Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: BMathis on July 27, 2008, 06:36:21 PM
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I've spent 25 minutes trying to join my squaddies in ORANGE...
Bish 91 Knit 97 Rook 115. NO ENY.
Why the cap then? Open that ish up please!
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I've spent 25 minutes trying to join my squaddies in ORANGE...
Bish 91 Knit 97 Rook 115. NO ENY.
Why the cap then? Open that ish up please!
ENY has nothing to do with arena cap. Besides, you could log in BLUE and notified your squad mates to join you...
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I've spent 25 minutes trying to join my squaddies in ORANGE...
Bish 91 Knit 97 Rook 115. NO ENY.
Why the cap then? Open that ish up please!
Yea, I have seen this many times. The problem is, when an arena is capped and no one can join the only way to even numbers is "internal" transfers between countries. So, in reality the arena caps hurt gameplay balance. It would work much better if the arenas were "soft" capped when significantly unbalanced, meaning people could still join it if they were willing to join the lowest country. The soft cap would change to a hard cap once relative balance was achieved. You'd just have to block those that joined during the soft cap period from transferring for 1 hr.
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Ya I could, but We want to fly in orange. And what is cap there for then?
* Half an hour now... :(
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That's a good Idea, but couldn't just switch countries to join squaddies once I get in? Or there would be the hour wait still?
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Amazing how many beatings this horse has taken.
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That's a good Idea, but couldn't just switch countries to join squaddies once I get in? Or there would be the hour wait still?
You'd have to play for the low guys for 1 hr, just as if you had switched countries. After that hour you could move...
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why are there even two late wars? can the server not handle the full load? theres certainly room enough on large maps for everyone to be in.
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why are there even two late wars? can the server not handle the full load? theres certainly room enough on large maps for everyone to be in.
At some point HiTech came to the conclusion too many people in one arena was bad for gameplay, he gave no other specific reason that I recall...I never really could understand how he came to that conclusion though. I tried really hard to attempt to figure out any possible way that could be true, but came up blank...He posted about it back then if you search the forums. It has been stated 397 times it has nothing to do with the server or connections, we only use about 5% of the server's power..
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I think it should just be Titanic Tuesday 7 days a week, this 2 arena thing with caps is dumb! :mad: :salute
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nice info Zazen :aok
<<S>>
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At some point HiTech came to the conclusion too many people in one arena was bad for gameplay, he gave no other specific reason that I recall...I never really could understand how he came to that conclusion though. I tried really hard to attempt to figure out any possible way that could be true, but came up blank...He posted about it back then if you search the forums. It has been stated 397 times it has nothing to do with the server or connections, we only use about 5% of the server's power..
There were 1000s of threads complaining about the gameplay and the community. As the number of subscribes grew, the positive feeling about AH community went down the drain. The general consensus was that smaller numbers in arenas are beneficial for social interaction and building a better community, and with that, better gameplay.
That was the reason for arena caps. We also got side balancing for better play.
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There were 1000s of threads complaining about the gameplay and the community. As the number of subscribes grew, the positive feeling about AH community went down the drain. The general consensus was that smaller numbers in arenas are beneficial for social interaction and building a better community, and with that, better gameplay.
That was the reason for arena caps. We also got side balancing for better play.
Yea, that sounds familiar. I don't think it really changed anything though in terms of player dynamics. Other than we now have to exit and reload the server list 5 million times to get into the arena we want only to find a cavernous HUGE map with far too few players to make it really fun. There's always been something counter-intuitive about "splitting" the arenas to bring the community "together". I think it's a case of too many changes too quickly in a somewhat knee-jerk over-reaction to a problem that was mostly just a simple matter of perception and perspective.
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IIRC at first we had much smaller caps (and small maps) to split the player's base evenly into all arenas. The idea was to rather have 4 smaller but working communities, than single and large but non working.
Due to complaints, late war arena caps were increased, and so we got what we have. Tuesday's Titanic is maybe a hint to what's coming (no caps), and maybe not.
I still believe it was worth the try. We wouldn't know if it works or not without trying.
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IIRC at first we had much smaller caps (and small maps) to split the player's base evenly into all arenas. The idea was to rather have 4 smaller but working communities, than single and large but non working.
Due to complaints, late war arena caps were increased, and so we got what we have. Tuesday's Titanic is maybe a hint to what's coming (no caps), and maybe not.
I still believe it was worth the try. We wouldn't know if it works or not without trying.
