Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: kylecmurphy on March 12, 2002, 11:36:53 AM
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It seems as though many players are getting frustrated with the Main Arena lately and leaving the game. This is not good for the game or HTC. I think much of this frustration stems from the fact that at times there can be such a huge amount of players in that one Arena (470).
In my opinion one of the ways this could be addressed is for HTC to create a new arena, different enough from the MA or the CT, and lower the maximum number allowed into the MA.
If this is a common sentiment amongst the AH community a large vocal outcry for a solution could make a difference and save HTC from losing a large number of players, and money.
Just my thoughts.
MurphRTC
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Seperating the community has never been a good idea IMHO. As much as some hate to hear it, lazs area arena is a way to go.
I do share your concern.
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300-400 players is way too crowded for my taste. Maybe things will change with the bigger maps we're supposed to be getting with the new version. I sure hope so. The CT is an option, but I'm only interested in the Pac setups.
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There will always be giant furballs -- in the current MA, a larger MA, separate arenas, and/or "area" arenas. People go where the action is.
However, I don't have much trouble finding small fights, no matter how many players are online. You just need to look around.
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Originally posted by popeye
However, I don't have much trouble finding small fights, no matter how many players are online. You just need to look around.
Agreed, and/or go to the CT.
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Oh how quickly people forget.
It IS possible to get rid of the massive 40-50 plane "gangfests"; this simply does not happen with under about 200 people in the arena. Limit it to 170 or so and the fights will generally remain high-quality, manageable affairs.
There are many different ways to give various arenas a different "flavor" without having everyone go to just 1. Less strat/more strat; early/late war (although this has failed in the past it may work in AH); pacific/europe; two country/three country; regular planeset/country specific planesets.
As for "separation of the community"......considering now when 400 people are online there practically isn't a community beyond squad affiliations anyway, I don't see that as a problem. Reducing the player numbers will IMPROVE the AH community by virtue of improving communication, much more so than most people who've only played AH realize. Lower numbers is why the CT is often referred to as being a "more personal" arena than the MA is.
I understand the concerns that a lot of people here have about AH going in a new direction, but in this care there's nothing to worry about. If AH were to move to the "multiple MA" concept it would greatly improve the variety and community of AH with little or no drawback.
J_A_B
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I agree with JAB 100%. And mutiple arenas do not split a community. Having two different products under the same name do - ala AW (rr vs. fr) and WB's (easy (FO/ACA) vs. real mode)
Until HTC's gets a larger ''net pipe moved to Skuzzy, when the AH host is able to crunch the computations faster & better for larger number of online players (seems to be a problem IMO when large numbers are fighting all in a condensed area) and the host-to-client con limit is upped then the huge numbers seen in just one arena lately will continue to be a problem.
Luckily the pipe is going to be bigger, moved back to Applink and I suspect the client bandwidth raised (based on a recent online poll I answered when logging in)
Westy
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"I suspect the client bandwidth raised (based on a recent online poll I answered when logging in)"
Yeah, I wondered about that, too. I'm guessing that my pathetic 26.4K connect is right at the ragged edge as it is.
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I would go to CT but there is never anybody in there.
I wonder how many other playeres feel thisway.
Need an idea to prime the pump in CT and I believe that the
arena will be a success. But, unlike the early settlers,
I wont go in there and waste my time waiting for otheres to
arrive.
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The poll had nothing to do with game bandwidth, had to do with download sizes.
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>However, I don't have much trouble finding small fights, no
>matter how many players are online. You just need to look
>around.
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>Agreed, and/or go to the CT.
Well, perhaps not THAT small a fight Rip. ;)
Wab
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Originally posted by AKWabbit
>However, I don't have much trouble finding small fights, no
>matter how many players are online. You just need to look
>around.
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>Agreed, and/or go to the CT.
Well, perhaps not THAT small a fight Rip. ;)
Wab
Actually, we've been running 10-15% of the MA total, reminds me alot of the Beta days, Wab. Week nights about 30-60 online in the CT arena, but its VERY dependant on the terrain, and the ability of the terrain designer to make spawn points for GV's useable. ;)
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We'll see what happens when the new terrain in 1.09 is released which is 4x the size of the largest terrain used in the MA to this point.
