Request for feedback from players

[Brooke]

----------- Day it runs ---------------

I, too, think running it Friday nights would increase the participation.

The only thing is, part of the main motivation of This Day in WWII is a commemoration of particular battles on the day they happened (like D-Day on June 6, Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7th, etc.)  Also, there are already FSO's, Snapshots, and SEC's, so I don't think that we need duplicates of those.

----------- Time it runs ----------------

I run it at times that are accessible for Europeans and Americans already.  If it isn't running on a weekend, I run it twice, once at about noon Eastern (i.e., 8 pm UK) and once in the evening US.

---------- Advertising ---------------

There aren't a lot of avenues for more advertising of them.  I use the message board, but I can't use the CM announcement functionality (that broadcasts into all arenas) more than about 1-2 times, and each announcement has to be about 3 lines, or I get yelled at by people for overusing that functionality.

I don't know of other ways available to me for getting the word out.

---------- Possible solution? ------------

I'm not sure what else to do other than keep doing what I have been doing (advertising on message board, making announcements 30 minutes prior to start, and asking people to help recruiting for these events) and hope that over time it has a positive impact.  It certainly isn't having much impact in the short term.

Do folks think that if I made them squad-only, like FSO's, that it would help?  I would then rely on squads to get the participation.

[greens]

do it during weekdays, alotta ppl logged in around 4pm-5pm alaska time

[FiLtH]

Hey Brooke <S>

   As you know back in the day they were called "special events". Mainly because they were special. What has happened in my view, is that there are so many events, they just arent as "special" any more. FSO pretty much covers anything extra I need from the game as far as realism and group effort go. Its at a time, late friday night, that I can make it, without much fuss, and long enough without being overwhelming.

  Add in all the other small weekly events we have, and that for the larger events like scenarios, which people usually have to give up weekend afternoons for, and it just seems like too much effort now. My suggestion is that you guys take advantage of the off-firday of an FSO, which looks mainly like the last friday in the month at 11pm et. Lots of us end up making do in the MA that night, but are looking for a better thing to do.

  Personally if it were up to me, Id remove all special events from the list, except FSO and KOTH, and focus all effort into large scenarios to make the player base hungry for them, all willing to attend.

  These are just my opinions <S>

[oakranger]

Do folks think that if I made them squad-only, like FSO's, that it would help?  I would then rely on squads to get the participation.

Hard to say.  Try it and get people to help you get the word out. 

[BaldEagl]

For what it's worth I work 12-13 hours a day and by the time I get home I have less than two hours to relax before I have to go to bed, wake up and do it again.  Then on Saturday I have to get everything else done that I wasn't able to do during the week and finally on Sunday there's football or racing on TV.  In my free time I squeeze a little time in AH.

In the end the likelyhood of you picking a time I'm free and then me actually knowing about it is slim.  It's nothing you're doing wrong.

[Chilli]

There are probably more folks that feel this way, but in my opinion, ignore everything Filth just said.  I loved the ease of being able to join your event on the day that it occured in history.  With folk's interest in History Channel episodes, you already have a following.  Many times I have enjoyed a history lesson on TV or in a newspaper or some other media, that peaks my interest in certain aircraft or battles.  You may want to expand your announcements reference to specific literature on that topic, in that a lot of the  AH2 players are avid readers also.  I think that refreshing in their minds the name of a book that they may have enjoyed and might care to give another read, could go a long way in boosting discussion on the forums.  http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/board,520.0.html

I am not alone either when I express a concern for dwindling numbers across the board.  It is very important to me that events like these that you bring to us continue.  You do an awesome job of putting these together, don't let anyone try and convince you they are not as "wanted".  It was just what I needed to complete my AH2 experience to fly in the Coral Sea event this week, especially since the LW Off Hours map for Rooks was down to a few bases and no ports.  Please read my suggestion in my previous post above.

After spending many years in the AvA arena, I can tell you first hand that 4 or 5 players in the right environment can be much more pleasurable than any other AH2 experience that you have had.  Be willing to step apart from other events and set your own twists to your events instead of the standard FSO format.  Make it historical, and above all make it fun.  Don't concern yourself with the complainers, because you will find most wouldn't know a good thing, until everyone else told them how good it is (not directing this at all towards Filth - as he has pointed out he is not in favor of having more alternatives.  So, he has no real input on how to improve numbers or awareness for your events). 

I mean with stuff like this:  http://ahevents.org/events/this-day-in-wwii.html

These events run on the following days with the times given on the Aces High calendar.

    January 25, 1945: Battle of the Bulge
    February 2, 1943: Battle of Stalingrad
    March 7, 1942: Siege of Malta
    April 18, 1942: Doolittle Raid
    May 8, 1942: Battle of the Coral Sea
    June 6, 1944: D-Day
    July 9, 1943: Operation Husky
    August 13, 1940: Battle of Britain (Adlertag)
    September 7, 1942: Battle of Milne Bay
    October 14, 1943: Black Thursday
    November 8, 1942: Operation Torch
    December 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor

  Brooke   

[JOACH1M]

I notice that this event starts at an awkward time for me. I may or may not have the same problem, but maybe a different time I would do it

[ozrocker]

I forget usually. When I remember, it's too late.
Maybe( I suggested this before) Put day's event in MOTD!

                                                           <S> Oz

[jolly22]

MOTD about a week before saying there is a TDIH event coming up.

[FiLtH]

   Chilli..chill man.

   Im not bashing Brooke at all. I know he lives for events. Im just saying the way I feel on how it used to be, to how it is now. Used to be meaning way back to AW days. Events were big deals and few and far between. Here there are so many I cant keep track of them. Thats all.

[Zoney]

I know nothing.  But if you are looking for guesses, I would think that having it scheduled the same day every week, the same time, (or the same 2 different times for US and Euro's), would make it a bit more consistent and I for one would be more likely to schedule my time to accomodate it.

I know it is called, "This Day In History", but maybe, "This Week in History" would give you a bit more flexibility, allowing you to schedule that one day per week that we all could remember a little easier.

I also think that the FSO is the best the game has to offer.  I would be very interested in other scenarios like you are putting together here.

[AWRaid]

I know nothing.  But if you are looking for guesses, I would think that having it scheduled the same day every week, the same time, (or the same 2 different times for US and Euro's), would make it a bit more consistent and I for one would be more likely to schedule my time to accomodate it.

I know it is called, "This Day In History", but maybe, "This Week in History" would give you a bit more flexibility, allowing you to schedule that one day per week that we all could remember a little easier.

I also think that the FSO is the best the game has to offer.  I would be very interested in other scenarios like you are putting together here.

This Week in History would be much better, you could pick and choose from a wider variety of things and have a set time for people to log on and execute the event.

[phatzo]

This Week in History would be much better, you could pick and choose from a wider variety of things and have a set time for people to log on and execute the event.

Yep, Zoney nailed it.

[TOMCAT21]

maybe trying the special events on Titanic Tuesday.