Yea, it might have worked better if we still only had the small maps. But, splitting the population in half then sticking us on HUGE maps makes absolutely no sense. It certainly failed at improving gameplay and has had a neutral to detrimental effect creating an enhanced feeling of community cohesion.
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HTC my only request on ANY Thread about this, will be done NOW.
One Late War with a larger cap.
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HTC my only request on ANY Thread about this, will be done NOW.
One Late War with a larger cap.
There's a lot of people who only log-in on Titanic Tuesday and weekends now when the population density is highest...HTC must keep hard data on this...
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There's a lot of people who only log-in on Titanic Tuesday and weekends now when the population density is highest...HTC must keep hard data on this...
Gee, I know quite a few people who don't log into the game on Titanic Tuesday AT ALL, and I'm relatively new around here.
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There's a lot of people who only log-in on Titanic Tuesday and weekends now when the population density is highest...HTC must keep hard data on this...
I bet they do... Though if all this was to change one day, and say we did only have one large arena .... <scary music> .... There'd be chaos from others posting/complaining instantly the exact opposite of what this discussion brings to our community. Though they'd probably not read this thread before posting the "What the?!?!?" "This is rediculous" "need to split..." etc.
I think the main issue at the start of this thread was the waiting 45 minutes to get into the arena that I (we) wanted, and pay for...
All good discussion here though. <S> & thanks for responding gents.
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Gee, I know quite a few people who don't log into the game on Titanic Tuesday AT ALL, and I'm relatively new around here.
I said a lot, not everyone... ;)
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Zazen I agree with your many points....The one day I now look forward to the most is Tuesdays...I think many... the majority of players are frustrated with the "cap" thingy.....
<S>999000
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Zazen I agree with your many points....The one day I now look forward to the most is Tuesdays...I think many... the majority of players are frustrated with the "cap" thingy.....
<S>999000
:salute
Yup, it's the only time the population density is sufficient to really enjoy the classic fun we used to have everynight.
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There were 1000s of threads complaining about the gameplay and the community. As the number of subscribes grew, the positive feeling about AH community went down the drain. The general consensus was that smaller numbers in arenas are beneficial for social interaction and building a better community, and with that, better gameplay.
That was the reason for arena caps. We also got side balancing for better play.
Not only that but i think the average AH player age is 3 now, i often wonder when mommy is gonna come breast feed them. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
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If I fly during the week It'll usually be on TT (Wednesday for me). Other than that I fly Friday nights (poor numbers), Saturdays and Sundays.
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Gee, I know quite a few people who don't log into the game on Titanic Tuesday AT ALL, and I'm relatively new around here.
I am one of those.
I have been spending more time in the Blue Arena as of late ... population-wise, it reminds me of AH1 days.
I like to play the "interdiction" role. I scan the map for the outlying bases that are blinking and play the "spoiler". This allows me to get into many fights and most times, I don't have to fight my own guys for a kill. I also watch the country text closely and look for "alerts" or "I/We could use some help at Axxx". So, what others may find as a fault of running a large map in Blue, I find entertaining.
If I participate in an offensive role, it is usually off a CV where there are few guys attacking a field and they are running into opposition. If they are milk-running a field or the fight becomes too lopsided in our favor, I move on looking for somewhere else that has a fight.
I think it's a case of too many changes too quickly in a somewhat knee-jerk over-reaction to a problem that was mostly just a simple matter of perception and perspective.
A rather large assumption on your part.
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A rather large assumption on your part.
No doubt, that's why I said "I think..." and not "It is...". "It is" just my personal opinion too many sweeping fundamental changes were made too quickly. In some cases the "cure was worse than the disease". Also, any one who has done any programming will tell you, you don't want to change more than one thing at a time, it makes debugging exponentially harder. When we changed several fundamental aspects of gameplay almost simultaneously it became impossible to discern objectively which one was having a positive or negative impact upon the desired effect. They became inexorably intertwined making establishing a clear cause and effect relationship, for the purpose of objectively determining the efficacy of each change, extremely problematic.
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I have been spending more time in the Blue Arena as of late ... population-wise, it reminds me of AH1 days.
I like to play the "interdiction" role. I scan the map for the outlying bases that are blinking and play the "spoiler". This allows me to get into many fights and most times, I don't have to fight my own guys for a kill. I also watch the country text closely and look for "alerts" or "I/We could use some help at Axxx". So, what others may find as a fault of running a large map in Blue, I find entertaining.
