Is this what you wanted HTC?

[Connery]

For anyone who hasn't been playing this game for at least 7 years you just wouldn't understand.

I know, ya'll say I look at this game through a fogged memory, but it has changed a lot since the old days. Back then you could have an uneven numbered situation like 5 on 2, and 2 or 3 of the 5 would just circle and watch the fight and only join in if one of his teammates got shot down.

"Bingo" meant I'm out and the enemy gave you a salute and told you head see ya when you can back, instead of chasing you down with 12 of his closest friends just so one of you could have the kill.

You would spend hours fighting the same 10 guys over and over a gain and nobody would be PMing or swearing over 200. Even the good natured "ribbing" was done with a bunch of laughs.

The only frustration in the game was when you had to make a run to the bathroom because you just couldn't hold it any longer.

It is much harder to find a good fight these days and I really enjoy those that I find. My frustration level climbs quickly when those few fights are destroyed by some Ahole that just NEEDS the kill and has to pick, or HO. It seems to me that some of that has come back with the changes HTC has made. Is it better, yes, is it like it use to be, not even close, but I'll take what I can get and hope things continue to improve. Until then my wife likes having me hang around with her more than I fly.  

I can see where you're coming from, it's not just AH that suffers from this, whats happening is evolution, AH is getting more subscribers or new subscribers who are not in the same generation. Many of the problems you're pointing out like swearing and such is just a result of how things are in the real world right now.....Hell I remember when I was younger none of my friends swore.. this isn't the case with younger players now, theres loads of it going on.

Best just to suck it up and tolerate...p.s my opinion on this subject isn't worth anything as I no longer play, and haven't played for a number of months, but for different reasons.

Hope you're doing well btw

[CAP1]

The new towns are excellent.  the game is better now than it has ever been.  Again, the quality of people is what has changed.  The mentality of the collective players, the mentaility of how the game is being played today, pretty much sucks.  Has nothing to do with the mechanics of gameplay.

Just my most worthless opinio, but Its mine and Im sticken with it.

to me the entire game itself has improved massivly since i started in 2005 or so. the feel of the aircraft, the looks of everything, pretty much everything 'cept the players.
 someone else mentioned that some updates seemed to increase the horde mentality. i think that's wrong. those that are going to horde will do it regardless of what is done to the game.

[guncrasher]

Sorry jb42 but just about everytimr we meet you are not alone, you always have plenty of friends.  Besides you play wih the bishps and they're known for bringing everybody and their cousings to take one base.  Just like las night.  When 20 of you couldn't take the base they brought an extra 20 and when that wasn't enough you killed he hangars.  I love furballing more han anything but when that gets old, there's always one base being attacked by a handfull of enys and I go there. As for people chasing you down when bingo ammo, well don't come fight use it all up and expct to go home with kills.  Always save a bullet or two.  Rspect you as a player fighting you always brings a smile to my face but sorry if game changed and you are not willing to adapt to it.  I don't like arena caps so I work my way around them .


Semp

[CAP1]

  I don't like arena caps so I work my way around them .


Semp

you blasphemer!!!!!!!!

how DARE you use common sense????? who do you think you are anyway??!!


 

[SmokinLoon]

A few of the recent changes had some big negative / unwanted or for some part surely unintended effects, most notably strengthening hording tendencies and hurting gameplay diversity.

I will respectfully disagree on the "strengthening hording tendencies and hurting game play diversity".  Hording may be a knee jerk tendency because it takes more padawans to swarm a base for the "winz", but the BIG picture will show that fewer bases are changing hands I do believe (and I fully expect Mr. Chartman to post a bar graph showing the past 12 mos of base changin and map wins).  Even if the hoard is larger than it used to be (that stat is hard to track unlike bases changing hands), there are only so many people on and if it takes more people to take a base that means there are fewer people on that team elsewhere to defend, attack, etc.  As far as the diversity I do believe with the almost complete absence of the massive NOE 110 raids, the plane set has diversified quite a bit more.  I'm seeing a far more diverse plane set hitting towns than just 110's.  The 110 has no way of sneaking in an leg humpin a town like it used to, it has to work to get there.  I'm sure there are stats on that, too.    

