Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: bounder on June 07, 2019, 05:38:30 PM
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I go away for 10 years and suddenly MA numbers are down to 2 figures?
Still weighing up whether to punt on a paid account, as my trial ran out today.
Convince me?
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Convince me to convince you.
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If you don't convince me, I'm going to shoot this kitten.
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If you don't convince me, I'm going to shoot this kitten.
OK.
If you don't sign back up. I'll kill this other kitten.
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Seriously though. No one is asking for your hand in marriage.
Pay for a month. If it feels worth it to you after that, pay for another.
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Do we get more than 300 pilots online at any point? It's an arbitrary figure, plucked from memory.
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Seriously though. No one is asking for your hand in marriage.
Pay for a month. If it feels worth it to you after that, pay for another.
No, you're right of course.
It's gotta be worth a shot... see you up there.
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I notice I am not the oldest person in the game, which is unusual. Maybe this game needs a younger new generation of recruits. Social media and AH3 film viewer/fraps is the answer perhap?
My boss is an ex-games journalist, likes IL2 and Warthunder. He'd never heard of Aces High. It just needs circulation to a new generation of players and numbers will fly back up. Content releases help, then you have something new to shout about.
My armchair amateur tuppence.
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I go away for 10 years and suddenly MA numbers are down to 2 figures?
Your absence broke our hearts, so we left, too. :(
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It just needs circulation to a new generation of players and numbers will fly back up.
If it only was that easy...
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Your absence broke our hearts, so we left, too. :(
Snailman get back in here. You're missed :)
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Snailman get back in here. You're missed :)
Sorry, no chance. Only thing left for me to do here is crunching the numbers. :old:
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What ya mean no chance? There's always a chance...
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Escargot
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If you don't convince me, I'm going to shoot this kitten.
Heh. The National Lampoon.
The following month, as I recall, they had a note on the contents page: "You didn't buy enough copies, so we shot the puppy. You're as guilty as if you had pulled the trigger."
- oldman
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Join in at the scenarios, that is what I'm here for nowadays.
It's well orchestrated and give me the adrenaline rush I want.
The my time in Melee arena is just for my social media fix, flying around in ENY 20+ planes.
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Do we get more than 300 pilots online at any point? It's an arbitrary figure, plucked from memory.
I believe those days are gone
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I wonder how many people would be playing if all the people who don't play because not enough people are playing were playing.
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popeye, Stephen Hawking was working on that VERY PROBLEM when he recently passed away.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FKWZqBdy/mathematics-chalkboards-00310458.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/d7CrZn93)
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I wonder how many people would be playing if all the people who don't play because not enough people are playing were playing.
More, but probably still not enough for those that actually left for this very reason. After all, they went away after the numbers have dropped below a certail level ;)
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It nice outside.. the numbers take a dip every summer. Fishing, traveling, home maintenance and projects, campfires, and scrubbing bugs off the front of my truck are a few things that keep me away.
Hopefully ill get a couple hours tonight or tomorrow. I do still enjoy the game.
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I wonder how many people would be playing if all the people who don't play because not enough people are playing were playing.
I often wonder. So many shoot themselves in the foot. LOL
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It nice outside.. the numbers take a dip every summer. Fishing, traveling, home maintenance and projects, campfires, and scrubbing bugs off the front of my truck are a few things that keep me away.
Hopefully ill get a couple hours tonight or tomorrow. I do still enjoy the game.
Woodworking... Chainsawing logs to a foot long pieces, then chopping them with an axe and piling them up to 7 ft x 5 ft 4" towers (a concrete grid helps a lot there) in this early summer ~85 F heatwave has kept drawn my juices enough not to log in.
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Getting ahead for winter. Yall must have short summers there.
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Escargot
hmmm... snails :aok
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Weirdly, I just logged in to pony up a sub, and my trial period is still going, after ending yesterday.
Either that's a glitch or the Gods of Aces High want to convince me.
So, back into the Hurri II - almost worth the sub for the jet-black paint job!
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I go away for 10 years and suddenly MA numbers are down to 2 figures?
Still weighing up whether to punt on a paid account, as my trial ran out today.
Convince me?
I think it was the current map. The BowlMA needs a lot of players for the map to be fun on all sides. Once the #s die off for the evening it greatly slows down the action on that map and people log off earlier. On good night's we get about 140 into the arena that is actually big fights. IMHO getting the maps just right will bring the #s back to 200. But I really think base resupply needs to be adjusted also.
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I wonder how many people would be playing if all the people who don't play because not enough people are playing were playing.
Like a Friday night just before FSO when the numbers go way up and big warm up fights happen. People go wow how come we don't do this all the time?
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I notice I am not the oldest person in the game, which is unusual. Maybe this game needs a younger new generation of recruits. Social media and AH3 film viewer/fraps is the answer perhap?
My boss is an ex-games journalist, likes IL2 and Warthunder. He'd never heard of Aces High. It just needs circulation to a new generation of players and numbers will fly back up. Content releases help, then you have something new to shout about.
My armchair amateur tuppence.
young people want free stuff-hench world of tanks-war thunder-world of ships etc. etc.
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What are the numbers nowdays?
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I have put tremendous thoughts into this... yes my head hurts
I was watching that documentary / movie on HBO yesterday about the 8th air force during WW2, (had an Uncle fly in that bomber group) incredible footage, sad that so many young men died during those bombing runs. Interesting how many of the crews said that it was more frightening when they were forming up then the rest of the flight, because of so many collisions.
