3 hour Frames

[MMMKKK]

  Would like to know the thoughts and opinions of going to 3 hour FSO frames.  Start an hour earlier and 3 hours would give more time for recon, as in Midway , or setting up RV points with bombers or forward sweeps into enemy territory. Not to mention added time for GV battles later in the frames.
I enjoyed last nights frame but it was a bit laggy over the towns with all that action.
<S> to the organizers of these events. mk

[4XTCH]

As THE Setup CM for last nights event, I will tell you that that was the busiest I have ever been.
I usually get things going the night before, tweak it during lunch just to make sure I haven't missed anything and show up 1 1/2 hrs before peeps really start logging in and answer questions. Now, I get to hang around and watch everyone else have " The Best FSO Ever" for 2 hours. Then it's AAR's and log upload. By this time, it's 2AM and I'm beat.
Now, you'd like me to show up an hour earlier than this. Ok.... I'll do it... but I get your first born...


4XTCH

[MMMKKK]

Lol I'll throw in both my kids, but no refunds

[forHIM]

The start time provides a balanced start for both east coast and west coast.  An hour earlier and our west coast players could have difficulties making it.  An hour later on the east coast would be a 2AM finish, both seem to be unreasonable to keep squads and their diverse membership in the fray.

[Anaxogoras]

8pm on the west coast will already make your friends and family resentful.   I almost never flew FSO when I lived in the Pacific time zone.

[Squire]

Atlantic time zones make it a Midnight start (EST +1 hr), thats really late as it is. I can't see us commiting to a 3 hr Event either (just my opinion, im not FSO team lead), but after 2 hrs most are rdy to call it a night I think. After that, family and work obligations really get into the mix.

[maxy]

that's a tough one either ya gotta start drinking earlier or you'll pass out before its over 

[daddog]

Three hours is too long IMHO. Also that is quite a load on the hosting CM's for an event that is ran just about every week year around.

Adding GV's in the 2nd hour is fun, but Nef wrote up an event that would use many of the GV's we have without substitutes. Aces High is still very limited on GV's and until they fill out more I can't see this becoming the norm in very many theaters unless the CM's start using a lot of substitutes. For me personally I hate substitutes.

Also you mentioned having more time for recon. FSO and Scenarios are very different animals. Never the two shall meet. One of the reasons FSO is so popular is because everyone knows they will see action in a reasonable amount of time and not fly around for two hours looking for enemy fleets or aircraft. If it is well designed FSO everyone sees action in the first 60 minutes.

[morfiend]

The start time provides a balanced start for both east coast and west coast.  An hour earlier and our west coast players could have difficulties making it.  An hour later on the east coast would be a 2AM finish, both seem to be unreasonable to keep squads and their diverse membership in the fray.

 Harpa logged in and said it was 6am we he lives..... now thats squad dedication... and now someone would like him to log in at 5am....hahahhaha

[Sled]

mmmkk,

It is a good idea and a fair question, also one that has been brought up with in the CM Team before.

DD has pointed out most of the reasoning behind remaining a 2hr event.

In the end, it is just to much to ask of the Set-up CM's and even most of the players to become a 3hr event.

Also in most cases the 3rd hour would see a dramatic decrease in players in the arena.


Remaining a 2hr event also keeps with an old saying in show business.

"Always leave the audience wanting more."

[FiLtH]

  Maybe for a special case it would work, but 2 hrs is a good length for most FSOs.  As it is now after working all day its sometimes hard to crawl off the couch and fly at 11 et.

[RDRTrash]

It's not off topic because it has to do with the use of the time in FSO.

I went a little antsy after getting shot down in Frame 1 while waiting for the start of the GV portion of the event.  Why weren't the GV's allowed to roll untill T+60?  Couldn't that be upped to T+30 or something, allowing early casualties to start their second life without the dull wait?  Think of it more like a rolling start on the GVs. 

K, that's my suggestion.  Keep the tempo up which helps keep the interest high.... just sayin'

[daddog]

Why weren't the GV's allowed to roll untill T+60?  Couldn't that be upped to T+30 or something, allowing early casualties to start their second life without the dull wait?

That is an interesting idea. In a way if one side had a lot of air losses they would have an advantage on the ground due to some early starts. Could help balance things.

RDRTrash I would PM Nef and see what he thinks. He might want to try it.

[Nefarious]

The reason to start the GV's at T+60 was simply chosen to coincide with the T+60 rule on the objectives.

I can understand your frustration as I was in the tower from about T+35 or 40 till the launch. It was actually discussed between Falcon and I after frame 1. We may talk it about it some more for frame 3.

[Hamltnblue]

You might want to start by trying T+45 for GV's
As far as scoring, I think since this is a flight sim primarilly, that the flight scores should be weighted heavilly towards the flight scores.  the GV's are a nice add-on that not all flyboy types will participate in.  I personally don't think it should be given equal weight.