is this necessary

[grizz441]

Kind of sounds like a few ends up being every one?  I don;t think a few people will have that effect.  Then again, it depends on your definition of a few lol

It's a domino effect.

For simplicity sake, lets take this example:  There are 150 players in blue when suddenly, orange uncaps itself.

Group 1: 20% of players in blue will always go to orange no matter what
Group 2: 20% of players will stay in blue as long as there are >130 players
Group 3: 20% of players will stay in blue as long as there are >100 players
Group 4: 30% will only leave if there are less than 75 players
Group 5: 10% are afk/toolshedding/whatever and will stay indefinitely

So after Group 1 leaves you are left with 120 players.
Well now Group 2 is going to leave because this is <130.
Now you are sitting at 90 players.  Well, Group 3 is going to leave now because you are less than 100.
Now you have 70 players.  Group 4 is going to leave now.
So now you are left with 15.

Is it group 2's fault that group 1 bolted for the door?  Is it group 3's fault group 2 bolted?  Group 4, the most accepting to play in a small arena has had enough when the others bolt.  Is it their fault?  Domino effect my friends.

[RTHolmes]

... and what, pray tell, might be "too many players" on a map that has 300 fields ?

consesus seems to be something in the range 600-750 for the very largest maps we have.

[RTHolmes]

If I don't login before the caps, I wait 2-3 hours before I do because Orange is overfull and Blue has 10 guys within it.

It isn't the end of the world, this is a game and I have plenty of stuff I can do in that 2-3 hour time frame.

"rubbish! my meal was great! theres no problem with this restaurant."

[Delirium]

Seems very lazy to complain about arena caps when they are doing exactly what they are supposed to. 

I'm not complaining, I just know it is a good excuse to actually get something done offline.

I'm spending less and less time in AH and it isn't because I'm not happy with the game. I just have too much going on in my personal life, you know, the world outside where the sky is blue.

[Lusche]

consesus seems to be something in the range 600-750 for the very largest maps we have.

I'm not sure if there ever was a consensus, at least not among the players

I can only say what it is for myself, in my own very subjective opinion:
While there can be very good fights with very few people, and sometimes an amazing lack of action with many players in an arena, less player usually means less options and less combat intensity. For a large map in the late war main I would personally rate

50 or less: OMFG!
~100: boring
~150: that's were the fun begins
~250: seems to be "golden". On a balanced map like Compello I can chose from many options what I want to do next
more than 300: The arena doesn't really benefit from more players, depending on map layout I would rate 400+ as being "crowded"

For a small map, I would rate 150 as "golden", with overcrowding beginning maybe beyond 200-250

Again: It's my personal view on this




And because I like graphs so much, today's numbers: 



Maybe can illustrate to some extend why some of us euro players do not have kind feelings about the current caps implementation  

[JimmyC]

The graph  dont lie
would be interesting to see how fast blue would get populated if caps kicked in at 22.00

[grizz441]

The graph  dont lie
would be interesting to see how fast blue would get populated if caps kicked in at 22.00

Kicking the caps in ~2-3 hours later than they do currently would be a best of both worlds (worlds being U.S. and Europe) solution.

[wil3ur]

I have a simple solution.  Everyone switch to AvA.  There's never caps, it's way more taxing on your SA, and there's only 2 teams so that solves the problem of getting ganged as well.

[Lusche]

I have a simple solution.  Everyone switch to AvA.  There's never caps,

Because they are not necessary with only a handful players. If the AvA were as popular as the late war main is now, you would see CAPS there too- You can't outrun CAPS

and there's only 2 teams so that solves the problem of getting ganged as well.

lolz! (translation: "How does that prevent ganging?")

[grizz441]

I have a simple solution.  Everyone switch to AvA.  There's never caps, it's way more taxing on your SA, and there's only 2 teams so that solves the problem of getting ganged as well.

The risk of getting ganged is part of the beauty of AH.  That's why there is an element of strategy.

[Shuffler]

Some folks have nothing to do if the internet goes down.

[BaldEagl]

From what I can see I don't think there's as many people playing in prime time as there was before the arena split regardless of what HT/Skuzzy say.  You can see it in the BBs too.  They are much slower than they used to be.

As far as the arenas being "unhealthy" I don't see any big change there either.  There's just as much dweeb play, whack-a-mole, hoarding, HOing and unhealthy 200/PM banter as there ever was.

The caps don't really bother me at all, I usually just go to the open arena but all the reasoning for splitting the arenas I just don't see.  Personally I had more fun when everyone was together.

[Ghastly]

But if the customers choose to do that, they will be where they want to be.  What is wrong with that?

Dedalos, aren't you one of us from that "other sim"?  I watched it go from the premier flight sim to a third rate has been (excluding possibly the special events which is about all that seems to be keeping it alive), and one of the biggest reasons is that they bent over backwards to give the players what they said they wanted.

But what the players say they want is often the surest path to self destruction.

There were other issues too, but the Allied/Axis format of the main arena nailed the coffin shut - and that was something that the very vocal majority demanded.

Again, what the players say they want is often the surest path to self destruction.

Hitech has said over and over that they can see that beyond a certain number of players, the sim is adversely affected by changes in gameplay.  They have the data, we don't. And while this is our playground, they live here.  PTL that they both care about the long term future of the sim and are very smart about it. 

<S>

[JimmyC]

so the euros  pay the price for the good of the masses
fair do`s is what we are asking

[wil3ur]

lolz! (translation: "How does that prevent ganging?")

Only 2 teams, you don't have to worry about both Knights and Rooks overrunning you.  Only have to worry about all the noobs switching to one side and hording.