Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Wishlist => Topic started by: Triton28 on August 10, 2015, 10:04:40 AM
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Pretty sure it's been suggested before, but I'd like to revisit the idea of allowing a certain set of planes and GV's to players free of charge. Say, the 202/205, B25, and a Panzer of some variety all there for the FTP guys. Everything else is "unlockable" with a subscription.
I chose the 202/205 because it's competitive and fun but not overpowered (maybe in actual firepower) in any category. The B25 is a a capable medium bomber, plus it's iconic. Not being a GV guy I haven't ever gotten into the subtleties of AH ground combat, but I'm sure one of the Panzer variants would suffice, plus they're iconic. Of course we could expand or rotate the selections to include other aircraft and vehicles, but obviously there needs to be a careful eye on not giving the FTP guys and gals too much. Yes, there would be those who take the free ride and never subscribe, but I would imagine there would be a fair to good amount who would at least want to sub for a while to check out the full plane and GV set, and maybe they stay a while. Hell, even the freeloaders wouldn't be that bad. There would at least be more planes and tanks to shoot.
Let us now discuss.
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The Italians are coming, the Italians are coming!
I'd be on board if this wasn't an entirely pvp based system.
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First let me just say I am totally against F2P, I think a more effective, check that, a marketing campaign is whats needed but thats all besides the point as I want to entertain your ideas and a thought occurred to me: how about instead of a limited plane availability you had a rotation so that a f2p player would play with most or all of the set but in an unpredictable sequence with the plane changing for each sortie? You'd tease them like that. I think unlimited use of a 205 would be pretty much all a lot of people would need to enjoy the game.
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Like the idea of planes but I like the idea of having the DA/TA, EW, and MW free for use. Special events and Main arena would be subscription only.
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Like the idea of planes but I like the idea of having the DA/TA, EW, and MW free for use. Special events and Main arena would be subscription only.
E
If thus was the case I wouldn't pay the 15 a month. I'd be content with the Mid and Early war.
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I'd be on board if this wasn't an entirely pvp based system.
I'm not sure what you mean.
how about instead of a limited plane availability you had a rotation so that a f2p player would play with most or all of the set but in an unpredictable sequence with the plane changing for each sortie? You'd tease them like that. I think unlimited use of a 205 would be pretty much all a lot of people would need to enjoy the game.
Yep, I thought about rotating the set as well. Interesting and would certainly do more to expose the FTP player to a plane/GV that he'd be willing to subscribe to fly all the time, but would maybe make a very casual player just go with the rotation and stay FTP. Bad that he doesn't sub, but good that he still comes around from time to time I suppose.
Like the idea of planes but I like the idea of having the DA/TA, EW, and MW free for use. Special events and Main arena would be subscription only.
I'm just thinking that would make for a whole lot of FTP players never subbing and the "main" arena switching to the one that allows everyone in.
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I think the TA would be a great F2P arena. Instead of shooting at drones all day in offline you can improve your skills in the TA against other players or even with a trainer without having to pay a subscription fee to do so.
I'm skeptical as to whether making the DA F2P would be a good idea. Most people coming to this game most likely just want to do combat with other players. The DA provides this perfectly. There would be no need to get a subscription to be able to join the MA's which are basically a much larger DA with a "War" going on. Limiting the planes people could fly with a F2P account would be one way to nudge them towards a subscription though.
Early, Mid, and Late War should be for subscribers only, but if one or all were made open to F2P players then limiting the rides they could use is, again, a good way to nudge them towards a subscription. Special Events should only be for subscribers of course.
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F2P in the TA would be great. It would teach people how to play the game and learn the planes. It would allow new players to understand the plane and game play better, and it would prepare them to join the MA. Since you cannot shoot down players, it would make them strive that much more to subscribe.
I do like the idea also of a C205 or P51B only for free players. This might attract a lot of new players as well, and they would certainly sign up to learn and fly new planes.
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T/A and Steal The Sheep only...
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Chances are an FTP arena for the passing lookylous will be AI missions 24x7 along with the existing 2 week free trial for the MA. Most of you have been vets who paid for, or vets who still pay for a subscription. FTP would give many of you your fix that you no longer want to pay for. The amount of structural complexity dithered over this wish shows more concern to what you want then a heart felt wish for others. Hitech is the professional here, I thought.
Dear Hitech,
Please consider some form of an FTP arena to help bring in new players.
Thank you.
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The amount of structural complexity dithered over this wish shows more concern to what you want then a heart felt wish for others. Hitech is the professional here, I thought.
The amount of dithering shows people trading a few ideas on a bulletin board about a video game we all like to play. This is normal, especially in a wish list sub-forum. Additionally, I, as the OP, can officially declare my suggested plane/GV structure was not meant to insult, demean, devalue, or undermine Hitech's status as the game developer and ultimate decision maker, nor was it an attempt to usurp his power in the AH universe.
I hope we can all dither on the same page now.
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C205 and p51b??? Thos are awesome planes....I hate this idea completely.
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I think the idea is worth a try. Maybe more of a tease with the P51B. Might need one form every part of the world. PS we still need an Aussie plane.
The deal is to get them hooked and addicted to the action. Get them their first kill. Get to know a few players. Laugh at the funny stuff on vox or read the txt buffer. Be in on a base capture or defense.
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I think the idea is worth a try. Maybe more of a tease with the P51B. Might need one form every part of the world. PS we still need an Aussie plane.
