This game is dead unless things change

[danny76]

I'm 50 years old, retired military and have been playing video games when they could only be found in an arcade. Having said that I can only say with a great deal of regret how disappointed I am in this game and in the people in it. Before you tell me to go elsewhere, or tell me you've been playing the game for a bazillion years and STFU, or I don't respect the game, or whatever your excuse is for not listening to people when they don't tell you what you want to hear let me explain.

 I had been looking for a realistic war game, specifically a WWII aerial combat MMOG for a long time. I would have joined the game months ago except I had a MAC I didn't want to partition just to play a vid game (been there done that, WAY too glitchy) and waited until I could justify to the wife another computer purchase. So I studied AH for 2 months, reading all I could about the different plane types and watching the YOUTUBE videos of VUDU and others. In fact over the two months I can honestly say I was as prepared for the game as anyone that has ever played it.

Two weeks into the game have soured me on it however.  it's the rudeness of the people in the game and the still mind boggling complexity of the game... Not the learning how to fly or dog fight, No, I've learned how to fly the planes and I've won my last several one on one dogfights, nor the how do I go to this screen to configure this or that control or adjust this or that view etc (tho that is daunting enough for a new player) ... It's trying to learn how to FIGHT in a complex map situation when there are few that want to answer questions, you're treated like a spy on your own team, no one listens, you're treated like an average 13 year old (whose reflexes btw could probably whip most in the game after a week), and EVERYONE is a know-it-all because they've been playing the game for a bazillion years...For example, I had a Knit (a ten year veteran of the game he so informed me) tell me a Thatch Weave was a Rolling Scissors (it's not, google it).

 Perhaps It's just the Bish and Knit mindset, IDK, I just today switched over to the Rooks today and I hope things will be different. Just in case let me, as a new and fresh prospective, lend some advice.

1) Acknowledge the game is dying. There's fewer than 120 people logged most days in the US and fewer than 450 on the weekends...those are abysmal numbers for a mmog. If you still don't believe me then why is there no longer two late war arenas and rarely more than 10 people in the others?

2) Do something about it... if you love the game you'll want to see it continue correct? You need people in the game to pay for it. You have to pay a decent salary to get decent programmers!!!

A) Quit treating every new person as an enemy! So what if there are spys? You think the average person can't figure out there's a bombing mission on your starts after the first week? Get over yourselves and welcome the  newcomers.

B) Invite the newcomers into your squads. U see a new guy? Jump on him and ask HIM what he needs and what he likes to do. Don't tell him what to fight in, TEACH him how and where. Show them the ropes. Teach them in the late war arena, no one wants to be stuck hours on end, alone, in the practice arena, just to learn what a stall is. Remember, you only have two weeks to persuade the guy to stay in the game. After that he's gone if the game is too boring or if the people in it suck!!!

C) Persuade AH to make changes for new people. The game is too complex, which really, REALLY, hampers playability. The game isn't that historically accurate anyway so make it easy on the new guys ((sure, yes, the plane performance is probably close enough, but the war wasn't a three way battle between chess pieces either. (Don't say something snarky like go to AVA... Why? There was only three guys in the last Schweinfurt raid!))
  
  I) Persuade AH to create an automatic landing procedure. Like Shift, l,m, p (land my plane) the AI will then take your plane to the nearest friendly airbase (fuel permitting) and land. (people will stop doing it after they've learned how to keep the dang plane lvl and get vulched a few times. Come up with other ideas to simplify the game for newbies. You wanna more complex game? Turn off the automatic take offs ETC ETC.

 II) Convince AH to publish game hints like "How to take a base" (the Knits could learn from that one!) or "Carrier tactics" or "Squadron Tactics" or "Hints on how to win a map"  "The importance of Strats" etc etc. Don't just assume people know it or will pick it up before they've decided to bail on a game that's taking their money, boring, and where everyone is a D*ck...

 III) Convince AH to Update the plane characteristics! Having old info is a DEAD giveaway the game is losing membership. I almost didn't get the game after reading them. I knew they were last updated in like, what? 2007?

Last but not least listen to new people. Don't assume just because you've been in the game for 10 years you know everything or that a new person doesn't have skills. We do and some of us are pilots or have pilots in the family. My step father was a Navy Pilot that flew off the Essex in WWII. Some of us know A LOT about WWII. Why else would we even put up with the complexity of the game if we were not interested in the topic? BEFORE we showed up... You tell new people long enough to STFU and they will... when they go to a new game... and sooner or later your game WILL DIE from lack of interest... Just look at the numbers and ask yourself how long the owners are going to invest any time or money into it when their revenue stream is drying up?

Some reasonable points;

Yes the population is dwindling at times and to a degree the gameplay is getting stale.

You do say however that you have been looking for a realistic WW2 flight sim for a long time, and then in you first post ask for a "land my plane" dot command

Nevertheless the WIKI certainly needs to be updated, as does the way potential new customers are "invited" into the game.

