Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: CptTrips on October 07, 2018, 12:22:39 AM
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Since I haven't been PNG'd yet for telling Hitech how he should run his business, I thought I'd keep on trying. :D
In 1999, I believe most of the online air combat sims were hourly rate. $6/hr, $4/hr, $2/hr. In a lot of ways that was a horrible model as it set up perverse incentives for someone to not want to play. That money meter was going tick tick tick racking up dollars as you tried to have fun.
When HTC started Aces High with a flat $30/month charge, I thought that was brilliant! You could play until your eyes bled and didn't have to worry about a surprise big bill. They saw the future and the other games quickly followed or went out of business. When they went to $15/month I thought they had gone loco! But I guess they found a sweet spot. That was the perfect business move at that time. 17 years ago.
And for the hardcore players here still, who play a ton of hours, that is an awesome deal and they should keep it.
However, I think they are unnecessarily losing too many marginal, casual players that play intermittently, or go for periods of not playing due to real life. While HTC has created a good interface for creating and deleting accounts, I think you can even call and "suspend" our account, but there is still a bit of an annoyance there. And I think there is some friction caused by someone hesitant to open an account because if they don't play often, they feel they are not getting their full moneys worth. So finally they decide to close the account. Once closed, it's real easy to lose a customer for good.
What I'd propose is a middle ground between hour by hour and monthly bill. Keep the normal $15/month model for those that want that. But add the ability to by blocks of minutes. Like maybe 2000 minutes for $10. Maybe a logon message reminding them when they are below 30 min to buy more or sign up for flat rate monthly. The minutes don't expire. You use them when you have the time. Across one or many months. Makes a great gift card thing too. Granny gives her grandson a 2000 minute Aces High gift card.
That way, I may use them all in a month of heavy gaming, or if I get busy, come back in a couple of weeks and continue to use them without feeling like I'm wasting value when I can't play.
It's psychologically different for the user than a money meter. It's a sunk cost. I've already bought the minutes in a block. I might as well use them. From HTC's point of view, you lower the friction and maintain contact with a customer longer. Also, they at least pay for the block of minutes up front, so you get your money right away. That way you give them less of a excuse to close an account. That means you give them less of a reason to uninstall the game. You keep marginal customers that don't think they fly consistently enough to justify a monthly charge, but you are still able to monetize them and encouraging them to keep an account open.
And once again, I am not suggesting getting rid of the $15/month plan. Just adding an alternative block-o-minutes model for those players who's life that fits better.
$0.02.
:salute
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If you are an adult and can't afford 15 dollars a month then you have other problems. For less than a movie you can play all month. When you are playing you are not out spending money.
I spend 4 times or more than that for a round of golf and it last about 4 hours.
Seriously.... if some folks spent as much time flying in game as they did in other peoples business, they would have much more enjoyment here.
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A phone app that let's you rent a plane (subscribe) by the hour. :D
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Sounds like Aces High prepaid phone cards
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Sounds like Aces High prepaid phone cards
That's exactly what it is like, and it has advantages. There are people who will just pay a monthly phone bill, there are people who don't use their phone often enough to justify a monthly bill. They just buy a block of minutes and use them when they want. Companies provide that option for a reason; because they like to make money. By providing a spectrum of billing options they are able to still monetize customers that they might otherwise lose and not get any money from.
If providing that alternative wasn't profitable for them, they wouldn't do it. They would just demand a monthly subscription or nothing.
:salute
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You can suggest business models to Hitech till your blue in the face. Fact is, he's a coder. And a coder's brain works a little different. I'll give you an example.
Hitech ' s wife asked him to go to the grocery store and get a loaf of bread and if they had eggs, pick up a dozen. Hitech comes home with 12 loaves of bread. His wife asks "why so much bread?!?!" His reply: "They had eggs."
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There might be a silver lining in this idea. Purchasing limited time and having some kind of a timer letting you know how much you have left. Might inspire more time fighting in planes and GV's than sitting in manned guns and the tower. Possibly more looking for a fight than running from fights.
When I went back to school in my 30's having to pay for it out of my pocket, I carried a 4.0 instead of a C average when my parents paid in my late teens and early 20's. If you can afford the unlimited $14.95, you have the time to decide where you want to risk your gamey life. If you have only 6 hours, you are more likely to go full on Leeroy Jenkins.
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You can suggest business models to Hitech till your blue in the face. Fact is, he's a coder. And a coder's brain works a little different. I'll give you an example.
Hitech ' s wife asked him to go to the grocery store and get a loaf of bread and if they had eggs, pick up a dozen. Hitech comes home with 12 loaves of bread. His wife asks "why so much bread?!?!" His reply: "They had eggs."
