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General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: mauser on March 19, 2002, 03:37:47 PM

Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: mauser on March 19, 2002, 03:37:47 PM
.. per day... how would you spend it?

Not everyone has the time to fly AH for various reasons obviously.  I can manage only about an hour on weeknights and maybe a couple on weekend nights.  This is a far cry from when I played during the beta... come home from school around 3 pm, fly till dinner, then after dinner fly some more till 11pm.  Now it's more like come home from work at 4 pm, prep/cook dinner (since I'm home first), possibly fly for an hour after dinner, then sleep around 9 pm (I get up at 4:30 am and start work at 6:30 am).  

I spend my hour by first paying homage to my fav plane, the Dora (be it the MA or the CT), taking it up for a sortie or two and try to get kills AND rtb.  Then whatever time I have remaining I'll grab something else and mess around.  This has meant upping a Spit V at a capped field, or like last night bringing a 110C or 109E into a low alt furball.  I like to put in GV time during the mess around period too, but opportunities are rare.

I've tried just flying the SpitV or Seafire or A6M in furballs for the majority of a tour, but it feels kinda empty (for me).  Conversely, since the 190's are my fav aircraft I hate to crash them and tend to take the time to grab alt and pick my targets.  However this takes up time.  Doing a little of both styles of fighting seems to be more satisfying for me and makes better use of my limited time.   So how do/would you spend your hour (or less)?

mauser
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Nifty on March 19, 2002, 03:46:45 PM
easy.  

log on.  find squaddies, fly with squaddies, kill and die with squaddies.  log off.

:)

no squaddies on?   JABO something, shoot at some planes, check clock.  enough time?  do it again.  not enough time? furball.  

thankfully, I never have that problem though.  I usually can spend at least 2 hours playing when I log on.
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Raubvogel on March 19, 2002, 03:54:13 PM
If I have less than an hour, I don't bother to log in. I go play some other type of game.
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: MrLars on March 19, 2002, 04:30:40 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Raubvogel
If I have less than an hour, I don't bother to log in. I go play some other type of game.


One hour is my minimum. Too many times I've had a 10 or more kill sortie ended not by a lucky snapshot or a sudden loss of SA but by the "one who must be obeyed".
Most of my weekday flying is in the 1-1 1/2 hour range, that's why I don't listen to the GeNEraLz in the MA. I'd rather find a fight and have fun in my limited time online. Strat, for me, is something only for the weekends when I have the time to care.
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Fatty on March 19, 2002, 04:32:43 PM
Look for big bar.  Take off.  Kill.  Repeat until time remaining is less than 5 minutes.
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Wlfgng on March 19, 2002, 05:04:03 PM
who cares what the score etc..
I often fly for shorter periods than an hour.

just look for whatever action I can.

furball, base def, VH's, or my favorite..    VULCHING
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Kieran on March 19, 2002, 05:42:27 PM
This is precisely my predicament now. I have flown maybe 5 hours in 2 months, so when I go on I just look for the furball. Now there are many that will tell me I cannot have fun or that I am mindless for doing it this way, but screw 'em, it's my 5 hours... ;)
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: streakeagle on March 19, 2002, 05:58:36 PM
If I have time and there are enough people, I fly CT, otherwise I mostly fly HtH. It is rare that both HtH and CT are so poor and I want to fly so bad that I fly MA.
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: dtango on March 19, 2002, 06:14:56 PM
Similar situation here.  That's why I've been a proponent of the dar bar etc. etc.

I'm like you Mauser.  P-51D, 75% fuel will last me around 45 minutes - more if I have drop tanks to start.  I'll do the same as you-  get alt and pick my targets.

If my squaddies are on I'll wing up with them.  This may last me an hour since we may land to re-arm & re-fuel for the guy who is low on ammo and fuel.

If I have time left over sometimes I'll run around in a GV, man a field or fleet gun that is under attack, or run supplies or troops as needed until I leave.


Tango, XO
412th FS "Braunco Mustangs"
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Wlfgng on March 19, 2002, 07:52:50 PM
you guys grab alt ?    :eek:
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Kieran on March 19, 2002, 08:07:11 PM
Beggars aren't choosers, Wlf. I either furball or I don't fly, time makes that a necessity. Nope, I won't be using oxygen in a tour any day soon...
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: J_A_B on March 19, 2002, 10:19:05 PM
I am also among those who don't usually have more than an hour to fly at a time (often it's well under an hour).