The deal is to get them hooked and addicted to the action. Get them their first kill. Get to know a few players. Laugh at the funny stuff on vox or read the txt buffer. Be in on a base capture or defense.
And they get all that and much more with a free 2 week trial that does not even require a credit card. I'm at a complete loss, after reading this entire thread, what the OP wish would accomplish that the free 2 week subscription that doesn't even require a credit card, doesn't accomplish. Is the 2 weeks not enough? I think it's plenty. If this game doesn't addict you in 2 weeks then maybe it's just not for you. I want it to be for you, I too want new players but again, I think we have a great system in place now that does this.
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And they get all that and much more with a free 2 week trial that does not even require a credit card. I'm at a complete loss, after reading this entire thread, what the OP wish would accomplish that the free 2 week subscription that doesn't even require a credit card, doesn't accomplish. Is the 2 weeks not enough? I think it's plenty. If this game doesn't addict you in 2 weeks then maybe it's just not for you. I want it to be for you, I too want new players but again, I think we have a great system in place now that does this.
I'm glad you brought this up. No, I don't think a two week free trial is enough, especially for those who find the game without ever having developed a keen interest in aviation or more specifically, WWII aviation. I'm pretty sure I made a wish about that some time ago, too. When you consider the steep learning curve, the potential hardware requirements/suggestions, and real life getting in the way, you're shaving quite a bit of usable time off that two weeks. It would be one thing if that two weeks was actually 336 hours spent in game... which would be plenty, I'd think, but it's not. It's two calendar weeks and for many that I've tried to bring into the game, it's not enough. Giving people a FTP way to play the game would at least give them an opportunity to play the game at a pace their life allows before they have to consider whether or not to shell out $15 a month.
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Your sentiment is very altruistic. The reality is human beings are human beings. Ultimately there is nothing special about free, and human nature responds accordingly. Free turns into an entitlement without the cost of a commitment.
So it turns out neither yourself or the game was enough for your friends to "like" the AH experience. Free will simply garner the liking of something with no cost since they didn't stay around for you at the least.
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+1, I love the c205, and this will save me $15 per month!
Seriously though, no....$15 isn't that much to pay for 6 weeks to see if you like it (2 free + 1 month @ $15).
Another idea: Maybe discount the first month, $10? Like the free two weeks, it should only be available to each new user one time.
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My perspective as a 14 YO when I first started playing this game was that $15 a month sounds really expensive, and I played in the 2 week trial and had absolutely no idea what to do, I came from MCFS and knew a little bit how to fly in simulations and the learning curve was way more difficult than I imagined. H2H saved my AH fever and is what kept me around to pay the subscription when Hitech shut it down. I would have joined the MA one time to check it out, as the interest was high, but I still couldn't really afford it being a young lad.
With the outdated graphics and a subscription model, my friends can't even believe I even play this game, much less get them to play. And when I do get them to play, they suck so bad at flying its a joke. It would be extremely difficult to keep them interested in the game if they had to pay. Now if there was a free model, they could play with me and have a good time, learn to play it, and maybe eventually subscirbe one day.
Triton makes a good point. 2 weeks really isn't enough time. The game is for players with a niche interest and we have to figure out a way to expand the market. A person who has no idea about flying will drop the game and not even subscribe because they will still have no idea what to do. There has to be a free way to keep new players entertained and wanting for more.
A P51B and c205 are decent planes but there is nothing special about them. They would give players a chance to win, but it wouldn't be easy for them either. They are not totally capable planes and both take a lot of skill to really be good in. It would give the noobs a chance but at the same time limit their abilities. They would strive for better planes and most vets wouldn't play for free to only fly those 2 planes.
It's just a gesture. Would be nice to see a lot more players join the game and at this point we should be trying everything we can to get more players in the game.
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Your sentiment is very altruistic. The reality is human beings are human beings. Ultimately there is nothing special about free, and human nature responds accordingly. Free turns into an entitlement without the cost of a commitment.
Free turns into interest which is special to the person selling the interesting thing.
So it turns out neither yourself or the game was enough for your friends to "like" the AH experience. Free will simply garner the liking of something with no cost since they didn't stay around for you at the least.
Good Lord Bustr... lol. It's a time/interest thing. When there are other electronic entertainment options that are either one time pay, or free to play, it's tough to sell a subscription game like AH to people who didn't grow up idolizing Tommy McGuire or the sleek lines of a Spitfire, and do it in two weeks time. Allowing a FTP route for people to ease into the game as time permits isn't nearly as dramatic as you're making it out to be.
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F2P only makes sense if you have micro-transactioms in a game store. It is totally unsuited to AH.
To get new players into the game, a longer trial period is a good idea. 2 weeks is not enough for a game like this, especially that the actual hours of play over two weeks of real time may vary significantly, for people with a life.
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I'm glad you brought this up. No, I don't think a two week free trial is enough, especially for those who find the game without ever having developed a keen interest in aviation or more specifically, WWII aviation. I'm pretty sure I made a wish about that some time ago, too. When you consider the steep learning curve, the potential hardware requirements/suggestions, and real life getting in the way, you're shaving quite a bit of usable time off that two weeks. It would be one thing if that two weeks was actually 336 hours spent in game... which would be plenty, I'd think, but it's not. It's two calendar weeks and for many that I've tried to bring into the game, it's not enough. Giving people a FTP way to play the game would at least give them an opportunity to play the game at a pace their life allows before they have to consider whether or not to shell out $15 a month.
