I know..... the point being it only appeals to the xbox crowd.
This is probably very accurate.
However, ww2 flight sims is a niche market. Many of us may be approaching our 10th or 15th anniversarys flying online. As we get older, 'Xboxers' like it or not, may be the future of the sim if it is to subsist, let alone grow.
Do I see a reason for HTC to grow right now? No, not personally. I love seeing arenas that are occupied as they currently are in LWM. Id love to see all the arenas similarly occupied. The community seems strong at this time - but we dont have access to HTCs earnings report.
There may come a time that with dwindling numbers, a seperate arena like the one suggested will be a source of revenue for the game from a untapped market, and will make sense to implement. Then it will be up to the community to introduce those players to the other things the game has to offer. As posted earlier, there are no shortage of toys to play with here, but many people seem to need a guide dog to show them the way.
My kids play WoW with the same joy I play AH. They have servers for different game worlds, as well as servers for different styles of play - Player vs player ( which is what we do in AH ) . Player vs Enemy ( which is co-op play against AI ) and Role playing. The game is undeniably sucessful, and one main reason is it is all things to all people, something to suit every style.
We have this now in AH, to a degree. FSO & scenarios are role playing, the late war mains are player vs player, and unfortunately the EW ( and occasionally the MW ) have become havens for those who want to avoid human players and would rather blow stuff up in a leisurly fashion. But in our community we throw all types into one arena and attack eachother in forums for not playing the 'right' way. Endless furballer/toolshedder/hoard debates.
If HTC threw up another server with the suggested format and it attracted more players and more $$, then perhaps HTC would expand his staff, and developments make come even faster than they do now. It would be another tool in the arsenal, another toy in the toybox.
Or he would keep the biz small as hes always said he desires, show tremendous growth & cash in, selling this to MSoft, Sony, or Blizzard...and retire
And then the game as we know it would be gone. Try emailing a corporation re: flight model or damage model issues.
As for pc maturity vs xbox, I find bs spewed on 200 just as immature as the bs spewed on Xbox live as my kids play Gears of War, or WoW on their pcs. Either the 'xboxers' are already here, or us old farts are regressing:)