Then you say that the game wasn't historically accurate, which is true, but to the best of my knowledge it was never intended to be, and in the same paragraph you state that the game is too complex

The game is no where near as complex as some, and as regards flight sims, almost all the vital operations from magneto's, to cowl flaps, safety catches, fuel mixture, oxygen switches, etc etc ad infinitum are not modelled

You even have an auto take off system, auto pilot/auto climb/auto pitch/auto combat trim/auto stall limiter/ WW1 engine governer, all there for the taking

[The Fugitive]

See Rule #4

[100Coogn]

See Rule #4

[Lusche]

you did a poor job

+1

[FORK2]

Yes, I understand. Give the game time. I have. Two weeks, which I believe was enough. Why pay for a game that turns me off? But, I got the free stick for two months sub so I guess i'm here for another 6 weeks.

 BTW I think Coogan was just joking.

 Perhaps I was hasty in my judgement on SOME things but not all. I appreciate the feedback.

 I do know the numbers are falling and I will try to do more. I think I'll try out some of the other features.

 One last point, none of my ideas need be implemented or even listened too, but, I hope I have raised awareness and hopefully there will be a more welcoming tone from the old timers. When there are only 25 people on a side and you can't get an answer on anything from anyone, you know after three days, relationships are set. To new people you're acting like you  DO NOT WANT them to know anything so they can't compete with you. And that's pretty sad for a competitive game play...In the end, whether you like it or not, you're just running off people to feel special.

[68Raptor]

As for the arenas, yes it is getting more and more "toxic" as far as what the community allows. The more tolerant the community the less HTC polices it. If you see/hear something you think is out of line use the "report" function and report them. HTC will review the incident and take any action they deem necessary.

This should be on one of those pop up when you first log in and repeated often, very often. Several folks complain about others but do not bother to report. The community has to police itself at some point. Sad that it does but all communities have their loud mouths, contrary individuals. Report them and the game takes care of it for you.

[whiteman]

Perhaps it went over your head as well.

Coogan

no, i got it. it sucked.

[Halo46]

Welcome to the game. Let me be blunt, you will either like it or you won't. Every item you used to back up your case can be turned right around on yourself. Just because you have been a spectator for months and a participant for weeks, do not assume your ideas have not been thought of, evaluated and dismissed or begged for for the last bazzilion years the game has been around.

I am glad to hear you are a vet, it is great, thanks for your service. There are a lot of vets in the game which is really cool. There are a lot of d*cks too, but find an MMOG without one. Remember that the more vociferous a person is, he or she probably heads towards the d*ck end of the spectrum as a rule. (especially civilians  )

I am sorry you had trouble getting replies to your questions or that you feel the info was wrong. If I was on and saw or heard them I would have tried to assist you without the dweebery Alt F-4 answer some think amusing.

I know there are a ton of squads which do what you say you want and jump on every new guy that comes along, unfortunately, those are the ones you will usually want to stay clear of. Joining a squad is cool and all, but it is better for the individual person to investigate a little on which squads play the game the way they want to play it.

Should you have come in here to the help and training section, there would have been a plethora of people offering advice and help with any facet of the game you don't understand. But, coming in here like a bull in a china shop will probably make a few of the nicer guys shy away from your perceived personality and make all the d*cks hard.

Give and take goes both ways sir. Should you use the search feature on the boards to look up the game play changes you think the game needs you may find them discussed to the nth degree, if you don't, then there is always the wishlist section of the boards. But, be prepared to answer all the minute details that will go into any changes that will be pointed out. You don't get a free pass to wish for something, but leave everyone else to figure out how to do it. You do have the right to your opinion, but remember, the rest of us have the equal right to our own opinions, which might not always agree with yours.

Numbers are what they are, you can be one of them or not. Your decision. Again, welcome to the game.   

[Hap]

Fork,

Sorry things have been so unsatisfying.  If you see my name on the roster, say "howdy," and if there are any "how to's" with which I can help you, I'll do my best. 

<S>

[whiteman]

Yes, I understand. Give the game time. I have. Two weeks, which I believe was enough. Why pay for a game that turns me off? But, I got the free stick for two months sub so I guess i'm here for another 6 weeks.

 BTW I think Coogan was just joking.

 Perhaps I was hasty in my judgement on SOME things but not all. I appreciate the feedback.

 I do know the numbers are falling and I will try to do more. I think I'll try out some of the other features.

 One last point, none of my ideas need be implemented or even listened too, but, I hope I have raised awareness and hopefully there will be a more welcoming tone from the old timers. When there are only 25 people on a side and you can't get an answer on anything from anyone, you know after three days, relationships are set. To new people you're acting like you  DO NOT WANT them to know anything so they can't compete with you. And that's pretty sad for a competitive game play...In the end, whether you like it or not, you're just running off people to feel special.

I was 28 when i started playing 8 years ago, at month 6 a light clicked on and the game became a lot more clear. I hit a few points during the first three months were i don't know why i kept playing because i was nothing more than a target drone. Keep at It, it will come in time. Thats part of the reward with the game, stick with it get easier over time. learning to read dar bars and getting to know what to expect on certain pats of the maps comes with time.

