Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: oboe on June 07, 2011, 06:11:49 PM
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I just read this article and seeing the topic of hard economic times and declining player bases in AH, thought some of you might be interested in learning
5 Creepy Ways Video Games are Trying to Get You Addicted (http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html)
AH is currently missing a lot of the described strategies, though perk points could be considered one of them. I was intrigued by the description of player behavior regarding "leveling up" - how players play frantically just prior to achieving the next level. I think your name in lights after landing 2 or more kills is also an addictive strategy. Currently though I think AH fails at complexity - either because the game doesn't support it or the players refuse to engage in complex play.
Just wondering what some of you guys think of Aces High vis-a-vis the article's salient propositions. If you were to add features to encourage addictive behavior, what would it be? I know, Guppy, the Beaufighter!
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Apples and Chicken Noodle Soup. Personally, there is no comparison to the broader gaming industry and HTC.
This game attracts a unique breed, which the majority participate because of the personalities involved, the long term relations across the globe, the camaraderie, and the game/social atmosphere that simply does not exist in WoW, Quake, Call of Duty and the other like minded twitch games.
We tend to be older, historically interested, financially invested in ways that differ from the main stream norm. By invested I mean in real, tangible things. It's one thing to have mom buy you the latest and greates Xbox, but us, with families, lives, careers, and so many other things going on, we still chose to invest our time with those we have known for so many years. Many of us have been around this community as a whole since the early and mid 90s, some far longer than that. That is an investment in a lifestyle, not a console.
Consider the complexity you mentioned. Imagine, if you will, the precision that the dogfight requires to hit the target. Can World of Warcraft do this? No. The game is "close" you select a target and can jump around, run, wiggle and do what you will but the targeting is either in front of you or behind you, and no precision is required. Stutters, stalls, lag, all absolutely irrelevent as it doesn't matter if you lag for 3 seconds, you come back and your target registers the damage. You cannot achieve the level of precision this game requires and back it up with a complex model, it will fail. 3 Second lag in a dogfight means you warped 4 plane lengths away. But, the game is far more "complex" with it's battle grounds, economy, tiers and the like. Technology for the main stream just simply does not exist to have this much complexity and graphics load not cause a delay which is absolutely unacceptable in this type of game, and frankly would render the game unplayable. Many games have far superior graphics. Let's look at Microsoft Flight Sim X. Stunning, my system maxed out has unbelievable graphics. Put 10 people in the flight and we all best be cramming our graphics down. Put 150/200 into a scenario with animated bombs, explosions, smoke, and all of the other things that MSFS x does not offer and the game dies. Complex, yes, extremely limited, absolutely.
So, the complexity is now in the hands, and imagination, of the players. In this game, you literally get out what you put in. You can chose to immerse yourself in a full blown scenario and fly a coordinated mission with a hundred players from across the globe or dogfight 1v1 in the DA, and anything in between. Adding gimmicks, tricks, leveling, questing options reduces a highly specialized game down the level level of a broad based market such as the likes of WoW, Starcraft, Call of Duty and the like.
Adding something "addictive" to a game that has evolved because of the players involvement and not some marketing arm trying to generate sales is counter productive to what attracts a niche player to this game in the first place. One might argue, HTC could sell more subscriptions but lose the base that built the game due to the deliberate avoidance of said marketing schemes and gimmicks.
The saving grace is, HTC is one of us, flew the games, knows the games, plays the games, yet builds One Game and One Game Only. Don't be quick to assume HTC doesn't know what he Could Do, be grateful he chooses not to. The subscriptions could grow but the game would die as we know it. Once you start building towards the twitch crowd, you have to introduce new and improved daily or lose their interest. We have, as the core player base, people who used to play flight sims when you could count the pixels on the wings, and still pulled off some of the most memorable special events in history. But then, more was put into them at the time as well, more "personality" and less "complexity".
How HTC keeps the 2 weekers is simple. Do what is being done. Some times you just won't keep them all, but you will keep those like minded players, who will be the long term subscribers which will increase your base.
One old farts point of view.
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Please see thread below discussing same topic under a different name.
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I got addicted to this only because warbirds was done and I needed to feed my hunger for ww2 a/c
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"Why do so many of us have that void? Because according to everything expert Malcolm Gladwell, to be satisfied with your job you need three things, and I bet most of you don't even have two of them:
Autonomy (that is, you have some say in what you do day to day);
Complexity (so it's not mind-numbing repetition);
Connection Between Effort and Reward (i.e. you actually see the awesome results of your hard work)."
Wow. That is really weird. Once I got those three things I pretty much quit playing video games. I play maybe 10 hours a month now, versus 100 hours a month before.