Agreed. The 2 week free trial just is not long enough to really do anything unless you dedicate every second of every day of those 2 weeks to the game. I remember when I first started my 2 weeks I intentionally waited until school was out so I could use as much of the 2 week free trial as I could and even then there was so much to learn that I barely got a feel for it before the 2 weeks were up, and I even had someone kind enough to take me under his wing and show me the ropes. What really sold me on getting a subscription was I have great interest in WW2 and flying/dogfighting, and there wasn't really anything else out there that provided a WW2 flight game like AH2 did. Someone who doesn't have such a strong interest in WW2 like most of us do probably won't get enough of a feel for the game in just the small amount of time they can play in their 2 week trial. Then why should they spend $15 a month of a subscription to continue their trial to see if this game is what they want when they can just go to War Thunder (which is F2P) or DCS (which has a F2P aspect)?
Not being F2P worked back in the day for AH2 because there was no other WW2 flight game on the market that came even close to it. These days there are several popping up and most are F2P or have a F2P aspect. AH2 needs to evolve if it wants to survive and the new update is certainly the first step towards that but most definitely not the final step.
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Chances are an FTP arena for the passing lookylous will be AI missions 24x7 along with the existing 2 week free trial for the MA. Most of you have been vets who paid for, or vets who still pay for a subscription. FTP would give many of you your fix that you no longer want to pay for. The amount of structural complexity dithered over this wish shows more concern to what you want then a heart felt wish for others. Hitech is the professional here, I thought.
Dear Hitech,
Please consider some form of an FTP arena to help bring in new players.
Thank you.
started in2002 i dont wanna do the math lol
AvA F2P
I do like the AI missions idea.
DA SEAs Main areas are subscription only.
Why the AvA? 1. Rotating plane set, 2. the community that plays (very few) are awesome, 3. Its my favorite arena and id like to see it populated again some day.
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Extend the free trial to four weeks, or maybe change it to 100 hours (time logged on) free. People may start the trial and have other things to do the next few days.
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I like most any idea that involves having more players in the game.
+1
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. . . With the outdated graphics . . .
No doubt as you said AH2 is not the latest stuff. But you know when you get close to another plane, the detail is quite good. The things we rarely see that are detailed like falling plane parts and bombs are just plain cool.
In the alpha, the default FOV is 80 and for testing I use the default. I use 90 in ah2 and that really bumps up the detail from the default 106.
Not sure half the complaints about graphics are related to high fov settings.
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Not sure of the demographics now the numbers have dropped. I would have previously resisted any combat aircraft being available via F2P.
However there is a case for
C47
Storch
Po-2 (future)
FW189 (future)
all gunner positions.
Jeep
M3
Lvt2
After this certain other aircraft can be earned through gaining F2P credits (like perks but you spend them) during game play.
This way F2P has a role and it provides occasional access to main line play in a manner that cannot distort the game play balance of subscription players.
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Extend the free trial to four weeks, or maybe change it to 100 hours (time logged on) free. People may start the trial and have other things to do the next few days.
^^^^^THIS!!!^^^^^
:aok
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Extend the free trial to four weeks, or maybe change it to 100 hours (time logged on) free. People may start the trial and have other things to do the next few days.
That's a good thought.
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10+ yrs ago H2H was consistantly busy. Half of the population milked the free play status but quite a few gravitated over to paid accounts. I rarely, if ever see anyone in pvt areans sinc HTC rekindled the.
Perhaps more could be promoted on FB, Twitter to get new players started in nouveu H2H.
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They get only the storch and a jeep
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Free turns into interest which is special to the person selling the interesting thing.
This...personally I love the F2P model. I've got 5-6 games I tend to rotate around pretty frequently. Once I get burned out on one, I'll move to another for a while, etc. If I know I'll be playing a particular game for X amount of time, I don't mind "upgrading" my account to whatever premium service the company offers, because it makes my time on their game more enjoyable.
In my opinion a full F2P model would never work with the way this game is designed (an overhaul would be needed), however as previously mentioned, something like only the Training Arena and Early War being available would be sufficient. It allows people to check out the game and participate in combat while not totally disrupting gameplay in the main arena (until they fully understand the game).
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I think the 2 weeks should be extended to about a month!
However I'm not sure how best to do this,a whole month everything available or 2 weeks everything and 2 weeks restricted to TA/DA and possibly the AvA.
I think 2 weeks isnt enough to "keep" players long enough to subscribe,but it's not my game and I dont have all the facts.
:salute
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And they get all that and much more with a free 2 week trial that does not even require a credit card. I'm at a complete loss, after reading this entire thread, what the OP wish would accomplish that the free 2 week subscription that doesn't even require a credit card, doesn't accomplish. Is the 2 weeks not enough? I think it's plenty. If this game doesn't addict you in 2 weeks then maybe it's just not for you. I want it to be for you, I too want new players but again, I think we have a great system in place now that does this.
^ this. :aok
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FWIW, I recently got a friend from Falcon BMS over to download the game and fly a few sorties with me. While he enjoyed the game and air combat immensely, his opinion was that the $15 /month subscription model was an outdated pricing model and he would never personally pay that much for any extended period of time.
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Unless I'm mistaken, Falcon BMS is free after you purchase Falcon 4.0. Then the game development has been taken over by players. So yes, your friend would be biased against paying a subscription when he has an FTP maintained by players after MicroProse gave up the business.
