Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Wanker on July 06, 2004, 10:45:50 AM
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In all honesty, I have been completely unimpressed with AH2, and am just hanging in here because I love my squadmates and can't stand to be without them on a Friday night.
That being said, I did have one fantastic fight so far in AH2, with Wespe last Friday night. He was in a P-38L, I was in a C205. We engaged with similar energy and got into this really strange, looping fight where neither of us could gain the advantge over the other. After about 5 minutes of this, an FW190 showed up on the scene to help Wespe out, and this FW eventually got the kill on me.
It had to be one of the strangest fights I ever had in over 4 years of AH. We must've went through 25 loops(if not more) before the FW showed up.
So, I am starting to appreciate the new FM's. I like them from what I've seen so far.
As for the graphics and other elements of AH2......well, my mama raised me to not say anything if I can't say anything nice, so I'll just zip it for now. Wonder how many others are just zipping it for now, too?
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Won't open til Christmas or TOD...whichever comes first :)
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(I am "zipping it" because I came from AW2, AW3 and AWMV so anything is an improvement, graphically).
I agree with your assessment about more intense fights. I have had some 5 and even 7 minute fights (1 on 1) where neither of us could get a gun solution until the last moment when 1 of us made our 1st and last ACM mistake.
Landing 1 or 2 kills after some of these battles is a moment of great pride. I don't begrudge a 2nd plane coming in to nail me if it's obvious that I am interrupting a mission or base capture effort. I do hate it, though, when we are the only 2 over the water 10K from land and someone comes out to cherry-pick.
C'est la vie...
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Zipped :rolleyes:
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Zip:rolleyes:
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I agree with the better fights. With more people, they're a little harder to find (gota dodge the hordes) but they're worth looking for. Found two last night, and the best one, I think I only landed one ping, but it was intense. It started out a 1vs 1 but ended as a 3 vs 3. I was toast, but a squadmate and another firendly came in to bail me out. I dunno how long it lasted but it felt like 10 minutes :D
Also had a few very short fights last night. Kept running into this guy called Lizard. I hate Lizard :D (j/k)
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My favorite thing is still bouncing unsuspecting enemies.
I got some sweet gun cam footage of a bounce on 2 F6Fs attacking a Vehicle Base... they never saw t coming. But then they came back 10 minutes later and nailed me.
And there are a few fights to be found.
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I've noticed more people in C.205s. Did the gunnery improve in that thing? It flew well enough but the guns really sucked in AH1.
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to appreciate the graphics you really need a setup that pushes 1280x1024 at a decent fps
huge improvement over AH1 at that res
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Originally posted by Eagler
to appreciate the graphics you really need a setup that pushes 1280x1024 at a decent fps
huge improvement over AH1 at that res
Eagler, I wish I could agree, and I'm running at 1600x1200x32@ 85 hz with 4x FSAA and 8x AF. With my rig at these settings, I'm getting consistent fps in the low 80's.
I just don't see any real major sense of graphical improvement over AH1. Not yet, anyway.
Edit: I should add, btw, that I do like the new gunnery model. It's seems more realistic and has cut down on the spraying & praying.
So, now there are two things I like. :)
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I would respectfully disagree.
On the ground, the graphics are way better and the ground war is infinitely more interesting with all the extra polygons giving places to hide. But many people ignore the ground war, so what about the air...
Of course, when you're in the air graphics are much less important. The ground is far away and all that extra polygon resolution is of little importance. This is especially true because the terrains we have now are, I believe, just modified version of AH1 terrains, with re-routed (and more realistic) roads, forests planted, and some extra small scale resolution in humps and bumps. Give it time- I would hazard a guess that when the first terrain comes out that is designed specifically for AH2 (rather than being modified from AH1) the eye candy will be better from the air as well as the ground. The new graphics engine affords more opportunity to designers to make better terrains. Some early choices aren't ideal in my opinion (for example, town buildings are rather dark and monochrome). But that will probably change as time goes on.
When it comes to plane eye candy- that really only counts when you're offline and F3 (or you look out at your own wing textures). When you're in a fight, even photorealistic graphics would be pointless since what your are attacking is just a tiny fast moving blur anyway.
The only other graphic elements important from the air are clouds and smoke effects- and here too I think AH2 is way better than AH1, at least for clouds and ack bursts.
Apart from graphics, the enhanced flight models and gunnery has made dogfights substantially more intense- I now have to pull inside of 200 yds to get a kill.
