What AH needs...

[DmonSlyr]

First, you are lucky these days if you get 300 players at peak times at all.
And yes, like I said: That's about the only time where it's worth to up for some real battles and to get some taste of massive multiplayer.
Even at US prime (which means for me staying till 4am) I am now starting to rather desperately scan a large map like tagma for the battles I originally signed up.
If I'm unlucky, there are like 1-2 major battles, all between the other guys. On my side, either a green blob grabbing bases with little opposition (78! Yayyyy WTG everybody!) or chasing single cons here and there. A set of buffs bombing a front line factory from 34k, a single M4(75) trying to sneak into a town, a lone Jabo trying to pork a base

For the record, the level of air to air activity you experience now at US prime time is now almost exactly the same as 'we' had at Euro prime time only 2 years ago, when we Euro players were looking at US evening player numbers and battles with envy.

If AH doesn't lack anything these days for 20 hours of the day it's "free room".

Oh, and as you were mentioning "one big furball" - Genuine furballs have become pretty rare these days as well, even at peak time.

Yeah well its like last night, brand new map, everyone looking where to start. We all take off at the same base to go for what we think is where the rooks are all upping. There was like a tiny furball and then as the knights moved closer and closer what do you know,  no more fight.  No where to go on the rest of the map either. I figured rooks would up from another base. nope! So I was forced to switch sided to battle the horde myself. Flew from another base and attacked the horde with my tempest. Ended up getting 4 kills (1 on a squadie ACCIDENTALLY) and I had a lot more fun doing that! I just don't understand why the rooks gave up on an opportunity to get tons of kills from a ton of knights and they didn't even try. Talk about fights, but why be afraid of a horde when that's where all the kills are??

[JOACH1M]

Remember when titanic Tuesdays were bringing in 600+ people? 

I do...

[Tinkles]

Remember when titanic Tuesdays were bringing in 600+ people? 

I do...

*nods*

[Patches1]

Remember when titanic Tuesdays were bringing in 600+ people?  Sad

Yes, I do.

I also remember people protesting about Titanic Tuesdays because they were all in the same arena!

Do you remember when folks played to test their skills against each other?

I do.

What is different today?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Yes, I do.

I also remember people protesting about Titanic Tuesdays because they were all in the same arena!

Do you remember when folks played to test their skills against each other?

I do.

What is different today?

The only bright side is that there are no more arena splits just when the going gets fun. But that's a bitter sweet thing I guess.

[Badboy]

Really,

Nobody else miss the sheep?

End of an era 

Badboy

[mechanic]

correction, armour plated invulnerable sheep

ahhh, good times

[Slade]

Real men (and ladies) play AH.  Not that console poo or glow pop games like War Flounder.  Time there was a call for spines!

That was silly I know...

I think if those interested in flight sims really give this game a shot they could be hooked like us.  THIS is the bar.  Maybe sell\advertise it as such.

Remember when you were 9 and played kill the moving pixel pattern that took little or no skill?  Then you became a man (or lady) and flew with the elite in Aces High.  Start your engines.  Make your mark across the sky today.   etc.

Just a shift in mindset in marketing.

[Hajo]

Folks this game is player driven.  HTC gives us the sandbox to play in, it's up to us to develop the gameplay.

Blame it on the community.  Gameplay has evolved since Aces High inception.

It appears for better or worse, this is what we are stuck with at the moment.

Pity

Remember also in the early stages of AH there wasn't a ground war to speak of.

Since spawn camping was introduced it definitely has taken away a good portion of the air war.

Again, for better or worse.  So we may assume with lower numbers in total, including the spawn camping ground war,

and the lower numbers of combatants total, it reflects on the community as a whole.  Am I wrong for assuming this?

I don't think so.

[The Fugitive]

Yes, I do.

I also remember people protesting about Titanic Tuesdays because they were all in the same arena!

Do you remember when folks played to test their skills against each other?

I do.

What is different today?

I just posted this in the "If you want to keep players..." thread http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,365391.msg4864750.html#msg4864750

I pointed out that in the old days there was a very active fighter/furball group. Everyone knew who they were and how good they were. When they were on reports came out that "so and so was at A21" and players would go there to tests themselves against these players. The "top guns were guys who where good at the fight, were helpful when asked "how did you do that?", and had FUN banter across the radio. Today we have these loud mouth, obnoxious, braggarts that get squelched soon after their first post or two on the text buffer. It doesn't matter how skilled they are people don't want to associate with them. Why try to test your self against them? If you beat them there is 20 minutes of excuses, if you lose there is a weeks worth of ridicule. Yup, that will promote more fun and more fights  

So we no longer have those "fighters" to look up to, or hunt   so new players only see the base capture any more and so that is what they do.