Slapshot, log into MW as a Bish or Nit. You'll have more fun than you can shake a hockey stick at :rofl
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No doubt, that's why I said "I think..." and not "It is...". "It is" just my personal opinion too many sweeping fundamental changes were made too quickly. In some cases the "cure was worse than the disease". Also, any one who has done any programming will tell you, you don't want to change more than one thing at a time, it makes debugging exponentially harder. When we changed several fundamental aspects of gameplay almost simultaneously it became impossible to discern objectively which one was having a positive or negative impact upon the desired effect. They became inexorably intertwined making establishing a clear cause and effect relationship, for the purpose of objectively determining the efficacy of each change, extremely problematic.
Well ... I have been profesionally programming since '78 so yes, I know all about debugging.
I watched with great intent the machinations that HT went thru when making those changes, and I saw nothing wrong with his application/implementation of those changes so as to not fall into the trap(s) that you have mentioned.
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Slapshot, log into MW as a Bish or Nit. You'll have more fun than you can shake a hockey stick at :rofl
Max ... I do spend most of my time in MW, unless of course they have Uterus or a map that has no water. I mostly fly for Knights banging heads with the Rooks, but as of late, I have been switching to the Bish when their numbers were ridiculously low.
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Game play.........I must be an idiott...what I see is this..
1. Somebody is organizing a GV attack
2. Somebody is organizing a HQ Raid
3. Somebody is defending a field against a gv attack
4. Somebody is organizing a base capture
5. Some people are furballing between two close bases ..sometimes it stays as a furball sometimes it ends with a base capture.
6. Some people are running supplies to a field or to a friend who needs GV supplies
7. Some people are trying to sink CV's sometimes with bombs or torps or with pt boats.
8. Some people are trying to do large bomber raids.
9. Some people up 262's to knock off the goons attempting to take a base.
Ok this is the tip of the iceberg.... many other things going on .....ENDLESS variations of just the above going on! On any big map any and all these things can be going on! Great game play, something for everyone! Tuesdays Rock! I still don't understand the cap thing..I am the village idiott.
<S>999000
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What about the Arena Cap?
Geeze don't y'all read? :P
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this may or may not apply, but from an I.T. perspective, did you ever stop to think maybe thats all the servers can handle?? maybe after the threshold is reached the servers react adversely and the Caps are based on that.
most of the computing is done on the local harddrive but there is alot of flow back and forth to the servers. servers with 200, 300 or 400 connections tend to slow down a bit. servers with 700+ i would assume get hot as hell and the performance would suffer a bit based on what i know about servers.
anyway this is just a thought from my perspect. if it doesnt apply, please ignore this post :)
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Yea, I have seen this many times. The problem is, when an arena is capped and no one can join the only way to even numbers is "internal" transfers between countries. So, in reality the arena caps hurt gameplay balance. It would work much better if the arenas were "soft" capped when significantly unbalanced, meaning people could still join it if they were willing to join the lowest country. The soft cap would change to a hard cap once relative balance was achieved. You'd just have to block those that joined during the soft cap period from transferring for 1 hr.
The only problem with with uneven numbers is the individuals playing. CAP has nothing to do with helping or hurting that.
One method I found that helps is to log into the other arena for a few minutes to help change the numbers there..... then log out and immediately check the other arena. Most of the time I find it has increased CAP. Good Luck!
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this may or may not apply, but from an I.T. perspective, did you ever stop to think maybe thats all the servers can handle?? maybe after the threshold is reached the servers react adversely and the Caps are based on that.
most of the computing is done on the local harddrive but there is alot of flow back and forth to the servers. servers with 200, 300 or 400 connections tend to slow down a bit. servers with 700+ i would assume get hot as hell and the performance would suffer a bit based on what i know about servers.
anyway this is just a thought from my perspect. if it doesnt apply, please ignore this post :)
It doesn't apply ... Skuzzy basically said that the servers are hardly stressed at all. CAPS have nothing to do with hardware constraints.
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There were 1000s of threads complaining about the gameplay and the community. As the number of subscribes grew, the positive feeling about AH community went down the drain. The general consensus was that smaller numbers in arenas are beneficial for social interaction and building a better community, and with that, better gameplay.
That was the reason for arena caps. We also got side balancing for better play.
And now there's 1000s of threads complaining about the gameplay and the community. Well that worked pretty well huh? :rolleyes:
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And now there's 1000s of threads complaining about the gameplay and the community. Well that worked pretty well huh? :rolleyes:
Funny thing is ... HT didn't make the CAP decision based wholly on threads ... he said they had subscription numbers that proved there was a problem.
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Well ... I have been profesionally programming since '78 so yes, I know all about debugging.
