-Life, how many countless hours (continuous) did you spend trying to work your way through all the levels and get to the end? Eventually, you probably tried the H2H arenas and had some fun there too.

Half life is still the most played online game in the world. But its not the original boxed version...it's through the the mods.

And this is where AH strength lays in it's ability to keep changing. AH should continue developing and changing and hence the game essentially changes...hopefully for the better...sometimes not, but in every release AH gains something positive.

 Tronsky

[gofaster]

Originally posted by Midnight

It seems like the only way to win a battle in AH is by over-whelming numbers. Eventually, one of the combatants gets bored and gives up and either logs off in frustration, or goes somewhere else to make a new fight.

It would be nice if winning the war was something that was accomplished with strategy and planning, rather than a constant rolling pig-pile on the country with the fewest players.

A couple of suggestions:

(a) more vehicle hangars at the bigger airports.  A medium airfield should have 2 vhs, the large ones should have 3 or 4.  This would make the fields easier to defend and more difficult to capture.

(b) more ports and carriers.  This would spread out the war a bit more by allowing an attack anywhere.  Theoretically, if the Bishops are massing an attack, then there should be a vulnerability there somewhere, but without a carrier with which to strike, those distant bases are wildlife preserves.

(c) more effective airfield AA guns for players.  The ROF for the current guns is way too slow.  At least give us some dual .50s as options to the slow-firing 37mm.  And sandbags around the guns for protection would be nice too.

[Nifty]

Midnight, I know what you mean.  Personally, that's why I basically only fly Special Events now and am on the CM team.  The only MA time I get is after the Friday nite TOD because that's squad night.  Honestly, those few hours on Friday night are as much MA as I want the whole week.