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I like to think of Aces High as the old Legos.. and other MMO games as the new Legos.
Back in the day when one bought Legos they would get an assortment kit with a bunch of random pieces. They relied on their imagination to decide what to build with it. I remember when I was little building huge starships and airplanes... or houses... or castles. None of the colors would ever match but the finished model was INCREDIBLE! Then once I got bored with it I would tear it all apart and start again. Most of the fun was the building of it!
Legos today come in kits and each kit is specialized to build only one thing... usually a reproduction of a famous cartoon or movie object... sometimes tanks or cars or motorcycles. Each piece is designed to work with the others and there are specific instructions and specific steps one has to follow to get to the finished product.
Simply put, Aces High is what you make out of it. If you are happy flying alone and picking people off then that's your poison! If you are happy joining a group of furballers then so be it! If you like the camaraderie of being in a squad and like organizing missions then good for you! If you only want to fly for the historical scenarios then.. well great! No one is telling you how to play, and no one is telling you what you have to do to win!
On the other hand, take a game like.. WOW for example. Sure you have a lot of freedom to do what you want there but once you pick your path you're pretty much stuck to it. You have to level up. In order to do so you have to make friends and work together to complete quests and to gain experience. In order to get the 'good stuff' you have to learn a trade and produce.. stuff.. and then sell/trade it to get what you need to make better stuff. You're kind of forced to do things the way it is programmed and you get rewarded by doing this. On the other hand if you don't, then you're almost penalized.
Then they throw in stuff like accomplishments and badges... almost so that you feel PROUD of what you've done! Yes, you played a game! Good for you!
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How can HTC keep a larger percentage of two-weekers?
Make it three weeks.
:D
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I like to think of Aces High as the old Legos.. and other MMO games as the new Legos.
Back in the day when one bought Legos they would get an assortment kit with a bunch of random pieces. They relied on their imagination to decide what to build with it. I remember when I was little building huge starships and airplanes... or houses... or castles. None of the colors would ever match but the finished model was INCREDIBLE! Then once I got bored with it I would tear it all apart and start again. Most of the fun was the building of it!
Legos today come in kits and each kit is specialized to build only one thing... usually a reproduction of a famous cartoon or movie object... sometimes tanks or cars or motorcycles. Each piece is designed to work with the others and there are specific instructions and specific steps one has to follow to get to the finished product.
Simply put, Aces High is what you make out of it. If you are happy flying alone and picking people off then that's your poison! If you are happy joining a group of furballers then so be it! If you like the camaraderie of being in a squad and like organizing missions then good for you! If you only want to fly for the historical scenarios then.. well great! No one is telling you how to play, and no one is telling you what you have to do to win!
On the other hand, take a game like.. WOW for example. Sure you have a lot of freedom to do what you want there but once you pick your path you're pretty much stuck to it. You have to level up. In order to do so you have to make friends and work together to complete quests and to gain experience. In order to get the 'good stuff' you have to learn a trade and produce.. stuff.. and then sell/trade it to get what you need to make better stuff. You're kind of forced to do things the way it is programmed and you get rewarded by doing this. On the other hand if you don't, then you're almost penalized.
Then they throw in stuff like accomplishments and badges... almost so that you feel PROUD of what you've done! Yes, you played a game! Good for you!
Hey! I made a M1A1 out of legos, lol
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With WoW you start the game with as much skill as you'll need but none of the equipment. AH you start with almost all the equipment but none of the skill.
AH does have a couple things that resemble other online games. The biggest one I can think of is if you quit you lose all your perks. Seeing your name in lights is another. Scoreboards are in any game so they dont count.
In WoW you level up. In AH you level up a little everytime you win a fight. You just keep getting better.
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Get the moms & dads to pay for the accounts.
Every one else who wants to be here will pay to be here .....unless they start charging forum members per monthly membership. :devil
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in layman's terms as how i see it? the level of how wow or wot is doing is gaining exp or levelling up within the game... you dun need skills to get a good shot.. any tom dick or harry can... but in ACES on the other hand you start on a level playing field with everyone...but the levelling up is done outside of the game.. you wanna improve.. learn how to twist.. learn certain combat manuveurs... learn deflection shots in the DA or MA... this is a life lesson you get better flying everyday.. when you stop practising.. you're "exp" actually levels down....... and mind you it also helps simulating real life aerobatics which you use IN REAL LIFE! and the regular AH community is a close knitted community... no game i know honours their friends who passes away.... the age grp of AH is dominated by old farts and grand old farts*LOL* game play will def be diff from the mainstream squeaker squad...
p.s i used to actually think that the arena cap was a way HTC is saying.. GO TO SLEEP... SO YOU CAN GO TO WORK/SCHOOL the next day...which is looking after its client's wellfare... no work/school = no $= no subscription..
sigh... i am so loved! LOL
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How can HTC keep a larger percentage of two-weekers?