I honestly feel that NONE of the current terrains can handle the player base during primetime.
The players need to be spread out over larger fronts or more arenas IMO
SKurj
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Originally posted by SKurj
We'll see what happens when the new terrain in 1.09 is released which is 4x the size of the largest terrain used in the MA to this point.
I honestly feel that NONE of the current terrains can handle the player base during primetime.
The players need to be spread out over larger fronts or more arenas IMO
SKurj
larger maps wont solve the huge furball problem. the maps we have now we rarely use more then 4 to 5 bases at 1 time.
bigger maps will be just more unused bases. each map has certain bases that are the furball/choke points , example:
Islands : A1 to A4, 9 and 10, and 27 to 8
Uterus: 19 to A1, 44 to 13, and 42 to 43
Mindano: anything to 44, A1 to 43, and 5 to 22
Baltic: 18 to 19, 51 to 10, 62 to 5, and 41/42 to 44 43 45
as u see each map has about only 5 or so bases
where we all fight 99% of time. expanding the size
of these maps wont change that. we will still
just a small # of the bases just like now.
whels
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well whels... i am remembering big pac in aw (rr)
I think it WILL spread the fights out. The milkrunners will be to thank for this +)
"oh hey... noone watching that base way over there..." so off he sneaks trying to pork that base. Someone ups to defend it, then retaliation.. then a nice small furball.
Personally i think for those that want small fights the large map will make them easier to find WITH less risk of being banged +)
It should be better for everyone.
SKurj
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I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude with respect to the larger terrain and the quality of combat. It's possible that people will gravitate to just a few bases; it's equally possible that they'll spread out. I see nothing wrong with at least trying these larger maps.
What a larger terrain will NOT solve is the communication issues. Eventually something is going to have to give; either CH1 will have to be completely removed and CH2 will have to become distance-dependent, or the arena numbers will have to be capped. I feel it would be a horrible mistake to "divide up" the communications within a single arena. Essentially this would divide the player base like separate arenas would, but without the positive effects of having multiple MA's.
I believe HTC is aware of this issue and they themselves haven't decided exactly what they're going to do.
J_A_B
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Originally posted by J_A_B
I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude with respect to the larger terrain and the quality of combat. It's possible that people will gravitate to just a few bases; it's equally possible that they'll spread out. I see nothing wrong with at least trying these larger maps.
What a larger terrain will NOT solve is the communication issues. Eventually something is going to have to give; either CH1 will have to be completely removed and CH2 will have to become distance-dependent, or the arena numbers will have to be capped. I feel it would be a horrible mistake to "divide up" the communications within a single arena. Essentially this would divide the player base like separate arenas would, but without the positive effects of having multiple MA's.
I believe HTC is aware of this issue and they themselves haven't decided exactly what they're going to do.
J_A_B
dont get me wrong, im all for newer bigger maps. im just pointing out in my opinion that bigger maps wont solve what we have now, were some think it will.
whels
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I am glad that my post is creating a good dialog about the situation.
I do agree that new bigger maps will be nice and may help some. But what I think may happen that no one has stated yet is that we will end up stuck on one map for a very long time. The last MA map lasted almost 5 weeks just imagine how long it may take to reset some of the maps if they are 4X as large with 4X the number of bases.
Could you all imagine getting suck in the uterus for 20 weeks.
I hope that HTC is thinking about this problem and will address soon.
MurphRTC
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What map ever lasted 5 weeks, 5 days maby.
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I'm sure this has been talked of before .. but one way to inspire the spreading of forces is to limit the spawn of fighters; based on country's numbers at a given time.
when coutry x has 100 players, say small feild: 10 fighters allowed in air, based from that feild at one time; lagre feild maybe 30 (50 player= 5 from small 15 from large)
Anyway i'm not recommending or pushing this just an idea beyond new arena's.
It would be a huge mistake IMO to create muti-MA's
But I think HT loves MMOLG's like the rest of us, so my bets on an MA with more than 470 max soon :D ;even tho at this point I usally don't enjoy MA with 400+ in it, i always like to see that higher max number ...:rolleyes:
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I think the point was, hitech, that if you enlarge uterus will it take longer to reset (yuck! hope it isnt your baby or something).
I agree with the larger map idea. But I think it will have to be HUGE. With fewer bases close together.