All of this still reads like people trying to get Hitech to make an FTP so they can stop paying a subscription.
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All of this still reads like people trying to get Hitech to make an FTP so they can stop paying a subscription.
Damn it... you got me. I've secretly wanted to fly a 205 for free since I was a wee lad. :rolleyes:
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Howabout, TA for 2 weeks, first and only; then, everything (EW, MW, LW, . . . etc., for 2 weeks: then subscribe.
Total freebie; one month.
Comments ?
LtngRydr
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Unless I'm mistaken, Falcon BMS is free after you purchase Falcon 4.0. Then the game development has been taken over by players. So yes, your friend would be biased against paying a subscription when he has an FTP maintained by players after MicroProse gave up the business.
All of this still reads like people trying to get Hitech to make an FTP so they can stop paying a subscription.
I think the point people are trying to make here isn't "I want to stop paying my subscription and fly my P-51D for free!" It's "There are so many other air combat games, and more specifically WW2 flight sim games, out there today that are either F2P, have a F2P aspect, or are a 1 time purchase why would any new players pay the sub for AH2 when there are all these cheaper options out there?"
No one here has said that they want the game to go F2P so they can fly their favorite plane without paying $15 a month. Our concerns are that the game is going to die because of the $15 a month subscription. New players get 2 weeks to try the game out and see if they like it and then that's it. They have to pay a subscription each month to keep playing. Only the most hardcore of WW2 buffs who can see the potential of AH2 will probably pay the sub. The casual gamer though that just wants to fly around and shoot stuff probably won't, and why would they? They could go get any one of the Il2 games for a 1 time purchase. They could get War Thunder for free. They can get DCS for free and buy the specific plane that they want for a 1 time purchase, and this game I have been playing a lot recently and have found to be just as fun (even more fun is some ways) as AH2.
The question people are asking here is whether or not a subscription based game is going to work anymore in this day and age where everything else is F2P or has F2P aspects.
Just as 1 example, Planetside 2. This game is an MMO kind of similar to AH2 in some ways and it's 100% F2P. You can download it and get all the content in the game without having to spend a dime. However the game does have a subscription aspect to it. If you like the game enough then you can become a subscriber and get some perks such as double XP on the last weekend of each month, special daily sales that give you a discount on all items in game, and several other perks that F2P players just don't get and won't get unless they subscribe as well. AH2 could do this, just not as extreme I think. Let F2P players have access to some of the higher ENY planes (P-40C and E, i-16, Pnzr 4F, B-25) and if they like the game and want to fly some of their favorite planes (P-51D, B-17, Tiger, etc) then they can start a subscription.
Of course, at the end of the day this is HT's game and he will decide on what AH2 is going to do. We're just having a discussion and throwing out possibilities for the game here.
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Howabout, TA for 2 weeks, first and only; then, everything (EW, MW, LW, . . . etc., for 2 weeks: then subscribe.
Total freebie; one month.
Comments ?
LtngRydr
Sounds nice, but wouldn't be a good thing for recruiting new players. You gotta hook them pretty quick, make them interested in the gameplay and its possibilities.
Limiting new players to the TA (which is actually empty most of the time) where they can do about nothing but flying around the scenery for full two weeks will make about no one hook up.
Who will wait for two more weeks to see if there's actually more to this, or sign up immediately without knowing what the game is really about?
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My WAG on this is there are three types come to ah. The first has some sort of interst tied to aviation, tanks and or the ww2. the second is a gamer. The third is someone that stumbled onto a ww2 simulation type game.
The first one is easy to catch if money is not an issue. The gamer is looking for action and more interested in winning and that is not easy to in ah. The third is just a rare catch.
All of that being said, the monthly payment probably is the biggest wall to get over. As I have posted before, though, the monthly payment does filter out some of the unwanted.
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My WAG on this is there are three types come to ah. The first has some sort of interst tied to aviation, tanks and or the ww2. the second is a gamer. The third is someone that stumbled onto a ww2 simulation type game.
The first one is easy to catch if money is not an issue. The gamer is looking for action and more interested in winning and that is not easy to in ah. The third is just a rare catch.
All of that being said, the monthly payment probably is the biggest wall to get over. As I have posted before, though, the monthly payment does filter out some of the unwanted.
There are 3 types of people that come in to my Motorcycle store: Those that ave a bike or want another bike, those that have never had a bike but want one, and those that are truly just looking and don't want one. To be blunt, if the price of the bike stops them from buying one, what business in their right mind would give them one for free?
If people don't want to pay to play this game, tough.
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There are 3 types of people that come in to my Motorcycle store: Those that ave a bike or want another bike, those that have never had a bike but want one, and those that are truly just looking and don't want one. To be blunt, if the price of the bike stops them from buying one, what business in their right mind would give them one for free?
If people don't want to pay to play this game, tough.
Do you let people ride a bike if their interested in buying it?
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Do you let people ride a bike if their interested in buying it?
Sure, but not for 2 weeks like HiTech does. Nor do I give them a free one with fewer features to ride forever just in case some day they might want to buy a better one.
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Sure, but not for 2 weeks like HiTech does. Nor do I give them a free one with fewer features to ride forever just in case some day they might want to buy a better one.
A two week test ride would be silly. Giving them a moped to ride around till it breaks wouldn't make much sense either. I asked because to me, the two week free trail in AH is a bit like you restricting a test ride to your medium sized parking lot. There's not enough room to figure out if you really like it, unless you knew you really liked it before you got on. See what I mean?
