Observations Of A Dweeb

[Hobo]

I just thought I'd make a few observations and see what your guys think about them.  I'd love some constructive feedback/comments etc.


1) Guns are very lethal (and rightfully so) but I think the plane armor should be toughened up a bit on all planes and some planes should be a lot tougher than others.  It's a bit too easy to rip a wing off.  From a structural standpoint I think the planes need to be tougher.  OTOH, a decent snapshot or other quick burst should still be able to damage a plane.

2) Ack strength is WAY to high.  Jabo seems impossible as you are lucky to take out even one ack before they tear off your wing.  This may be related to item number 1 above.

3) The FM's are great! Just takes a little getting used to because the FM's seem to fall somwhere between AW and WB's.

4) The clipboard map is cool, but the in flight radar is not, IMHO.  I'd much prefer always relying on my own SA.  Sneak bounces are a historical *tactic* and the in flight radar takes away from that.

5)The view system is the BEST by a long shot, over any other WW2 sim online or stand alone.  
Whoever is responsible for that brainstorm deserves a nice $bonus$.  Not only can you move around and save your position, but you can choose from a whole slew of different TYPES of viewing.  So whatever fits your style of SA, thats what you use.  No more whines about 6 views.  

6) Snapshots (which are a thing of the past in WB's) are alive and well in AH.  Maybe a touch too easy to get a kill with them but I suspect this is related to #1 above.

7) The *company* (HTC) is part of the community.  They may (or may not) ask us for our opinion, but they DO show they care and I have yet to see one of them "blow-up" at a customer in a public forum.  This "community-in" approach is the MAIN thing that will ensure that AH survives.  

Overall I think AH shows it's relative *youth* yet it is going in the right direction so fast that I firmly believe it will be a leader, if not THE leader, in this genre in the very near future.

Comments?  


Hobo

[Dago]

I think we all agree with you on the acks.
I have heard rumors that this situation may be improved in the future.  I hope so.
Dago

[indian]

Hobo Seeing you are new here. Ill fill you in alittle the ack are strong to prevent the vulching until they are taken out.

The FM's are great and gunnery is somewhat easier, this may be becaues of the explosive force of the cannon rounds.

HTC is a big part of this community and they do listen to what we say. They even tell us if the idea is a good one or one that can be implemented. some the programming would be outrages for it so dont think they want to do those drastic ones at least not yet.

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Tommy (INDIAN) Toon
  1st Aces High Trainer Crew
Home of The Allied Fighter Wing A.F.W.
A.F.W. Homepage

[Minotaur]

Hobo;

Very good points!

In reading so many ack comments I often think to myself how much the ack has been toned down, but yet hear so many comments about how deadly it still is.  

Currently, ack is really only lethal at what I estimate to be just over the guns range of a plane.  The range is around 1000 yards.  This is not unreasonable IMO, because the ack has a total range of about 8000 feet or 2667 yds.

For comparison, ack used to be equally as deadly at its full range as it is at the reduced ranges now.  Basically, you entered the ack umbrella and you got shot down.  No if's or but's.  

Now, you can fly through the ack umbrella, but it takes some know how to do it successful.  No "Mamby Pamby Wild Weazel Missions".  

Now vs then? Now, JABO attacks on acks are possible and you can survive the misson.  Particularly fields where only two ack are present.   Then, JABO attacks on any ack were suicide.  You could destroy the gun, but not survive often.  Surviving maybe 5% of those missions.  

Personally I like this, because it allows this dangerous mission to be dangerous, not a gimmee.  It also prevents vulching of a field where ack is functional.

This brings into perspective how the HTC team have already responded to player criticism and makes this a very enjoyable game.

Enjoy you AH flight time, I know that I have.  Good Luck!  

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Mino
The Wrecking Crew

[Hobo]

Mino, thanks for the comments as they explain a lot to me regarding the reasoning behind the strong ack.  One question though...

You said "Now, you can fly through the ack umbrella, but it takes some know how to do it successfully."