Anyway, it makes a lot of sense to me as someone who grew up in the 60's and 70's that a WW2 "game" would be interesting to those of my age, those people were our heroes, our fathers, uncles, even some grandfathers. Who didn't want to emulate those actions?
WW2 , hell even the Korean and beginnings of the Vietnam conflicts are a very long time ago, very unrelatable to most "kids" ( anyone under 35 to me is a kid :) )
The draw to the game needs to be different, not just that it is a WW2 game, but somehow relates to them on a personal level.
OK, someone figure that out now, beyond my abilities and actually way past my nap time :)
NwBie
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I think you nailed it in that the younger generation has a much smaller interest in WW2 than the older crowd that composes the current core of AH3ers
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Lack of interest in wwII isn't the problem. Thanks to the internet media explosion and the death of TV, today's 20y/o knows more about wwII than my gen did. You don't need to look very far to find current wwII games that are hugely popular.
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I was wondering that too. I haven't been flying much for quite a while. I've been popping in once every few months or so for the past few years to keep the game up to date. I've had systems issues ever since Aces3. Basically, the game became not much fun. Flight models changed over the years, so every time I'd fly, aircraft performance had changed, which messed up all the old counter moves against opposition aircraft. But, I may give the game more time, since I have more time. The low turnout is kind of depressing. But, some of the old small maps brings back memories of numerous fur balls.
I've tried to get some of my Facebook pilot friends to try the game out, but there doesn't seem to be much interest. There's probably just too many other online games and videos as competition. Plus, Aces has quite a long learning curve. You can't learn the game in 2 weeks. It basically takes months to get proficient to where it becomes a fun time.
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When I log in to the Melee arena, I look for a fight.
If I see a big-enough radar-bar, I launch and enjoy my time.
If I don't, I log.
Trying to start a fight - attacking a field - normally ends with a battalion of Wirby /Ostwind /88mm magically enter that field and end your life.
The big maps has to go.
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Today's kids know very little about WWII. With all the tools at hand they just do not care about history. Games for kids today can only be popular if they are not historical and if you can buy being less vulnerable. If it takes any practice or ability, forget it.
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There's this one WW2 game that is hugely popular right now called Hell Let Loose. Basically recreates small tactical battles in online form. Thing is most these games are either pay once and your done, or they are free. The only really big successful games I know with subscription models are games with regular huge content updates, so that way there is something to bring people back. For instance in one game I've played called Elder Scrolls Online. They have these content updates every couple months that open huge regions of this continent up. With new places to explore and enemies to kill and etc,etc.
On top of this no one that popular really does videos on this game except for maybe once in awhile. I've managed a few times to get a few youtuber's to do a free trial version of the game and play it and make videos off of it. The youtuber's typically had anywhere from a few thousand to a few hundred thousands subscribers. Video they did on Aces High maybe got 40,000 views. Some other local youtuber's like Vudu and other folk also do videos of course. Problem is they barely scratch the 1,000 view mark area.
Adding to all of that, the competition for other combat flight games isn't saturated per say, but it is fierce. With games like Warthunder, World of Warplanes, DCS, etc. Warthunder and World of Warplanes are honestly pathetic excuses of a real flight game. It caters to that audience of young kids who need to shoot down something every 10 seconds to maintain their attention span. Then there is DCS which is totally for that extreme gamer zone.
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Warthunder and World of Warplanes are honestly pathetic excuses of a real flight game. It caters to that audience of young kids who need to shoot down something every 10 seconds to maintain their attention span.
From my experience, I'd guesstimate the average age of a WT player being way above the "kids" zone.
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I know it's beating a dead horse here, but with the subscription model in today's gaming atmosphere, it just makes it incredibly difficult to get more people to populate the arena. This game thrives off people being in the MA. The more in the MA, the better the fights. The more sign up. When 2 weekers don't subscribe, they will dissapear and never populate the arena again. Now, I do like how there is a free trial. I did not buy IL2 (yet) because I cannot try out the game. Not going to spend $60 upfront for a game that probably isn't as good as AH with a world map.
I certainly wish someone would open a FFA or Team Death Match in the custom arena on the weekends and evenings during the day. The match play just has too much going on and it's not very exciting fighting a WW1 plane that trails your 6 every fight, or you get ganged by planes flying beyond their capacity. The Match play still IMO, needs an entire revamp for close action quick fights. AH has not succeeded with a quick action arena because they are just too complex and complicated.
Also, I believe when everyone in a 25 miles radius flies the easiest planes. It makes it strenuous to stick around and always chase pansies in there uber rides. Too many easy planes has created timid gameplay and many players just don't have the time for that. This game takes a while to find and get kills, so always chasing runners gets old for some people when they don't have a lot of time to play.
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I asked my 25 year old son some questions about online gaming when I was there at his house for a visit a couple weeks back.
We discussed Aces High and the dropping numbers, what appeals to the players there vs potential new subscribers.
Not gonna relay verbatim what his opinion and viewpoint was, just a summary......mind you, this is a young man that plays for hours, and hours, on end on his console (XBox One) and his desktop.
The games he gets into, and his group of friends his age, are one that take a minimum of "learning". He remembers being at home as a teenager and trying to fly in AH, and the learning curve to be good wasn't "fun" and what he looked for in a game, or looks for now.