Ah, an operator precedence bug. She should have used some parentheses to make the order of operation explicit.
Hey! I'm a coder and I find your blatant stereo-typing offensive. I'm triggered! #CoadersLivesMatter!!!!
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are you gonna pay HTC to hire a person or pay a person to keep track of the play by card side to keep track of who is playing by card vs who has an account.
if a person take time off-they either keep paying on there account( as many currently do ) or they cancel the account and return later ( as many do ) :old: since I am 60 now I figure I can use this emoji.
I'm on the bottom ladder of social security income, which means most of my income is already accounted for-and like you-I pay $16.03 a month, I can afford to and very willingly pay this amount. people spend a lot more on entertainment on Friday night and Saturday night going out and partying or movies, etc. I haven't been to a theater in years but I imagine the price for a ticket is at the least $15.00<-- for 1 person-add family and food and there you are. if you are a heavy gamer like me-149hrs playing last tour/month which is low for me 2000 minutes will get eaten up very fast, $15.00 dollars a month is very cheap.
but what is very irritating to me, is people coming in here and trying to tell HiTech how to run his company, Dale Adnick is not a dumb or stupid person, don't you think he is exploring all avenues of different option open to him. and right now $15.00 a moth to play here is a very good option. as the saying goes ( I LIKE IT TOO MUCH)
I suspect you got this idea (and I may be wrong) from world of warcraft-it's not a Free to play game-you have to pay for a time card-which is $60.00 for 3 or 4 months playing time works out to about $15.00 a month and they have thousands of players, I have 2 brothers that play it.
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are you gonna pay HTC to hire a person or pay a person to keep track of the play by card side to keep track of who is playing by card vs who has an account.
No, I wasn't thinking they would have someone there physically with a notepad and a stopwatch. I assumed they would use coad or something.
If you are a heavy gamer like me-149hrs playing last tour/month which is low for me 2000 minutes will get eaten up very fast, $15.00 dollars a month is very cheap.
And if you prefer the $15/month I am not suggesting that be taken from you. Others may not be able to play the large number of hours you do. They may not feel the one or two evenings a month they may get to sit down and play justifies maintaining a running account. You can either throw that customer away, or provide them a payment structure that better fits their lifestyle. Do you think HTC is in a position they should be throwing customers away?
but what is very irritating to me, is people coming in here and trying to tell HiTech how to run his company, Dale Adnick is not a dumb or stupid person, don't you think he is exploring all avenues of different option open to him. and right now $15.00 a moth to play here is a very good option. as the saying goes ( I LIKE IT TOO MUCH)
I'm sorry if my bringing up an idea irritates you.
Again, if the $15 flat rate works best for you, you should keep it. That doesn't mean that other payment models might not work for better for other people in different life circumstances.
:salute
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Hitech keeps stats on our player ID, so keeping track of time in the "For Pay" arenas is already there. It's the new tracking database then additional code into the pay arenas to keep you updated on your time remaining that has to be integrated. First is if he thinks the idea of buying limited time to play will meet his ROI, after that he is a Master coder and the database and time tracking should be simple for him. There will still be how he advertises the limited time purchase model since two weeks free is a longer period than 6hours paid.
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I see no problem with microstransactions in this sense. I think challenges would include accounting and what happens if a player is mid flight when his time runs out?
I personally think these days $15 a month sounds like a lot to handle for a new young gamer new to aces high. You have to really love AH in those 2 weeks. Most players still haven't even figured out AH yet. The custom/match play arenas are stale so they can't get practice. If a player purchased 5 hours for $5. Would that benefit the cost analysis? I do think players would do that...perhaps it would bring more #s to the game. IMO, if HT can increase the overall player #s in the game by any means necessary. It will bring even more players back to the game and create even bigger fights. A large influx of players in the game would do wonders for AH and make the fights huge.
Thats why I think a fighter bowl arena close to the old furball lake but with a few tweeks would be ideal. I wish some FFAs and teamdeath match arenas would get posted and stay up long enough. It's hard for one player to sit there and see if people will show up. It's all in the NAME OF THE ARENA. The map really helps too. The reality is that if you can get a small arena with 4-8 guys fighting. It's great fun. Need 3-5 people in the arena at all time. Then more people will join also. Then new players can fool around in there. Thats what kept me in AH after 2 weeks.
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its not a bad suggestion.
I have a question is the MPA free??
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its not a bad suggestion.
I have a question is the MPA free??
I believe it is
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its not a bad suggestion.
I have a question is the MPA free??