I wish the MA had somewhat closer fields, no NIGHT, and undestroyable DARBARS and un-resettable countries.  Why?  Because those are the settings I require to maximize the value AH has to me.

OTOH I well know that a lot of guys DO have more time to fly and perhaps want to see different settings.  This is yet ANOTHER reason why having more than one "main arena" would be a positive step for AH--everyone can be happy.

J_A_B
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Tumor on March 19, 2002, 11:26:09 PM
This thread looks to me like a call for a "Furballer's" arena.  Not saying anything is bad about that type of flying.  For the occasional times I fly to furball, or when my time was very limited, It would be nice to know I could jump into an arena, take off, fly to the middle of the map and duke it out.  3 close together fields that are safe from destruction, Dar always on...that'd be just the ticket.
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: J_A_B on March 19, 2002, 11:58:07 PM
I'm only speaking for myself here, but I LIKE the "arena".  I just don't care for the "play-limiting" settings like NODAR and nighttime and such.  

AW had a "fightertown" and I didn't care for it; not enough variety in the action.

J_A_B
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Seeker on March 20, 2002, 05:22:52 AM
What Tumour said....

The beauty of fighter town was that there was a core of fighter jocks milling around in the arena ready for when the buffs had grabbed enough alt to start the out ward leg. We could have our fun while they were climbing, and then meet up for a roundezvous.

Every one happy, strat types and furballers alike.

You can't get that with a seperate arena.

(can we please have KS turned off in the DA? It's been a nice experiment having it enabled, but after a year of empty operation I'd hesitate to call it a success......)
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Mighty1 on March 20, 2002, 07:53:29 AM
Well last night I spent most of my time trying to program my new throttle. I stayed in for about an hour and got into 1 fight.

Was sitting on a refuel pad working on my controls when some AK couldn't resist dropping a bomb on me!

I bet he couldn't wipe the smile off his face when he saw his bomb hit.
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: MANDOBLE on March 20, 2002, 08:01:43 AM
one hour, half an hour, 10 mins, no matter, just pick up a D9 and look for spits (it is a personal crusade :D ).
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: lazs2 on March 20, 2002, 08:20:39 AM
very good thread...  glad to see so many "mindless furballers" who dare to have a real life coming out here.   I have a little more than an hour to play a night usually but I sure as hell don't want to spend it on some roadkill strat crap.   I wanna kill something.

We need indestructible bar dar... we need closer fields..   I think we allso need an "area" for the early war planes.   Close fields and early war planes will be a forget to blink, throat drying hour of pure mayhem...

Let the sky accountants and no lifes milkrun all the deserted fields and fight over the gangbang scraps of the guys too dumb to not defend a field from "organized" attacks...   when they "win" the war then.... I'm sure someone will inform us.   Just so long as it doesn't interfere with the real fun.
lazs
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Lazerus on March 20, 2002, 08:45:14 AM
We already have an arena for furballing. Close fields, hell most of the time its set up so you can take off from the same field. It's called H2H. It's even free.
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: lazs2 on March 20, 2002, 08:47:59 AM
not good enough.
lazs
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Wlfgng on March 20, 2002, 10:32:19 AM
lazs is a bit one-tracked isn't he :)

I agree that when I feel the need to furball, I'd like to find it fast and get into action.

however,
 that's only part of the time.  I'm not huge into strat but I do the base capture thing occasionally too.

We need all types IMO.  early plane set (area?), furballing, strat.

I think the lazs types need their own ACA
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: lazs2 on March 20, 2002, 02:36:02 PM
well.... I didn't mean a seperate arena for early war planes or even for closer fields.   I don't think seperate arenas work.   I will point you to the CT which averages about 2 players per hour.   I do believe that a seperate "area" for early war planes would work well though and.....   I see no reason why closer fields would be anything but a blessing.   they certainly couldn't hurt those who eschew (or are frightened by) intense air combat.   We are talking closer in like 10% closer here.

