General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: haggerty on July 20, 2025, 01:25:24 AM
Title: State of the Union Address?
Post by: haggerty on July 20, 2025, 01:25:24 AM
Its been many years since there has been an update that wasn't just skins being changed. Can we get a status of what Hitech is working on, if anything? What's the direction of the game, any expected improvements eventually? we just riding this out until all the subs die off? I'm happy with the game in general, its just nice to have engaged development.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: caldera on July 20, 2025, 07:28:36 AM
I think he went all in with the switch to AH3 and isn't going to do any more than keep the status quo.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: mERv on July 20, 2025, 11:19:06 AM
I think he went all in with the switch to AH3 and isn't going to do any more than keep the status quo.
I spoke to him a year ago about this. Although he did confirm he is still doing some projects with the game whether that has any validity or not only he knows. The game is coasting to the finish line which is fine by me. I agree with haggerty it is nice to have engaged development. With that said I have come to accept status quo and will continue to enjoy the game as is.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Eagler on July 20, 2025, 11:38:54 AM
I don't think it needs anything new just tweaks to like dar..
Small maps to match current numbers and it's a blast I don't get anywhere else..
Pick the right plane, don't care about landing kills and this place can be fantastic!
Thanks HT :aok
Eagler
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: uptown on July 20, 2025, 12:35:23 PM
This is basically a repeat of the "worth buying" thread. This community wants updates, upgrades and improvements but seem to overlook the fact that these thing cost money....real money. Technology and innovation and the staffing, the advertising ....you're probably talking 40 or 50 bucks a month. I see lots of complaints, but no one is forking over more than 15 bucks a month for the last couple of decades. It's all about the Benjamin's. :salute
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: haggerty on July 20, 2025, 03:31:41 PM
There is no cost except time, the company is a one man operation now and he is also the one that would make any coding changes or upgrades. But if there is no plan to add anything that is also nice to know.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: fudgums on July 20, 2025, 04:23:53 PM
Nothing wrong with developing Special Events if you all are willing to join.. SEA is what puts the game above others.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Eagler on July 20, 2025, 05:01:51 PM
Nothing wrong with developing Special Events if you all are willing to join.. SEA is what puts the game above others.
This^^^
I was in ww1 western front for a minute last night and it was pretty cool with the ai biplanes flying around..
Think there's a spot for an AI enhanced ww2 arena .. as it would give you something to shoot at when you find yourself auto assigned into a country that can't buy a fight from either of the other two..
AI initiated base capture missions that scale like eny to help keep balance between countries..
Eagler
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: The Fugitive on July 20, 2025, 05:23:40 PM
There is no cost except time, the company is a one man operation now and he is also the one that would make any coding changes or upgrades. But if there is no plan to add anything that is also nice to know.
Well if some people get the "nothing else is coming" it may chase some players away, giving up on the game. On the other hand I would love to be kept up to date on everything/anything! :D
Nothing wrong with developing Special Events if you all are willing to join.. SEA is what puts the game above others.
Thats the issue though, not everyone is willing to join special events. Ive done a number of them and they are just not for me. For the small anout of time I get to play I would much rather play in the MA.
I was in ww1 western front for a minute last night and it was pretty cool with the ai biplanes flying around..
Think there's a spot for an AI enhanced ww2 arena .. as it would give you something to shoot at when you find yourself auto assigned into a country that can't buy a fight from either of the other two..
AI initiated base capture missions that scale like eny to help keep balance between countries..
Eagler
I dont think AI is the way to go in the MA, events give it a go, but if I attended those I dont think Id like to see it there either. I think the biggest draw of this game is the depth of the game and the fact that every opponent you run into is a live person flying from any where in the world. As I said in one of my videos, "with real players you never know what they will do next!"
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: mERv on July 20, 2025, 06:35:40 PM
There is no cost except time, the company is a one man operation now and he is also the one that would make any coding changes or upgrades. But if there is no plan to add anything that is also nice to know.
outsource new development through the community, implement updates through a beta server for testing, slow roll updates based on performance and customer opinions or.... what fudgams said
Well if some people get the "nothing else is coming" it may chase some players away, giving up on the game. On the other hand I would love to be kept up to date on everything/anything! :D
I dont think AI is the way to go in the MA, events give it a go, but if I attended those I dont think Id like to see it there either. I think the biggest draw of this game is the depth of the game and the fact that every opponent you run into is a live person flying from any where in the world. As I said in one of my videos, "with real players you never know what they will do next!"