I watched with great intent the machinations that HT went thru when making those changes, and I saw nothing wrong with his application/implementation of those changes so as to not fall into the trap(s) that you have mentioned.
I will choose to agree to disagree with you on this point. I didn't find any compelling reason the servers should have been split myself. Nor did I find any reason put forth by HTC sufficient to merit that sort of heavy-handed approach. Retrospectively, I cannot come up with a single, solitary positive result splitting the LW arenas has had on either the gameplay or community. I have always had a sympathetic appreciation for how you personally approach the game. I do realize some like a "small room" to play in. But, I honestly don't believe chopping the LW population in half really enhances the gameplay experience overall. There are several other arenas with various motifs that have a "small room" atmosphere for the minority that enjoy that.
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Funny thing is ... HT didn't make the CAP decision based wholly on threads ... he said they had subscription numbers that proved there was a problem.
Before the split there were usually ~700 people on IIRC. Now, long after the split, there's ~700 people on IF we're lucky. It doesn't seem to have made any difference other than creating a few new things for people to whine about.
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Before the split there were usually ~700 people on IIRC. Now, long after the split, there's ~700 people on IF we're lucky. It doesn't seem to have made any difference other than creating a few new things for people to whine about.
your only going by numbers you see posted at the arena page. HTC goes by his subscription numbers. One large arena he was loosing subscribers, many smaller arenas, he's not. My guess is its working or there would be more changes.
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If two guys from Minnesota say the arena cap its a bad idea ...IT IS! ....Might be the best logic you find!
<S>999000
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I didn't find any compelling reason the servers should have been split myself. Nor did I find any reason put forth by HTC sufficient to merit that sort of heavy-handed approach. Retrospectively, I cannot come up with a single, solitary positive result splitting the LW arenas has had on either the gameplay or community.
Well ... it was not for you or me to "find". Obviously, we don't have access to data that HTC has/had in order to make these types of decisions.
I have always had a sympathetic appreciation for how you personally approach the game. I do realize some like a "small room" to play in. But, I honestly don't believe chopping the LW population in half really enhances the gameplay experience overall. There are several other arenas with various motifs that have a "small room" atmosphere for the minority that enjoy that.
Again, what you or I believe doesn't really matter.
I usually don't play in the "Big Boyz" arenas due to having frame rate problems when flying in large groups, but that is my problem. If I do play in the "Big Boyz" arena, it is usually the Blue arena because it is the easiest to get into and for the most part has a large map up.
On large maps, I can find areas that offer me what I am looking for, along with something that doesn't bring my video card to its knees, and also not having to fight my own countrymen for kills.
The population in the Purple arena, and the fights that ensue in that arena, never cause frame rate problems for me, along with not having to see the constant "I suck and need to deflect from my suckage" smack talk one sees in the "Big Boyz" arena. With that, there are some "I suck and need to deflect from my suckage" smack talk in the Purple arena, but no where near the constant flow that goes on in the Orange and Blue arenas.
Bottom line ... we can speculate/assume ... and that's all it ever will be ... when it comes to this topic.
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Before the split we had max of 750 people on line at one time.
This spring we would very often go about 1100 people online at the same time.
Before we made the change we had stopped growing.
After the change we started growing at a new record pace.
Any
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:rofl I guess that's that
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I bet they do... Though if all this was to change one day, and say we did only have one large arena .... <scary music> .... There'd be chaos from others posting/complaining instantly the exact opposite of what this discussion brings to our community. Though they'd probably not read this thread before posting the "What the?!?!?" "This is rediculous" "need to split..." etc.
I think the main issue at the start of this thread was the waiting 45 minutes to get into the arena that I (we) wanted, and pay for...
All good discussion here though. <S> & thanks for responding gents.
I think that what ever the decision is going to be, and any other decision for that matter, should not be based on how many threads may get started. It is only a small % of people on this BBS and an even smaller that actually start threads
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It is only a small % of people on this BBS and an even smaller that actually start threads
It occurs to me that participating on the BBS is like voting in elections... If you don't participate, you have no say in what happens at AH or if you don't vote, you can't complain who the elected official is :rock :)
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It occurs to me that participating on the BBS is like voting in elections... If you don't participate, you have no say in what happens at AH or if you don't vote, you can't complain who the elected official is :rock :)
Exactly! A country (in most cases) is owned by the people that reside in it. They own it and they get to vote. People from an other country can complain all they want about how the US is ran for example, but they do not get to vote.
This country (Aces High) is owned by some people (HT). HT gets to vote. We, as a foreigner,s can complain all we want about how this country is run, but I don't think we will get a vote.
