Change the effects of downed HQ

[bozon]

The loss of all dar bars is not a good gameplay mechanic. Does it "punish" the defending country and gives an advantage to the side that downed the HQ? Sure, but it also ruins the game to the HQless players and makes them logout or waste their precious online time. It is worse if you have just logged on and see an empty clipboard map. I am also sure that this is very unwelcoming to new players that now have no idea what to do. It is bad for gameplay and for keeping players.

The darbars is what allows players to find the fight. In an age of 255 field maps and 150 players online 1/5 of which are in tower and 1/4 of which are in GVs, it simply makes players fly around aimlessly, till they decide F it! and logout. Flying C47s to HQ multiple times to get it back up is not what I want to do in this game. This is not a @#$% RPG that makes the game like a job. On smaller maps it is easier to find a fight, but HQ gets knocked out much more often due to the shorter ranges to it from enemy bases. It is bad anyway.

So, what should be the penalties of losing HQ? anything except preventing players from fighting! I don't really care if it completely prevents any structure from respawning or it means instantly losing the war. However, for practical purposes here are some ideas:

* Darbar should not be removed EVER.
* Let it remove all dot dar (friendly also) from the HQless country. That is fine and no friendly dar is a big minus, but still alows one to know if there is a fight somewhere in the sector.
* Halve the effect of resupply both by players and by AI convoys as long as HQ is down. This will give the strategic advantage to the other counteries and make HQ important to the strategy (aka "win the war") players.

[Chilli]

"....... makes the game like a job. "

Enough said I think.

I totally agree, even though I was really for making the strategic game more important.  I think that this is one of those areas like the town capture that needed adjustment.  Strategic strikes should stir the opponents.  However, so much of the game depends on radar information, as Bozon has pointed out, could there be other concessions to take the blackout, OUT OF the game?

* My proposed concession from another thread, was HQ is down, the mission planner for that country would be disabled.  This is based on the premise that somehow, HTC would find a way to make the mission planner more desirable to use than presently (no fault with the planner itself, just not enough perks for using it).

[cobia38]

 its quite simple,defend the HQ

[caldera]

+ Eleventy Billion.    These are excerpts from the last similar request:


Look out the tower window of a flashing base...ok, coast is clear - I can take off.  Fly around for a few minutes without spotting anything but still flashing.  Is it a set of 25k bombers?  Are they north, south, east or west?  Or they coming, going or just passing through the dar circle?  Is it one tank or a bunch?  A 10k P-51 steamroller mission or a single noe porker.  Maybe just a goon parked somewhere.  Several other bases are flashing.  Should I try my luck there?  Is there a fight going on?  Who the hell knows?

Nuke the HQ all day long, for all I care.  There has got to be a consequence that's better than making it tougher to find the bad guys.  Things like disabling all town ack, disabling perk planes, increasing perk plane cost, disabling base capture, adding downtimes to strats or even lowering the base count needed to reset the map.  Something that doesn't decrease the chance of combat.



edit: I like the idea of disabling all auto-ack when the HQ is down - even for CV groups.  Manned guns would still work.  That's a big time reward for dropping the HQ.  One that doesn't make it harder to find the invaders.  Also, harden the HQ enough to prevent a single set of noe Lancs from killing it.

And when the HQ goes down, there should be a system message on country text that says:  HQ has been destroyed: auto-ack is disabled until HQ is resupplied.

[save]

its quite simple,defend the HQ

More simple: log off and hope for another better day in AH.

[pallero]

Can we turn it like this?

We need a new transport / support class. Then when HQ is down, i can run the C-47 many times to HQ without ruining my bomber scores.
And jeep, M3 and LVT2 belongs to that class too.
Now if you run supplies to somewhere, it is like a punishment for scores.

[Lusche]

Then when HQ is down, i can run the C-47 many times to HQ without ruining my bomber scores.

Unless you are strictly going for #1 spot in bombers, there's hardly a way to "ruin" your bomber score by a couple of HQ resupply runs.

[pallero]

Unless you are strictly going for #1 spot in bombers, there's hardly a way to "ruin" your bomber score by a couple of HQ resupply runs.

Yes there is. Same thing with vehicles.
You get nothing but extra sorties for resupply runs.

[BnZs]

Agreed Bozon. In these times anything which makes it harder for a fight to occur is problematic. This along with the hangar destruction=no uppers thing are the two most inherently anti-combat parts of this combat sim.

EDIT: I forgot about the temporal-rule-that-shall-not be named. Together with HQ destruction and hangar destruction, it form a triad of failure when it comes to actually having fights in this combat game.

[Lusche]

Yes there is. Same thing with vehicles.
You get nothing but extra sorties for resupply runs.

But that doesn't actually 'ruin' you score. Unless, as already stated, you are going for the #1 spot in bombers.
Otherwise, the effect of a few extra sorties is very small on your rank, most of the time not even noticeable.

[bozon]

Agreed Bozon. In these times anything which makes it harder for a fight to occur is problematic. This along with the hangar destruction=no uppers thing are the two most inherently anti-combat parts of this combat sim.

I can live with destroyed hangars. They up relatively quick, I can come from another field which will only take a couple of minutes more, or find another fight. HQ down is much worse because I cannot find that other fight.

[BnZs]

I can live with destroyed hangars.

But can the game? Keep in mind that you are almost certainly a 30+ aviation buff. 15 minutes is an eternity to the general pool of people who might pay $15 a month to play a combat game, IF said game didn't hand them boredom for their money most of the time.

[danny76]

Can we turn it like this?

We need a new transport / support class. Then when HQ is down, i can run the C-47 many times to HQ without ruining my bomber scores.
And jeep, M3 and LVT2 belongs to that class too.
Now if you run supplies to somewhere, it is like a punishment for scores.

Are you going to be aiming to be No1 bomber?
are you in the top 500?
if not what difference does it make?

[Zoney]

-1

Because it would make the game easier.

The HQ can be defended, just like it can be attacked and most times it's impossible to sneak in on it so you have plenty of time to set up an intercept.

Fighting without any dar isn't impossible, it's just harder.  Communication is key when HQ is down and it's pretty easy.  You can see who is near you on range and help each other out.  You can type on your country channel and give or get instantaneous communication across the entire map, and you can give your SA a good workout.

HQ down is no different than how we fly FSO's, and those are mightily fun as I recall.  In FSO, I understand you know what the mission is and where to expect an attack.  Well, in the Main Arena, you got a pretty good idea what the enemy is also doing especially if you communicate with your mates.

I also like it because it is a bit different for just a short period of time, freeing us for a moment from the relentless grind of the same missions over and over and over.............

I'd be curious what the percentage of downtime for HQ actually is, which would quantify the OP's complaint.  Come on Lusche, what ya got?

[Randy1]

+1
At least suspend it till the MA population increases.