Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Wishlist => Topic started by: Mister Fork on October 11, 2017, 11:47:52 AM

Title: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: Mister Fork on October 11, 2017, 11:47:52 AM
One of the biggest gameplay changes was made years ago was the lowering of the radar height. I don't remember the exact reason why HTC did it - but I think it was to stop a type of gameplay that they and a lot of the community felt was ruining the game.  It, in my opinion, ruined one element of our game - missions.  One of the joys of missions, was to sneak under radar and pop up and attack an airfield - JUST AS ENEMY FORCES DID IN WWII.  It was called 'sneak attack'.  Lowering the dar bar to a ridiculous low height meant that sneak attacks were useless - and it also ended the use of missions as a method to do a sneak attack resulted in seal clubbing by the defending airfields.

So - in an effort to stop the gaming of the radar, we lowered it to 60 feet (or something close) and you also appeared on the SECTOR radar as well. So, forget it. Might as well up and bash it out in the quake-style gameplay outside an enemy airfield. And forget using the mission builder. It's not worth it anymore.

My proposal, is to
- a) increase the radar tower height to 300 feet ASL/AGL,
- b) below 300 feet, don't appear on the sector radar bar.


It will encourage mission creation and allow forces to coordinate raids on enemy airfields with NOE raids. Just as they did in WWII.

That is all. :salute

Title: Re: Increase DAR bar height
Post by: Wiley on October 11, 2017, 11:50:38 AM
-1.  Not a fan of returning to the Whack-A-Mole days of yore.

Wiley.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: Chris79 on October 11, 2017, 11:53:45 AM
Flying NOE is not difficult, i used to fly NOE intruder missions to strats with TU2's overland. Heck, over water its easy to fly under dot dar. So -1
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: ImADot on October 11, 2017, 12:01:24 PM
My recollection is the dot radar (only visible once inside an active radar circle) is 65 feet AGL. The sector counters (darbar) will show for aircraft above 250 feet AGL. The settings are easily seen in the arena settings.

I see no reason to change either one. It's easy to fly under 250' to not show on darbar. By the time you hit the radar ring at the base you're trying to sneak, it's pretty much too late to mount a strong defense.

If your argument is that you can't sneak across a few sectors because there are other bases in your way, then adjust your tactics. Don't be lazy and fly direct to your target...send out jabos to take down all the radar in the area...attack one of the closer bases and work your way into the territory...don't play a combat game if you don't want to engage in actual combat...etc.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: Zoney on October 11, 2017, 12:35:03 PM
-1

This does not promote fights, it avoids them.

I would like to see the numbers comparing NOE WW2 missions to those with alt and escorts.  I very much doubt it was a high percentage of NOE missions.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: haggerty on October 12, 2017, 05:21:43 AM
+1, but not for 300ft.

Currently you show no darbar if you are under 250ft, which is fine in my book.  The killer is that you need to be under 60ft to be under radar, but even clipping trees your entire flight you are easily over 60ft.  Under dar should be raised to atleast 100ft.  That way you can stay under if you are really trying, but a mission would be spotted as not everyone would be able to maintain that in rolling terrain.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: thndregg on October 12, 2017, 05:48:39 AM
+1, but not for 300ft.

Currently you show no darbar if you are under 250ft, which is fine in my book.  The killer is that you need to be under 60ft to be under radar, but even clipping trees your entire flight you are easily over 60ft.  Under dar should be raised to atleast 100ft.  That way you can stay under if you are really trying, but a mission would be spotted as not everyone would be able to maintain that in rolling terrain.

I would even go for this. I understand both sides. Good point about the NOE/tree aspect.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: atlau on October 12, 2017, 09:53:57 AM
What about having terrain create radar blind spots? Currently the AH3 radar can see through mountains....
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: DubiousKB on October 12, 2017, 09:59:20 AM
What about having terrain create radar blind spots? Currently the AH3 radar can see through mountains....

Better yet, mobile radar via the m3!  :banana:   I knew he was testing something out, that's why HiTech kicked the troops out!  :devil
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: 100Coogn on October 12, 2017, 10:19:17 AM
Better yet, mobile radar via the m3!  :banana:   I knew he was testing something out, that's why HiTech kicked the troops out!  :devil

Something like this, maybe?

(https://i.imgur.com/iDp2Ycd.jpg)
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: Wiley on October 12, 2017, 10:33:13 AM
What about having terrain create radar blind spots? Currently the AH3 radar can see through mountains....

I'd support realistic LOS for radar.  Possibly with slightly longer ranges, realistic range might be a bit much.

Wiley.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: Mister Fork on October 12, 2017, 10:57:08 AM
I'd support realistic LOS for radar.  Possibly with slightly longer ranges, realistic range might be a bit much.

Wiley.
+1

The challenge we have is that Aces High tower and sector radars don't take into account hill and mountain blindspots. It sees through everything. 100 feet would be an ideal to stop a majority of the the 'wack-a-mole' the players complain about.   I now have another wishlist item.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: popeye on October 12, 2017, 10:59:53 AM
What about having terrain create radar blind spots? Currently the AH3 radar can see through mountains....

