Author Topic: MA numbers - reducing? (Read 1866 times)

Urchin · « **Reply #30 on:** May 19, 2003, 07:15:16 PM »

I know that this will be seen as a thinly-veiled whine, but it really isn't (at least in my opinion). I was looking at my 'expanded stats', and I was amazed at the numbers, honestly.

228 kills. Of those- 24 La-7s, 21 P-51Ds, and a whopping 39 spits. Yes, Karnak et al, I am aware that the Spit V is different from the Spit IX, but for me they may as well be the same plane. Actually that isnt really true, but the only difference is the Spit V is easier to kill since it can't go vertical as well. For me, the '4th plane' this tour has been the P-38 with 16 kills. So, 4 plane types account for 44% of my kills. I was actually surprised I hadn't seen more N1Ks (I see quite a few, guess I don't kill that many). I'm sure that if I go back through I'll find the same thing for the past year, at least. Just for comparison, here are the other fighters I've killed. I threw the P-51B in here, but it is just about the same thing as a P-51D for all intents and purposes.

A6MX- 3 kills, 109X- 4 kills, C20X- 2 kills, F4U- 6 kills, F6F- 4 kills, F4F- 1 kill, 190X- 6 kills, Hurricane- 3 kills, La-5- 2 kills, N1K- 2 kills, Mossie- 1 kill, 262- 1 kill, P-40- 3 kills (those were all today), P-47- 8 kills, P-51B- 1 kill, 152- 1 kill, Typhoon- 5 kills (I see more, have a hard time catching them though), Yak- 9 kills. The total number of every other fighter I've killed is 62 (~27%), or less than the top 4 put together.

That, combined with the building battling is enough to keep me burned out. I'm really just biding my time until AH2 and hopefully the Trainer Academy, so I can teach people how to fight.

beet1e · « **Reply #31 on:** May 19, 2003, 07:35:09 PM »

Good posts, Urchin. I know you're an air combat guy, and I'm a building battler, but what a lot of people fail to realise is that there are lots of kills to be had in the course of building battling. Even I had 340 kills in fighters in tour 39. (I've given up scoring Attack sorties separately - porks my k/h when flying jabo missions, but who cares)

But even though we play on opposite sides of the fence, so to speak, I absolutely agree about the same 4-5 planes being used. My most frequent kills (of aircraft) are: Spit ix, LA7, P38L, P51D and N1K - in that order. The steamroller planes. I see that many people are fed up with the steamroller, but what to do? An RPS? No! No! No!, they cry - People will leave! Thing is, people are already leaving.

AH1 main arena pilot performs preflight check

oboe · « **Reply #32 on:** May 19, 2003, 08:03:39 PM »

I think if HTC thought that 4 or 5 planes dominating the main arena was a problem, they would address it by adjusting perk point costs and/or ENY values.

I'd sure be interested to see a system where the number of perked planes is much expanded and pilot's perk balances are reset to some starting value every tour. It might turn out to be the most addictive version of play yet.

Urchin · « **Reply #33 on:** May 19, 2003, 08:40:20 PM »

I don't think that HTC sees it as a problem, to be honest with you. There is no negative effect on the bankroll, so it isn't a problem. What a lot of people don't realize is just how much this game has expanded merely in the two years I've been here. When I first started playing, 'primetime' was like 70-80 players. Now, it is 500ish, even on the weekdays. That is huge growth.

There isn't any reason to fix what ain't broke.

Mitsu · « **Reply #34 on:** May 19, 2003, 10:43:03 PM »

I've left Aces High.

beet1e · « **Reply #35 on:** May 20, 2003, 03:55:56 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by oboe
I think if HTC thought that 4 or 5 planes dominating the main arena was a problem, they would address it by adjusting perk point costs and/or ENY values.

I'd sure be interested to see a system where the number of perked planes is much expanded and pilot's perk balances are reset to some starting value every tour. It might turn out to be the most addictive version of play yet.

Yes, indeed. In the past (before I joined AH) the F4U-1C was unperked. Then it was found that everyone (by which I mean a disproportionately large number of players) was flying it. So they perked it first to 8pp, now to 13pp, in order to restore the balance. Now things are out of balance again, with the steamroller planes listed above collectively outnumbering everything else. But this time, HTC is doing nothing to restore balance.