[Dichotomy]

I see a lot of folks that I have high regard for posting in this thread.  Even with a layoff of 2 years almost to the day I can see a difference in the community.

I also see hope because I'd wager that 98% of the people who play the game could not care less what their score is.  That has always been the way I played but I'm also smart enough not to attempt to dictate to someone else how they should play.  Fortunately, for me, within my 2 week trial I was invited to join the squad that I'm in and will be to the day I die.  These vets of the game in squad and out taught me the community, tactics, and helped me learn the game through all it's permutations.  They and many others have fallen over themselves to bring me up to speed and point out all of the changes that happened while I was away.  If they'll do that for me what can YOU do for a noob?

I can remember a night that we decided to go to Axis VS Allies and I vulched a con and it was explained to me that doing so was frowned upon in that arena.  You know the whole 'When in Rome' thing?  One of my squaddies very professionally took me behind the woodshed and explained the error of my ways.  After that I never made that mistake again.  Bad form old chap. 

I also remember when the TA was FULL of people who were willing to help, fly as a target, and so on.  Murdr, Widewing, Rowdy, Yanksfan, just to name a few.  It was fun and informative and I took to flying in there to help people with what I knew and learn from vets and savants that were and always will be better than me.  I'd like to pay that back someday. 

I'd suggest to the community as a whole to look for the new guys / gals and share with them what your idea of how things should be.  I'd say you'll get at least a 50% hit rate if you just open yourselves up to teaching a newbie not only how to fly but what the culture is online.

As I've said before I'm back because I missed the camaraderie and the fun of pitting yourself and your 'skills' against someone equal to or better that I am.  The game is fun the relationships are better. 

AVA regs.. correct me if I'm wrong but the unwritten 'rules' of behavior haven't really changed in the last couple of years.  No vulching, HO's are frowned upon, jumping into a 1v1 fight is also frowned upon, and so on.  If you want to fight that's the arena I'd suggest going to.  It's one of the least changed arenas in terms of culture and behavior. 

I jumped into the AVA last week out of boredom with the MA and after a 1v1 vs Old suddenly there were 6 to 8 folks in there who cheerfully put me in the drink. 

The arenas, squad ops, scenarios, and so on, are what WE make them gents.   

Of course that's just my opinion I could be wrong.   

[Lusche]

 As far as the diversity I do believe with the almost complete absence of the massive NOE 110 raids, the plane set has diversified quite a bit more.  

This completely wrong. The 110 NOEs are back and alive, I fought against several of them in the last 24 hours. The horde has finally figured the way (took em a long time i have to admit) to revive the NOE without being impaired by the new dar settings. The NOE is back, there is no doubt. And with the big new towns (which I personally absolutely love), they are even more "necessary" if you wanna get a base and win the war, for the old tactics will leave a map be pretty static.

However, as single player formerly tring to fight the horde by taking up a fast plane, head to the horded base to look for goons, I have now bad cards - particularly on smaller maps. The extended dar range means the horde has often a convenient dar coverage (occasionally by 2 or even more radars) over the base they are just hording. Going there alone or with just one friend is then basically impossible, they will all immediately jump on me because I make that very convenient dot on their maps. (And don't say: Just kill their dar - It'S not that easy to do that when totally outnumbered).
So more often than not, I now just shrug and go elsewhere.

Also we see much less single or small scale bomber raids, especially to the strats which basically have been taken out of the game by redesign. In the past, players tried their luck trying to wiggle between the dar circles to get to the high-value targets - but now these targets have no value anymore (score as well as strategic impact), but are very difficult to reach due to distance, ack, and full dar cover all the way. Bomber guys are basically just dropping frontline hangars or dropping towns for score - less variety in gameplay.
And so it's also less variety for me as a buff hunter. All the guesswork, the "thinking" part (Darbar in sector - where is he? is he inbound or outbound? Which target may he go for?) is mainly gone - less variety in gameplay

And the 17lbrs on Vbases had one direct effect: There are much fewer battles for Vbases now with the same gun the Firefly has being perk free located on the base. I could have understood a PAk 40 (basically the same thing the Panzer IV has) - An attacker could have decided to bring in a Tiger... but now only rarely someone takes that silly risk anymore. Pure tank battles for a Vbase without a big number of planes are much rarer now. - Less variety in gameplay
(And guess what- EW Vbases have that heavy late war monster AT gun on the base too  )

[Ping]

I came back after a very long layoff just before the most recent update. I love it again.
I have been around since the beginning and all I see is improvement with the odd sidestep happening.
Compare 1999 AH to now and I cannot say that its gotten worse. Attitudes and ignorance may have but
that is just a reflection of society as a whole.