YES it is! At least it doesnt have the "$" in front of the name for arena :uhoh
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This game by far saves me allot of money.. When AH3 first came out I didn't think my rig could handle it so I ventured into those"free" games like world of tanks and world of warships.. I got hooked and spend close to $400+ in about two months.. With premium and gold rounds and buying my way up the tiers... Made it to tier 9 and stopped in WoT after that I decided to see if my asus could handle AH3
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If you are an adult and can't afford 15 dollars a month then you have other problems. For less than a movie you can play all month. When you are playing you are not out spending money.
I spend 4 times or more than that for a round of golf and it last about 4 hours.
Seriously.... if some folks spent as much time flying in game as they did in other peoples business, they would have much more enjoyment here.
:aok
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I see no problem with microstransactions in this sense. I think challenges would include accounting and what happens if a player is mid flight when his time runs out?
I personally think these days $15 a month sounds like a lot to handle for a new young gamer new to aces high. You have to really love AH in those 2 weeks. Most players still haven't even figured out AH yet. The custom/match play arenas are stale so they can't get practice. If a player purchased 5 hours for $5. Would that benefit the cost analysis? I do think players would do that...perhaps it would bring more #s to the game. IMO, if HT can increase the overall player #s in the game by any means necessary. It will bring even more players back to the game and create even bigger fights. A large influx of players in the game would do wonders for AH and make the fights huge.
Thats why I think a fighter bowl arena close to the old furball lake but with a few tweeks would be ideal. I wish some FFAs and teamdeath match arenas would get posted and stay up long enough. It's hard for one player to sit there and see if people will show up. It's all in the NAME OF THE ARENA. The map really helps too. The reality is that if you can get a small arena with 4-8 guys fighting. It's great fun. Need 3-5 people in the arena at all time. Then more people will join also. Then new players can fool around in there. Thats what kept me in AH after 2 weeks.
Just as long as folks can't BUY themselves better like in the lesser games.
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It's not the 15.00/mo. It's the time, pc upgrade (in my case - not that the older one wouldn't play it, it was just slowly failing), etc. Sometimes it's even the waning motivation (which is different from support for the game and community). I find myself wanting to play but sometimes too tired to jump though the hoops to get there (and I admit, there ain't that many hoops).
I'm just 'old' and tired.
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It's not the 15.00/mo. It's the time, pc upgrade (in my case - not that the older one wouldn't play it, it was just slowly failing), etc. Sometimes it's even the waning motivation (which is different from support for the game and community). I find myself wanting to play but sometimes too tired to jump though the hoops to get there (and I admit, there ain't that many hoops).
I'm just 'old' and tired.
We are all old and tired.....
Old mid tier computers are still good to go. Most of the time if they need anything it is a graphic card update. Does not need to be a high dollar card either.
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We are all old and tired.....
Old mid tier computers are still good to go. Most of the time if they need anything it is a graphic card update. Does not need to be a high dollar card either.
I've already shelled out for a higher end mobo, memory and card. I'm just tired from the 47 'no signal found' messages on my monitor with no sign of that ending and no clue around it. I'm not the A+ techie I used to be (not that I was ever brilliant at it). I'll be sending it to the professionals (and I will never try to scratch build again).
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Another type of user this would be beneficial for is an old-timer veteran who no long has the desire to play endless slap-n-tickle in the Melee arena, but might like to play in the occasional special event scenario.
Just buy a block on minutes and use them for occasional special events/FSO.
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Depending on what kind of processing rates Hitech has with his credit card transaction service for this to be practical. A one day purchase for only a given day or they put in a card number and have 24 hours or 6 hours or whatever. Then warm up in the MA, fly FSO, and spend a few hours after in the MA. Once again, some just create a new 2 week account when they get the itch.
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Alright. It hit me this morning.
Email newsletters twice a month with updated info on Special Events and updates in the game (like new maps, skins, ect, and other stuff.)
That's what so many companies do now. I just realized that after deleting emails this morning.
This could be sent to all of the subscribers and people who download the game. This will 'keep them on the loop' and get them to see what's going on in the game even if they don't check the boards. It will peak their interest and get them looking at the game and planning for events. Older players who are on the fence about subsvcribing will have something to see. It will peak their interest and may get them to log on and try the game again.
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Alright. It hit me this morning.
Email newsletters twice a month with updated info on Special Events and updates in the game (like new maps, skins, ect, and other stuff.)
That's what so many companies do now. I just realized that after deleting emails this morning.
This could be sent to all of the subscribers and people who download the game. This will 'keep them on the loop' and get them to see what's going on in the game even if they don't check the boards. It will peak their interest and get them looking at the game and planning for events. Older players who are on the fence about subscribing will have something to see. It will peak their interest and may get them to log on and try the game again.