As unpopular as my post are, I agree Saying the game is over will indeed chase people off and make it over. One can make negative happen if they keep repeating it AI in events, I won't go.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: mERv on July 20, 2025, 06:51:13 PM
Not sure what the paranoia about AI filling in the sagging numbers is...but I can see some of you not wanting to be killed by it lol..
It probably could be programmed not to HO ... :joystick:
AI sticks would be better than no sticks imo..
Eagler
There is not paranoia, its personal preference to want to fight human pilots instead. Thats why we play this type of game in the first place. If AW was AI i would not have played. The day AI is used in the MA is the day you’ll really need it be ause many like me will drag up and leave.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Skyguns MKII on July 21, 2025, 12:16:41 PM
As unpopular as my post are, I agree Saying the game is over will indeed chase people off and make it over.
Its the reality. Live it while you can. A game with no development is a dying game and sugarcoating it isnt going to change anything. New players dont need to see the forums to make this conclusion. People just need to accept the fact that if HT wants to move on then thats his right.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Animl-AW on July 21, 2025, 04:51:25 PM
Its the reality. Live it while you can. A game with no development is a dying game and sugarcoating it isnt going to change anything. New players dont need to see the forums to make this conclusion. People just need to accept the fact that if HT wants to move on then thats his right.
Not sayin you’re wrong, but people have been saying that for years. All almost 3 yrs I’ve been back, for sure. With the type if revenue it still brings I don’t think it will be over next month.
My point is about all things in life, not just the game.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: mustng2 on July 22, 2025, 09:04:58 AM
AI is available in staged missions and can be made to include as many types of enemy and friendly planes as you want. Their difficulty can also be modified. Staged missions can be used online with a custom arena if you want to mix live pilots other than yourself and AI or create a mini scenario. I am very rusty at staged mission creation, but would try to help if anyone is interested.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: JimmyD3 on July 22, 2025, 10:57:22 AM
AI is available in staged missions and can be made to include as many types of enemy and friendly planes as you want. Their difficulty can also be modified. Staged missions can be used online with a custom arena if you want to mix live pilots other than yourself and AI or create a mini scenario. I am very rusty at staged mission creation, but would try to help if anyone is interested.
I still have one of you mission. I use it every now and then to help my gunnery accuracy. Were well done sir! <S>
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Eagler on July 22, 2025, 11:45:23 AM
I think it'd be neat that if when someone created a mission and when it was launched AI would fill in the empty slots..
Eagler
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: CptTrips on July 22, 2025, 11:57:23 AM
I think it'd be neat that if when someone created a mission and when it was launched AI would fill in the empty slots..
Eagler
That is actually not a bad idea.
The mission def could be modified to be very much like a route defined in the ME.
Simplify things a bit so anyone can do it. Like a quick mission generator would work.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: mustng2 on July 22, 2025, 12:11:50 PM
Unless I misunderstood the post, that is the way it is now. For example with one of your 4v4 missions in a custom arena with two squad mates, 3 live players would be assigned to either side and the other 5 would be AI.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: CptTrips on July 22, 2025, 12:13:23 PM
Unless I misunderstood the post, that is the way it is now. For example with one of your 4v4 missions in a custom arena with two squad mates, 3 live players would be assigned to either side and the other 5 would be AI.
I think he means the ad hoc missions created in the Melee.
[Edit]
So like currently (if I'm remember right) if you created an ad hoc Melee mission with 4 bomber but only one player joins, it only spawns one set. I think he is saying fill the other slots not taken by players with more AI bombers.
That would be intriguing and would promote more missions, and could expand off the current Melee ad hoc mission def without adding permanent ongoing AI missions.
You'd have to put some reasonable constraints on it. ;)
Like maybe X limit on planes in any one mission and Y number of mission planes alive at any one time to avoid AI spamming. ;)
But as you see, there would be so much inherent bias against that that there would be revolution.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: mustng2 on July 22, 2025, 12:27:54 PM
Oh. That would be difficult over and above the objection to AI in the MA (I am one of those against it in the MA). You would have to create an equal number of AI defenders against the mission in one or both opposing countries. A lot of moving parts. Posted this before I saw your edit
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: CptTrips on July 22, 2025, 12:32:28 PM
Oh. That would be difficult over and above the objection to AI in the MA (I am one of those against it in the MA). You would have to create an equal number of AI defenders against the mission in one or both opposing countries. A lot of moving parts. Posted this before I saw your edit
I don't see why.