The only thing I am not a super fan of is the high fuel usage (and short range). I suppose I will get used to that with time by changing my tactics.
In my opinion AH2 is a significant enhancement over AH1.
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It seems to be getting there, slowly yet surely.
For me, the bugs and various glitches are outright annoying to the point of saying goodbye for a while. Account deleted, program uninstalled. We'll visit again in a few months. The fun factor isnt there for me.
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Originally posted by 715
I would respectfully disagree.
On the ground, the graphics are way better and the ground war is infinitely more interesting with all the extra polygons giving places to hide. But many people ignore the ground war, so what about the air...
You have a point there, 715. But whenever I try to be impressed by the ground foliage in AH2, I end up logging into WW2OL and comparing the two. There is no comparison, of course. CRS' graphics engine blows the AH2 engine totally out of the water.
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the sun glare
icon change
better skins - different - just cause the p51 is green doesn't make it a B
cockpits seem higher def on som planes, like the way the sun glints off the gunsight leather in the cane and others
planes look fantastic in zoom mode
oil graphics better
ships smoke and fire graphics is improvement
3d trees, ground stuff
everything about the bases, from the new buildings/radar tower to the layout - better looking and more fun
stop your whining banana and see the glass as half full instead of half empty
:)
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Originally posted by Eagler
stop your whining banana and see the glass as half full instead of half empty
:)
Ok, ok. Fair enough. You make some valid points. I did try to point out that AH2 was not a total disaster.
But, log onto WW2OL sometime and come back and try to tell me that their terrain/foliage is not the most realistic environment graphics you've ever seen.
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To add to what banana said
AH II and I'm not but hopefully when TOD comes .
There. I said my peice without being bad nor negative.
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Originally posted by banana
CRS' graphics engine blows the AH2 engine totally out of the water.
Is it the engine or the quality of the rendering in your opinion.....
Terrain rendering quality seems "rushed" to me but the availability of an engine to place these transitions and objects on a undulating terraform using high definition skins (from 256 x 256 to 1024 x 1024 is how many times) seems to point to massive potential.
Just what can a few guys do over night to fill it tho?
For me ToD will be a bigger jump than AH2 was from AH1 so I am not holding my breath unless HTC employ a specialist in this area. I am sure they don't need a specialist technically speaking..................... its just a time thing.
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I can understand a lack of enthusiasm for the graphics as that part is still mainly AH1 retreads at this point, but I don't understand the "grudging" part. Seems rather silly to want to not like a game.
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Well as for the the graphical improvement of AH2 over AH1, I think its a wait and see situation. Right now, imo, HTC got out the the new version with the GM, DM, and FM changes / improvements.
They also put in place the new graphics engine. However, reskinning everything and working on making the graphics perfect or tweaking to them to the point that everyone goes WOW is incredibly time consuming. So I am guessing they released the game so that people can play instead of making them wait for all the graphic upgrades.
Sort of like building your house but waiting to move in until it is fully decorated. Most people move in and then start to decorate.
I think it will be an evolutionary process. Right now they have increased the textures ability to go up to 1024 .. big improvement over previous texture. But we have to make all new textures .. some of the planes have new skins at the higher texture rate some don't.
Same goes for the ground tiles used on the maps. They are still using the lower resolution textures.
As for the 3d objects I am sure (fingers crossed) that we will see tweaks and improvements to those too. As a graphic designer I am guessing that they still probably wanted to play around with the trees and the mirco environments .. I know I would .. but probably did not see this as a show stopper / preventing the release.
Hopefully they will also have additional 3D objects ready to go. After all if the new engine supports 3D trees (an object) I am sure it can support additional objects.
But all of that takes time .. so I think we went through the programming state, now we are in the hunt down and kill bug stage, and hopefully soon we will move into lets spruce the place up and start implementing the graphical updates that the new engine can support stage.
Just my two cents.
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Most of us understand the graphics are retreads. Soon as the new TE is released, some of us will hop right in and start reskinning and retiling. I really appreciate the explaination you gave on how the new tiles will work and I can see the possibilies of new maps as opposed to the old maps. A big step in the right direction.
NUTTZ
waiting patiently for the new TE.
Originally posted by Pyro
I can understand a lack of enthusiasm for the graphics as that part is still mainly AH1 retreads at this point, but I don't understand the "grudging" part. Seems rather silly to want to not like a game.