The games he plays are ones where he can spawn in and be taken to the action. He selects the mission he is interested in, a group of teammates (many times folks he doesn't even know, which is weird to me), waits for the game to start, then they are transported or moved to an area of action. Kill or explore to their hearts' content til the timer runs out, see who won, rinse and repeat.
Is he typical of players that age? I don't know
I feel that AH and other dedicated purist flight/combat sims are more of a niche market than ever, and older players such as myself (53 years old) are moving on because of lack of interest, new real life issues or challenges.......or just because it's not as fun as we remember it being.
Times, and life, have moved on a lot since AH first came out. I will continue to play as long as I am able, when I am home from these jobs, until HiTech either comes up with something different or he pulls the plug.
Just trivial input.................
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I know it's beating a dead horse here, but with the subscription model in today's gaming atmosphere, it just makes it incredibly difficult to get more people to populate the arena. This game thrives off people being in the MA. The more in the MA, the better the fights. The more sign up. When 2 weekers don't subscribe, they will dissapear and never populate the arena again. Now, I do like how there is a free trial. I did not buy IL2 (yet) because I cannot try out the game. Not going to spend $60 upfront for a game that probably isn't as good as AH with a world map.
I certainly wish someone would open a FFA or Team Death Match in the custom arena on the weekends and evenings during the day. The match play just has too much going on and it's not very exciting fighting a WW1 plane that trails your 6 every fight, or you get ganged by planes flying beyond their capacity. The Match play still IMO, needs an entire revamp for close action quick fights. AH has not succeeded with a quick action arena because they are just too complex and complicated.
Also, I believe when everyone in a 25 miles radius flies the easiest planes. It makes it strenuous to stick around and always chase pansies in there uber rides. Too many easy planes has created timid gameplay and many players just don't have the time for that. This game takes a while to find and get kills, so always chasing runners gets old for some people when they don't have a lot of time to play.
No one is going to make a FREE game that is worth playing. The makers are making money on people buying skill/magic.
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Just had a thought whilst reading this...and over the years with the same type of posts... and this just came to me...
This is/used to be a game of mates having a bit of a laugh together ... you know...squads.... no different from the way of today except for the spawn in aspect...however the monthly subscription is I would say the stopper for most...that number is too big for most these days.... Now way back when the answer to the well it's $15 dollars a month...was yeah but that is only 50c a day..... so working on that...
some how...don't know how...but charge by the day... play aces high... only 50c for a day.... this gen has cards plugged into accounts and little increments like this confuses them.... they think they are playing basically for free.... check this game out...it is only 50c to play.... before you know it they may have racked up 30 days.... there is no feeling of obligation due to the fact you have paid for a month.... it is under a dollar and they have no real concept of money at that lower of a pricing index.... The fact that you come in and don't have to pay for the next plane in the tier... (obviously there may be some crying about the perky planes....but we'll deal with that another time....) will be a draw card in itself.... they will think they are getting a great deal.....
Not sure if it is possible... but you log in and a pop up comes up with the last four digits of the card associated with the game/login .... do you accept.... for us that want to pay the monthly keep the same... perhaps have to offer the same thing in pop up form... and if there is any who still do it by money order.... I don't know... maybe join the 21st century hahahahaha
PS... if this came to fruition.... you may want to delete this post.... they might find it and be upset when they find out they have been duped by their own stupidity and lack of logic hahahaha
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Today's kids know very little about WWII. With all the tools at hand they just do not care about history. Games for kids today can only be popular if they are not historical and if you can buy being less vulnerable. If it takes any practice or ability, forget it.
You mean like Post Scriptum? Battlefield V? COD:WWII?
WWII theme is not the problem.
And the "Young'n nowadays just got no gumption like we did and just want arcade easy-mode" is also misguided.
:cheers:
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No one is going to make a FREE game that is worth playing. The makers are making money on people buying skill/magic.
I don't want it to be free. Just needs more promotion to get players in the game. A free spit5 would do wonders, especially to get Europeans and britians interested. You know most of them would buy a sub eventually. Filling up the arena is what creates the best fights. More fights equals more subs. It's a chain reaction.
You mean like Post Scriptum? Battlefield V? COD:WWII?
WWII theme is not the problem.
And the "Young'n nowadays just got no gumption like we did and just want arcade easy-mode" is also misguided.
:cheers:
Agree 100%. They just want a fight.
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I call it like I see it. Not imagining things.
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I don't want it to be free. Just needs more promotion to get players in the game. A free spit5 would do wonders, especially to get Europeans and britians interested. You know most of them would buy a sub eventually. Filling up the arena is what creates the best fights. More fights equals more subs. It's a chain reaction.
Agree 100%. They just want a fight.
we would have an arena with subscribers choosing to cancel and fly spit5s
semp
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A free spit5 would do wonders
Clever thought. I like it.
- oldman
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we would have an arena with subscribers choosing to cancel and fly spit5s
semp
Free planes get people in the game...so what if some stop paying...they are leaving anyway...
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Obviously we have no idea how financially HTC doing, but if they want to get more people into the game they going to have to reduce the cost and maybe add sub levels for 6months and 12months subs. Something like:
1 month: $12.99
6 months: $10.99 per month
12 months: $7.99 per month
Also it seems that the cost of the game is hidden in the FAQ and not actually advertised clearly on the website? The issue with this game is it takes longer than a 2 week free trial to learn pretty much anything and then you dont feel like dumping down $14.95 to continue being cannon fodder for 15-20year experienced players.