Players could fix some of this. Bring back squads competition. Don't build a squad just to have a squad. Make that squad SOMETHING. Whether its a base capture squad, bomber squad, fighter sweep squad or even a GV squad (good luck to bringing the LTARS back  ), make it a squad to be reckoned with. Make a name for your selves with practice and flying together, not just another name on the scoreboard.

Mission makers make missions that will be fun for BOTH your attackers AND those who may defend! Break up the horde!

[Tinkles]

I just posted this in the "If you want to keep players..." thread http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,365391.msg4864750.html#msg4864750

I pointed out that in the old days there was a very active fighter/furball group. Everyone knew who they were and how good they were. When they were on reports came out that "so and so was at A21" and players would go there to tests themselves against these players. The "top guns were guys who where good at the fight, were helpful when asked "how did you do that?", and had FUN banter across the radio. Today we have these loud mouth, obnoxious, braggarts that get squelched soon after their first post or two on the text buffer. It doesn't matter how skilled they are people don't want to associate with them. Why try to test your self against them? If you beat them there is 20 minutes of excuses, if you lose there is a weeks worth of ridicule. Yup, that will promote more fun and more fights  

So we no longer have those "fighters" to look up to, or hunt   so new players only see the base capture any more and so that is what they do.

Players could fix some of this. Bring back squads competition. Don't build a squad just to have a squad. Make that squad SOMETHING. Whether its a base capture squad, bomber squad, fighter sweep squad or even a GV squad (good luck to bringing the LTARS back  ), make it a squad to be reckoned with. Make a name for your selves with practice and flying together, not just another name on the scoreboard.

Mission makers make missions that will be fun for BOTH your attackers AND those who may defend! Break up the horde!

We as a community have lost our character that we possessed back then.

[guncrasher]

I just posted this in the "If you want to keep players..." thread http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,365391.msg4864750.html#msg4864750

I pointed out that in the old days there was a very active fighter/furball group. Everyone knew who they were and how good they were. When they were on reports came out that "so and so was at A21" and players would go there to tests themselves against these players. The "top guns were guys who where good at the fight, were helpful when asked "how did you do that?", and had FUN banter across the radio. Today we have these loud mouth, obnoxious, braggarts that get squelched soon after their first post or two on the text buffer. It doesn't matter how skilled they are people don't want to associate with them. Why try to test your self against them? If you beat them there is 20 minutes of excuses, if you lose there is a weeks worth of ridicule. Yup, that will promote more fun and more fights  

So we no longer have those "fighters" to look up to, or hunt   so new players only see the base capture any more and so that is what they do.

Players could fix some of this. Bring back squads competition. Don't build a squad just to have a squad. Make that squad SOMETHING. Whether its a base capture squad, bomber squad, fighter sweep squad or even a GV squad (good luck to bringing the LTARS back  ), make it a squad to be reckoned with. Make a name for your selves with practice and flying together, not just another name on the scoreboard.

Mission makers make missions that will be fun for BOTH your attackers AND those who may defend! Break up the horde!

it's all about having fun.  you keep bringing up the "old utopia" when pilots were pilots....  but the truth is that it never existed except in somebody's mind.


semp

[The Fugitive]

it's all about having fun.  you keep bringing up the "old utopia" when pilots were pilots....  but the truth is that it never existed except in somebody's mind.


semp

It's funny how so many people are saying about the same as me but then we get comments like this one. Some will never see...




sorry, I just couldn't resist!

[Oldman731]

When they were on reports came out that "so and so was at A21" and players would go there to tests themselves against these players.

A variation on this still works.  When I self-announce that I'm headed for a certain enemy base in a certain type of plane, most of the time opponents will rise from that base to pad their kill scores.  Often this will draw fighter-types from both sides to the area, and a good old-fashioned furball will ensue.  Give it a try some time.

- oldman

[guncrasher]

It's funny how so many people are saying about the same as me but then we get comments like this one. Some will never see...




sorry, I just couldn't resist!

so you think this is real life?





semp