Those that think 14 people in the ct is a joke, should go fly for a while with those numbers. It is actually quite enjoyable.
heres an idea, how bout a PACIFIC THEATER?? With a 100 person limit. Just for me. Same map all the time (that great one that was in CT 3 weeks ago).
Plane set is limited to pacific planes. And make it axis vs. allies. Then just leave the thing alone. Dont touch it, just let it do its own thing.
why not try?
(was the V in the pacific? How bout a good old p-40!!!!!!!)
ergRTC
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ok I'm going to voice a different opinion than the majority of this thread.
I like the 400 people arenas. With more people, means more things are going no. I can choose to be part of a massive GV assault, or a fighter sweep, etc.
I've noticed in the past two week there is someone running a mission nearly every hour. This seems to only happen when a large number of people are online. I like jumping in on missions - it's a type of team work that isn't easily availabe in regular MA play.
And when my country is out numbered, doesn't bother me. Just means I fly higher and stay fast, and avoid taking fights to the deck - different tactics for different situations. go goon hunting just to frustrate those 40-50 gang bangs - muhahaha
Looking for a 1v1. Yes can still get those. But I find 1v1 boring, the fight is usually determined on the initial merge or shortly with in 2 to 3 turns. And every one knows the theory and the model advantages and disadvantages, so 1v1 is now mostly formulatic, and well.. boring.
I would like more maps. Maps of N. Africa, italy, pacific, china, russia, etc.
A limited plane set feature would be nice. For example limit the plane set to 1941 only models for an hour, Kind of like what WB did. Perhaps that could be bulit into the map rotation. Or perhaps 1 day out of the week this feature is enabled.
DmdNexus
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The CT will be running the full planeset enabled Axis vs. Allies setup on the new Perdonia terrain this next week (starting this saturday). Try it out. More new terrains on the way.
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Originally posted by DmdNexus
I would like more maps. Maps of N. Africa, italy, pacific, china, russia, etc.
North Africa is on the way, as well as Kuriel Islands.
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so what? maybe 4 people asking for gigger maps? I have seen threads that were larger and about half felt that larger maps were a bad thing. I also think that the milkrunners and late war plane aficianados simply want the fields farther apart so that they can cherry pick easier.
They could do something useful with such a big map tho.... wipe out a band of 4 or five sectors (no fields) and make it the seperation between the anything goes area and the early war area where onlyu early war planes could take off.
lazs
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Lazs, do a search on the BBS, keyword "bigger maps",you'll get 4 pages of threads regarding it.
The need for bigger maps was destiny as soon as Knits once reset the arena 4 times in a 24 hour period.
Nuff said.
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Originally posted by lazs2
They could do something useful with such a big map tho.... wipe out a band of 4 or five sectors (no fields) and make it the seperation between the anything goes area and the early war area where onlyu early war planes could take off.
lazs
Or better yet, populate those sectors with small airfields and vehicle hangars and make it so that only early-war planes could launch from the small airfields and late-war fighters and bombers could only launch from the bigger airfields. 4 or 5 sectors with no fields would be too much of an impediment to the "quick dogfights" I like so much. You'd probably see a lot more posts from folks touting the viability of the FM-2 (a fun little plane) and the P-40B, along with the Spitfire Mk I and V and the Me-109E, A6M2, F4F, and C.202. A field in every sector, a plane or vehicle for every field.
It would also make it more difficult to wipe out a country, since as the bases are captured and the lines are pushed back, the bigger airbases would come into play more and the late-war planes could engage quicker.
Kind of like the real war...
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resets?? who cares about resets at 3 in the morning??
gofaster.. u would need 4 sectors or so to seperate the early war planes from some of the more attention starved later war guys. we would still have plenty of fields even if we wiped out 30 or 40. as a bonus... the map would be less confusing.
lazs
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Originally posted by lazs2
resets?? who cares about resets at 3 in the morning??
I was on that Saturday, resets occured at(All PST) 7:40am, 1:30 pm, 7:30 pm and apparently (yes..) one at 3am. :D
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who cares about 7:40 or 1:30 either.
resets occur when no one is up and the gamey milrunner AI fighters are the only ones on. I have seen exactly one reset the whole time I have played AH. resets are a non issue for me.
lazs