I think immigration is the only solution here :lol
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Southern border what?
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i personally think the arena cap was dumbest thing HTC ever did.... i say put it back how it used 2 b... 1 arena.... and fighter town....
-BigBOBCH
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Hitech thanks for information Sir!....... 999<------ now goes to grocery store for eggs! its all good.... a Wonderful game!
<S>999000
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Before the split we had max of 750 people on line at one time.
This spring we would very often go about 1100 people online at the same time.
Before we made the change we had stopped growing.
After the change we started growing at a new record pace.
... shows that there was a need to split the arena to have more capacity, doesn't prove than adding caps is a good idea?
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1. After the split, our finnish team has stopped playing in most cases. We have 2 large squads and a few smaller, we use to have nice missions and lots of fun together but thats just history...
Now I hardly see 5 finns together, arena cap limits our fun quite a lot.
2. Maps are too big now (mostly). Old smaller maps were much more fun for everyone. Big maps are usable only if there are 400+ players onlne. (IMHO)
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... shows that there was a need to split the arena to have more capacity
No ... that is not what he was saying.
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1. After the split, our finnish team has stopped playing in most cases. We have 2 large squads and a few smaller, we use to have nice missions and lots of fun together but thats just history...
Now I hardly see 5 finns together, arena cap limits our fun quite a lot.
That's a shame...
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I think the key is to strike a balance on the maps that allows enough players (on one side) to get together and actually accomplish something tanglible, like taking several bases in a row. From what I've seen (and I'm a relative noob), that only happens on squad nights when a group of like-minded players get together.
What I see now is a bunch of individuals scrambling all over the map in order to counter a threat from another country. That's fine, it makes for the some great furballs, but not everyone likes to operate in that environment. It also forces one side to be on the defensive so long as the other is on the offensive.
I think making the maps smaller brings everyone a little closer together...a fight is more likely to break out in a small room with 50 people in it, than a big room with 50 people. Having fewer places to go means that we can have players operating offensively AND defensively on the map, making an overall global campaign instead of isolated skirmishes at different points on the map.
Just my thought. I'm not overly keen of big maps, and the small ones have problems of their own...I think medium-sized maps are the way to go. But that's just my opinion.
J
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No ... that is not what he was saying.
agreed, that is what I was saying :)
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agreed, that is what I was saying :)
gotcha ... :aok
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... shows that there was a need to split the arena to have more capacity, doesn't prove than adding caps is a good idea?
So you agree we needed different arenas. But you give no way of providing those different arenas.
I am open to any idea that will work. But the fact is no one wants to be the first one into a different arena. This you must accept. Because most peoples ideas to change the system, are only a way to make it so some one else must be the first in the arena, and not them.
HiTech
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Them instead of me sounds pretty reasonable to me and I'm eagerly awaiting the appropriate changes to the system :D
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As a relative newcomer to the game, I'm still learning the nuances of the community and environment as a whole.
I'm a military historian by trade, and I'd love to participate in smaller maps with older, more limited aircraft that test piloting skills instead of who's got the Tempest or 262.
Personally, I like the Titanic Tuesday concept. It's cool, lots of people, lots of things to do, and several ongoing battles at one time all over the map. But that takes numbers. I understand the team balance and having a soft cap to keep some parity is not a bad idea.
I'm probably way off, but I think that increasing the population density of an arena by reducing the map size isn't a bad idea. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone complaining that an arena was too crowded aside from waiting to get in because of a cap.
In the end, it's all about targets and objectives. I think compressing a map allows that to happen, you force players to interact more closely, and it creates an enironment that allows a side to actuall push towards winning a war.
That being said, I like what you've done HiTech. Its inevitable that with this many people, everyone wants something specific. But it's your show. As for the 'them' versus 'me' debate, perhaps developing a think tank of people you've come to know, trust, etc., might not be a bad idea. It's always better to have several sets of eyes looking at a problem, as we all see things differently. I've got a video gaming background, military historian, ran an air museum for nearly a decade, and I've flown for years. I'll gladly volunteer to help out with anything that will improve the game.
Jeff
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So you agree we needed different arenas. But you give no way of providing those different arenas.
I am open to any idea that will work. But the fact is no one wants to be the first one into a different arena. This you must accept. Because most peoples ideas to change the system, are only a way to make it so some one else must be the first in the arena, and not them.
HiTech
Because we want to be at the fight. Not sit in an empty arena and fight our selves. and watch the milk runners horde.what would be the point in this? We play to fight.