Make it three weeks.
:D
:aok
Yep maybe it takes longer than 2 weeks to get addicted.
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Or make the 2 week trial still availible when you log off. I lost mine to a alt f4 dweeb
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That article describes what is seriously wrong with other gaming companies today. NOT what you should copy/mimick!
I truly loathe other companise that do some of the things described in that list of 5 things.
Oh, guess what? I don't give them any of my money. I do give HTC my money. Bottom line that's the real indicator you need to look at.
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I'm not addicted..... they take my money from my account every month and I think I should get something in return.
The more I use AH the better my return. :P
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I like to think of Aces High as the old Legos.. and other MMO games as the new Legos.
Back in the day when one bought Legos they would get an assortment kit with a bunch of random pieces. They relied on their imagination to decide what to build with it. I remember when I was little building huge starships and airplanes... or houses... or castles. None of the colors would ever match but the finished model was INCREDIBLE! Then once I got bored with it I would tear it all apart and start again. Most of the fun was the building of it!
This is true, but detroying the lego creation in an epic battle was why I built it to begin with....hmmmmm
HTC should add a little more smash to the game. Take away the pinball effect from trees, bushes and structures and make the tank capable of running them over. Take away the various sized bases and have all bases start off at the same size. Then you could change the capability of the base by building it up through a supply system or the more times the base succesfully fends off capture it would expand or grow and allow more capabilities.
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This is soooo cool. They have evidently added the ability for players across the world to fight eachother in planes. WOOOT :D
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Baldeagle has a simple suggestion...make it 3 weeks...I was thinking 1 month.
<S>
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I believe BaldEagl's suggestion would definitely increase the number of players who kept playing after two weeks, as would yours 999000.
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Maybe there should be a brothel in town where you could cash in your perk points. :t
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The article takes me back to back to college getting that Psych degree. It was depressing. The book "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell is an interesting read related to why we do what we do (and how little we think before doing it). I'm with Krusty, it would be a turnoff to start seeing a bunch of gimmicks instead of, say, the Beaufighter.
A 3 week trial is good. I think the more you play this game the better it gets (to a point) and that point is well after the 2 week period. What about a special? $60 for a 1 yr sub? Its win-win. 1. The new gamer saves a bunch of money and his exposure to the game is likely increased. 2. I obviously haven't done a market analysis but I'd bet HTC keeps a higher portion of "nibblers," more than offsetting the reduced cost.
When I've joined it was because of #1 WW2 aircraft!! :rock #2 The unique challenge of flying against real people. #3 Supporting something that attempts to preserve the WWII aviation experience in a fashion.
When I've left it was because: #1 Spending money after interest ran out IE: No larger strategy in the game. I don't need to level up, but let someone WIN! #2 Feeling obligated to play a video game to "get your money's worth" doesn't feel healthy- kneejerk reaction is nix the sub.
Other ideas:
1. Be nice to a newb. Don't thump your chest at someone with a .021 K/D. We all know we're men with chest hair and cajones the size of mature grapefruit.
2. Auto-assign newbs to an "Aces High class" (AH MM DD) which will serve as an initial squad. The class as a whole will be assigned a trainer. Even if training is skipped, just talking to noob peers will help the learning curve and avoid the embarrassment of "alt-F4." There is a bond formed in the shared vulnerability of the unknown. Seeing "JoNewb landed 2 victories in a Ki-61 of AH0608" will serve as notice that someone new is learning the ropes. Also, seeing "You shot down JoeNewb of AH0608" might stop you from said chest thump because you know there's no reason for it.
3. Let us see career stats from the clipboard, not just tour stats. Continuity is something. "Building the back of a baseball card" is fun.
4. Only charge the card for months we actually play. Poor business practice? Market analysis needed. But I will say that any logical person who hasn't played an hour's worth of AH in the last month is hearing an unpleasant flushing noise coming from his wallet that he won't want to hear again.
5. Slowly decreasing subscription costs for long-term players. Actually, by the time you've hit the 10 year mark on this game you should probably be getting a timecard in the mail...
6. Work the history element. Jane's WWII fighters did a good job integrating historical material into the experience. Each plane had a bio and there was access to ace interviews (always praising the fighter in question). When you flew an aircraft in that game it wasn't a flight model, it was history.