Hell HTC said that most new players log off and never come back after less than an hour. Maybe there needs to be a training arena offline where players i taught the basics, with an AI plane to follow, popups to tell them what buttons to press and drones to shoot at, or bomb before they head off into the "war". Right now new pilots are like the Japanese and German pilots in 1945, almost no training and expected to fight straight away.
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They are nothing like the real folks back in 45.
No comparison at all between someone with the will to fight and give their life and someone who will not play a GAME for more than an hour.
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Obviously we have no idea how financially HTC doing, but if they want to get more people into the game they going to have to reduce the cost and maybe add sub levels for 6months and 12months subs. Something like:
1 month: $12.99
6 months: $10.99 per month
12 months: $7.99 per month
Also it seems that the cost of the game is hidden in the FAQ and not actually advertised clearly on the website? The issue with this game is it takes longer than a 2 week free trial to learn pretty much anything and then you dont feel like dumping down $14.95 to continue being cannon fodder for 15-20year experienced players.
Hell HTC said that most new players log off and never come back after less than an hour. Maybe there needs to be a training arena offline where players i taught the basics, with an AI plane to follow, popups to tell them what buttons to press and drones to shoot at, or bomb before they head off into the "war". Right now new pilots are like the Japanese and German pilots in 1945, almost no training and expected to fight straight away.
And that is because for most "gamers" these days that is a deal breaker. The same happened with the Steam release. Steamers saw FREE GAME! and then found out it was a subscription after the first two weeks and poof! all gone. Many said that it was "false advertising" saying the game is "free".
Gaming has changed over the years and HTC hasnt done anything to change with it. For years that was fine. They were still getting enough influx to cover those leaving but over the last couple years I dont think they are getting enough new subscriptions to cover those that are leaving.
I hope they are working some changes to help bring the game into the modern gaming era.
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I call it like I see it. Not imagining things.
If you think the game being WWII based is the root of the problem, then I think you are misguided. It doesn't require a WWII historian to enjoy a fun game even if you haven't memorized the squadrons and operational dates of every aircraft. In fact, the game should be a vehicle to learn about WWWII, if it's fun to play.
Graphics
Pacing
Price
monetization model
There are plenty of young players who would be fine with WWII as various recent successful AAA titles have proven.
And there are plenty of young players who are fine with high skill gameplay.
Look at the millions out there who have copies IL2 out here. There are plenty of people out there with an interest in hi-fidelity WWII sims, if all the other factors satisfy them.
:cheers:
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we would have an arena with subscribers choosing to cancel and fly spit5s
semp
They would resubscribe by the end of the week. I know it would be a great way to possibly fill up the arena a little more, along with the off hours during Euro/Asia times. A spit5 or 109f would be great for noobs while not being so good of a plane to dominate, that they will crave and happily pay the $15 to fly something else once they get a better grasp of the game.
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If you think the game being WWII based is the root of the problem, then I think you are misguided. It doesn't require a WWII historian to enjoy a fun game even if you haven't memorized the squadrons and operational dates of every aircraft. In fact, the game should be a vehicle to learn about WWWII, if it's fun to play.
Graphics
Pacing
Price
monetization model
There are plenty of young players who would be fine with WWII as various recent successful AAA titles have proven.
And there are plenty of young players who are fine with high skill gameplay.
Look at the millions out there who have copies IL2 out here. There are plenty of people out there with an interest in hi-fidelity WWII sims, if all the other factors satisfy them.
:cheers:
So ignore my whole post a pick a piece of it.
My post as a whole stands.
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So most games I have played with a subscription model or a games as a service model. Have something very particular that Aces High doesn't have as much now. That being regular content updates. Something in the range of every 3-6 months. When games I play though like Battlefield, Elder Scrolls Online, GTA5, etc. They come out with huge updates. I mean like an entire new area of the map to explore or a whole new story line to complete, etc.
This brings people who stopped playing the game for awhile a reason to come back, since there is something completely new to do and explore. Some of these games as well also have mod support. So instead of the company having to pay for the development of a free or paid content update. The players themselves who know about creating models, and textures, sound design, etc. Can make their own stuff. We already have that to some extent with sound packs and terrain editing, etc. It would be an interesting idea though for the company to perhaps think about letting other people make their own aircraft who know how to do it.
It's a bit of stretch but if the creation tools that the development team uses to make aircraft was made available to others. Then the community itself could produce its own content for the game. Of course it would be limited to something like a private server or a test server. It would allow to a certain extent to give a reason for players to log on.
The point is though player made mods and regular content produced by the game developers at regular intervals is the blood that keeps games alive. Some games are entirely only kept alive with a huge player base because of player made mods that add different things into the game. Like with Fallout or Skyrim there's literally a new mod everyday you can add characters, quest, weapons, houses, etc, etc. While other games like GTA 5 have been kept alive with the release of small things like cars in between their larger content updates. For example the next huge update for GTA is a Casino that will release in July.
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They are nothing like the real folks back in 45.
No comparison at all between someone with the will to fight and give their life and someone who will not play a GAME for more than an hour.
i think you missed the point. I know this is a game...