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Read all the replies, applying my own spin on some of the other ideas here.
Training arena = free no sub
E-M-L War Arenas, 100 hours played time (combined) on a trial account.
DA (and the rest) - subscription req.
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Yes, I see what you mean and completely disagree with the premise of Free to play still. I do understand that this has been put into the wishlist for 'discussion" but you are discussing giving something away that you do not own, and you are absolutely just guessing if it would have a positive affect on getting paying players in to the game. Note the "paying" part because the bottom line is that is the only thing that will keep this game viable.
Tell you what, since you are sincerely interested in getting new players to join for the good of game play, recruit one of your friends and pay for his account until he decides he likes it enough to pay his own way.
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Yes, I see what you mean and completely disagree with the premise of Free to play still. I do understand that this has been put into the wishlist for 'discussion" but you are discussing giving something away that you do not own...
Of course I don't own it, but if I did, you might surmise from my position that I'd be thinking about something like this. I thought that was how this works.. :headscratch:
I don't think this discussion warrants my nerd/gamer resume and/or life and business credentials, but rest assured I didn't sleep in my mom's basement last night and I understand how a business needs money to pay it's bills, maintain itself, pay it's employees, and look to the future in terms of growth and development. I guess that's the magic of an idea like this if it works... what do you mean I gave some things away for free and got paid for them?!?!
(http://memecrunch.com/meme/28CH6/impossibru-guy/image.png?w=400&c=1)
, and you are absolutely just guessing if it would have a positive affect on getting paying players in to the game. Note the "paying" part because the bottom line is that is the only thing that will keep this game viable.
A guess? You think I flipped a quarter before I posted this? You could have at least said I'm theorizing.
Tell you what, since you are sincerely interested in getting new players to join for the good of game play, recruit one of your friends and pay for his account until he decides he likes it enough to pay his own way.
I bet you thought I hadn't ever done that. Why do you underestimate me Zoney? I pay for a few different accounts, one of which I actually play on. The problem is, I can't do that for everyone. If I win a lottery of sufficient size I'll buy a year for every nerd on the internet though. Except you. :)
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I am sorry if I hurt your feelings sir, that was not my intention. I shall respectfully bow out of this conversation therefore.
:salute
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Zoney,
His arguments only stand on "what if" and good intentions, which makes you a mean spirited old man for using reality. It's kind of like the 8th grade locker room discussions about a hot cheer leader everyone salivates over, who goes to the High School down the street from their Junior High. At least they can dream.... :O
The best they might get, is she holds a cheer leader clinic in their gymnasium to help their Junior High cheer leader squad one Saturday. Dream a little dream.....
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I am sorry if I hurt your feelings sir, that was not my intention. I shall respectfully bow out of this conversation therefore.
:salute
lol... No hurt feelings. You can sleep better tonight. :cheers:
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Read all the replies, applying my own spin on some of the other ideas here.
Training arena = free no sub
E-M-L War Arenas, 100 hours played time (combined) on a trial account.
DA (and the rest) - subscription req.
nothing would stop those with a subscription that play ah to drop it and resub as trial account and play fso or scenarios only.
I pay 15 bucks a month and I hardly play as much as I used to due to life. I try to fly with the pigs as much as I can and fso if I can.
I think I get my 15 bucks worth every month. I used to play WOT with their "free" to play. I think I would spend a little over 100 bucks a year to play the free game.
The reality is that games like WOT are not really free to play. in aces high, you dont start with a basic engine, 1 mg and no rudder in your p51. it is always fully upgraded. in free to play game, you would start with some crappy engine, crappy pilot with slow response, pea shooters instead of mg, etc. you would have to grind to get a fully upgraded pony or go premium if you wanted it faster. by the time you got the pony, you were in a fight against better airplanes so you were forced to used gold to upgrade.
in reality free to play are an illusion. yeah, they're free, but you consistently fight against overwhelming odds and it is frustrating as hell untill you upgrade, then move on to the next tier and start all over. it's a never ending thing. then you get to tier 10 and find out the plane you wanted now got nerfed because they want you to start looking towards a different plane.
semp
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Sure, but not for 2 weeks like HiTech does. Nor do I give them a free one with fewer features to ride forever just in case some day they might want to buy a better one.
Now if I can buy one of your new ones for $15 a month, I dont need to try it out. :aok
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Sure, but not for 2 weeks like HiTech does. Nor do I give them a free one with fewer features to ride forever just in case some day they might want to buy a better one.
Hey you wanna try this idea? Ill take a free bike and let ya know how much I enjoy it so you can decied that its a wasteful idea. Just dont take the bike back from me lol
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I was :( and :bhead when I heard my 12 yr old Nephew in law had been playing WT "because it is free"
after a couple of sessions offline in my Spitfire cupboard I showed him the real deal.
I also wish HTC consider a free room of sorts whether it be AI missions constantly running so that noobs can at least cut the mustard online before the squeakers get let loose in the MA. Hopefully the new mouse control system also helps those without £300 HOTAS.
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Dear Hitech,
Please consider some form of an FTP arena to help bring in new players.
Thank you.
if the free two week trial doesn't bring in new subscribers, what makes you think FTP will? What data do you have to support your wish?
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A free to play EW arena and TA would be perfect IMO. It would encourage people to join the game and learn how the game works. It would help all new pilots to learn how to fly older type planes in which they would actually have to learn some skills.
