Dispersed Strats

[The Fugitive]

But that doesnt really work. You simply can't protect the front line factories enough to keep em up. You would have to set up staggered patrols with several fighters, as high, med low altitude bombers and jabos are coming in, 'cause there is hardly a way to identify and up for them in time. If the bases next to a factory are captured, it's over anyway.

So the new setup will massively increase average downtimes, which does require much more effort to resupply bases manually. In other words, more players in goons and m3s to counter the 150 minutes downtime of auto ack for example. It's just a simple matter of maths 

You, like many other are looking at the change from "todays" game play style. Strats were hit occasionally and if you were a map watcher you could spot the incoming flights and intercept. Now with them spread out there is more to cover. A single hunter, like you is going to have a harder time to make a difference. What will be needed is a shift in game play.

This shift may be be small groups of "wolf packs" hunting around the strats. New squads may pop up that specialize in this type of tactic. More of these encounters  will mean more small fights happening all over the map.

Will HTC adjust down times, or re-supply times? Maybe, but it won't happen over night. I'd bet they will let it run it's course a bit. What may happen is those "milk runners" you see right now may get bored with it and the attacks will slow. Not to the pace we had when they were all bunched together. I think your see more people going for strat than we had before, but now as many as we have now.

Before the only real chance you had at doing some big meaningful damage was to launch a big group which of course was easy to spot and so generated a big defense. Now smaller groups will be able to get a run done and so make it more appealing. I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out. 

[lyric1]

A step backwards I think the megastrat is a better option than this at present.

[bustr]

You guys ever stopped to reflect that you do not represent the larger part of the AH player community described as Mr. Average, the average player. For them, the more complex Hitech makes this game to accomplish simple goals, the more of them are going over to WT.

If this simple change got them back below 15k fighting each other, and not hiding above 15k HOing and running. What does that say to the paying majority's tolerance for a love child of Stratego and Risk's ability to hold paying customers in our game.

Even Hitech admitted a while back that players didn't use a process after he made it more complex. After the mega strats were introduced and towns made harder to capture, the game got boring. Eventually no one was willing to expend the effort unless they had a strategic "uber mega hoard". Then you either had cricketville across your two fronts, or an uber mega hoard shutting everything down just to achieve a base capture after several fruitless hours. 

Your Mr. Average just wants to login for a few hours, break a few things. And if he happens to kick someone's kester, feel good about himself. Then if he happens to help roll a few bases before going to bed, that's a good thing all around for $14.95. The Mr. Averages voted last night about the change and started fighting again.

[BaldEagl]

If it's back the way it used to be then:

You can roll a GV to a strat and blow stuff up.
There's something to do with Skd rockets.
There's something to do with PT boat rockets.
There's more GV's to bomb as the result of the reasons above.
There's more targets to bomb than just hangers at a field.
There's more buff flights to fight as a result of spread out strats.
There's more Jabo's to fight  as a result of spread out strats.
There's more fighters to fight as a result of them hunting the Jabos and buffs.
There's more opportunity to resuply and the opportunity to stop those efforts.

All of this in combination creates more smaller fights across the whole of the map.

Also, if it's back to the way it used to be the strats only affect the zone they supply making the zone bases more strategically important.

I don't get why you guys think having fewer thing to do and hordes are better for the game.

I've largely quit playing since the strats were centralized simply out of boredom and the loss of good one on ones, one on twos and two on twos but I guess if you prefer flying in or fighting against hordes then the old way (now restored old way) isn't for you.

[Nathan60]

I'd rather opt for more players attacking bases than running m3s without end to resupply bases at 150 minutes downtime...

Who says you cant hang around poppin m3? forcing them to add air cover or wirbles? I think they will eventully add to combat once people get tired of their strats being proked

[Dragon]

If it's back the way it used to be then:

You can roll a GV to a strat and blow stuff up.
There's something to do with Skd rockets.
There's something to do with PT boat rockets.
There's more GV's to bomb as the result of the reasons above.
There's more targets to bomb than just hangers at a field.
There's more buff flights to fight as a result of spread out strats.
There's more Jabo's to fight  as a result of spread out strats.
There's more fighters to fight as a result of them hunting the Jabos and buffs.
There's more opportunity to resuply and the opportunity to stop those efforts.

All of this in combination creates more smaller fights across the whole of the map.

Also, if it's back to the way it used to be the strats only affect the zone they supply making the zone bases more strategically important.

I don't get why you guys think having fewer thing to do and hordes are better for the game.

I've largely quit playing since the strats were centralized simply out of boredom and the loss of good one on ones, one on twos and two on twos but I guess if you prefer flying in or fighting against hordes then the old way (now restored old way) isn't for you.

If the rail system is also restored then train hunting is back.  I'm not sure why but I always enjoyed blowing up trains from aircraft or GV.

[SmokinLoon]

And what is wrong with discussing the pro's & con's so which may actually help determine if something needs tweaked or not?

Nothing.  It is the panic button pushers that my statement was targeted towards.  I have faith that HTC will balance things as needed.