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So most games I have played with a subscription model or a games as a service model. Have something very particular that Aces High doesn't have as much now. That being regular content updates. Something in the range of every 3-6 months. When games I play though like Battlefield, Elder Scrolls Online, GTA5, etc. They come out with huge updates. I mean like an entire new area of the map to explore or a whole new story line to complete, etc.
This brings people who stopped playing the game for awhile a reason to come back, since there is something completely new to do and explore. Some of these games as well also have mod support. So instead of the company having to pay for the development of a free or paid content update. The players themselves who know about creating models, and textures, sound design, etc. Can make their own stuff. We already have that to some extent with sound packs and terrain editing, etc. It would be an interesting idea though for the company to perhaps think about letting other people make their own aircraft who know how to do it.
It's a bit of stretch but if the creation tools that the development team uses to make aircraft was made available to others. Then the community itself could produce its own content for the game. Of course it would be limited to something like a private server or a test server. It would allow to a certain extent to give a reason for players to log on.
The point is though player made mods and regular content produced by the game developers at regular intervals is the blood that keeps games alive. Some games are entirely only kept alive with a huge player base because of player made mods that add different things into the game. Like with Fallout or Skyrim there's literally a new mod everyday you can add characters, quest, weapons, houses, etc, etc. While other games like GTA 5 have been kept alive with the release of small things like cars in between their larger content updates. For example the next huge update for GTA is a Casino that will release in July.
Just what "content" do you want? Every flight is different. This is not just a track you have to stay on. You are not limited to a small area. A few more planes can be added. Some may get used.
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New planes are like weapons and new maps are like new levels in those games
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Just what "content" do you want? Every flight is different. This is not just a track you have to stay on. You are not limited to a small area. A few more planes can be added. Some may get used.
New content, refresh the game. Flights are different, fights are different, but basically it all unfolds the same way.
A new plane even if it turns into a hanger queen generates some excitement. A new map does the same. We use to get planes a few times a year. At the rate we are going I dont really hold out any hope that we will see any new ones for a long time.
Bustr is the only one building maps. Even with all the time he has put into them and all his experience it still takes a ton of time to turn out a new map.
Even the talk of a new plane generates more interest. The vote to get the B29 and all the speculation of how it would work in the MA and such was on everyones minds for months and months. Did it bring more players into the game? I dont know, but Im sure it helped KEEP players in the game.
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There are a lot of planes to fly in so many situations. Terrains come out every so often. Lot of room on them. Not like most games where it is very limited.
So many complain about terrains that I am surprised anyone wants to build one. Very little appreciation. They still want someone else making them though.
When you have a tiny realm it is fairly easy to put out so called updates.
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I think something that many players are missing is the feel of being part of a larger war effort where even a new guy can accomplish a minor task but still help accomplish an objective.
When I first started playing something as simple as killing the radar and pulling away defenders to the deck and away from the town as a mission came in right behind gave me a "purpose" in AH even though I'd rarely get a kill. Or flying as bomber escort and tying up interceptors even if unable to kill any of them was rewarding as it gave a WW2 vibe. In many ways I miss those days
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So ignore my whole post a pick a piece of it.
My post as a whole stands.
I'm not trying to ignore or pick apart your post Shuffler. I'm just pushing back on the common idea that the evaporation of players from 700/night peak to the current paltry numbers is just caused by those lazy kids nowadays that don't have an interest in WWII. You aren't the only one who has proposed that theory. There are many around here that cling to that idea. I'm not trying to pick on you in particular.
I understand the comfort in that way of thinking. It absolves the need for any scary changes. It justifies keeping things just the way that always have been. Nothing needs to be improved or changed; its just the fault of those damn lazy kids!
At the current rate, I suspect AH will be well under 100 players/night in two years if the trajectory has not been altered.
Do you expect that trajectory will magically alter itself without any significant changes? Or are you just resigned to that outcome?
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<< At the current rate, I suspect AH will be well under 100 players/night in two years if the trajectory has not been altered. >>
It's pretty much at that level now and I don't see the possibility of a turnaround unless another gaming company, or equity investor, steps up and does a major makeover of the game. How likely is that to happen? Electronic Arts bought out News Corp, which owned Kesmai (Air Warrior) and did what with the game? Some bean counter decided the numbers (read:dollars) just weren't there. EA shuttered the doors and Hitech Creations had a sudden bump of several hundred new subscribers. Add to that the dawn of the new internet age, and player numbers continued to climb until 2009-2010. Numbers plateaued for awhile and in the last few years, have slowly begun to dwindle. Why they left, where they went...it's been discussed and enumerated to death.
Where we go from here, only Dale knows for sure but my guess is that HTC and the players are in a slow, steady holding pattern until the time comes when the overhead and expenses outstrip revenue. I for one will continue to pitch in my $14.95 @ mo until the lights go out. Let's just play for fun, enjoy the beatings (received or administered) and perhaps say a prayer for a disrupter to come along and shake things up in a good way.
<S>
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Last 2 days I have had some good fights with Stig and several others. Great fun.
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Last 2 days I have had some good fights with Stig and several others. Great fun.
The point is,your already hooked as are a number of us. The game needs something to bring in new players, and something to help KEEP new players. If things dont change its only going to be us players that are already hooked and Im sad to say, we seem to be dying off.
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I came here. You came here. We stayed. New folks don't come here. New folks don't stay.
They are far different..... even if some think they are not.
