How can we keep the small arenas fun?

[FALCONWING]

I have and will continue to refrain from labelling others with the derogatory terms that have flown back and forth...


and storch i agree with you wholeheartedly that it is in fact each of our $15/month and that entitles each of us to play in whatever manner makes us the happiest and most satisfied.

the FACT that most of the members choose to fly not only in "fiter" mode should give all here an opportunity to pause and appreciate that perhaps there is more fun for the majority of SUBSCRIBERS in those behaviors.

noone who flies the "full scope" of the game has posted suggesting the "fiter only" group is somehow inferior but the reverse continues to not be true.

my agreement with toad (despite his not caring for it) was that unless the game and its laid out objectives are changed, then it is an exercise in futility to belabor people to "set their own rules" that dont fit the current porgrammed reward system.

what is most humerous and puzzling to me is that even though the Birds of Prey have been in AH for around 6 years (same concept and rules), there were never any derogatory posts or accusations of us being a problem.  Now the BoPs are suddenly both the cause and solution to all the problems.  The only thing i know that has changed is the arena format.

i commend laz and karaya for being leaders and developing the EW into a fiter arena.  that has always been an option...for fiter guys to organize themselves instead of worrying about others.  i, for one, was a big supporter of FT maps and TT maps and refused to allow my squad to participate in capturing those fields as would occur from time to time.  

what IS confusing about it is that the DA has always been essentially a fiter town for any that wanted to use it as such.  no time limit for switching..common cross country vox channels...and a specific reason for being there...the only difference i can think of is no perks or score or interaction with the larger community...but from reading the posts over the last month, those arent things supposedly valued by "fiter only folks"

[Overlag]

Originally posted by hitech
Had a new thought today on field capture.

What if each country had only 2 fields that could be captured at any one time.
I.E. Bish would have 1 field on the knight front , and 1 field on the rook front that could be captured.

Once one a  field was captured , the next one back would then be available for capture.

HiTech

surely that would only make horde's worse?



i think, somehow, the Roster once you in a server should show the numbers in the other servers.... Or would that be too much coding?


And the other point of two sides, i will have to agree with HTC on this one (i never used to) but 3 sides is "better" when the map is nearing the end. Because the two sides winning, end up fighting each other because they want more bases for reset....

Originally posted by EagleDNY
Reminds me more of WWI trench warfare than a WW2 flying game.

  If the object is to stop or severely slow down hordes from taking bases from a side with few players, consider this - automatically adjusting the number of  troops necessary to capture the base.  Maybe we multiply the number of troops needed for each capture by an ENY-like number to determine how many troops are needed to take a base.  For example, if the rook horde is up to an ENY of 4, make it take 40 troops to capture a map room.



EagleDNY
$.02

great idea:aok

[Vortex]

Originally posted by Simaril


1)  the high sides to readjust themselves (after all, the rooks were low side in the EW...a few movers would have changed the entire flavor of the MW), either by changing countries or arenas?


2) and, for the two highest sides to at least try to fight each other, instead of worsening the disparity by milkrunning unopposed against a country that simply can't fight bacK? There were more players in the Large Squad mission than there were on the entire low side COUNTRY!

You probably don't need to do anything that elaborate. The problem is maps are too big for the amount of players that want to play those arenas. Decrease map size and 3 countries will work. Leave the oversized maps there and you will always have people switching simply because the numbers can only support one front when the map is about 10x too large.

You go with an early AW size map, as an example, and you'll find the place is a blast and likely pretty well balanced all by itself wrt country numbers. You'd also find that you may, in time, have to increase the map sizes a bit as I'm sure many folks log into those two areans WANTING to play there, however when they see they are the needle in a map the size of the preverbial haystack, they go to the main arena. Reduce the map size and make the it so fights are resonably easy to find, and folks will play there.

Its a great concept, but it won't amount to anything more than its current form without a drastic reduction in map size.

[MOIL]

STOP!!!!!!  Stop   stop
This is getting way out of hand,  it'd be easier if everyone just checks in with me and I'll asign duties for the day.  Simple as that:aok

Everyone prob feels better already!!

That was easy

[hacksaw1]

My 2 cent suggestion.

Seems to me that it might be as simple to just monitor and regulate the number of players per country.

So when a player logs into an arena, he is automatically assigned to the country with lowest numbers. The regulator code would prevent any major imbalance, keep things pretty balanced, and thus eliminate any whining of being stuck on the low number country.

Automatic number regulation and Squads

The fairest compromise for squads who obviously like to fly together, IMHO, is have them automatically assigned as either 2 plane elements, 4 plane flights, 8 plane sections, and 12 (or 16) plane squadrons, depending on the current number of players in the arena.

For example, the EW arena has ~30 total with ~10 per side. (This happens in GMT time.)