I think arena caps should be raised.Set it something like (example) 500. That would give us the choice of what arena we wanted to be in and not the system choose for us.
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I'm probably way off, but I think that increasing the population density of an arena by reducing the map size isn't a bad idea. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone complaining that an arena was too crowded aside from waiting to get in because of a cap.
Oh no, there were lots of complaints about that.
From day one of the split many players were campaigning for getting the big maps back. And a few times there had been Titanic Tuesday on a small map, which absolutely sucks for many of us because too crowded arenas have serious drawbacks.:
- FR issues
- increased perceived warpage
- limited gameplay when there's only big hordes slamming into each other due to lack of space / fields
I personally would prefer if LWO would concentrate on big maps, because it's usually the more populated arena and also the TT one; and LWB (with an offpeak population as low as 25 sometimes!) having small maps exclusively. The additional advantage would be that when arena caps are high enough, players could also chose their preferred map size.
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well first I should say that I joined last ?September, so I havent experienced the single arena or the hording problems associated with it (that was another reason to split and introduce caps right?) but since there have been 1100 players on at one time since then, I can see that might be a nightmare on one arena, and certainly justifies having 2 arenas. and if subs are up, you can't really argue with it :aok
caps are a different matter though. personally I'd remove them entirely and let players fly wherever they like. simply because they cause annoyance, and I'm not sure exactly what problem they are a solution for.
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I personally would prefer if LWO would concentrate on big maps, because it's usually the more populated arena and also the TT one; and LWB (with an offpeak population as low as 25 sometimes!) having small maps exclusively. The additional advantage would be that when arena caps are high enough, players could also chose their preferred map size.
I think that this would be a perfectly reasonable idea. Perhaps, also, calculate some formula that allows LWO to cap at a higher number so as to bring the population density between the two arenas into some sort of balance.
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Yay arena cap is in full swing,20 minuets ago i can fight with a whole 15 people in blue,20 minuets later i can fly with a whole 28 people fun fun
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Hitech,...I know I'm the villiage idiott....My perspective is that the need for more areana's is based in a very large part to the size of the map! Large maps can handle huge numbers..where as a small map would only be good for lower player numbers....I Love the big maps in a large part because you can find any yand all different kinds of game play.
<S> 999000
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Lusche,
All valid points...like I said, it's just my perception as a noob.
I think 999000 has a point...a smaller map in a smaller arena is probably the easiest way to solve the problem. If you're into close quarters, furball maps, then a smaller one might be the way to go.
If you like the huge expanses of a large map, with players spread out over a larger area, well, I think we're already doing that to some extent.
BTW, so far, great dialogue. I've always held the belief that intelligent conversation will yield better results (or maybe something we haven't thought of) than P&Moaning.
J
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So you agree we needed different arenas. But you give no way of providing those different arenas.
I am open to any idea that will work. But the fact is no one wants to be the first one into a different arena. This you must accept. Because most peoples ideas to change the system, are only a way to make it so some one else must be the first in the arena, and not them.
HiTech
There are many ways to go with having two LW "Main Arenas". As some have said a large map with a high cap, and a smaller map with a smaller cap (to insure good FRs, etc).
Another good idea was pointed out in the wishlist, by Roadking. Perhaps a different style map for one of the late war arenas. One standard, like we have currently; The other with modified conditions -ie- Wind, Visibility, Full Night time included into the "Arena Time setup", Snow maps, dessert maps, etc...
This would be one way of enhancing the overall gameplay realisim, while gaining more and more customers. There are many of ways HTC can go about this, especially since most players are usually flying in Orange... Modify the Blue arena, and see what happens.
I'm excited to see what's next for AH. :aok
:salute
Mathis
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There are many ways to go with having two LW "Main Arenas". As some have said a large map with a high cap, and a smaller map with a smaller cap (to insure good FRs, etc).
Happens now at times, yet as you state people still tend to be in the Orange. So what is different between the Orange and Blue. Only Orange is the first one on the list. So why is it people are in the Orange.
We already have 3 different types of play and what you suggested was the first thing we tried. We made Late Mid Early. It did nothing to break heard mentality. (Heard mentality , tendency to go to the place most people are).
We made 2 late war arenas with higher fixed cap. One would fill up, and the other would remain very low population.
We finally made the floating caps to populate both Arenas. Now people only sight the switch over times when we go from 400 caps, to balancing caps. The time of day we chose to do this is based on when the Arena populations are growing most rapidly. Hence minimizing the time one arena is low numbers.
