Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: T1Bolt on May 05, 2003, 01:55:59 PM
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Hello,
Let me begin by saying that in general the AH team does a very good job with most aspects of this simulation. Some things that stand out:
1) Everyone plays by the same rules when logged on. This is very refreshing compared to the split versions of realism that other online sims have (different servers playing the same sim) and the frustration that ensues.
2)The absence of cheat codes or hacks that have ruined other online sims. However, Connection problems can result in one being cheated the most at times. Connection is difficult to control.
3)The good almost professional behavior of most pilots that fly this sim. However, everyone has their off days.
Now to get to the main point.
DEATH has NO MEANING in this sim.
It is quite common to see pilots making all types of suicide runs on bases, carriers, relentless pursuits of other planes without ANY regard to thier own lives as a pilot.
Yet some of these same pilots rack up very good scores. One only has to take a look at their DEATHS to see that it sometimes rivals their total number of kills.
DEATH MUST have serious impact. After all the true Aces had only ONE life to live and most flew that way if they were to survive. At the very least ones score should be serioulsy affected every time a pilot actually dies.
If this is a SIMULATION and NOT a game like Quake, Unreal etc. then this ONE fatal flaw must be taken to heart and remedied. Pilots would be much more aware of self preservation and thats the way it was in real life. Sometimes bringing yourself and your plane home in one piece is the biggest prize if you fly to live another day.
In my opinion, this sim would be closer to a TRUE simulation if DEATH were to be taken seriously. I know of one game (there may be more out there) that took death seriously. It was the original Delta Force. You had to complete the whole mission without getting killed and if you did you had to start the whole mission over again. This really added a whole new element to the game.
This topic of DEATH has been brought up before. Some magazine interviewed one of the AH team and asked if DEATH would have any meaning in AH2. The response was that it MIGHT (my feeling of what response was) have more meaning.
The bottom line is that DEATH MUST BE DEVASTATING in some way to the player in order for this to be sim to properly represent any real life event. This should be implemented into AH2 if not already done so.
I have been with AH for over a year now and this one aspect of the sim has always really bothered me. So DEATH, Where is thy Sting?
T1Bolt
check your six
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Don't try and push your way of thinking and your preferred play-style onto other people. They won't thank you for it, trust me.
Personally, I don't have much time to play so I want it fast and furious. Any restrictions would ruin my day.
Now, scenarios are different. There death has meaning, as you put it. I enoy that aspect, but wouldn't want it day in, day out.
So you have multiple options according to your preferences. AHII and ToD will add more.
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Originally posted by T1Bolt
The bottom line is that DEATH MUST BE DEVASTATING in some way to the player in order for this to be sim to properly represent any real life event.
Dude....its a game.
:rolleyes:
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My wife agrees. Once you die you should be banned from playing.;)
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wat da heck isa bluefish bat? izat wat ya'll play cricket with?
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Yes, we should have Squad Ops every single night! One-life events daily! And one ring to rule them all!
And afterwards we could all migrate to the MA like we do on Friday nights anyways. :p
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Originally posted by T1Bolt
If this is a SIMULATION and NOT a game....
T1Bolt
check your six
You're wrong. This is a game that simulates combat between various WW2 aircraft and vehicles.
If you're looking for realism, may I suggest joining the air force?
Ack-Ack
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The MA is just quake in the air, using ww2 vehicles.
For realism with a penalty for dying, hopefully the mission arena will step into that role. The special events are good, where dying does mean something.
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Hi T1Bolt,
I'm looking forwards to AH2-Tod for a realistic match up for the aircraft featured in AH.
In terms of arena style of gameplay, the effect of suicide fliers is magnified due to the lack of penalty that you are referring to. The arena play mainly involved banging your head against a brick wall until the wall falls down. If it was meant to be any other way, then there would already be penalties in place. I dont expect this to change too much.
Most people dont have much time to guard against the penalty of death. So it doesnt matter if they die or not.
I understand you frustrations a bit though.
One point I'd like to make is that for every battle in AH, there is two side.
1. The victor
2. The loser
The problem with a massive emphasis on death is that, for most combats someone is going down in flames or gets exploded.
