I've known about, and followed, WWIIOL much longer than AH. In fact, it was advice from people on the WWIIOL bbs that sent me to AH in the first place.
There are many people in AH unhappy with the fact that ground and naval conflicts play such a minor role in the game. These people will, more than likely, emigrate en masse to WWIIOL. The die-hard flight sim enthusiasts will remain here, for the time being (my prediction).
From what I have seen, the FM of the aircraft in WWIIOL are every bit as exacting as the ones in AH, if not more so (for example, no padlock, auto-takeoff, or auto combat trim). It's the size of the planeset that represents the major difference.
Another factor, not discussed in any of the threads above, is the fact that so many players in AH are totally frustrated that the design does nothing to reward teamwork and cooperation (other than perk points for winning a reset). This is going to be a large factor in forcing online war gamers into the arms of Cornered Rats Software. As I'm sure all will admit, the largest amount of posts we see in the country channel are people totally frustrated with the fact that their teammates will not pull together toward a common goal. These are the people AH is going to lose. WWIIOL's design is specifically centered around rewarding people for participating in strategically planned missions.
I believe that the die-hard flight simmers will stay with AH. Everyone else will either move to WWIIOL or something similar. HTC is, I believe, cognisant of this. That is why we are seeing pyro and hitech in the arena talking about how they want to "do more" with the GV's and the Fleets. However, without a mechanism in place to reward goal-oriented teamwork, my opinion is that it will not make much difference in preventing the exodus.
The hard-core fighter pilots will not be pleased with this, IMO. The current AAA vehicle set will be upgraded at some time, and at least the 88mm guns at fields will be man-able. A sure-fire recipe for PO'd fighter pilots
At any rate, to answer your question:
I am a paying customer of HTC. I felt I owed them that, given the work they have put into this fun and addictive game.
When WWIIOL comes out, I will continue with my subscription, until I confirm that it lives up to my expectations. Provided it does, I plan on moving. Sorry, Hitech and all. I'm not a pure flight sim fan. Wing-load and E-retention mean nothing to me
Without exception, every person who comes up on our RW channel in AH is also moving to WWIIOL. This group consists of a very few who have been around AH for some time, but mostly people who are fairly new. For the most part, we are beneath the notice of the simmers who moved to AH from AW and Warbirds, which is just fine with us. They are part of a much older and more well-established community. We have a lot of fun, even if we are the noobs, so to speak.
Problem is, half of us are joining the Axis, and the other half the Allies.
<Salute>