This simple fact is , there is a practical limit of how many people can play together in one Arena. Things like how much text traffic people can read is only one issue. There are many others.
In this thread there has been no ideas presented that have not been presented before. And I believe we have already tried every Idea bnasty sights as many ideas to try.
HiTech
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I personally would prefer if LWO would concentrate on big maps, because it's usually the more populated arena and also the TT one; and LWB (with an offpeak population as low as 25 sometimes!) having small maps exclusively. The additional advantage would be that when arena caps are high enough, players could also chose their preferred map size.
Not a bad suggestion, but before LWB would ever be forced to just run "small" maps, some new "small" maps need to be made. The majority of the "small" maps are circa AH I and are as stale as all get out. Their game play design is AH I design, whereas most new maps (circa AH II) have been designed to have bases closer along with other map placement enhancements.
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What if there would be time limit with arena changes? If you go to orange arena, you cant hop to another LATE war arena until lets say 6 hours?
I have no idea if this helps anything but thats only new thing what came in to my mind. :D
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In this thread there has been no ideas presented that have not been presented before. And I believe we have already tried every Idea bnasty sights as many ideas to try.
HiTech
Any more thought on the notion that I presented ... moving the choice down one more level.
Allowing people to jump into a MAXed arena ... but they can only choose to fly for one of the lowest populated countries and internal country numbers are not equal.
Examples :
Orange could be MAXed at 400/400, but on the inside it could be :
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Bish 150
Rook 140
Knights 110
Why not allow entry into Orange but only if you choose to fly for Rooks or Knights ?
I choose Bish so the MAX is changed to 401/401 and the count looks like this ...
Bish 150
Rook 141
Knights 110
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Bish 150
Rook 150
Knights 100
Why not allow entry into Orange but only if you choose to fly for Knights ?
I choose Knights so the MAX is changed to 401/401 and the count looks like this ...
Bish 150
Rook 150
Knights 101
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With that, some who are turned away could actually enter the arena but under a lower level "condition". If I don't want to fly for any of the lower populated country(s), I can then choose to go to another arena.
At the same time, if the population of Purple hit the %filled logic, that you currently use, the MAX in Orange would be bumped up as usual, and when people choose Orange, they can now choose any of the 3 countries to fly for.
Pushing the choice to fly for the lower numbered countries would only come into effect when the arena is MAXed.
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Why can't you just rotate big maps in orange with a permanent 450 cap and rotate small maps in blue with a permanent 250 cap (caps are just examples... adjust as needed to accomodate how many players are normally on)? There's enough players that detest one or the other (big maps or small maps) that they'll get spread out on their own.
Personally, I don't usually care which LW arena I'm in as long as it's not a map I hate but I gravitate to orange because I know it's most likely a big map and it's going to hit cap and if I don't go there when I have a chance I might not have the chance again. If I was "free" to move around I'd probably spend more time in blue than I do.
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I gravitate to orange because I know it's most likely a big map and it's going to hit cap and if I don't go there when I have a chance I might not have the chance again. If I was "free" to move around I'd probably spend more time in blue than I do.
Exactly how I feel!!! :rock
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Why can't you just rotate big maps in orange with a permanent 450 cap and rotate small maps in blue with a permanent 250 cap (caps are just examples... adjust as needed to accomodate how many players are normally on)? There's enough players that detest one or the other (big maps or small maps) that they'll get spread out on their own.
As I stated , you completely miss the force of the herd mentality. We already have 3 different choices. Does it do much to spread players out?
What would happen is the 450 cap arena would fill up. And then I would have people would complaining and wanting the cap raised. We would raise the cap as you wish and end up with one big arena. Next I start loosing players because they are not having as much fun. My revenue and player counts go down because people are not having as much fun. I switch back to the system I have now.
And as I stated before, we tried this when we first made the arena splits.
And as a different question, if 1 arena is so wonderful , why is Tuesday night not the busiest night of the week?
HiTech
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And as a different question, if 1 arena is so wonderful , why is Tuesday night not the busiest night of the week?
Let me guess... busiest night is at weekends when most players have not to work next day? Friday, when there's FSO? :noid
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Im new also here, and from start i´ve been wondering about these arena caps.
I understand the need for the "sheep herders" but also you must understand that it frustrates alot to log in to see LWO to be 230/200 and LWB 100/200.
Ok then i log into LWB to see if my mates are there...no one there hhmm are they online at all, or are they at the LWO ?
And the i start the clicky clicky to get into the LWO.
These are the usual numbers in our primetime, give or take 50 players.