Can you elaborate?  I tried a couple different approaches on F21 last night and both times I got nailed by the ack before I got close enough to do anything.  After that I chose to just cover the buffs that decided to hit 21.  

Hobo

[This message has been edited by Hobo (edited 03-18-2000).]

[Fatty]

For jabo, an approach from near vertical is the safest as well as easiest to aim.  A very (extremely) slight roll on pullout and you'll never get hit by the ack if you miss this approach.  On a more horizontal run through ack just avoid a straight path, as long as you're changing direction even slightly you'll be clear.  (note, this is NOT jinking, which may have you jinking back onto the original flight path (where the gun was leading), meaning you're getting killed)

Fatty

[Rocket]

In this release I have been able to jink into the ack and kill an ack hugger or 2  
Would have liked to see their face as they dove into the protective cover of ack only to get taken out as I flew out jinking hard till out of ack range.  I took some damage on the egress but grabbed and RTB with the kill.
I really don't mind ack huggers as this is a real part of war. LO and SLOW head for ack ack for help   Just nice to know that if you lose SA and don't realize the drag you can survive it and maybe grab a kill to boot!

S!

Rocket

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The Red Dragons
Fierce and Bold
With Honour and Courage
_______________________

 www.reddragons.de

[This message has been edited by Rocket (edited 03-18-2000).]

[indian]

Hobo go real fast and turn alot.  
They are accura te but they are slow to catch turning planes rolls are good also as long as you are not over head.  

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Tommy (INDIAN) Toon
  1st Aces High Trainer Crew
Home of The Allied Fighter Wing A.F.W.
A.F.W. Homepage

[ra]

Acks can be jaboed, it's just that no one ever tries.  I've even managed to kill both acks at a field in a glass-jawed P-51 without sustaining damage.  The acks are unrealistic, but they do not prevent jabo.  

I'd rather see each field with more, less deadly acks, but maybe that brings up frame rate issues.

ra

[Pappy]

Ya I'd like to see the black puffs coming from the ack instead of the super gattling guns now in place, kinda like the ones in Screamin Deamons, thier quality doesn't need to be impaired but I think it would make straffing and low level flight over the deffended bases even more realistic. All in all this game is really something and I am very impressed with the staffs response to problems and the new versions added are without equal in speed and quality. By the time all the wana-B's get thier stuff out online this game will have evolved into a real pants pisser, Great Work HTC.
Oh and yes I did say SUPER, dam "uber" is getting older than channel 1.

[funked]

Ra how do you manage to drop accurately while flying the bizarre super-ack avoidance flight path?

[Westy]

 heee he he. Funked, you took the words out of my mouth.
 I've straffed ack dead in the 1C, not anything with .50s' yet. I've also not been able to live long enough to see if rockets do the trick. Meaning one has to get too close still, while remaing a steady flight path towards the gun, so not sure if they've hit as I've died shortly after salvo'ing. I wonder if when I die the rockets do too????

 But like Pappy said. How about something other than the gatling gun    
 Individual air bursts - or even 3-5 second firing bursts would be more realistic. These suckers should all have thier barrels melt at the rate and duration they fire at  

-Westy




[This message has been edited by Westy (edited 03-18-2000).]

[MarkVZ]

Another point you should think about in reducing the lethality of the acks is that if they were easy to kill by strafing/jabo, then bombers would end up practically useless.  Sure you would have the occasional 5 plane raid on the HQ, but besides that the importance of even having a B26, B17, Lancaster etc. will be next to nothing.  I liked the super-accurate acks because you were always assured getting off the ground when acks were up.  Also, the bombers were essential in taking a base, as they should be.
  I know alot of people disagree with me, but  proper bombing and planning should keep you well clear of the acks, and I liked the protection from vultured that the "laser-ack"  gave me.  As Fatty said, a proper JABO run will pay off, so maybe we should just learn how to do it properly instead of changing the circumstances.  With a 30 minute down-time with only 2 or 3 acks on the field, killing the acks to easily could shift the arguments  from "laser acks" to "vulch fest."

Just my Two Cents  

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Mark VanZwoll
33rd Strike Group