If I create an ad hoc mission now, it creates no opposing mission on the other side, right?
You'd have to limit it to reasonable numbers. But let the other players intercept and shoot your AI down. Hopefully it would be a mixture of humans and AI in the mission.
But you can't even get a change in the terrain rotation list, so no, it will never happen, but it is an interesting idea. ;)
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Eagler on July 22, 2025, 02:16:32 PM
I think he means the ad hoc missions created in Melee
Yes the mission maker that exists now..
MA would be my pick but if not there then another arena like the western front ww1 one up now...
As numbers slide, AI could prop them up and maybe slow it down..
Eagler
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Animl-AW on July 22, 2025, 06:37:19 PM
Implement this and your numbers will slide faster. Thats a mistake that won't be undone quickly.
Instead of weird gimmicks because of low numbers how about working on raising numbers?
A lit of players return because fighting AI is lame and over used.
The ones who like AI the most are those who like creating missions with it. But I never heard any player in any game say they love it over humans. They don’t they tolerate.
You think radar drove a lot off, try this.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Dadtallica on July 22, 2025, 07:29:14 PM
I would like to make some missions is it still something you can do?
Single player IL2 careers really help my AHIII gunnery and plane management. I would like to make my own missions in AH. I’ve played a few of them and they can be sun for a bit.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: CptTrips on July 22, 2025, 07:36:14 PM
I would like to make some missions is it still something you can do?
Single player IL2 careers really help my AHIII gunnery and plane management. I would like to make my own missions in AH. I’ve played a few of them and they can be sun for a bit.
Look for "ahedmiss.exe" in your distro folder.
Watch these:
And refer to Mustangs docs: https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,382993.0.html (https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,382993.0.html)
The rest is elbow-grease.
I had tried of a year to encourage a mission builder cadre. No one was interest at the time. Nefarious bit to make stuff for FE. No one else was interested.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: eddiek on July 22, 2025, 07:58:42 PM
Full time, all over the map AI isn’t something I’d prefer. What I would like to see tried is using AI to augment the lower numbered side(s), to slow down the steam rolling. Used to create a temporary defense until human players showed up at a field under attack would also be something I think would be worth exploring. As soon as human players upped, the AI planes would exit the fight, proportionally until the defensive force was equal or near equal to the attacking force. Would there be an outcry? Of course. So what? The majority of the attacks in the MA go against undefended fields. They already go against a primitive and merely reactive AI…..might be time to urge folks to go where other humans are instead of constantly heading to the fields that have no dar bar. Would it be perfect? I’m not a fan of AI in general, but implemented correctly, and in small portions, it could actually improve gameplay in my opinion.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: JimmyD3 on July 22, 2025, 08:20:43 PM
Full time, all over the map AI isn’t something I’d prefer. What I would like to see tried is using AI to augment the lower numbered side(s), to slow down the steam rolling. Used to create a temporary defense until human players showed up at a field under attack would also be something I think would be worth exploring. As soon as human players upped, the AI planes would exit the fight, proportionally until the defensive force was equal or near equal to the attacking force. Would there be an outcry? Of course. So what? The majority of the attacks in the MA go against undefended fields. They already go against a primitive and merely reactive AI…..might be time to urge folks to go where other humans are instead of constantly heading to the fields that have no dar bar. Would it be perfect? I’m not a fan of AI in general, but implemented correctly, and in small portions, it could actually improve gameplay in my opinion.
Would that eliminate the need for ENY? :noid
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: eddiek on July 22, 2025, 08:56:00 PM
You’d have to ask HT that question, IF he decided to give it a try.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Dadtallica on July 22, 2025, 09:30:25 PM
And refer to Mustangs docs: https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,382993.0.html (https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,382993.0.html)
The rest is elbow-grease.
Thanks!