I always remember how in WB, which had an RPS, that on the last day, the arena would be awash with 262s - 60% of the arena. AH solves that by having perks, but in my view (and, I believe, that of other people who have posted in this thread) some changes are needed.

Whatever they do, not everyone will like it. There will be whines. Maybe HTC knows this and has therefore decided to do nothing, in order not to have to deal with whines while trying to deploy AH2.

Mitsu!!! Come back! Where will I find my soundpacks from now on?

Boozer · « **Reply #36 on:** May 20, 2003, 08:08:09 AM »

The only was to reduce the sucide porkers is to take away the incentive, take away reset perks, hardening targets will only make the suicide gang larger. But, when there's no good reason to die for a reset, folks will stop trying to die for a reset.. end of the steamroller.

Q: But Booz! what will we do?!? what would our purpose be then if not to reset a map?

A: Learn to fly, the map will rotate when it rotates.

Zippatuh · « **Reply #37 on:** May 20, 2003, 08:22:32 AM »

Last night 2000 CDT, there were 440 in the MA, 40 in the CT, about 16 or so in the DA and another handful in the TA...

I don’t see as how the membership is falling off.

sourkraut · « **Reply #38 on:** May 20, 2003, 11:13:54 AM »

Still here from Open Beta.
Still like to fly - just do it very well.

Sour

Apache · « **Reply #39 on:** May 20, 2003, 11:28:24 AM »

Haven't seen less than 400 in months. Alot you see quitting bounce from game to game anyway. I've seen it happen for years, nothing new. The core is still here.

Open beta? Yep and I'm still here. I kinda cotton ta that HT feller.

humble · « **Reply #40 on:** May 20, 2003, 11:52:39 AM »

Bunch of interesting comments...especially coming from urchin,suave,Tumor & Mandoble (not meaning any disrespect to others)...guys who've been around the flight sim community (here and other games) for a long time. Seems our thoughts all tend to mirror each other in many ways. We all "grew up" in a less dense arena divided into a couple of distinct player types. To build any kind of success you had to survive the invariable 1 vs 1 and 1 vs 2-3 that occured almost every hop. A "big furball" was 6-7 guys from each side.

Now we're in an enviornment where actual ACM skills and tactics are less than 5% of the game (my feeling). This is anhanced by a scoring system that rewards you for a lack of ability in that area by forcing you to become a grunt/bomber puke if you want to "score".....sigh

Just wondering how long till they change the name from Aces High to Aces left.

oboe · « **Reply #41 on:** May 20, 2003, 12:02:40 PM »

Dead Man Flying · « **Reply #42 on:** May 20, 2003, 12:22:32 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by humble
Now we're in an enviornment where actual ACM skills and tactics are less than 5% of the game (my feeling). This is anhanced by a scoring system that rewards you for a lack of ability in that area by forcing you to become a grunt/bomber puke if you want to "score".....sigh

ACM and tactics certainly account for more than 5% of the game IMO, though undeniably the focus has shifted since the open beta. I can't help but feel that it's not just the increased numbers that yield the greater numbers of timid cherry pickers. Somewhere along the line, the proportion of timid pilots began increasing without regard to the increasing MA numbers.

Whereas the fight was once the only thing -- the thing that base capture facilitated rather than retarded -- it's now just one of many things. Fighting for its own sake requires a different paradigm than "winning" the war. The one involves contact, combat, furballing. The other benefits from avoiding combat or attacking with overwhelming force where enemies show weakness. Two different games, two different ways of playing.

These changes result not from changes in the types of players playing so much as from conscious design choices: introducing the concept of perk points, allowing map resets, awarding perks for "winning," increasing capture difficulty, etc.

-- Todd/Leviathn

Nifty · « **Reply #43 on:** May 20, 2003, 12:32:50 PM »

Mitsu!!! you're not allowed to leave!

unless you keep doing soundpacks.

In which case, feel free to do what ya want!

~~! I love your soundpacks. They really make the game more enjoyable.~~

muckmaw · « **Reply #44 on:** May 20, 2003, 12:46:42 PM »

Mitsu-

WHat are you doing now, if not AH?

PLease don't say real life, or something silly.