A thought

[Lusche]

Really? lol wow. Any other game I play I'm bombarded with squeekers... Maybe I'm playing kiddie games?

"My lil pony online" might indeed  have a somewhat lower average age

[Wiley]

Really? lol wow. Any other game I play I'm bombarded with squeekers... Maybe I'm playing kiddie games?

Most action games I've seen appear to be populated by squeakers who communicate via homophobic racism.

"My lil pony online" might indeed  have a somewhat lower average age

One word- Bronies.  I bet the average age would be a LOT higher than you'd expect for that.

Wiley.

[Lusche]

Most action games I've seen appear to be populated by squeakers who communicate via homophobic racism.

One word- Bronies.  I bet the average age would be a LOT higher than you'd expect for that.

Wiley.

It's absolutely shocking: I believe you are right 

[pembquist]

This kind of talk makes me think of some kind of convergence of hardware and software that results in a non proprietary persistent world of global scale that can host all kinds of interaction. I know that the reality of these games is not this powerful and is probably more akin to the fixed paths of early fps like doom where by today's light the zippers on the costumes are showing. Sort of like the oceans in ah, they aren't modeled they are photoshopped.

I personally don't really enjoy the fps type games, my mind can't suspend disbelief in the games, I know I'm not running or aiming or jumping. I could never play a flight sim with a mouse, it is integral to my experience that there be some analog to the real world controls of airplanes, stick and rudder. This is why I really appreciate this game. I also really appreciate the view system, it is the only flight sim I have tried where I don't feel like simply looking around is onerous.

The wine is talking.

[Chalenge]

By creating a simple yet fun infantry and artillery experience, . . .

If the players have a hand in designing the game it would be a bit like too many cooks in the kitchen. HTC may have deeper pockets then the OP assumes. We don't know. The point I would make is that before any such thing was taken up as a project it would have to be very carefully considered and designed so as not to waste a single hour of development time. Inevitably there will always be some waste, but the point is not to waste the time of a modeler, or animator who will end up costing the company the most money. Fleshing out the game the way it has been suggested would be time consuming and costly and I would have to consider that they have already taken several different approaches into consideration.

I can also tell you that there is a big difference between AI infantry (even well rigged infantry) and FPS infantry. Just one aspect that changes is viewing distance. Infantry does not have the privilege of viewing quite the same distance that a pilot at high altitude might, and so the models might also have much higher polygon counts. While a low poly model can be fully built, textured, rigged, weighted, animated, audited, LOD'd, and  QSC'd in a month a high poly model will take that much time just in building.

Then there is the collection of motion data for animation. While motion and animation can be pose-to-pose driven this will lower the level of QSC you can expect, but also help keep costs down. And that's the larger point; that each added element drives the costs of development higher and all of that affects how much you may see change in the end. The way I see it this is a much bigger request than the OP realizes.

[CASHEW]

Won't happen with the current # of players

Dude You have been here for a very small amount of time. the numbers aren't bad. Seen worse

[Lusche]

Dude You have been here for a very small amount of time. the numbers aren't bad. Seen worse

When?

[wpeters]

Remember new products attract more customers

[Coalcat1]

Remember new products attract more customers

So do one with ads, decent graphics, and good gameplay. AH is starting to show its age, attracting fewer players and driving away even more players currently playing. Most players have 2 or more stars when I play.

[Zerstorer]

So do one with ads, decent graphics, and good gameplay. AH is starting to show its age, attracting fewer players and driving away even more players currently playing. Most players have 2 or more stars when I play.

...and most of the ones who don't have two stars could if they put their mind to it or hadn't changed their name / quit and came back.

In other words...I agree with your points.  I'd just add that some players not so much driven away as much as quitting out of boredom.   

[bustr]

Any of you considered what the end game of this is going to be. Once you drive yourselves down to the bottom of this rabbit hole of doom, gloom, and HiTech is an old poopy head. Will any of you not be damaged goods no matter what he rolls out in the future?