Vets who pay most likely would not drop subscription to play in EW.
The TA would be there for their support.
Eventually they would get tired of the older planes and sign up for a month with the late war planes to try it.
I think something needs to happen to "attract" new players to the game and keep them playing the game. What we are forgetting is that this genre has become a lot more popular now that WT has made it into a popular event. If Hitech wants to compete with that player base, and potentially take away many of their players, we have to give them a sound arena for them to learn and enjoy the game without the stress of buying it and being disappointed that they aren't good enough and that it is too hard. With FTP TA and EW would really give them a chance to learn and play the game with their friends. It would also bring back the enthusiasm of older vets who want to get back into the game or want to give it another shot. I think it would really help out the player base in a very good way and make this game exciting again in multiple arenas.
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A free to play EW arena and TA would be perfect IMO. It would encourage people to join the game and learn how the game works. It would help all new pilots to learn how to fly older type planes in which they would actually have to learn some skills.
What are you basing this fantasy on?
Vets who pay most likely would not drop subscription to play in EW.
Perhaps, perhaps not. How do you know?
The TA would be there for their support.
Really, how so, suppose your 100% correct and 20,000 free player sign up world wide. how does that help , will HTC be required to upgrade servers to allow more free players, set up additional free arenas who pays for that?
Eventually they would get tired of the older planes and sign up for a month with the late war planes to try it.
Eventually they would get tired lf the game and leave having provided no profit.
I think something needs to happen to "attract" new players to the game and keep them playing the game. What we are forgetting is that this genre has become a lot more popular now that WT has made it into a popular event. If Hitech wants to compete with that player base, and potentially take away many of their players, we have to give them a sound arena for them to learn and enjoy the game without the stress of buying it and being disappointed that they aren't good enough and that it is too hard. With FTP TA and EW would really give them a chance to learn and play the game with their friends. It would also bring back the enthusiasm of older vets who want to get back into the game or want to give it another shot. I think it would really help out the player base in a very good way and make this game exciting again in multiple arenas.
Yes, an improvement to the game and strategy would go a long way to bring in new paying players. This game is old and hasn't changed in almost 20 years.
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The baby is the free to play option. The bathwater is the potential options you could provide the FTP player. Let's stop throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and start debating how warm the bathwater should be. If you're of the opinion that the baby doesn't need a bath, that's cool, but it seems odd to me that some in this thread come across like they're taking offense to the notion in general. Whether you like it or not, game devs are getting creative with how to hook people into playing their game, and giving them something for free, or a somewhat robust demo option is not abnormal and has lots of precedent in the gaming world outside of AH.
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What are you basing this fantasy on? Perhaps, perhaps not. How do you know?
No, I am basing this off over 9 years of playing this game and watching/listening to how new players cope with the difficulty of the game. I played in the H2H model in 2005 and it was very exciting for a 14 YO who loved this game but couldn't afford it. It was still small so it encouraged players to check out the MA. People still played in the MA because it was a lot of fun, once you understood how the game worked. The H2H allowed me to learn the game and get to know some players. That never would have happened if I had 2 weeks to play in the MA for free. I'd have no idea what to do.
Really, how so, suppose your 100% correct and 20,000 free player sign up world wide. how does that help , will HTC be required to upgrade servers to allow more free players, set up additional free arenas who pays for that?
Suppose that did happen! You don't think a % of that 20,000 would sign up for the late war arena to fly faster and better planes? You don't think people would cave in and purchase the MA and other arenas if they became more populated? This would create a huge marketing incentive based on word of mouth. Plus more than 1 arena would have people to fight against. Also, this would be great for old vets to stop in once in a while and play the game for a few hours, if they don't have the time to pay enough for their $15 a month. This would be great to get my friends to log on and play. The majority of gamers (like hitech has said) don't stay around for very long and go from game to game. This would at least populate the arena again and maybe encourage some of them to sign up for the MA.
The best part is, it is not free to play to make your plane better than someone else's. It is free to play to understand the game and learn it, there will always be free loaders, but if you can get 15 more people a month to sign up one time, you are achieving your goal, regardless of the free to play.
Eventually they would get tired lf the game and leave having provided no profit.
Who cares? I didn't give a dime to WT when I tried it, You think that hurt them? If 20,000 people played in the EW arena for free. lets say even 1000 of those people eventually sign up for the MA. That is 1000 more than you had before. You have 20k Word of mouth players getting their friends to check out the game. They say wwow this is cool, take 2 months to learn the game in the EW, and then they may sign up for the MA! It would create a much more popular trend to join the MA after learning the EW planes.
Yes, an improvement to the game and strategy would go a long way to bring in new paying players. This game is old and hasn't changed in almost 20 years.
True, so how do we go about attracting more people to the game?
1. commercialization
2. graphics
3. A way for new players to learn the game in a challenging environment.
4. bring them in with a free to play model, make them crave flying in better planes, present the MA as a much better and more challenging world, 25% of non paying members will sign up every month to try the MA. PROFIT.
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I think a lot of people are of the misconception that going to a F2P business model is what will "save AH from the ashes". Changes and improvement to the game play will bring in more potential customers than switching the game to F2P. Without changes and improvements to the game play, making the game F2P isn't going to make people stick around for very long and then the game withers on the vine and dies, like the majority of F2P games.
ack-ack
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I think a lot of people are of the misconception that going to a F2P business model is what will "save AH from the ashes". Changes and improvement to the game play will bring in more potential customers than switching the game to F2P. Without changes and improvements to the game play, making the game F2P isn't going to make people stick around for very long and then the game withers on the vine and dies, like the majority of F2P games.
ack-ack
Good point, and just for clarity, I doubt seriously any FTP option will cause an immediate and massive boom in numbers of players. AckAck is right in that it's ultimately gameplay that hooks the player... I'm just of the notion that sometimes you need to make sure they stick around long enough to figure it all out.
