What type of setup would you like to see!

[captain1ma]

without saying why the AVA sucks, and how attitudes suck, what kind of setup would you like to see in the AVA. please include settings IE no icons, no wind, no small children, etc. we are trying to find out what it would take to bring more people in there. I'm sure there are a million things, but we just want Setups that you would get  excited about. even so far as scheduling map rotation suggestions would be helpful.

[Puma44]

No enemy icons, friendly icons 800. On occasion, how about no icons at all?  Maybe have one day in the week with no icons to see how the crew responds to it.

Variable wx weather conditions; from clear and unlimited visibility to low solid overcast and short range visibility that would cycle between extremes once every set time period (every hour, half every hour?).

 

[Tyrannis]

normal bombsites.

sorry guys, but i just cant seem to get the manual system down

[ImADot]

normal bombsites.

sorry guys, but i just cant seem to get the manual system down

10 minutes in the TA will solve that. 

[ImADot]

I really hate to say it, but unless you have Latewar hotrod planes and at least short (3k min) enemy icons, you won't draw many people in.  Too many have their preconceived notion about icons, either from the BBS or people they fly with that have tried.  And too many people don't have the attention span to fly at 230 mph - even if bases are only 20 miles or less away from each other, let alone having to shoot someone with more than a fraction of a second's worth of cannons.

I admit I haven't been in much lately, but the things you're trying now with objectives other than just furballing is a good thing.  Bad thing is, people in an online game are a lot like lemmings; they don't want to be the first one somewhere, but will follow others if there's already a group there.

There's been lots of talk about new maps - especially Raven's work-in-progress.  You might see a few more jealous MA'ers come in to see a new map.  If enough people show up and actually have fun (by having fun fights w/o the MA baggage), who knows...it might start to grow.

[Mister Fork]

Our goal (vision) was to create an arena that attempted to simulate real historical and environmental settings pilots faced during WWII.  We do this using weekly setups that attempt to balance the gameplay, available aircraft and vehicles, through historical maps to give a 'be there' feeling for a week at a time, not 3 hours on a weekend.   In a nutshell, that is our vision and mission for the AvA (from the admins).

We're not the MA and we're not the SEA.  We can't compete against them and we really have no intention.  What we would like is for pilots to tell us what is missing from both the SEA and MA and we attempt to fill that gap.  Hence - the current no enemy icons, realistic bombsights, wind/turbulance, clouds, historical maps, the whole shebang. Call it the 'realism theatre' - but we know what we're not, and we kind of take pride in that.

Knowing that going forward, is there anything else we can add to give our arena that flavour that enhances gameplay and realism of historical settings?

[Puma44]

Well said, Mister Fork!   .  Your post would be a great intro statement for the AvA.  

"Realism Theatre" is a great descriptor for the AvA.  

[Badcore]

Don't change a thing gentlemen! If anything just advertise a couple times a week at peek hours in the MA. If its a good setup the skilled players will enjoy and the hoard will just stay in the MA.
 

[TheBug]

Our goal (vision) was to create an arena that attempted to simulate real historical and environmental settings pilots faced during WWII.  We do this using weekly setups that attempt to balance the gameplay, available aircraft and vehicles, through historical maps to give a 'be there' feeling for a week at a time, not 3 hours on a weekend.   In a nutshell, that is our vision and mission for the AvA (from the admins).

We're not the MA and we're not the SEA.  We can't compete against them and we really have no intention.  What we would like is for pilots to tell us what is missing from both the SEA and MA and we attempt to fill that gap.  Hence - the current no enemy icons, realistic bombsights, wind/turbulance, clouds, historical maps, the whole shebang. Call it the 'realism theatre' - but we know what we're not, and we kind of take pride in that.

Knowing that going forward, is there anything else we can add to give our arena that flavour that enhances gameplay and realism of historical settings?

Where does Jetweek, fit into all that?

I enjoyed the no-icon approach, but I think a return to limited icons (but close to MA standard) matched with well written historical setups will possibly help with numbers.

I think of it more as the Historical Arena than a realism arena.

[Krusty]

I think of it more as the Historical Arena than a realism arena.

^-- This.

The "no icons" isn't very historic IMO because it changes the entire dynamic. No more before-combat-manuvers, no more seeing incoming cons and reacting appropriately. While I can see a limited appeal in doing no-icons, I think that in regards to "historical" it really cuts back on what you historically can replicate. It would be like having a maximum down-draft to keep all fights below 5k alts... If you did it, sure it can work, and you might have fun, but it really limits your abilities based on historical accounts of what the real guys did in the real deal.

I wouldn't mind seeing full icons not only in AvA but in FSO as well (there's almost no real reason to have short icons in FSO, IMO), but I think I agree with the "historical arena" rather than the "realism arena"

I like to get immersed. I don't like minutae. That's why I don't fly MSFS X with 10 million buttons and you have to actually click the lever to pull the throttle in or out, etc. I want to pretend I'm Marseille getting kills, not Marseille filling out paperwork because he lost yet another aircraft.

 

[tmetal]

How about a WWI setup for a couple of days?  Also, I always thought it would be interesting to see a setup with no single engine fighters or heavy bombers enabled, just planes like the D3A vs the SBD, A20's vs bf110's, or Ju87 vs IL2. Then again I bet a setup like that would turn people away from the AVA.

Another thought is to put in bonus side missions for each side. For example, "recon mission - with film recording for entire flight, fly plane 'x' with no ord and light gun loadout over enemy airfield 'y' and return safely to base. Submit film to AVA admin for mission success approval"  (They do something similar to this in FSO I think)  or "intel recovery misson - run film recording for entire sortie, drive a PT boat to a designated location, sit just off shore with engine off for 2 minutes so undercover agent can deliver intel package to your boat from shore, return to friendly CV or shoreline. Submit file to AVA admin for approval"

I know these last two ideas are not arena setups but I figured I would throw them against the wall anyway. Maybe one will stick.

[Nr_RaVeN]

No enemy icons, friendly icons 800. On occasion, how about no icons at all?  Maybe have one day in the week with no icons to see how the crew responds to it.

Variable wx weather conditions; from clear and unlimited visibility to low solid overcast and short range visibility that would cycle between extremes once every set time period (every hour, half every hour?).

 

Im with puma.

[Tyrannis]

well... how about "what if" scenarios?

like the germans vs japs,

America vs Britain.

scenarios like that?

[ImADot]

well... how about "what if" scenarios?

like the germans vs japs,

America vs Britain.

scenarios like that?

We already have that in the other Main Arenas.  If they did it here, it wouldn't be the "Axis Vs Allies" arena then, would it...   

[Tyrannis]

We already have that in the other Main Arenas.  If they did it here, it wouldn't be the "Axis Vs Allies" arena then, would it...   

unless you created an alternate reality.

where the good&bad guys are changed.

could have it something like, russia: looking for a country closer to the U.S to prep its invasion, invades Great Britain. hoping to use the island nation as a refueling station for its massive navy, and hopes to one day launch bombers from it to attack america.

or stuff along those lines, could turn it into RISK: Aces High edition.