I rather like this idea. :cheers:
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I rather like this idea. :cheers:
Sooooooo you're telling me there's a chance? :D
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Sooooooo you're telling me there's a chance? :D
No. Especially if I like it. :old:
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I rather like this idea. :cheers:
ME TOO. DCS posts regular information about upgrades...current or future. Doesnt seem to hurt their player base. Pretty sure it fires their base up! LOOKY F-14 on pre order ..ect..What do we have to lose...
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I taught Bill Gates all he knows :old:
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They do post updates on the website quite frequently. Not always about the game, but just random pieces of information. Example (Sept 29th 2018):
http://hitechcreations.com/flight-simulators/1617-world-war-2-trivia-192 (http://hitechcreations.com/flight-simulators/1617-world-war-2-trivia-192)
The confusing thing is that there seems to be no link to these posts. Only the search engine can find them.
Are the visible anywhere? Some social media time lines or rss/atom feeds or...?
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They do post updates on the website quite frequently. Not always about the game, but just random pieces of information. Example (Sept 29th 2018):
http://hitechcreations.com/flight-simulators/1617-world-war-2-trivia-192 (http://hitechcreations.com/flight-simulators/1617-world-war-2-trivia-192)
The confusing thing is that there seems to be no link to these posts. Only the search engine can find them.
Are the visible anywhere? Some social media time lines or rss/atom feeds or...?
WOW! why spend the time to load something like that to the site and have no links to it anywhere?
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WOW! why spend the time to load something like that to the site and have no links to it anywhere?
SEO.
HiTech
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Search Engine Optimization?
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SEO.
HiTech
You can still have site accessibility and SEO ready content.
It all deals with the meta-data in the header and with forum posts ,any tags that are added by the content creator relate to SEO.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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.......or they could post a link on their Facebook and Twitter pages saying, check out todays/this weeks/this months trivia question!
Hitech mentioned something a out cash prizes for the "match arena". Maybe every week have a question, throw all the right answers in a hat and pull 5 names and give out a month's free subscription or some cash. Generate some interest on the boards and social media.
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.......or they could post a link on their Facebook and Twitter pages saying, check out todays/this weeks/this months trivia question!
Hitech mentioned something a out cash prizes for the "match arena". Maybe every week have a question, throw all the right answers in a hat and pull 5 names and give out a month's free subscription or some cash. Generate some interest on the boards and social media.
When it comes to the website, facebook, youtube, twitch etc... I feel that there is so much more that can be done that would better represent this game to the masses.
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Google doesn't seem to understand the site too well, even for obvious queries:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Aces+High+is+a+massive+multi-player+online+combat+simulation+centered+around+the+World+War+II+air-war.+Here+are+some+of+the+highlights.%22 (https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Aces+High+is+a+massive+multi-player+online+combat+simulation+centered+around+the+World+War+II+air-war.+Here+are+some+of+the+highlights.%22)
Only by adding the skipped entries it brings up something from hitechcreations.com:
http://secure.hitechcreations.com/gameinfo/gframe.html (http://secure.hitechcreations.com/gameinfo/gframe.html)
Where the expected result should probably be
http://www.hitechcreations.com/gameinfo/gameinfo-features (http://www.hitechcreations.com/gameinfo/gameinfo-features)
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ME TOO. DCS posts regular information about upgrades...current or future. Doesnt seem to hurt their player base. Pretty sure it fires their base up! LOOKY F-14 on pre order ..ect..What do we have to lose...
Instead anyone could fly it here..... no order required.
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Instead anyone could fly it here..... no order required.
:aok Yes,INDEED. Its SO MUCH MORE fun flying in Aces High. Most dcs is split between 30 different servers, with VERY LIMITED numbers and options. Sure it GREAT to see what they are working on, you still HAVE to buy the Mods...HERE you can FLY all the different planes for ONE FLAT RATE...AND at least TWICE THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS than DCS has...even at non US prime time. Whats NOT TOO LOVE! Other than some of those "Get out of the TRAINER" folk you can run in too...its pretty SWEET :x Good to see ya back,Sir! :rock
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:aok Yes,INDEED. Its SO MUCH MORE fun flying in Aces High. Most dcs is split between 30 different servers, with VERY LIMITED numbers and options. Sure it GREAT to see what they are working on, you still HAVE to buy the Mods...HERE you can FLY all the different planes for ONE FLAT RATE...AND at least TWICE THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS than DCS has...even at non US prime time. Whats NOT TOO LOVE! Other than some of those "Get out of the TRAINER" folk you can run in too...its pretty SWEET :x Good to see ya back,Sir! :rock
"GET OUTTA THAT TRAINER" YA DWEEB! :ahand
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Speak of the DEVIL :t :rofl
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Speak of the DEVIL :t :rofl
Hey I resemble that remark. :rofl