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I came here. You came here. We stayed. New folks don't come here. New folks don't stay.
They are far different..... even if some think they are not.
And back then we were getting new planes and vehicles often. Now we are not and we dont get new players and we dont keep new players. Could there be a connection? I'd say yes, but not the only issue.
If you have a nice hotel on the beech and you never renovate the rooms and it gets all run down, are you going to get new people in? Are people going to stay? Nope. With social media once the word gets out that its crap you have to work 3 times as hard to get them back. The same goes for the game. Its getting run down and has had a lot of bad press on social media. They have to work that much harder now to get players in and to keep them
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The point is,your already hooked as are a number of us. The game needs something to bring in new players, and something to help KEEP new players. If things dont change its only going to be us players that are already hooked and Im sad to say, we seem to be dying off.
WWII online with their basic F2P population seem to draw a lot of new blood. They do acknowledge that some subscribers that like the equipment from early war and drop the subscription to continue to play free is an ongoing pain. But, the pain is offset by the many that play free, draw friends in and quite a few bite the subscription bullet to get the candy ie:mid-late war equipment.
From a company perspective I guess the ratio of free players and bandwidth impact vs cost would be a number crunching issue the game owners would have to keep a check on. Whether that would work for HT would be a poser for him if he ever deigned to try a different F2P model.
It seems the entry into steam started well until the F2P players ran out of 2 weeks and dropped it since the only other option was the full subscription. WW2OL seems to hold on to their green players longer which bolsters game play, but no income until the player becomes so hooked they subscribe. Their basic $5 monthly sub and a premium $15 helps too. Not saying that model needs to be tried, but if things die off it is an option to play with. Seems like there is a constant call for longer F2P for AH to try to hook them longer.
The learning curve for both AH and WW2 platforms is quite difficult and benefit by the longer free play time to learn.
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Last 2 days I have had some good fights with Stig and several others. Great fun.
Hey I had a great time in the last scenario. Most fun I've had in years.
And both those anecdotes are completely irrelevant to the continued player evaporation.
I guess you are trying to say it doesn't matter if the numbers keep falling because you can still sometimes run into a good fight, but that is sad, wishful thinking. The good fights get harder to find and sustain as the population continues to dwindle. At some critical colony collapse trip point all the rest will leave at the same time, or HTC will just pull the plug. Then you will have no good fights.
I not saying that to say all is doomed. I'm saying problems seldom get solved by people sticking their heads in the sand and angrily denying any problem exists.
The players haven't changed so much as the competitive landscape has. There are soooo many bids for their limited gaming time and budget. Companies have to compete for that share much harder now than they did in 1999. Companies have to be flexible and agile to keep up. Companies that refuse to adapt, wither.
The Market's preferences are always in a state of flux, and it's never the Market's job to adjust it self to your product. It's the other way around. If you want the business, that is.
:cheers:
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My boss is an ex-games journalist, likes IL2 and Warthunder. He'd never heard of Aces High. It just needs circulation to a new generation of players and numbers will fly back up. Content releases help, then you have something new to shout about.
Your Boss may be young and not particularly focused on games with the ancient subject matter, NP! I'm interested in your idea of spreading the word among younger participants. What about you and he comes up with a concept or two towards this goal. I for one would be willing to generate content, images or create some web ads if there was some enthusiasm toward the project. Frankly, I've seen this before over in Warbirds and it never got off the ground because seasoned players didn't want to be bothered with newbies or were just plain lazy and would not engage. This all with approval from the AH management could help. :azn:
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ROTFLMAO
The game is good. I really can't remember a time when lots of planes were added. Early on they added a plane here and there as we had so few.
Just so you know.... nothing we say here is going to change things. HT has to make the decisions. We are along for the ride. Enjoy the moment and fly. Let HT worry about the game.... we pay him for that.
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I really can't remember a time when lots of planes were added. Early on they added a plane here and there as we had so few.
In tour 1 AH had 17 planes. Following chart shows the number of additions per tour over the years:
(https://i.imgur.com/rmyRIdf.png)
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In tour 1 AH had 17 planes. Following chart shows the number of additions per tour over the years:
(https://i.imgur.com/rmyRIdf.png)
Well done as usual.
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I came here. You came here. We stayed. New folks don't come here. New folks don't stay.
They are far different..... even if some think they are not.
so you are happy playing with only 20 other people?
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so you are happy playing with only 20 other people?
For game health it needs to meet certain numbers.
To answer your question.... I can only fight so many at a time.
I am not worried about whether or not there are people in another area.
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Go VR...It is wild!
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Go VR...It is wild!
And expensive :)
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Look at the number of responses to my post looking for a squad to fly with. I also got one PM. And you guys really wonder why people don't stay...
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Look at the number of responses to my post looking for a squad to fly with. I also got one PM. And you guys really wonder why people don't stay...
:eek: Only 1? Eh, still true though :rock
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Look at the number of responses to my post looking for a squad to fly with. I also got one PM. And you guys really wonder why people don't stay...
have you tried flying with other squads? joining one is should not be your goal. joining one that fits your style of play or sense of humor should be your goal. you can join the pigs anytime on our channel. I'm a pig but sometimes I'll be asked to join other squads vox and I do.
semp
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Look at the number of responses to my post looking for a squad to fly with. I also got one PM. And you guys really wonder why people don't stay...