So maybe these caps could be abit more flexible and maybe introduce us tools to track friends ?
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Hitech I wonder what the numbers would say if you switched Tuesday for Sunday?..Speaking of numbers I would be cool to have Aces high advertise at some of the biggest airshows around the country........maybe have a display booth with two computers so people could see and try the game out?..I would be happy to help in the TwinCities area.
<S> 999000
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Happens now at times, yet as you state people still tend to be in the Orange. So what is different between the Orange and Blue. Only Orange is the first one on the list. So why is it people are in the Orange.
I'm sure it's different for most, but for me, it's because that is where my squaddies all meet to fly; been that way for years... Most of the best squads seem to fly there as well.
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And as a different question, if 1 arena is so wonderful , why is Tuesday night not the busiest night of the week?
HiTech
Try "Titanic Sunday" for a month and see what happens!!
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Talk about herd mentality. WHen HTC first made the split into the early, mid, and late war arenas the early war arena is the one that was highlighted as it was at the top of the page and no one had ever had to choose before. For almost a week early war was the most populated arena there was :rofl
I'd be happier to fly in Mid war, but there are very low numbers there when I log on. I had hoped it would be one of the more populated ones seeing there was no spit 16s and La7 there, but I guess everyone needs their crutch. I'm just looking for some fights, whether its in blue, orange or even in EWA, or MWA.
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Plane set.... I've asked for more early war planes to increase the number of potential customers, and increase the other arena populations; as well as diversify the arena setup... Search "early war additions"
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[quote author=The Fugitive link=topic=242355.msg2958398#msg2958398 date=1217547264
I'd be happier to fly in Mid war, but there are very low numbers there when I log on.
Plane set.... I've asked for more early war planes to increase the number of potential customers, and increase the other arena populations; as well as diversify the arena setup... Search "early war additions"
I don't think we need more planes, though I don't mind new ones :aok The problem is with the "kids" having to "win the game at all costs" I'd say that 75% of the people flying in the MAs play like its "quake" of some other first person shooter type game. Everyone has the mentality to just dive in with the biggest guns, blazing a path of destruction. There is no strategy, no thought involved, die and take as many with me as I can, rinse and repeat as quickly as possible, get my name in lights at the top of the score board.
Thats why the late war arenas are the most populated, biggest guns, and most target concentration.
I'd bet that if 9 guys formed a squad, 6 fighters of average skill, but used wingman tactics, and 3 guys that could hit something other than "strat" targets in buff and are average gunners, who used strategy and planning in their missions, they would be almost unstopable in the MAs as they play out in there these days.
Most people don't know how to fight a winging pair, look at all the "pick" whines. Heaven forbid you have 2 pairs in, "gangs". No we don't need new planes, we need people with better attitudes. People who believe that "skill" is more important than "points", people who believe "the fight" is more important than "who wins"
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:lol
On the odd occasion a few of us are online at the same time in the MA it's funny to hear the whines of "gangtards" and "pickers" directed at us flying as a team :D
It's a shame I can't get on to do it more often, since our squad is dispersed around the globe getting us all online at one time is a rare occurrence.
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But the fact is no one wants to be the first one into a different arena. This you must accept. Because most peoples ideas to change the system, are only a way to make it so some one else must be the first in the arena, and not them.
Ain't that the truth?
- oldman
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I don't think we need more planes, though I don't mind new ones :aok The problem is with the "kids" having to "win the game at all costs" I'd say that 75% of the people flying in the MAs play like its "quake" of some other first person shooter type game. Everyone has the mentality to just dive in with the biggest guns, blazing a path of destruction. There is no strategy, no thought involved, die and take as many with me as I can, rinse and repeat as quickly as possible, get my name in lights at the top of the score board.
Thats why the late war arenas are the most populated, biggest guns, and most target concentration.
I'd bet that if 9 guys formed a squad, 6 fighters of average skill, but used wingman tactics, and 3 guys that could hit something other than "strat" targets in buff and are average gunners, who used strategy and planning in their missions, they would be almost unstopable in the MAs as they play out in there these days.
Most people don't know how to fight a winging pair, look at all the "pick" whines. Heaven forbid you have 2 pairs in, "gangs". No we don't need new planes, we need people with better attitudes. People who believe that "skill" is more important than "points", people who believe "the fight" is more important than "who wins"
Great thoughts fugitive. I agree with you on the last 2 paragraphs completely :aok
By plane set additions, I only meant early war planes. It would increase the population in early war arena perhaps... I would love to see some but I know it's expensive, man power, time, etc etc.