Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Wanker on January 03, 2001, 01:08:00 PM

Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Wanker on January 03, 2001, 01:08:00 PM
I can think of a good, solid compromise in the latest "Radar" wars on this BBS: Go to sector counters only in the MA.

As the radar currently stands, with the "dots" enabled, it's too easy to determine whether that dot ahead at 2:00 is friendly or enemy. And that actually reduces the thrill factor for me. In fact, the dots take away any motivation to check your SA on a regular basis. And I think we all know that SA(situational awareness) was probably the key ingredient between life & death in real WW2 air combat.

By removing the dots and leaving the radar with sector counters, both sides should be happy. The sector counters make it easy for the instant gratification crowd to find a fight, and the lack of dots will make everyone pay more attention to their SA.

In my mind, this small change would be an enhancement to the already fabulous "gamulation" that is Aces High.

Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Mayhem on January 03, 2001, 01:09:00 PM
I got a better solution they can all go back to warbirds!

------------------
Mayhem 33rd S.G.
"Destination anywhere, so far gone, I'm already there!"

[This message has been edited by Mayhem (edited 01-03-2001).]
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: NHFoxtro on January 03, 2001, 01:14:00 PM
I can live with just the bars.We would definatly see more fighter patrols and escorts for the Bomber Groups. It would make it a bit more realistic.

------------------
NHFoxtro
-XO-NightHawks
 (http://heathblair.tripod.com/nhcouger.gif)
NightHawks "WE BAD"

[This message has been edited by NHFoxtro (edited 01-03-2001).]
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Ripsnort on January 03, 2001, 01:15:00 PM
While I agree with doing away with the DOT DAR, I'm not sure if this makes good business sense since a newbie coming online may end up getting jumped alot, being shy of SA, and thus quite disgusted after a bit.  
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: NHFoxtro on January 03, 2001, 01:19:00 PM
What about making it like an easy mode for the Newbees Rip? After Three weeks it gets lifted. Naw that wouldn't work either. They could give the information to the experience pilots to easy.

[This message has been edited by NHFoxtro (edited 01-03-2001).]
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: AKDejaVu on January 03, 2001, 01:24:00 PM
I'd rather see dar stay the same over friendly bases... but change these things:

This topic has been getting alot of discussion on the gameplay feedback/issues (http://www.hitechcreations.com/cgi-bin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Gameplay+feedback/issues&number=8&DaysPrune=20&LastLogin=) forum:
 http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/Forum8/HTML/000959.html (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/Forum8/HTML/000959.html)

AKDejaVu

[This message has been edited by AKDejaVu (edited 01-03-2001).]
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Midnight on January 03, 2001, 01:29:00 PM
I think you need the radar markers to help you know the status of things. For example:

You see a dot, so you radio asking the DOT at position x.x.x to identify himself. You get no response so you fly miles off course to check it out and finally find it is a freindly who either didn't care to respond, or was AFK for whatever reason. Now you are upset for no good reason other than a feindly was not responding.

In RL, that could happen becuase of damaged radios, etc. but this is a game, and the radar is a playability enhancer.

------------------
"Wing up, Get kills, Be happy"

Midnight
13th TAS
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Mayhem on January 03, 2001, 01:39:00 PM
I think Dar should be tied to each base and tuned into like a radio channel. I think it should have a defenant range to the type of base. I think ships should be able to see other ships on dar. i think the map should have more detail. I've heard the idea of awacs. awacs was an experiment from WWII using a tbf avenger and some wildcats (this was the when Butch o'hare was killed). Radar plays a crucial role (look at the battle of britian.) and should be left in the game as well as the map. real modern radar can tell you Altitude bearing range and air craft type. It can tell you if a plane is climbing or diving or even if out of control (spining). Ive used ground radar and even as a silly little grunt I can tell troups from vehicles and can tell troup movements ususally within 5 people. and it's primitive.
even WWII radar could usually tell contact size number bearing altitude and range (and if the operator was good enough with it was friend or foe). they only way we can truly do that in came as have the game constantly tell you where the contacts are what they are and where there going. and iam sorry even a 1ghz computer can't handle that on a t1.