The first squadie who logs in will go to a country.
The 2nd squadmate who logs in will go to his squadmate's country, no matter if that puts them a person or two above the other two countries.
However, the third squadmate will go to the lowest populated country.
And the fourth flyer of that squadron will go to the country that the 3rd squadmate is on.
Etc.

Another example: There are ~ 60 total and ~20 people per country, then 4 flyers from a squadron would go to the same country. The 5th through 8th would get bumped to a different country to keep things balanced.

'Nother example:  ~ 120 total in the arena and ~ 40 people per country, then 8 flyers from a squadron could go to the same country, and the 9th through 16th would get bumped to another to keep things balanced.

With more than 180 in the arena, or 60 per side, then a 12 man squadron could go to the same side without causing a major imbalance.

Originally posted by Masherbrum
...............

2.) Eliminate the Chesspiece.   Number the Countries and lose all "WHAH, I fly this chesspiece because it harkens back to WB or AW days, WHAH".   Act like adults instead of spoiled little brats having a toy taken away from you.
...............

I also think that chesspiece inertia may have some effect on balance of the countries. And if the maps ever get reduced to two countries during population shrink, then it might be wise to eliminate the chesspiece names. Otherwise feelings of discrimination may arise among "loyalists" of the omitted chess piece.

Suggestions:

Falcons – Hawks
Eagles – Wolfpack
Tigers – Sharks
Rebels – Mavericks
Crows – Jaybirds

RE: HT's suggestion of 2 fields that could be captured per country. Sounds interesting. Maybe you could add recon birds (of many of the existing planes) that upon overflight and landing could reveal the two bases that are capturable.

[Clifra Jones]

Frode's idea was tha best yet but would require the most COADing to accomplish.

One easier solution that would only require arena settings changes is: (yes, has been suggested before)

a. Increase ack strength and accuracy, Increase number of ack guns with more man-able guns. Man-able puffy ack at bases like the 5" on the carriers.

b. 10 troops to capture a base is just stupid. It should be higher, 20-30 at least. The Japanese lost over 14K men and still could not capture Henderson field yet we can take a base with 10 troops.

c. Increase the hardness of troops. One plane should in no way be able to kill all the troops at a field.

(may require COADing)
d. Jeeps are available even if the VH is down. i.e. if the VH is down then there are 5 jeeps with machine gus available from the tower. These can be used to defend the town.

e. You get no points for capturing an undefended. Points are awarded based on how difficult the field was to capture.

f. If you lose the field before a set time period you lose your points. I.e. you must defend what you take.


I think e and f would do the most to stop the milk-running base captures.

I am sorry to say the the only way I see the side imbalance fixed is by forcibly balancing the sides. Even as distasteful as that might be. Especially in the EW and MW arenas

[Traveler]

Originally posted by hitech
Had a new thought today on field capture.

What if each country had only 2 fields that could be captured at any one time.
I.E. Bish would have 1 field on the knight front , and 1 field on the rook front that could be captured.

Once one a  field was captured , the next one back would then be available for capture.

HiTech

HiTech, if you do that, I'll start looking for another game to play.  Basicly it looks like the changes to the arenas are only popular with the customers that wanted that type of game play in the first place.  An unsciencetific check at random times of the numbers would seem to indicate that everyone except for a total of about 60 players on average want to play in the Late War Arena.   The Axis v Allied Arena seems seldom used and again it appears that the most I have ever seen in there is 30.    

Now you purpose to drastically modify game play , to accomplish what?  Even up the sides?  WAR is seldom even.  Just as Poland or France or Germany or Japan at the end.

Right now when one side has a numbers advantage in AH you can hit bases away from that sides strong area and force them to use resources in a different part of the arena.  You purpose to alter any chance of a weaker side doing that, by forcing everyone to only be able to attack at one point.  

You might as well just have one arena with only three bases, no towns, no trains, no trucks, no tanks, just a never ending furball.

[Sweet2th]

Now you purpose to drastically modify game play , to accomplish what? Even up the sides? WAR is seldom even. Just as Poland or France or Germany or Japan at the end.

Do you play H2H much cuz that's about all you see in those arena's.Half those people in H2H won't even the teams because they wanna outnumber someone so maybe they have a better chance of surviving when it's not about that in the first place , it's about fighting cartoon air planes against others who enjoy the same and getting a break from the normal day stress.

[SlapShot]

Originally posted by Traveler
HiTech, if you do that, I'll start looking for another game to play.  Basicly it looks like the changes to the arenas are only popular with the customers that wanted that type of game play in the first place.  An unsciencetific check at random times of the numbers would seem to indicate that everyone except for a total of about 60 players on average want to play in the Late War Arena.   The Axis v Allied Arena seems seldom used and again it appears that the most I have ever seen in there is 30.    

Now you purpose to drastically modify game play , to accomplish what?  Even up the sides?  WAR is seldom even.  Just as Poland or France or Germany or Japan at the end.