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hi
to my pont of view a free to play option will help alot to rise numbers. because after your 2 week free trial you are still in the game, with less option but you still have the posibiliti to get more into the game.
i notice it at my frinds, i told alot of people about the game in th last 14 yeas, and a lot strtet the game, but most were not able to play it much in ther 14 free time because of work and alot of other reasons. so these 14 days are not realy much for AH.
if i remember me, i was able to shoot down an enemy aircraft in an aircraft in about two month.
i stayed here becuase i did knew the potential of the game because i have dreemed a long time frome a game like that.
but the most don t do it and thay do not have a chnce to learn the game in 2 weeks.
So gave them the chnce to stay in game and thay come back as full player in 2-3 month.
with only the 2weeks free 98% of all new commers are lost i beet.
i was not able to get new people into the game since 2001 and i think that is not the foult of the game or the game play, or may foult. ist just the lake of time to get into it.
i realy realy think it will help much to get more people in.
we have nothing to lost so please HTC try it to keep this game running.
all of us here will keep paying the 14 bugs i m sure but more will come. not in 2 weeks but in 2-3 month :-).
cu christian
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I know you chris3 from playing this game with you. If there is something that will get more people to play that are like you, then I am for it. I'm really glad you are here. We need more just like you sir.
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hey zoney
thank you very much, i wish i could stay online more to fly with you guys, but work keeps mee away much time :-(.
how i say, if new comers will be able to stay into the game after the 2 weeks free. the numbers will rise.
and to days everyone want a free to play game , and than AH will be able to get called as a free to play game. just like WoT were people easyly waste more than 100 bugs a month for a free to play game lol
cu christian
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A 30 day free trial, with a new media campaign and with the new game play improvements would probably be just as effective, if not more so, then AH going F2P.
ack-ack
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A 30 day free trial, with a new media campaign and with the new game play improvements would probably be just as effective, if not more so, then AH going F2P.
ack-ack
This I agree with but I have 1 addition to add,a less toxic environment. If more players stopped gloating over killing a new player they may stick around.
I hear it almost every day,new players upset over being killed then told how bad they are and go to the TA,like thats some place only new players need.
Instead if players helped those new guys in anyway I think we'd see more players staying.
30 days wont be long enough to get even close to competitive but it might be long enough to keep them coming back.
YMMV.
:salute
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This I agree with but I have 1 addition to add,a less toxic environment. If more players stopped gloating over killing a new player they may stick around.
I hear it almost every day,new players upset over being killed then told how bad they are and go to the TA,like thats some place only new players need.
Instead if players helped those new guys in anyway I think we'd see more players staying.
I'm in total agreement with that.
In the 4 1/2 years I've been online, I've had 3 friends try AH. And all three didn't stay because of the juvenile antics of some players when they asked a question about AH.
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hi
30 days are nothing for this game.
why not after 14 days you only have 1-2 fighter , 1 bomber and 1-2 tanks in the hangar.
the people need to stay here, to learn the game.
and later maybe the option to buy a fighter or a tank for a month. thats how online game works today.
if we want new guys we need the new way.
we are old in ouer days it was normal to buy a cd and than pay every month.
but today if i tell a frind that i pay every month he told me stupid but it is the thame guy wich wast 100 euro for gold and tanks in world of tanks in a month.
so that is the way we should go. how i say htc has nothing to lose he only can win with that lidel changing.
cu christian
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What might help as well is a click and play staged missions with a simple click or slider to change the AI's ability. Each mission would be setup to train the newbie in a segment of the game.
We have missions now in AH but are not user friendly.
The game should be old people friendly as well. :aok
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The game should be old people friendly as well.
I'm 68 :old: not sure what you mean by "old people friendly" :headscratch:
I saw an ad on the Military Channel. Liked what I saw, bought a Logitech 3D Pro and started practicing offline. Finances prevented me going online for a couple of years.
I was 61.
This is the only game I play.
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Like the idea of planes but I like the idea of having the DA/TA, EW, and MW free for use. Special events and Main arena would be subscription only.
I personally believe only the TA should be free. So if you want to learn you can. Some subscribers only play in MW/DA so making those free would make HTC lose money. Why pay for something when you can get it for free?
I think TA should be free, unlimited flight time there (gets them interested, enough there to allow them to learn, and enough traffic so they can hook up with something to learn the ropes). Plus, if they want to go further but lack the $ to play in the MA but still want to play. Perhaps some of the offline missions could be suggested for newbies.
I also think that 20 hours or so free time in the MA's would be acceptable. Instead of 2 weeks. That way if you can only play a few minutes or an hour or so a day (or week) you can take full advantage of the free time. Rather than making the account, starting the 2 week countdown. And only getting to play maybe 2-10 hours out of that time frame.
