Please decommsion the big maps.

[LilMak]

I used to enjoy intercepting bombers on occation. The Jug was built for the thin air.

Two things have ruined that for me...

First and most recently is the massive missions with 30 bombers (10 players) packed so close together at 30k+. The wingman function has made these missions ridiculously easy. Bomber pilots don't even need to be present to make turns to stay with the group. It virtually pointless IMO to even try to attack them because you're not going to be able to make a single pass without getting heavily damaged or destroyed. Even the 47M (fastest prop fighter in the game) has trouble engaging bombers that high. Not fun spending the time to get to 40k knowing that.

I also don't consider it fun to find a guy in a set of buffs in the flight levels only to watch him bail as soon as I get into icon range.

...These are the reasons I generally don't bother trying to intercept anymore. Big maps with far flung bases certainly facilitate this style of play. There should never be more active bases than players IMO.

[Wiley]

What makes you guys think smaller maps are going to have any impact on people who want to run, ack hide, and not fight in every way possible?  A smaller map very mildly affects alt monkeys, but gameplay largely stays the same.

Wiley.

[Lusche]

First and most recently is the massive missions with 30 bombers (10 players) packed so close together at 30k+. The wingman function has made these missions ridiculously easy.

It also made multiple kills per pass much easier. Ta 152H, sweep from left to right hold down "fire all". See your framerate dropping from several Liberators on fire. Oh, and glide home with a radiator leak .... 

What makes you guys think smaller maps are going to have any impact on people who want to run, ack hide, and not fight in every way possible?

Experience. You know, we did have small maps, not just big.

The difference is not one on the mindset of the individual player. (You might note that I didn't complain about 'ack hiders', 'runners' 'vulchers' or anything like that in the past years).
It just funnels the action, which has a natural tendency to spread out (with almost everyone doing 'his thing'). On several small maps you even have a chance to fly to that single battle on the map, even when it's the opposing countries slugging it out (no, changing sides is not always an option). Higher action density.
Don't get me wrong, I love big terrains and the enhanced combat options they offer - provided you have enough players online. In fact, after the great arena split when all large maps were retired (at a much higher player count) I lobbied very hard to get them back.  But things are different when you have several sectors of frontline per active player...

[Hungry]

Air spawn on a small map, shoot bullets till I die and do it over and over and over again

lol

The large maps would work if there was enough to keep me busy without having to think about what to do, I want to just do it I don't want to have to think about it.

lol

We've been bred from AW forward how to fight and survive, minimum alt cap, don't engage without a plan, stay alive that's how you get numbers people think are great and drool and brag over. That's how you're supposed to have fun.

The genre is in a slump, it has moved to instant action, not instant gratification.

How many people have you tried to get to play this game and the almost all say its boring, why would I want to "fly" for 15 minutes to fight for two minutes.  and you explain the strategy and the planning and they still say it looks boring. 

Keep in mind these people don't know anything about board games

I started AW in the fall of 95, AW must have had smaller maps because even when the population was dying towards the end you could still find a fight in FR.  I cant play AH for more than a couple months in a row and heaven forbid never during the summer.

Moral of the story, shorten the fight cycle, give me something I can conquer now and instantly beat the other side, run a small map random 10 vs. 10 max, single base capture with two more bases one for each team to spawn off of.

Instant action not Instant gratification

[Lusche]

Keep in mind these people don't know anything about board games

That's the solution! We design an AH board game! 
For the younger folks in their thirties, we could also do a variant with trading cards, like Magick:The Gatering or some stuff like that

[Hungry]

My brother and I played a board game where each fight earned more masts for your boat cant recall the name Spanish Armada style ships, we played for hours but it did have fights that you arrived at sooner than AH, lol

[Bushmills]

What makes you guys think smaller maps are going to have any impact on people who want to run, ack hide, and not fight in every way possible?  A smaller map very mildly affects alt monkeys, but gameplay largely stays the same.

Wiley.

A lot of people, especially vets simply didn't and still don't understand that the whole point of the game, when you boiled it down, was to die to various degrees and have fun doing it.

[Wiley]

Moral of the story, shorten the fight cycle, give me something I can conquer now and instantly beat the other side, run a small map random 10 vs. 10 max, single base capture with two more bases one for each team to spawn off of.

If you can find the people, you could do this now, today, with a private arena.

Wiley.

[Hungry]

Its not private arenas people want, to exclusive, not random enough,

PS

both Milton Bradley Games, Broadside and Dogfight those were the days

[Lusche]

Its not private arenas people want, to exclusive, not random enough,

PS

both Milton Bradley Games, Broadside and Dogfight those were the days

Wooden Ships & iron men here!

And for air combat:
Air Force
Luftwaffe (sucked tho)
Over the Reich and Achtung Spitfire!
Air Superiority and Air Strike

[Wiley]

I had no friends, so didn't play board games.

I get your meaning Hungry.  You basically want WT on this engine then.  That's fine, like I said, it'd be much more popular.

Wiley.

[Hungry]

The funny part is I'm an old (er) guy, but yes when I play these days (battlefield 4) but not lately, I want to get in fight it out and after a period of time get back outside and finish the grass cutting or the latest wood project I'm working on

I don't want to make a lifelong endeavor out of playing a video game anymore and maybe that's the real todays mentality that HTC is dealing with.  Get in have some fun Get out and go do something else and if that worked I'll be back tommorrow

[Tumor]

Sigh, might as well play off line if you want to spend 25 minutes catching a B24/17 at 25k only to get killed by laser beam easy mode gunners that don't die after you put a good 35 -60 20mm cannons up their arse.

Very well said sir.

[Tumor]

...no quick jerking on your stick... thinking, planning, keeping a very sharp eye on your E state...

Why do you think they hate it so?  Your point cancels out about 3/4's of the "bestust pile-its evar!"

[SFRT - Frenchy]

I like big maps because I get that fun 1 on 1 or 2 on 2 or 3 on 2 intercept. Small maps have these chocke points with waves of diving fighters that are not really suitable for my favorite P47.

Furballs are fun in stuff that turns with canons where you can twist your way out and get kills with kust a few hit sprites but yet I find that borring.

Anyway, I like big maps where you can scan for these sneaky few dots and launch to try to mess up their plan. 😊