I had tried of a year to encourage a mission builder cadre. No one was interest at the time. Nefarious bit to make stuff for FE. No one else was interested.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Mister Fork on July 23, 2025, 10:59:54 AM
I thought hitech would use the mission editor to have automated AI bombing runs over countries in the main arenas - give us pilots something to shoot down. And have one bombing run that would hit your HQ. Easy to do really as I've played with the ME quite a bit - it's very intuitive.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: hitech on July 23, 2025, 01:22:05 PM
I thought hitech would use the mission editor to have automated AI bombing runs over countries in the main arenas - give us pilots something to shoot down. And have one bombing run that would hit your HQ. Easy to do really as I've played with the ME quite a bit - it's very intuitive.
This all exists right now, all that would need to happen is some one create the missions for each terrain, and then setup the mission schedule. This is how the western front arena currently runs.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Animl-AW on July 23, 2025, 01:56:30 PM
Ugh!!
It would be more better if it didn’t add to a gamg-bang
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: CptTrips on July 23, 2025, 02:16:41 PM
This all exists right now, all that would need to happen is some one create the missions for each terrain, and then setup the mission schedule. This is how the western front arena currently runs.
Dadtallica is interested in learning missions it sounds. I sent him some help vids I had made for Nef.
Between him, Mr.Fork, Mustang (who's docs I learned from) could form a ME cadre if they are interested.
My advice, for what it's worth would be for them to get with Nef and and run a couple of his previous FE event missions as learning. Then maybe make a couple of those and maybe offline.
Next I'd recommend them making a couple of the new missions for your staged mission tab. I think most all of those were broken anyway and that tech will be very close to what the Melee would be like with repeating schedules.
If it were me, I'd work my way up like that before testing on a Melee. and maybe just one terrain. Maybe one of the big ones that have trouble find fights, pick the most hated terrain and see if you can improve it with some missions. If it flops, they still hate the terrain, no loss. ;) If it helps, it might rehabilitate a terrain that otherwise causes log-offs.
$0.02.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Animl-AW on July 23, 2025, 02:19:48 PM
I imagine it as fun as killing C-47 drones in AW. Thrilling.
I’ll have one foot out the door
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: icepac on July 23, 2025, 02:27:35 PM
A lot of fun will be had scraping pursuers off your six by flying past a friendly.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: CptTrips on July 23, 2025, 02:29:55 PM
But Nef used to populate AI formations with walk-on players. So I guess the tech is close you could just take over an AI formation and then you can switch to gunner just like you do with a normal 3-buff formation now.
But at that point the AI isn't following the defined route any more automatically. The player has assumed PIC.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: uptown on July 23, 2025, 04:26:14 PM
This all exists right now, all that would need to happen is some one create the missions for each terrain, and then setup the mission schedule. This is how the western front arena currently runs.
:mad: That was classified! :noid
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: uptown on July 23, 2025, 04:37:09 PM
This mission subject has bothered me. Why are they so confusing and hard to figure out? What was wrong with the old way missions were set up? I wasn't here when AH2 went to AH3 so I'm lost.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: CptTrips on July 23, 2025, 05:13:30 PM
This mission subject has bothered me. Why are they so confusing and hard to figure out? What was wrong with the old way missions were set up? I wasn't here when AH2 went to AH3 so I'm lost.
Are you talking about the ad hoc missions currently in the Melee or the Staged Missions made for AI?
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: The Fugitive on July 23, 2025, 05:37:44 PM
This mission subject has bothered me. Why are they so confusing and hard to figure out? What was wrong with the old way missions were set up? I wasn't here when AH2 went to AH3 so I'm lost.
The player run missions are the same as they always were. A player picks a pick-up mission, selects the field to launch from, picks the planes, and ords for the planes, and most importantly picks which direction to launch from on the base :devil clicks ok and begs other players to join his/her mission.
What I think Hitech is saying much like the "off line missions" (when the game loads up the first screen instead of clicking "on line arenas" click the Off line missions) you can build some missions and have them loaded with the terrains (as the maps are different) and have these mission launch at certain times in the MA. Im guessing a bomber raid to a/both opposing countries HQ at say 8 central. While shooting them down most likely will not give you points, you can get some "action" as the AI in game are decent and if you dont get them, they WILL damage your HQ.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Mister Fork on July 24, 2025, 04:49:12 PM
Dadtallica is interested in learning missions it sounds. I sent him some help vids I had made for Nef.
Between him, Mr.Fork, Mustang (who's docs I learned from) could form a ME cadre if they are interested.
My advice, for what it's worth would be for them to get with Nef and and run a couple of his previous FE event missions as learning. Then maybe make a couple of those and maybe offline.