While the ahole crowd here is high, it's like that in just about every game i play now. I don't visit this board or many other game boards much anymore due to that. It's cooler to be a d bag than helpful.

[FORK2]

Danny76, you have made some very insightful remarks.

Yes I agree, I seem contradictory on some things. Let me say, new pilots are not thrown into F22's! First is ground school then a variety of training aircraft. I do not like the automatic takeoff, but I use it to simplify the game, when, frankly i'm in a hurry or when things don't matter. The base getting strafed? Believe me, I yank that stick and do the flaps and gears myself! But I've only just learned that in that last couple of days.

Nothing is more tedious than landing B17 after an hour's long raid when the wife is yelling at me to come to dinner! On those days I could use an automatic landing feature. On others? I land my OWN plane thank you! I may not know how to dogfight but I can land my p38 on fire dangit! (and I have , many times, lol)

So you see, FOR NEWBIES, simplicity matters, let them achieve the lvl of game play complexity THEY want, after they've learned to keep the dang plane lvl etc etc. Two weeks is simply not enough time to learn the game, play it well, AND have fun at the same time. People will not subscribe if the FIRSt impression is lousy. I'm asking that the newbies be given some simplicity, that's all. Later they can get as complex as they like. AH needs like a basic game and a more advanced one, perhaps a basic arena where it's just about spawning mid air fights, and a more complex one where EVERYTHING is a real as it gets.

[XxDaSTaRxx]

I think we have a lot to learn from this guy.

He's right. The AH numbers are falling fast, and so is the number of players who have respect for others.

"Bomb Tard" "Dweeb" "Hotard" "ack-runner", All that needs to stop. Play the game and if you have complaints just back up and don't go spewing nonsense on 200 and on the forums, or sending hateful PMs.

I will admit that I'm not perfect and I have done some of the things I mentioned.

The AH community needs to grow up and have some respect.

The game also has a surprising lack of teamwork. We need more mission runners like ET37, ack-ack, etc. I think the AH player base need to evolve from the massive furballs & kill fests. More are worried about their score and rank rather than the team and the war, which saddens me.  

When I first came to the game I found a haven where I could enjoy my time on my PC, and fly with a some good guys and just overall have fun.

AH is a game for fun. I think players need to wake up and realize this, rather than be score junkies and rude.

W2

[palef]

Fortunately this still has to happen

(No, 10 players on 15 mins after map reset doesn't count )

Stats don't reflect the reality. I've seen 30-50 on and maybe two of them are active in some fashion. Off-peak it is pointless logging in UNLESS you are happy perk farming in a buff. I'm not.

In regard to the OP's comments, I've seen these sorts of numbers before. It's a long slow cycle and it often relates to particular cultural events in real life, like the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. The 70th Anniversary of D-Day will see numbers spike up.

In regard to people being rude some of the oldest, most "respected" players are the worst. I have played for a long time (2001, and played AW3 before that from about '96) but I have had long breaks, usually in response to being ranted at by some intardnet with borderline personality disorder over my inability to play the game the way they want me to.

For years I'd grab newbies and take them to the TA and show them how to setup their views, how to tune their radio and show them some basic deflection shooting concepts. If you can't see, communicate and shoot, then this game can become really frustrating. Usually this would be in response to a bunch of guys who should have known better spanking some poor n00b taking off from the same deacked base and the same runway over and over. However I gave up after some nastiness about whether or not I was "qualified" enough to be training n00bs. I wasn't training people. I was giving them enough clues to last long enough to work out that they may want to seek some "official" training or do some ACM research and practice of their own.

After the really poor behaviour shown around Brogy's memorial flight, I'm considering giving the game away again. If nothing else, the OP has pointed out the non-inclusive nature of the veteran community of AH. I know that the most offensive vets won't reflect on that though. They're happy being big fish in a small pond. Couple poor attitudes with only a small window of opportunity to play at times when there are opponents on who will actually engage in "combat", the so-called 50c a day becomes $7.50 an hour to take abuse from "look at me" types who are famous in their own lunch time.

It's not just the new guys who suffer at the hands of the self-appointed veterans of AH.

[danny76]

If I am anything to go by, 8 years is not enough to learn the game, whenever I have asked for help I have recieved it, whenever I have asked to spend time with a trainer, i have been there the next night, flying with a guy who knows ACM and the game inside out! Of course there are the Alt f4 idiouts, but you get that in any game, I don't play any other MMO or online anything, but I doubt that in Call of Duty you can ask for a trainer to spend a few hours 1 on 1 with you? I could be wrong

I have seen you in game the last couple of times I played, may even have killed you a couple of times but I would be happy to answer any questions or go to the DA/TA, as would almost any of the regular players on here. Just be aware that most of us (especially me) are still learning on a steep curve and that first few weeks-months-years is extremely steep indeed

[danny76]

extremely steep indeed

Holy hell that sounded Midway-esque