Generally you fly and find yourself with certain groups often. That is when you may be invited or ask. Sorry if your feelings are hurt. Maybe toughen up and try a little.
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And expensive :)
But getting more affordable.
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Generally you fly and find yourself with certain groups often. That is when you may be invited or ask. Sorry if your feelings are hurt. Maybe toughen up and try a little.
SHUFFLER. :eek:...True there are mostly whiners these days...but I think you were a bit harsh in this one! Also true...Most players dont have a BBS account, so contacts would be stunted by soliciting here. I didnt take away the feeling he was whining though. For me it was more an observation on current state of the player base. Very little team work these days, unless you are in a Squad. Hes been playing(maybe not active for the majority of time) since '99. True, he shouldnt take it personal that I was the only response to his thread. Its just the current environment we play in. You know me...not trolling one bit, and not trying to pick a fight. I find myself feeling the same Knee Jerk responses as you do..so not judging...just offering a different POV. Hell, for that matter...its sad that someone would need to qualify their replies, like I feel the need to do(again NOT YOU, its more a knee jerk). Folk seem a bit Brittle/Triggered easy, these days(NOT YOU, as we agree on most every thing...except the love of the Spitfire :kiss:). His observation does raise an Glaring Red Flag IMO
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as for VR being expensive - AH is the best VR game - cost/effectiveness wise. You can buy 1st gen VR set on aftermarket for very reasonable price, you don't need much more then 1070 card, heck i think 1060 might even suffice. And you're all set for VR. It won't run DCS/IL2 well, but for AH it will blow your socks off.
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. You can buy 1st gen VR set on aftermarket for very reasonable price, you don't need much more then 1070 card, heck i think 1060 might even suffice. And you're all set for VR.
I can get a used Oculus Rift for about 300€, a used 1070 would apparently cost at least 240€, that's 550€ already. But I would possibly need a new CPU too, which also means new mainboard and ram -> getting awfully close to ~800€ again.
All just to play in VR, for my system still can take every game I have thrown at it at 1080p in 2D.
So yea, it's still very expensive.
I wonder how may AH pilots are using VR? I'd guess the percentage being quite above average, but I have not the slightest idea how much that really is. :headscratch:
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It's funny, I flew non Vr the other day.. and the visuals were so much better. I think for gv or buff missions I'd prefer 2d but overall the immersion in vr makes fighter missions so much more fun.
Snailman. Move to the US. Way cheaper parts ;)
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I don't want it to be free. Just needs more promotion to get players in the game. A free spit5 would do wonders, especially to get Europeans and britians interested. You know most of them would buy a sub eventually. Filling up the arena is what creates the best fights. More fights equals more subs. It's a chain reaction.
Agree 100%. They just want a fight.
2019 World Population: 7,713,468,100
Examples:
United States - 329,086,777
Russia - 145,873,568
Japan - 126,856,561
Germany - 83,520,421
United Kingdom - 67,534,328
France - 65,131,508
From close to 8 billion people on this planet, we should be able somehow to populate AH with 300 per day.
How to attract them? The same way all other products in the world do, Advertise!
Strategy: Advertise to like-minded people such as:
The age group of 35 and above. People who are most likely to be aware of WW2, have lives that are somewhat settled and have time to spend in AH. Chasing younger participation is just to difficult.
Groups, Clubs, Associations that have an interest in aviation.
Examples:
Army Air Forces Historical Association
Air Force Association
92nd USAAF-USAF Memorial Association
325th Fighter Group WWII - “Checkertail Clan" Association
WW2 Fighter Group Associations
R/C Flying Clubs
WW2 Aircraft modelers
WW2 A/C Demonstration teams
WW2 Aircraft Museums
Contacting these type of groups will lead to more possibilities.
If they don't know about Aces High they won't come!
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SHUFFLER. :eek:...True there are mostly whiners these days...but I think you were a bit harsh in this one! Also true...Most players dont have a BBS account, so contacts would be stunted by soliciting here. I didnt take away the feeling he was whining though. For me it was more an observation on current state of the player base. Very little team work these days, unless you are in a Squad. Hes been playing(maybe not active for the majority of time) since '99. True, he shouldnt take it personal that I was the only response to his thread. Its just the current environment we play in. You know me...not trolling one bit, and not trying to pick a fight. I find myself feeling the same Knee Jerk responses as you do..so not judging...just offering a different POV. Hell, for that matter...its sad that someone would need to qualify their replies, like I feel the need to do(again NOT YOU, its more a knee jerk). Folk seem a bit Brittle/Triggered easy, these days(NOT YOU, as we agree on most every thing...except the love of the Spitfire :kiss:). His observation does raise an Glaring Red Flag IMO
You hurt my feelings....
:rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :aok
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I can get a used Oculus Rift for about 300€, a used 1070 would apparently cost at least 240€, that's 550€ already. But I would possibly need a new CPU too, which also means new mainboard and ram -> getting awfully close to ~800€ again.
All just to play in VR, for my system still can take every game I have thrown at it at 1080p in 2D.
So yea, it's still very expensive.
I wonder how may AH pilots are using VR? I'd guess the percentage being quite above average, but I have not the slightest idea how much that really is. :headscratch:
if you can do 1080 no problem, i doubt you need much more then VR set. What hardware do you have ?
I'm running on i5-3570k with 12gb of ram and 1080. 1080 might be an overkill, i have a funny feeling that 1060 could do just fine. In that case you might fit below 500 Euro.