Right now when one side has a numbers advantage in AH you can hit bases away from that sides strong area and force them to use resources in a different part of the arena.  You purpose to alter any chance of a weaker side doing that, by forcing everyone to only be able to attack at one point.  

You might as well just have one arena with only three bases, no towns, no trains, no trucks, no tanks, just a never ending furball.

Let me summarize ...

HT ... your 3 arena idea sucks ... even tho LW is still really the old MA, and the other 2 arenas allow those who would like to utilize the older plane sets to enjoy themselves. Get rid of the other 2 arenas and FORCE those people back into the MA slumfest.

I want to "milkrun" and if you take that ability away ... I am going to take my ball and go home.

Planning and fighting for a capture is absurd ... don't you know ... only furballers fight.

[Traveler]

Originally posted by SlapShot
Let me summarize ...

HT ... your 3 arena idea sucks ... even tho LW is still really the old MA, and the other 2 arenas allow those who would like to utilize the older plane sets to enjoy themselves. Get rid of the other 2 arenas and FORCE those people back into the MA slumfest.

I want to "milkrun" and if you take that ability away ... I am going to take my ball and go home.

Planning and fighting for a capture is absurd ... don't you know ... only furballers fight.

Your summarization is totally off the mark.  The opinion expressed by you are your thoughts not mine.

[Overlag]

Originally posted by SlapShot
Let me summarize ...

HT ... your 3 arena idea sucks ... even tho LW is still really the old MA, and the other 2 arenas allow those who would like to utilize the older plane sets to enjoy themselves. Get rid of the other 2 arenas and FORCE those people back into the MA slumfest.

I want to "milkrun" and if you take that ability away ... I am going to take my ball and go home.

Planning and fighting for a capture is absurd ... don't you know ... only furballers fight.

i keep hereing this milkrun rubbish and i wonder why you guys now think its harder to milkrun?

empty arenas ALLOW milkrunning...EW and MW are great empty arenas to milkrun in. I mean when i was FORCED to play in a empty arena last night because MA was full. i nearly captured 2 bases before i saw a enermy con... And im talking about JUST me, one cv, vs a empty field. I flew around for a few hours, saw 2 people on my side, 3 on the other. I logged in frustration and posted a thread asking for higher MA cap.

Lasts nights gameplay for me, during primetime, was much like uk at 10-14....empty arenas with milkrunners everywhere, all because i couldnt get into a arena with the other players.

[SlapShot]

Originally posted by Overlag
i keep hereing this milkrun rubbish and i wonder why you guys now think its harder to milkrun?

empty arenas ALLOW milkrunning...EW and MW are great empty arenas to milkrun in. I mean when i was FORCED to play in a empty arena last night because MA was full. i nearly captured 2 bases before i saw a enermy con... And im talking about JUST me, one cv, vs a empty field. I flew around for a few hours, saw 2 people on my side, 3 on the other. I logged in frustration and posted a thread asking for higher MA cap.

Lasts nights gameplay for me, during primetime, was much like uk at 10-14....empty arenas with milkrunners everywhere, all because i couldnt get into a arena with the other players.

Nobody said it was harder to milkrun ... most would agree with you that it is very easy to milkrun in the EW and MW ... the idea presented in this thread by HT was possibly trying to make it harder to milkrun.

I don't know what time frames you fly in, but if you were FORCED into the MW last night (US Prime Time), it was far from empty ... there was plenty of action ... very well balanced as far as the numbers goes ... and I saw no milkrunning by any country ... but we all know you have this penchant for making stuff up to prove a point ... it's becoming quite obvious by now.

[FrodeMk3]

I don't know what time frames you fly in, but if you were FORCED into the MW last night (US Prime Time), it was far from empty ... there was plenty of action ... very well balanced as far as the numbers goes ... and I saw no milkrunning by any country ... but we all know you have this penchant for making stuff up to prove a point ... it's becoming quite obvious by now.

Umm, Slapshot...you really need to be fair to Overlag, here. He DOESN'T fly US primetime. He's on euro-time. It would be like you or me staying up until sometime between 1-5 a.m. Having pulled all-nighters, I've seen the arena numbers he's talked about. Pretty desolate.

[Overlag]

Originally posted by SlapShot


I don't know what time frames you fly in, but if you were FORCED into the MW last night (US Prime Time), it was far from empty ... there was plenty of action ... very well balanced as far as the numbers goes ... and I saw no milkrunning by any country ... but we all know you have this penchant for making stuff up to prove a point ... it's becoming quite obvious by now.

this game runs 24/7, try playing it 11am UK time

[SlapShot]

Originally posted by Overlag


this game runs 24/7, try playing it 11am UK time

Dude ... I wrote that on the 18th and now your responding to it ? ... I thought between then and now ... we came to an understanding (especially me) and I have not jumped all over any of your posts since then.