How do you expect to make an enjoyable simulation if half you customers every sortie are getting penalised to a very high degree.
ie you want to shoot down 2 or 3 enemy aircraft in a sortie. If you do, how do you think that those 2 or 3 other players will feel, if you killed them from 1000 yards or on their screens you never had a shot, but you still killed them?
What about all the time and effort they have put into surviving? Where is the payoff.
This is why, in AH2 or whatever, there penalty for death will likely not be a penalty, but a failure to gain..... ie you are not prevented from flying again, and you WONT go back to cadet status...... but you wont get any points to promote your rank until you start landing back at base.
Cheers,
Sorry about the rude people above.
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Originally posted by Oedipus
"I have been with AH for over a year now and this one aspect of the sim has always really bothered me...."
Where do you live. See? For only $5.05 extra per month I'll stand in the room while you "fly."
For the measely extra cost when you get shot down I'll beat you senseless with a bluefish bat.
If you crash I get to forcefully shove you out of your chair and toss you down a long flight of stairs - head first.
And if your plane begins to burn I eagerly apply ring generator voltage from an old crank phone set to your nether regions.
But you have to supply beverages and snacks for my enjoyment while I'm on "duty" too.
Let me know!
ROFLMAO that kicked arse, I like it
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Damn Oed, I like it. You could open a reality gaming store. I'd pay to spectate.
As for the MA, it IS quake gameplay with a terrific flight model. Some people just refuse to accept it, and why I don't know. That's why it is fun.
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Originally posted by Oedipus
"I have been with AH for over a year now and this one aspect of the sim has always really bothered me...."
Where do you live. See? For only $5.05 extra per month I'll stand in the room while you "fly."
And if your plane begins to burn I eagerly apply ring generator voltage from an old crank phone set to your nether regions.
But you have to supply beverages and snacks for my enjoyment while I'm on "duty" too.
Let me know!
- Stinging Death the unACE formerly known as Oedipus
LOL Oed!!! :D Good one!
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big whine: trinity, same map for ages.
2nd big whine: where's the diversity in planes??
3rd big whine: no one flys "realistically"
answer: AH2 - ya think?
lol....
think about it.... same theatre week after week, same plane matchups week after week if not longer, i.e., axis vs allies.. long boring flights and fights.
yanno, after the novelty wears off, the MA will be as populated as ever, imho, i mean how many of you already got bored with the boxed scenario type sims already?
YMMV and all that. we'll see, shall we?
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It's simple. Every time you die.. crash, shotdown, auger, whatever... HTC bills $5 US to your credit card and deposits into the "one life lotto account".
At the end of 5 years of play (that's about as long as WW2, right?), any players that have accumulated the average number of player online hours, the average number of player online sorties and at least 30% of the average number of online player kills and not died even ONCE get to split the lotto pot.
If no one survives 5 years, you start a new 5 year cycle. HTC gets to keep the interest earned by the account, of course.
How's that?
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great idea !
Give me ten minutes to setup a new bank account in the Cayman islands :D
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shane is correct this time.
lazs
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Actually, WW2OL has a rather interesting way of penalizing "deaths".
Since they have a limited amount of airplanes per field, and the amount is refreshed every X hours, pilots suddenly find themselves flying from back fields or *REALLY* trying not to die so they can keep the plane.
In AH, being a flight sim primarily and the bulk of the fight is done in the air, this system would work even better!
Imagine each field with 50 planes of each type avaliable. The field is resupplied by a train or truck convoy every 4 hours.
With this in mind, AH would suddenly get jabo missions against supply targets that would really affect the outcome of an offensive (as well as providing incentives for "patrol" missions), dying would mean your side loses a plane for 4 hours.
Tweak the radar so only planes flying above 25k will show on dot dar (anywhere on map) and bar dar shows anything above 500ft AGL. Remove dot dar altogether (except for 25k+ cons) to remove the AWACS gameplay (but planes with radar like the P-38M and P-61 and Ju88 night fighter would have dot dar 10m radius).
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Maybe Poopster's wife should pay a visit to T1Bolt?
Camo
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Originally posted by Oedipus
"I have been with AH for over a year now and this one aspect of the sim has always really bothered me...."
Where do you live. See? For only $5.05 extra per month I'll stand in the room while you "fly."