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if you can do 1080 no problem, i doubt you need much more then VR set. What hardware do you have ?
I'm running on i5-3570k with 12gb of ram and 1080. 1080 might be an overkill, i have a funny feeling that 1060 could do just fine. In that case you might fit below 500 Euro.
That's 1080p not a GTX 1080. :D
I'm running a I5-2500 (end of the road for my old MB) / GTX 950 combo
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well, that is pretty old. I just trashed one with that processor. i figured it wasn't worth trying to keep it alive any longer. My daugher was using it. Replaced it with ryzen 2600 and 1060. Was pretty cheap overall and came out very nice and fast machine.
VR or no VR i think you're looking at an upgrade soon down the road.
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well, that is pretty old. I just trashed one with that processor. i figured it wasn't worth trying to keep it alive any longer. My daugher was using it. Replaced it with ryzen 2600 and 1060. Was pretty cheap overall and came out very nice and fast machine.
VR or no VR i think you're looking at an upgrade soon down the road.
Those work great as a Media Server. I hope you did not truly trash the machine. :)
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VR or no VR i think you're looking at an upgrade soon down the road.
https://www.businessinsider.com/ways-to-make-money-from-medical-research-and-donations-2018-3 (https://www.businessinsider.com/ways-to-make-money-from-medical-research-and-donations-2018-3)
Donating a testicle seems to pay pretty good. I'm not necessarily recommending that, just sayin...
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well, that is pretty old. I just trashed one with that processor. i figured it wasn't worth trying to keep it alive any longer. My daugher was using it. Replaced it with ryzen 2600 and 1060. Was pretty cheap overall and came out very nice and fast machine.
VR or no VR i think you're looking at an upgrade soon down the road.
As a matter of fact, this is my recently upgraded machine :D
At the moment it still works great. As said, I have no problems playing anything that I tried in 1080p so far. AH, Eve online, WT, Elite:Dangerous, Cities Skylines, ETS2 & ATS... Especially the single thread performance of the i5 2500 is still quite impressive.
I may be able to do another GPU upgrade next year (if really necessary, that is). I plan a new CPU in 2021 (need new MB and RAM for that, and maybe it's better to get a new PSU by then as well).
By the way, this afternoon I tried to remember what my gaming system consisted of in the past 20 years. Most of it I could only remember this well because I searched this very BBS for old tech posts of mine :rofl
(https://i.imgur.com/i3lwc4J.png)
(Before that it gets even more obscure: PET 2001, HP/86B, Armstrad 6128...)
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heheheh i guess you have a rather sensible strategy when it comes to hardware. I personally like to buy newer toys. Some of those names bring back memories :) I'm Commodore 128, Pentium 60 (yes, not 66. That one had a cpu soltered to the board - packard bell) then AMD K6-300 - what a wonderful overclocking machine that was. Pentium Duo was next.... can't remember.
First video card was an SVGA card so that i could play 1280x1080 strategy game called V4Victory. Spent like 120$ on it in 1993 or so.....
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I personally like to buy newer toys.
So do I. I just don't have the funds :D
The PII/233 ine early 98 was the only time (I think) I ever was really up to date. :old:
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people talking about different squads, also try different countries, with numbers as low as they are flip to another side (with lowest numbers) and fly with people you used to shoot down
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Well, I subbed.
I suppose my alarm was because I've always thought this is the best combat flightsim. I left warbirds for AH on a recommendation and was bowled over.
It seems unjust that it isn't packed to the rafters every day.
Anyway ,thanks for all the posts, and my old squaddie Copprhed says VR is the way to go.
And this was, IMO, the best solution to getting those numbers back up.
Strategy: Advertise to like-minded people such as:
The age group of 35 and above. People who are most likely to be aware of WW2, have lives that are somewhat settled and have time to spend in AH. Chasing younger participation is just to difficult.
Groups, Clubs, Associations that have an interest in aviation.
Examples:
Army Air Forces Historical Association
Air Force Association
92nd USAAF-USAF Memorial Association
325th Fighter Group WWII - “Checkertail Clan" Association
WW2 Fighter Group Associations
R/C Flying Clubs
WW2 Aircraft modelers
WW2 A/C Demonstration teams
WW2 Aircraft Museums
Contacting these type of groups will lead to more possibilities.
If they don't know about Aces High they won't come!
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I've always thought this is the best combat flightsim.
It was for a long time.
I've watched many ideas and suggestions be floated here for years hoping for some sort of effective change. As you can see it has not happened. I feel the game abandoned.
The game brought a lot of folks good times. VR is the best done of any flight sim I've played (of the 3 I've played). Titanic Tuesday might not ever be beat for numbers in one server for a flight sim. FSO was always great fun.. WT, although visually stunning, is no comparison to the game play AH had.
My bug to fly is biting again. This business model seems to be working from a numbers stand point although I have not played the game.
https://steamcharts.com/app/223750
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You hurt my feelings....
:rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :aok
WHEW!!! Didnt want to up.......wait a minute :uhoh Really? Its a trap aint it :headscratch: This time...I BRING THE SALT :aok :rofl
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So do I. I just don't have the funds :D
The PII/233 ine early 98 was the only time (I think) I ever was really up to date. :old:
AMD just kicked Intel in the nuts. Expect prices to drop significantly. Might be a good time to build something new in next couple of months.