...but can't see an aircraft carrier 2 miles away.   :O
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: 1ijac on October 12, 2017, 11:10:58 AM
The way things are now, all someone has to do is to hit the radar at the target base and the enemy won't see the icons or dar bar if you are under 200 or whatever.  You are always going to blink the base.

one-eye
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: atlau on October 12, 2017, 12:18:05 PM
...but can't see an aircraft carrier 2 miles away.   :O

Good point. However if cvs are detected at range it would make cv takes damn near impossible against a land based defense.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: EagleDNY on October 17, 2017, 06:54:51 PM
NOE missions are still quite possible with the current settings.  You flash the base at the dar circle anyway (even if the dar is down making the 65 ft mark irrelevant) so once the base starts flashing the defenders have about 2 minutes to see it, and then get up for defense. 
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: icepac on October 17, 2017, 08:47:13 PM
It's the immediate red dot when spawning on the flight deck.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: 100Coogn on October 17, 2017, 09:00:25 PM
One of the biggest gameplay changes was made years ago was the lowering of the radar height. I don't remember the exact reason why HTC did it - but I think it was to stop a type of gameplay that they and a lot of the community felt was ruining the game.  It, in my opinion, ruined one element of our game - missions.  One of the joys of missions, was to sneak under radar and pop up and attack an airfield - JUST AS ENEMY FORCES DID IN WWII.  It was called 'sneak attack'.  Lowering the dar bar to a ridiculous low height meant that sneak attacks were useless - and it also ended the use of missions as a method to do a sneak attack resulted in seal clubbing by the defending airfields.

So - in an effort to stop the gaming of the radar, we lowered it to 60 feet (or something close) and you also appeared on the SECTOR radar as well. So, forget it. Might as well up and bash it out in the quake-style gameplay outside an enemy airfield. And forget using the mission builder. It's not worth it anymore.

My proposal, is to
- a) increase the radar tower height to 300 feet ASL/AGL,
- b) below 300 feet, don't appear on the sector radar bar.


It will encourage mission creation and allow forces to coordinate raids on enemy airfields with NOE raids. Just as they did in WWII.

That is all. :salute

{Wish-List}  Raise the raider from ground level

+1

Coogan
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: ImADot on October 17, 2017, 09:44:19 PM
It's the immediate red dot when spawning on the flight deck.

Then don't bring the CV so damn close to the base.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: atlau on October 17, 2017, 11:44:33 PM
Kinda need to in order to spawn lvts...
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: Krusty on October 18, 2017, 10:49:31 AM
The reason he did it was massive groups of 30+ people would avoid fights entirely, go to an undefended rear sector field, slam it down with no resistance, and meanwhile the rest of their team's fields are getting slammed and they chose to avoid any and all confrontation. They would scatter, scramble, and run to the other side of the map if anybody dared run across them.

It was stopping the action. It was making people look very hard to find anybody on that team to fight. Hell you could have 2-3 of those 30+ missions going at a time and when your country roster only showed 100 players that meant there was absolutely no action to be found by the other countries and it was fostering a bad and toxic gameplay style.


So... IMO, and no offense, no. I say no to that request. I hope others do as well. You can still NOE. It's just a little harder now. Plan a mission that can stand up to the enemy. Do it properly.
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: JimmyC on October 19, 2017, 01:28:34 AM
+1, but not for 300ft.

Currently you show no darbar if you are under 250ft, which is fine in my book.  The killer is that you need to be under 60ft to be under radar, but even clipping trees your entire flight you are easily over 60ft.  Under dar should be raised to atleast 100ft.  That way you can stay under if you are really trying, but a mission would be spotted as not everyone would be able to maintain that in rolling terrain.


This
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: popeye on October 19, 2017, 07:39:21 AM
If radar is to be less effective, I'd like to see it made more difficult to destroy.  As it is now, a smoking Spitfire can kill it with guns as he augers in.  A  lone FW can kill the radar at 3 or 4 fields.  Make it take at least a 500 lb bomb or a salvo of rockets to kill the field radar.  (I'd like to see this change even if the detection altitude isn't changed.)
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: bustr on October 19, 2017, 12:11:55 PM
We grew into the NOE problem that lead Hitech to change dar and terrains were crafted to impact NOE hoard missions. Those kinds of terrains cannot support our numbers now and are not in rotation. Now we have shrunk to the point when an NOE is detected and called out at a field, it's like blood in the water with piranha. Everyone knows it's a low alt kill fest and wants to be there. With the terrains mostly 10x10, the back field is not so remote anymore. Aces High evolves in reactionary ways to address player naughtiness or player self inflicted wounds like 30+ banding together as the game SOP over several years to disappear and avoid having to fight. Sometimes it has evolved to promote player activity for their own good.

In the last year NOE missions have been few and far between, and players still avoid fighting with their lower numbers above dar. At some point closing all the holes so everyone is stuck in a sterile tiny room forced to fight will not make this game fun. And they will leave to find fun.   
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: Krusty on October 19, 2017, 12:53:44 PM
Alternative suggestion: Keep dar bar as it is, but reduce town requirements for white-flag? Go back to the days when a small team (well-coordinated, mind you) could take fields. That would encourage missions without the whole "avoid confrontation" aspect of the NOE hordes. I know I, personally, haven't rolled a goon in ages. I might, if I knew it might make a difference with a few friends and myself hitting a field. 2 deacker, 1 hangar buster, 1 or 2 formations of lancs and a goon. remember those days?
Title: Re: Increase DAR bar and radar height
Post by: bustr on October 19, 2017, 01:13:54 PM
Do both since the game has come back full swing to low numbers with big numbers anti hoard restrictions still in place.

About the only hoard we get these days are the bish, and they fly way above dar to avoid fighting more than two on the way to undefended feilds. They use the alt to hide in and pick. At least NOE they would present themselves as low alt food for the activity starved. Most terrains are not big enough anymore for NOE to roll the map by filling out the 20% capture card unopposed. Constant NOE missions would keep players watching the map for the easy kills to popup on small terrains. The whole point to NOE missions and their success is lack of any defenders until it's too late. On small terrains it will be a 50\50 for them to work that way.

Now that POTW has been rook for some time, I think the knights would be proactive about bish NOE defense. While the rooks will more often want the mission to accidentally show up where they are at. Kind of a Lazyboy "bring me another beer" from the recliner attitude about the game.