Next I'd recommend them making a couple of the new missions for your staged mission tab. I think most all of those were broken anyway and that tech will be very close to what the Melee would be like with repeating schedules.
If it were me, I'd work my way up like that before testing on a Melee. and maybe just one terrain. Maybe one of the big ones that have trouble find fights, pick the most hated terrain and see if you can improve it with some missions. If it flops, they still hate the terrain, no loss. ;) If it helps, it might rehabilitate a terrain that otherwise causes log-offs.
$0.02.
I don't mind creating missions that are all AI and leave each country at a set time. And they can run daily for each side. And we could keep it smallish - a flight of 3 bomber formations, maybe 5-6 B-26's each. Coming in at 12'000 ft. Spread out. Bombing runs are set for the same target every day for each side. And THEN, once a week, a higher altitude target run on enemy HQ's, B-17's and B-24s. 21'000ft. Easy peazy. Question is - if I do this, and load it for every country, will people engage them?
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Eagler on July 24, 2025, 05:10:52 PM
I'd give it a go!
Any way to add a couple of AI fighter escorts in case the human numbers are low?
If it isn't well received I would think it would be obvious and oh well but I think nothing would be lost trying it..
Eagler
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Animl-AW on July 24, 2025, 05:13:29 PM
hmmm,.... so every day at 7:30p I just grab a K4 and wait for that run to come in like receiving mail every morning.
And as I mentioned above,... a country gets gang-banged and then AI comes in and destroys their HQ too?
This is kinda grasping at straws.
A small group wants icon dar, the rest get stuck dealing with it, trying to get rid of it,... OR NOT.
I really don't think this is thought out well enough.
Its been sitting there for 20+ yrs unused for a reason. IMO :)
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Animl-AW on July 24, 2025, 05:15:21 PM
Oh. That would be difficult over and above the objection to AI in the MA (I am one of those against it in the MA). You would have to create an equal number of AI defenders against the mission in one or both opposing countries. A lot of moving parts. Posted this before I saw your edit
For instance, in the missions I helped Nefarious build for his Fortress Europe events sound very similar to what you'd be doing. If I recall it was a large bomber formation that followed a route to a target dropped and tried to return to a base.
There were no AI fighters either side.
There were no AI units defined for the other faction at all. Single sided mission.
Large AI bomber group formations. Nefarious would populate some of the bombers with players the rest were AI driven.
If a player's bomber was shot down during the mission, Nef could re-slot them to an available AI bomber and the player would take over as PIC.
Walk-on players could join the mission even if they had missed the original launch. Nef could slot them into an AI bomber in flight.
If Nef doesn't have copies of those FE missions they are still in the DB I assume and I'm sure HT could extract them for you. They are just marked to not show up i the normal mission listings by default.
I had also created multiple large bomber formation templates he could easily import and start with to save a lot of work. Hopefully he still has those formation templates or else you could extract them from one of the FE missions. There were both Allied and Axis formations that were historical to the best we were able to find info on at the time.
The basic idea behind FE if you never played one is a large AI\human bomber group gets spawned from a starting point. Human bomber pilots could either be slotted into that formation or just spawn a 3 group independently and tag along. (Note: the AI bombers were singletons. AI didn't support 3 groups so slotting a human into one gives him a single bomber. )
Human escort pilots spawned near by in fighters and escorted the AI\human formation and tried to keep as many alive as possible. Human interceptor pilots spawned and flew to shoot the AI\human bombers down before reaching target and then keep as many from reaching home as possible. I think he had some kind of scoring system based how many made it to drop and how many made it home.
The AI just become a rolling target to focus the activity in a certain area. The action is going to tend to seek and stick to the area around the formation creating a localized rolling furball on the move. the AI bomber formations were focus point for the fighting to be pulled to like gravity.
I think if they had continued they needed to be whittled down in scale. We wanted to start over the top to find the edge condition and start pruning back to find the optimal point for performance. Not sure were he stopped at.
But those sound a lot like what was being discussed. I think most participants had a lot of fun on those.
$0.02.
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: CptTrips on July 25, 2025, 01:33:18 AM
If you never got the chance to play one Riftval has some great vids of some of the missions to give you a feel of the flavor.
:salute
Title: Re: State of the Union Address?
Post by: Eagler on July 25, 2025, 06:41:39 AM