I personally hate the way you can turn off a countries entire radar with a single bombing mission.
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Wanker on January 03, 2001, 01:39:00 PM
Yes Rip, but how easy do we need to make things for a newbie? I remember in the early days of WB, they had a newbie arena, where new folks could go in and safely learn how to fly online, without fear of getting shot down(killshooter was enabled for everyone). You know how long I stayed in there? About 10 minutes, just long enough to learn how to take off!  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)

My point is, even newbies want to get into the fray ASAP, and dying is part of learning how to live. Sure, dots may help the newbie in the short term, but they detract from the game for everyone in the long run. Newbies have to learn SA sometime, might as well be right from the beginning.

Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: ygsmilo on January 03, 2001, 01:41:00 PM
My thoughts:

No sector bars.

Dot radar for each field of 25 mile radius, dot radar for cv groups of 20 miles.

or,

Do away with HQ based radar and have 2 or 4 early warning type radars on country boundries that could be knocked out if enemy achieves local air superiorty, thus enabling low level attacks.

------------------
Milo
3./JG2
"Swager's Angels"
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Wanker on January 03, 2001, 01:47:00 PM
 
Quote
I think you need the radar markers to help you know the status of things. For example...

Midnight, this is not a slam on you, but that's precisely my point. I don't want to know every bit of information! I realize that certain adjustments in realism are neccessary to make this gamulation fun for everyone, but IMHO, the dots give out too much info.  I hope the adjustments to come in the future don't get us to the point of having air spawning because "it takes too long to take off and grab alt".

This move toward instant gratification can be taken too far. This is one case where I think it has been.



[This message has been edited by banana (edited 01-03-2001).]
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Eagler on January 03, 2001, 01:49:00 PM
Coming from FA, I can't speak for AW or WB but FA had a "Rookie" room. Once you earned a certain rank or experience you couldn't fly in it anymore. I see AH having to go towards that direction. An arena where someone just starting out in AH can get some air time and kills with being blasted to bits by the likes of Torque, Cit, Rip, (place name of pilot here). As the membership has grown and will continue to grow, I think they need a room for the more experienced ppl. One with just bars and no dar dots or with dots but no icons or decreased range icons, etc, etc.. options that would appeal to a pilot with better skills than the newbie. What's to it, another server? Couldn't they share the con as the ppl would be split between them. Personally I think the training room is a waste. Don't think I have spent 5 min in it total. (Maybe I should  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif))Turn that into a newbie arena, give us advance settings in an arena the newbie could graduate to. Rotate the dar, icon, dot, whatever settings to keep it interesting and challenging.

Eagler
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Westy on January 03, 2001, 01:49:00 PM
 I'd be happy for regular radar in the tower and sector bars in flight.

 I rather like the thought of a com channel, a regular radio channel, tunable to some HQ frequency that via a dot (.grnctrl ) command we can query for vectors towards reported enemy contacts.  A simple answer along the lines of "enemy reported bearing 325 (compass hdg from your current position) at angels 15" would suffice. Use of the country or local channel to ask folks on the scene or in the tower could garner more specifics beyond that.

-Westy
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Wanker on January 03, 2001, 01:54:00 PM
Good ideas Eagler, but the AH player base isn't large enough for that yet. I think these decisions(for right now, anyway) have to be made with the single MA in mind.
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Mayhem on January 03, 2001, 01:58:00 PM
I think inflight DAR is Fine. Ide like a few more options with it such as radar chanels. I wish people would stop crying about it and asking for it to be romoved. If they don't like it they can always go back to warbirds. I for one don't want this to be warbirds!

------------------
Mayhem 33rd S.G.
"Destination anywhere, so far gone, I'm already there!"
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Dos Equis on January 03, 2001, 02:03:00 PM
You can think of it this way:

Having such an AWACS like radar makes destroying it that much more valuable to your cause.