[RipRap]

If it's back the way it used to be then:

Bring the town Church back. 

[Vortex]

I know diddly about this stuff, I just furball. But this thread has perked my interest.

If, say, ammo is at 0%, why would/should I care about that as a fighter jock? Do I not get ammo and now have to attack the enemy with harsh language? Do my gun's now hit like tulips?

I'm just curious what the effect of all this strat stuff is on an actual combat flight.

[Lusche]

Nothing.  It is the panic button pushers that my statement was targeted towards.  I have faith that HTC will balance things as needed.

I have not seen any panic button pusher in here.

I've largely quit playing since the strats were centralized simply out of boredom and the loss of good one on ones, one on twos and two on twos but I guess if you prefer flying in or fighting against hordes then the old way (now restored old way) isn't for you.

Well, and for me the large central strats did nothing less than saving the game for me. Because it just added another dimension to the gameplay that was I wasmissing. Long range, high altitude combat. The central strats was a target worthy of a big, escorted high altitude raid raid. And that's the kind of combat some of us were missing, because not everybody is fond of furballing on the deck 24/7. Someone said there's still the city. Yea. But you don't need a raid for that. It takes just 2 B-29s to totally demolish it. (The 'new' factories just take one set of Lancs)

It would have been great to add additional 'strat' targets for all that close/med range work. I asked several times for that. Something like railyards having a more regional additional effect on field resupply, totally worthy of bringing light/med bombers, jabos or Gv's to it without forcing anyone to fly 90 minute sorties to the strats.. That would have added something to it, not largely replaced it. That way you could have had both. A high priority, difficult to reach and to destroy central target fro long range, mission style combat, creating fights above the clouds, and lesser (but still locally important) strategic targets for all that casual short range low alt/ground combat and milking desires.

And regarding hordes... you are kidding? The central strats did not create hordes at all. The main game was, is and will be rolling bases, and that's horde terrain since (...). I vividly remember the extreme hording of the 2006 incarnation of the Rook LCA. Taking away the central strats will not change anything in the players disposition to flock together and to "pile on" the enemy.


What I personally hope for now is that HTC will
- tone down the strat effects somewhat (no one will seriously cap all the porked fields to attack all those resupply m3's)
- fill the void of the central strats by making the city much larger, so it might again attract bigger raids
- increase the size of the 'new' factories (which are actually old ones, so I'm almost sure it will happen)
- massively beef up the AA defense of the dispersed strats
- again rethink the current locations on ndisles, for example only the northen country has the very vital AA factory up front close to the enemy. I think training facility and AA factory should swap places, just like refinery and ammo factory did. More important facilities to the rear, less important ones to the front.


And now I'll wait to see how the factories will be placed on ozkansas... that's all from me for now.

[caldera]

What I personally hope for now is that HTC will
- tone down the strat effects somewhat (no one will seriously cap all the porked fields to attack all those resupply m3's)
- fill the void of the central strats by making the city much larger, so it might again attract bigger raids
- increase the size of the 'new' factories (which are actually old ones, so I'm almost sure it will happen)
- massively beef up the AA defense of the dispersed strats
- again rethink the current locations on ndisles, for example only the northen country has the very vital AA factory up front close to the enemy. I think training facility and AA factory should swap places, just like refinery and ammo factory did. More important facilities to the rear, less important ones to the front.

I hope HTC uses the massive strat complexes they just removed, only re-worked into four megastrats - one for each current strat.  Basically making each megastrat have four of the same factory type, instead of one of each.  That will increase the ack coverage and provide much bigger targets.

[wpeters]

I hope HTC uses the massive strat complexes they just removed, only re-worked into four megastrats - one for each current strat.  Basically making each megastrat have four of the same factory type, instead of one of each.  That will increase the ack coverage and provide much bigger targets.

+1

[JimmyD3]

What I personally hope for now is that HTC will
- tone down the strat effects somewhat (no one will seriously cap all the porked fields to attack all those resupply m3's)
- fill the void of the central strats by making the city much larger, so it might again attract bigger raids
- increase the size of the 'new' factories (which are actually old ones, so I'm almost sure it will happen)
- massively beef up the AA defense of the dispersed strats
- again rethink the current locations on ndisles, for example only the northen country has the very vital AA factory up front close to the enemy. I think training facility and AA factory should swap places, just like refinery and ammo factory did. More important facilities to the rear, less important ones to the front.


And now I'll wait to see how the factories will be placed on ozkansas... that's all from me for now.

I agree with Lusche for the most part. I must admit though the lack of Radar and sufficient AA at the most strategically important portions has always puzzled me. But I have faith that HTC will get it right, after all the game is a gas.

[hitech]

Also, if it's back to the way it used to be the strats only affect the zone they supply making the zone bases more strategically important.

This is not correct.

Strat effects the entire country the zone concept is gone.

HiTech

[Lusche]

interestingly the factories have not been placed in the old locations, but just next to them. You still can see the truly 'old' locations from 5 years ago.. AH aerial archeology: