Suggestion For Aces High LAN Party

[Mongoose]

   A couple weeks ago, I made a suggestion for a simple terrain that could be used for LAN parties, either just for fun, or as a recruiting tool.  Bustr did an excellent job of turning my wish into reality, and we have what I believe is a good way to introduce your friends to Aces High.

  Remember that as a paying subscriber, you can create a custom arena.  Once you have created your custom arena, non-subscribers can enter your arena, and play in that arena for free.  A custom arena can host up to 16 players. 

  So you get 3-5 friends who are gamers or airplane buffs.  Get them to install Aces High, and invite them to a game of airplane tag.  You set up a custom arena and select the "Mongoose" terrain (no, I did not ask Bustr to name it after me).  This terrain is little more than two bases on either side of a canyon.  You turn off Killshooter (directions below), and make sure everyone is set up on the same team.  Have everyone take off, fly into the canyon, and play tag. 

   Whoever is "It" tries to shoot the others down.  If you get shot down, or crash, or leave your airplane for any reason, you are IT.  This is a simple way for people who know little or nothing about Aces High to see what the game is like.  Having the game in the canyon keeps the action contained, and you don't have people chasing each other for miles and miles.  If you get more than 6-8 people, divide them into two teams and have at it.

Turning off Killshooter:
Options > Arena Setup > Environment > Arena Settings > Arena Flags > uncheck Killshooter.

Optional, turn on Air Show Smoke:
Options > Arena Setup > Environment > Arena Settings > Flight Mode Flags > check Air Show Smoke

Really optional, turn on Lead Computed Gunsight:
Options > Arena Setup > Environment > Arena Settings > Flight Mode Flags > check Lead Computer Gunsight
You should only do this if you have people who really can't hit the side of a barn from the inside.
You can tab through your targets, and whichever target you select with have a small X to show where you aim to hit them.

So spend little time practicing with a custom arena, and then get some of your friends into a game of Aces High Airplane Tag.   

[DmonSlyr]

Excellent! This is exactly what I dream of! Would love to see custom arenas set up like this!! Great job!

[hyzer]

We played the same game, but since we played it in the training arena you didn't actually get shot down, unless you crashed, so a ping counted as a death.   This allowed the former IT to get back into the action quickly.  Naturally everyone not IT would try and get on the IT's six to avoid getting shot.  Made for some great training on learning to reverse a bad situation.   

[bustr]

When I create content for a player I name it after that player so it is their content. I also give the recipient the full project source files and my best wishes.  

[bustr]

Mongoose,

It helps a lot to advertise with pictures. No place to run and no place to hide...........three miles long 5,000ft deep.

[bustr]

Now that we have the ability to use negative elevations to lower objects below ground level, arch and circle objects say 1000ft dia .25-1mile long could be set into a thin volcanic wall. Then a terrain for squad level dueling setup say 8x8miles 5,000ft deep with a maze of walls and spires that have those objects set into them.

But, they might end up working like driving your PT under a bridge where for a moment you are set on the road bed during the transit and then back into the PT out the other side. You would have to discuss that phenomenon with Hitech. I've had it not happen when the space under the bridge road bed was at the maximum length of exposed support legs. So maybe there is a proximity issue.

Heck even a 19x19 pond for dueling with task groups, or a 25 mile pond shape with the center easily holding a 19x19 square. Then set the task groups on a patrol just out of visual range and let players man the guns and planes. At which point the duel is who sinks the CV first with a CM who can reset the boats for the next match. There would be a place for independent destroyers with active torpedo tubes and even a Cruiser task group to run interference. And there would be no land based bombers to get in the way, just carrier planes.

For a task group dueling arena anyone can create it since land dosen't have to be pretty. Still it would work better to border the dueling pond with land to keep the ships in the arena. You only put in a port and HQ for each country. You gotta have those for each of the three countries or the HOST won't accept the terrain. Just don't populate any task groups for one country.