I enjoy flying with my squaddies and I enjoy killing the red guys.   If I happen to be doing something "strategic".... so be it, but, it is accidental or.... unintentional.   I go where the fastest and easiest action is and give not a whit about the "war" that takes days to win/reset.
lazs
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Doberman on March 20, 2002, 03:16:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by lazs2
well.... I didn't mean a seperate arena for early war planes or even for closer fields.   I don't think seperate arenas work.   I will point you to the CT which averages about 2 players per hour.   I do believe that a seperate "area" for early war planes would work well though and.....   I see no reason why closer fields would be anything but a blessing.   they certainly couldn't hurt those who eschew (or are frightened by) intense air combat.   We are talking closer in like 10% closer here.

lazs


I've seen you mention this before, and just don't get it.

How is a seperate "area" any different than a seperate arena?  I'm assumng that you wanna block off a corner of the map with a few fields limited to early war and have some sorta boundary so that late war planes can't get in there.  Again, how's this better than an early war (or RPS) arena?  I see a ton of difficult coding problems, and absolutley no benefit over an early war arena.

D
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: lazs2 on March 21, 2002, 08:33:52 AM
while you are in an "area" you can see the entire map.  You are in the same arena as your squaddies (and everyone else) and can seemlessly switch (by your field choice) where, and what type of plane you wish to fly.   It would simply add choice and parity to the arena and be hassle free.   The early war "area" would not be accessable to the other planes but you would be able to see what is going on and communicate.   One sortie in the Early war area and then.... click... be at another "regular" field with the regular plane choices fighting mid/late war planes

One big happy arena.
lazs
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Seeker on March 21, 2002, 08:53:03 AM
How about:

"If you have only an hour or less to drive"


"If you only have an hour or less to bomb"


"if you only have an hour or less to sail"


I wonder it HTC keep tabs on such a thing as an average log-in period?

I'm all for some way of concentrating furballs for furballers, even if I'm hazy on "the perfect way" to do it; but what about a tank killing ground (furball Island on ndisles terrain could just as well be called roach ranch) and a couple of ports on island archipleagoes.

The software's getting more complex and supporting more types of action, it'd be nice to saisfy more apetites with arena design

After all, it takes longer to get anywhere in a tank than it does in a buff.
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Wlfgng on March 21, 2002, 09:43:22 AM
I know you didn't mean a seperate arena lazs..

I'm just saying to HT to give you your ACA and leave the MA alone :)
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: J_A_B on March 21, 2002, 01:11:08 PM
"I don't think seperate arenas work. "


Think what you want Lasz, but you're completely mistaken.  You forget that AH isn't the first WW2-era flightsim; separate arenas have been used in other games with great success.  There is no reason whatsoever that such a setup wouldn't also work in AH if HTC were to choose that route.

Indeed, problems such as mass-ganging, netlag, and comm clutter would be greatly reduced.  Plus variety could be increased.

The CT is not intended to be a mass-appeal alternative to the MA; it caters to the smaller number of players who prefer a more historically-flavored feeling to their flying experience and are less picky about their plane choice.

J_A_B
Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: Hamish on March 21, 2002, 04:58:41 PM
In the new 512x512 maps that are coming... it's Plausible that a "fighter town" area could be available. it wouldn't be hard to do, make 3 fields, equidistant apart, and then set all field objects  at those fields to be non-destroyable. Viola, fiter-town, and Lasz etc. will be happy. (filed objects at fiter-town must be un-bombable or you'd have twisted jerks like myself taking a LANC to 30k to Bomb them just for fun, and to annoy Lasz)

Title: If you had an hour or less to fly...
Post by: lazs2 on March 22, 2002, 09:18:27 AM
jab... this is the third flight sim I have played over the years and I have seen that seperate arenas do not work.   You will admit also that they divide community and break up squads.   People tend to go to the arena with the numbers or... they tend to stick to one type of flying (easy mode, PAC, ETO etc.).   The CT is really not all that bad but it is not as fun as the MA so... given a choice... and, people who might go there see 20 people in the arena and shine it.   Same would happen with any other arena.    AW (when I played it) WB, and now AH... they all have gon the seperate arena route and failed at it.

Time to think a little differently.  And wlfgng.. idiot smiley face asside... Can you read?
lazs