All of you have made your point loudly and in gory Technicolor for about 2 loud years now. Which constitutes negative customer reviews, and we know, in the real world reviews matter and effect new customer purchasing decisions. Or is that your long game because you are unhappy and so far are getting away with this negativity?

So are you guys attempting to finish off AH for the competitors, or just addicted to getting away with trashing HiTech? While contributing to driving away new, current, and old customers as an unintended consequence of feeding off each others negativity and sour grapes?

You guys are a couple of galaxies past healthy constructive criticism.

[SysError]

I just went and googled the thing just to get a clue as to what you guys were talking about.

This caught my eye: Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, OS X

I have meaning to post something about platforms for a while.  Might as well do it now.

In our house we two PCs that run Windows.  Dad's gaming PC and Dad's laptop for work.

Wife and kids, all moved to something else.  MacBook, chrome books, tablets (all sorts), smartphones and even an Ubuntu box (for multimedia).  I'm just trying to think of any friends that the kids have that might run windows and I can not think of any.  Kids are: 1 out of college, 1 in college, 1 on their way to college (so we hope  ).  (Almost forgot we have an xbox 360 and older but still working PS2).

The Kids are NOT interested in Windows.  (And at the office we only stay on it for the office products b/c we need to stay in sync with clients).

Do any of these game development engines generate thin client (browser) games that have good graphics and good performance?

[SysError]

All of you have made your point loudly and in gory Technicolor for about 2 loud years now. Which constitutes negative customer reviews, and we know, in the real world reviews matter and effect new customer purchasing decisions.

I do agree with you in the sense that I think comments should be positive or framed in a non-negative way.

However;

I'm all for only allowing paying customers access to the BBS.  (Maybe keep one forum public so people can check out game).

Can be viewed as one of the features that you gain access to when you sub.  I know tech companies that only allow paying customers onto the forums.

[Zerstorer]

Any of you considered what the end game of this is going to be. Once you drive yourselves down to the bottom of this rabbit hole of doom, gloom, and HiTech is an old poopy head. Will any of you not be damaged goods no matter what he rolls out in the future?

All of you have made your point loudly and in gory Technicolor for about 2 loud years now. Which constitutes negative customer reviews, and we know, in the real world reviews matter and effect new customer purchasing decisions. Or is that your long game because you are unhappy and so far are getting away with this negativity?

So are you guys attempting to finish off AH for the competitors, or just addicted to getting away with trashing HiTech? While contributing to driving away new, current, and old customers as an unintended consequence of feeding off each others negativity and sour grapes?

You guys are a couple of galaxies past healthy constructive criticism.

I do not believe anyone is trying to do so.  I know I'm not.  

What do you mean by "healthy constructive criticism"?  Ignoring that users are leaving? Not disclosing why they are doing so for fear of driving away prospective new customers?  I know AH pilots who have left and have done so because, quite frankly, they were bored with the gameplay.  I find myself playing the game less and less because again, quite frankly, I am bored with the gameplay.   Should we not say this?  How by doing so am I trashing HiTech or AH?  

[bustr]

Why don't you and your cohorts simply start a web sight to tell the world you are bored with the game play? Otherwise, why are you and your cohorts repeating it at HiTech as many times as you can get away with it? Eventually it goes beyond registering a complaint when it becomes a community HiTech trashing party for not listening to you and your cohorts.

Why are you continuing to complain in an open forum you know potential new customers can read? Continuing to complain is driving down a rabbit hole that will leave you and those driving with you damaged goods, and habituated to complaining, and predisposed to never being satisfied with HiTech. Eventually the complaining becomes the emotional reward at HiTech's expense anytime you need a pickup, or you have a bad time in the MA or these forums.

There is now nothing to gain, other than what appears to be an addiction to the complaining. The only other reward, is getting away with being able to trash HiTech. And in his own house, because you are unhappy with him not answering you and your like minded cohorts. Or changing his creation to suit your needs because you have registered a complaint.

"I am bored with the gameplay!"

So because you and probably your cohorts are bored, you are going to help drive away customers. Until you get what you want from HiTech by complaining long after it had some meaning. Wow!!

If this were on television, I would think WT was paying you guys for this.