:salute
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hi
at my beginning we had sores about 6000 now we only have scores about 2000 so the most is lost, its time to rebuild.
thats what i was triing to explain.
the oldtimeres will keep paing there 14 bugs as thay have did it all the time.
but the new will pay much more for a free game, sounds crazy but thats how the onlime gaming world works today.
so i realy think htc will not lose any money at changing this.
yes a play time counter would be useful. everthing would enlage the learning time will help.
cu christian
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I personally believe only the TA should be free. So if you want to learn you can. Some subscribers only play in MW/DA so making those free would make HTC lose money. Why pay for something when you can get it for free?
I think TA should be free, unlimited flight time there (gets them interested, enough there to allow them to learn, and enough traffic so they can hook up with something to learn the ropes). Plus, if they want to go further but lack the $ to play in the MA but still want to play. Perhaps some of the offline missions could be suggested for newbies.
I also think that 20 hours or so free time in the MA's would be acceptable. Instead of 2 weeks. That way if you can only play a few minutes or an hour or so a day (or week) you can take full advantage of the free time. Rather than making the account, starting the 2 week countdown. And only getting to play maybe 2-10 hours out of that time frame.
:salute
This and what Ack-Ack is saying is pretty sound.
You do the 2 week free trial like it is now. Then offer the TA only up as a FTP area so they can learn more after getting a taste. They will begin to miss the MAs and likely subscribe after being in the TA for a while.
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hi
i m not sure if the TA will have the potential to keep someone staing in game. there is no gameplay and its relativly boring. so it will not halp much, maybe a lidel.
cu christian
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Or offer the first two months after the 2 week free trial at $7.95 a month.
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hi
30 days are nothing for this game.
30 days is sufficient for the average gamer to get an understanding of the game mechanics and game play and also enough time for the player to decide whether or not they want to remain after their 30 day trial. A longer trial isn't going to gain all that much other than free loaders.
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Never expected you to call anyone freeloaders. Even you have a limit.... :O
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30 days is sufficient for the average gamer to get an understanding of the game mechanics and game play and also enough time for the player to decide whether or not they want to remain after their 30 day trial. A longer trial isn't going to gain all that much other than free loaders.
30 days with a free TA/EW and offline AI mode might do the trick.
In all reality, I think commercialization, like they do with those idiotic phone games, would greatly increase the amount of viewers to the game. Now that WT has made the genre very popular, here is the chance to steal some market by letting as many people across the US know about AH as you can.
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30 days with a free TA/EW and offline AI mode might do the trick.
Having a free trial and a free arena defeats the purpose of the free trial. People will just play in the free arena, and will most likely stay there and completely ignore the free trial.
The purpose of a free trial is to get the player a taste of the complete game, all arenas and planes, not a limited view like a free EW arena would do and a free TA arena again defeats the purpose because it does not give the player any idea of what the regular game play is like.
A good way to spread the word is the use of "buddy passes", which is common with most subscription based MMOs.
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Better advertising would get more players. I love flight sims and military sims but I didn't play this game until 2012, now I play it off and on. I think a 30 day trial would be enough for most players to decide if they like it or not, F2P would get a lot of new people to play but the players would be a lot less respectful and just try to ram everyone.
The only reason I don't keep a subscription year round is the $15, if it were $5-$8 I would have kept my subscription active the last three years I have been playing off and on. To date I have probably paid for about 8 months of the last 3 years, I decide I want to play so I buy a month. As Netflix and all the other companies found out $8 is generally the tipping point of where people keep a subscription or not. They could even do tiered subscriptions, $7 a month and you get everything but perk points and perk planes, $15 and you get perk points and perk planes.
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i hate to say it,but the free two weeks dosent work well....when your new,and everything about the game is new. you spend your two weeks trying to learn. but what really happens is you get shot down alot....and get frustrated,instead of having fun.
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30 days for the new player is enough time to decide if the experience is worth the effort. "Effort" is a kind description for our game. AH3 may well have a dedicated 24x7 AI mission arena. I swore during the closed alpha testing at least one of the F4u AI was a real player while I was hanging onto my scalp for 5 minutes. Steal the Sheep no one gets shot down but, you still have to use ACM to evade being put in jail while the jailer has to use ACM and gunnery to jail you. A good time learning those skills with no one getting kester hurt.
Sly devil Ol'Hitech he is...... :O
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First let me just say I am totally against F2P, I think a more effective, check that, a marketing campaign is whats needed but thats all besides the point as I want to entertain your ideas and a thought occurred to me: how about instead of a limited plane availability you had a rotation so that a f2p player would play with most or all of the set but in an unpredictable sequence with the plane changing for each sortie? You'd tease them like that. I think unlimited use of a 205 would be pretty much all a lot of people would need to enjoy the game.
I don't know man, H2H started my addiction. toejam, I wish I could be playing right now actually. It's been a few years.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
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I would add another bonus;
A free month to whoever comes over from a competing WWII game. The folks that are already playing in the genre will prove to be customers for a longer period of time since the interest is already there.
In addition, give perks for anyone in Aces High that refers a new customer, particularly from the WWII genre.
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A 30 day free trial, with a new media campaign and with the new game play improvements would probably be just as effective, if not more so, then AH going F2P.
ack-ack
Ding... winner.
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mobile games have mastered exploitation of the customer to purchase services as soon as the game become addicting. Focus groups have helped companies determine when a game becomes addicting or the point in which the customer decides he really likes the game and wants to continue. That's about the point the game slows down and you have to purchase in game packages to continue advancing.
Not sure how that applies to trial periods or select planes but it is a proven method that works in mobile gaming markets. I imagine most people can walk away and sleep well at night after 2 weeks of frustration.