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Originally posted by Pyro
I can understand a lack of enthusiasm for the graphics as that part is still mainly AH1 retreads at this point, but I don't understand the "grudging" part. Seems rather silly to want to not like a game.
Good to hear, I'll be back once the new tires are on ;)
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Originally posted by Pyro
I can understand a lack of enthusiasm for the graphics as that part is still mainly AH1 retreads at this point, but I don't understand the "grudging" part. Seems rather silly to want to not like a game.
I don't know of anyone, especially a 5 year customer, who wants to not like this game. I used the word grudging because even though I have not been impressed with AH2 as a whole, I do admire the work done on the FM and gunnery.
From a customer point of view, it's a simple equation. Is the product worth $14.95 every month or not? I don't think AH2 is worth even that paltry sum right now compared to the value I'm getting from other games I play and pay a monthly fee for.
That being said, I have not closed my account because I believe(or at least am hopeful) that it someday will be worth much more than $14.95.
Pyro, I think some of us who are disappointed in AH2 are so because of the high standards you set in the early days of AH1. There just isn't that same "wow" factor with AH2.
I'm sorry if you've taken this personally, because I do not mean you or anyone else at HTC any disrespect. I know you guys are trying as hard as you can.
It's sometimes hard for me to speak honestly as a consumer, without feeling guilty for saying things that might hurt the feelings of people I respect.
I've said my peace, now I'm going to retreat back into the woodwork and wait to see what happens with future releases.
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Originally posted by banana
I don't know of anyone, especially a 5 year customer, who wants to not like this game. I used the word grudging because even though I have not been impressed with AH2 as a whole, I do admire the work done on the FM and gunnery.
Nothing personal, I just found the use of that word rather peculiar. To quote Inigo Montoya, "I do not think it means what you think it means."
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I think the lack of enthusiasm you mention and unmet expectation is due to the fact that it isn't a new game. It is essentially the same game, albeit a new, more capable engine, with higher modelling and an increase in features.
You said it early on, the bar was set high with AH1. The feeling of playing WB and then coming over to AH1 for me was like going from Windows 3.11 to Windows 2000. AH1 to AH2 is like going from Windows 2000 to Windows XP. I guess the better things get, the harder things get to radically improve on without going a totally new direction.
I think everybody had their wish list of things. For me, I was hoping to see higher polygon models of the planes I tend to fly and a bit more graphical detail around aircraft damage, and when I didn't, it was a little bit disappointing. But once I got a chance to feel out the FM changes and gunnery model changes I was a bit more satisfied.
AH has always been a work-in-progress, so I suppose I'm just waiting it out. Anyway, what do you expect from USCG engineering :D
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When visiting relatives with the kids they, the relatives, would always comment , in surprised sort of way,on how the kids had changed (grown, matured etc etc)
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Of course the kids from my view point had been getting daily "patches" each one so small it went un noticed............ I thought they were never going to "grow up". It seemed to be taking far too long untill someone else pointed out that it had already happened.
Small steps may cut down on the "WOW" factor but they are IMO the surest way to get there in the end.
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The trees are what bothers me..They appear like layered 2d objects from headon..Is this going to be fixed or is it a setting problem on my end?
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S!
same here sirloin, they appear as if they are being painted on as i fly along. kinda annoying :rolleyes:
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Originally posted by banana
Ok, ok. Fair enough. You make some valid points. I did try to point out that AH2 was not a total disaster.
But, log onto WW2OL sometime and come back and try to tell me that their terrain/foliage is not the most realistic environment graphics you've ever seen.
ran into Beeger the other night and he told me to look at WW2OL so I d/l it and tried it offline - have the cd/key from when it 1st came out years ago
what's up with the flashing fire red/yellow trees until you get closer. they flash in and out. How can I fix that?
finally got a joystick half setup- not an easy task - and took off in a spit and 109 to fly around
the fm seems simplified to say the least
I'd like to see this great graphics engine but my ati 9800 must not be setup right
as for the trees/gv action in ah2 or ww2ol, I could care less.
I joined when it was "AcesHigh" minus any gv/boat action
a2a is where its at, the rest is just to bring bodies/$$$ that can't a2a into it :)
In closing, ah2 is a huge improvement over ah1, it will only get better and considering it didn't cost me a dime more, I think its a heck of a bargain :)
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what's up with the flashing fire red/yellow trees until you get closer. they flash in and out. How can I fix that?
You need to update your video drivers. Same thing happened to me with my Radeon 9800 Pro.