Keep up the good work HTC. 
That being said I want Foot Soldier abilities and I want them now. Get to work. 

[Bruv119]

I will respectfully disagree on the "strengthening hording tendencies and hurting game play diversity".  Hording may be a knee jerk tendency because it takes more padawans to swarm a base for the "winz", but the BIG picture will show that fewer bases are changing hands I do believe (and I fully expect Mr. Chartman to post a bar graph showing the past 12 mos of base changin and map wins).  Even if the hoard is larger than it used to be (that stat is hard to track unlike bases changing hands), there are only so many people on and if it takes more people to take a base that means there are fewer people on that team elsewhere to defend, attack, etc.  As far as the diversity I do believe with the almost complete absence of the massive NOE 110 raids, the plane set has diversified quite a bit more.  I'm seeing a far more diverse plane set hitting towns than just 110's.  The 110 has no way of sneaking in an leg humpin a town like it used to, it has to work to get there.  I'm sure there are stats on that, too.    

 

[ZetaNine]

Life is too short.  If you're not having fun here...take a break..or leave permanently.

99.999% of the people flying when I am flying are still having a good time.  actually...they're having a blast.

that said...attrition happens...change happens... that's part of life.  dig it..or find another hobby.

I suggest the OP may just be bored of the whole thing...and hasn't yet come to terms with that.  it's just too easy to play the old "back in the day" card.

[Meatwad]

I will agree, I also have played off and on since 2000 and I would give anything to have AH1 back.  Im not saying the new version of the game is bad, graphics wise it is nothing short of kick azz..  But I agree that the game has evolved over the years and strayed from what I think it was intended to be.   Can't even get a decent fight in MW anymore.  I mean, in an arena with only 30 players do all the hangers at a Vbase or Airfield need to be taken down?  I miss the skill and finess that was once used.  A player on another country made a comment that just made me laugh earlier when he said they are "working smarter not harder" by using a carrier to take all the hangers down at a Vbase that we had just captured 15 minutes earlier hangers up.  No horde needed and was not a 15 - 3 fight either.  The game has turned more into a 'capture the flag at all costs" and isnt as fun as it was.

Especially the AH1, I miss that to no ends

[guncrasher]

You can have ah1 all you want , but take a wild guess who will be here also.  that's right the same players as in ah2.


Semp

[Meatwad]

Believe me if I can have it online I would take it. I'll reup my subscription whenever this game becomes fun again

[Crash Orange]

And the 17lbrs on Vbases had one direct effect: There are much fewer battles for Vbases now with the same gun the Firefly has being perk free located on the base. I could have understood a PAk 40 (basically the same thing the Panzer IV has) - An attacker could have decided to bring in a Tiger... but now only rarely someone takes that silly risk anymore. Pure tank battles for a Vbase without a big number of planes are much rarer now. - Less variety in gameplay

You think so? It seems like I've seen plenty of GV battles lately, but it's not something I spend a lot of time doing, so maybe I just haven't noticed if there aren't as many. But overall I think the 17 pounder is the best of all the recent changes. No more sneaking Vbases with an M8 and an M3. No more upping a Tiger and being able to count on easily killing (and being invulnerable to) anything unperked you run into. But the 17 lbers are easy to kill, so a determined assault can at best only be slowed down by them, then the defenders still have to up GVs and slug it out (or bring in LancStukas, but that's no different than it was before the change).

(Of course, as I've said many times, I loathe 262s and Tigers with an abiding passion, so anything that makes life miserable for low-lifes in either ride is fine by me for that reason alone.)

[gyrene81]

Believe me if I can have it online I would take it. I'll reup my subscription whenever this game becomes fun again

That's a matter of your perspective and no one is resposible for that but you, something the OP and a couple of others should be adult enough to understand.