As it stands now, most squad night planning should have the destruction of Radar as step 1 to most missions.

I think the time it stays down should be increased.

X2
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Ripsnort on January 03, 2001, 02:08:00 PM
 
Quote
Originally posted by Dos Equis:

I think the time it stays down should be increased.

X2

This I disagree with, currently, you must earn the right to have the enemy radar removed for a longer period of time, thus the destruction percentage of the city.
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: lazs on January 03, 2001, 02:09:00 PM
seems no one wants the same thing.   that being the case then maybe the way it is/was set up is best.   I think it's fine as is.  Unless you can get Ai in the tower to "vector" you to cons, what we have is as realistic as it get's.   Seems a little too easy to knock out tho.
lazs
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Eagler on January 03, 2001, 02:09:00 PM
 
Quote
Originally posted by banana:
Good ideas Eagler, but the AH player base isn't large enough for that yet. I think these decisions(for right now, anyway) have to be made with the single MA in mind.

cc banana. I agree as ppl ratio pertains to arena map size. A small enough map would fill up quick. Don't get me wrong, I think AH is great as is. Just think limiting radar would eliminate many whines as EVERYONE would have to be more precise in their flying and actions. But as stated the newbie would take his $30 elsewhere if they had all of that thrown at them at once. It's really a $$ thing as most business decisions are.

Eagler
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Wanker on January 03, 2001, 02:16:00 PM
And I don't want to sound like the sky is falling or anything. AH is fantastic, even with the dots. There's always room for improvement, however. This is one small change that could be tried very easily, and if it's a disaster, can be changed back in a matter of seconds. What could it hurt?
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: funked on January 03, 2001, 02:47:00 PM
No in-flight radar of any sort please.
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Zigrat on January 03, 2001, 05:14:00 PM
obviously funked, no in flight radar  is not gonna happen, so we have to come up with something that has the possibility of happening.

that being said, I believe AKDejaVu's post above makes a LOT of sense and I would like hitech's opinion on it.


To me it offers the best mix of gameplay and realism  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: AKSeaWulfe on January 03, 2001, 05:25:00 PM
 
Quote
Originally posted by AKDejaVu:
I'd rather see dar stay the same over friendly bases... but change these things:

  • No dar whatsoever over enemy bases
  • No dar whatsoever for aircraft flying NOE (think that should be lower than 500 ft.
  • CV groups have dar similar to fields.. but show sector bars in adjacent sectors also
  • If a friendly plane is in an enemy sector, sector bars are visible in that sector.  Plane needs to be x miles into the sector for that to work to keep people from flying circles at the corner of 4 sectors
This topic has been getting alot of discussion on the gameplay feedback/issues (http://www.hitechcreations.com/cgi-bin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Gameplay+feedback/issues&number=8&DaysPrune=20&LastLogin=) forum:
 http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/Forum8/HTML/000959.html (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/Forum8/HTML/000959.html)

AKDejaVu
[/b]

and if a friendly plane spots visually (within range to clearly see all components of a CV group) it shows up on radar and slowly fades away after the friendly plane loses contact with the enemy CV group.

Of course this would probably be a large strain on the server for my idea...
-SW

Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: lasse on January 03, 2001, 06:04:00 PM
No dots or sector bars when inflight.

Only when you are in tower, I bet on that it is the best solution, and most historical correct, methinks.


Actually we had lots of fun in WB when a squadmate sat in tower and directed us towards the red dots HE sees on his map.

And please bring back night  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/biggrin.gif)

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(http://home.sol.no/~laerga/lassel.gif)
The Wild Vikings
Commanding Officer
lasse-
Title: Just the sector bars, please
Post by: Maverick on January 03, 2001, 06:15:00 PM
I'm going to buck this trend. I like things just the way they are. If players don't like the radar they can simply refuse to open their clipboard. I do not want some "purists" limiting my game just because they don't like a particular feature.

This is a game not a historical recreation.

Mav

Flame away