For the measely extra cost when you get shot down I'll beat you senseless with a bluefish bat.
If you crash I get to forcefully shove you out of your chair and toss you down a long flight of stairs - head first.
And if your plane begins to burn I eagerly apply ring generator voltage from an old crank phone set to your nether regions.
But you have to supply beverages and snacks for my enjoyment while I'm on "duty" too.
Let me know!
- Stinging Death the unACE formerly known as Oedipus
Let me see now, soda sprayed all over my monitor, gut hurts from laughing and tears streaming down my face, yup gonna be a good day:)
shamus
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Actually, WW2OL has a rather interesting way of penalizing "deaths".
I'm surprised WW2OL has an interesting way of doing anything, but it doesn't surprise me that they have modelled the suckiest part of life in such detail above all else. :D
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im sure someone around here can rig something up so that whenever you get pinged you get a small shock and when you die you get a bigger shock...that way you can have all the devasatedness you want and we can laugh our arses off at you
or how about a random remap of your joystick after you die...that way you can spend your weanted hour of death fixing it...
if you want a game with a real death penalty go play americas army...
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Thanks very much for the CONSTRUCTIVE responses to this question. Some very much over reacted to this question. I did not mean that DEATH should be a final end all thing. Bang and your out of the sim. NO I did not mean that at all.
But, I still hold to the idea of having a much greater consequence for dying. A consequence that would OF COURSE NOT ruin the sim. A pilots score at the very least should be reduced considerably for MANY deaths.
Sorry if I offended anyone. I always thought of this as a simulation and not a "Quake" game as some of you put it.
Once again I thank the 2 or 3 serious responses to this question. This is the feedback I was looking for.
Actually its good to know that AH2 will take death a little more seriously.
T1Bolt
check six
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Originally posted by Dowding
I'm surprised WW2OL has an interesting way of doing anything, but it doesn't surprise me that they have modelled the suckiest part of life in such detail above all else. :D
I like Planetside's way of dealing with deaths. Depending on how many times you've been killed in a certain period of time, you're penalized so many XXX seconds when you respawn. So if you die like 5 times in a few minutes, you have XXX amount of seconds added to your respawn time.
Ack-Ack
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My idea, for AH2, is to have a
persistent persona, and then
rather than charging for AH2
per hour, you charge for the
creation of the persona, maybe
$5 or $10 each time (on top
of a standard monthly fee, of
course - to give Hitech some
reliable revenue stream as
well).
If you are downed behind enemy
lines or in the sea, then you have
a chance that the persona will return
in time. If injured, the persona may
become available again after
recovery. So in time you may have
a little stock of returned personas.
The downside is that newbies will
die a lot, and it will become expensive
for them, and so the game might
not attract new players.
Perhaps an adjunct should be
having your account offset in
some way by aircraft shot down,
targets destroyed, etc (up to a limit,
so HTC still has some income). Thus
is a newbie dies, but took out
some targets, they might at least
break even, apart from the monthly
fee.
Also with a death fee system you'd
have to have a more effective way
of getting newbies into squadrons
for mutual protection. E.g. You HAVE
to join a mission to fly and maybe
as a form of rank, a persona having
to have survived 5 missions before
being able to post a mission, with
a few personas from frequent
flyers being picked initially so when
the game first kicks off SOMEONE can
post a mission!
There are still some issues - if people
know they are about to die they might
reset their PCs to force a disconnect
to avoid it, so there is still more work
required...
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Maybe we could have a combination
of all the approaches.
Limited a/c per field would be a nice
strat enhancement (although you'd
need to guard against people working
for the enemy by crashing your nice
planes).
Mission-only play.
A 'one life lotto charge' - maybe $2
A kill bonus - maybe $0.50 per
kill, $0.10 per building/train/etc
(and no perk points?)
And a respawn penalty.
So each of the elements could be
tuned so that newbies aren't put off
(forcing mission only play might also
give them a security blanket as well)
but that there is an advantage to
your persona surviving. (Creating
a new persona should take a few
minutes, introducing the respawn
penalty).
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yep... make us all earn rank.. that will work.. course... some cadet will allways kick the crap outtta a general so everyone will know that rank means nothing.
lazs