Author Topic: Let's get more people back in the skies!  (Read 5195 times)

Offline DmonSlyr

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Let's get more people back in the skies!
« on: July 24, 2016, 11:02:27 AM »
I've been thinking about a way to get more people back in the skies, fighting and having fun in AH again. This idea would be implemented in Beta, since that is what we are focusing on now. Please consider this idea as a way to generate a lot of new players and put them into a quick fighting scenario. Hear me out.

1. Get the death bowl map. The custom arena map. Put this on the same page as the main arenas. Name it Death Bowl!

2. Make a 50 player limit cap or make the bowl bigger or something.

3. Make the free to play for 2 months. The first month allows you to fly in both the Death Bowl and the MA.
The second month only allows you to play in the Death Bowl. I bet you some people would subscribe early just to get back into the MA.

4. Giving the people who potentially want to pay for this game 2 Months to learn, have fun, get right into the action, and meet people in a small battlefield, will encourage them to actually sign up. If the people don't want to sign up, that's fine! What it creates though is people to fight with who are in the arena. This creates action and excitement, I bet you would see an increase in subscriptions because of it.

5. This creates quick action without having to create match making arenas, ruin the integrity of the game, allow people with a short time to play have fun, allow new players to understand the mechanics of the game. Give them enough time to understand it. Brings more people into the game, and creates action for everyone at a default.

When I played Chivalry for the first time in FFA. I was put into this little arena (like gladiator) and people would be running around all over the place chopping arms and heads off. Dying was part of it. It was SOOO MUCH FUN! Sure, staying alive is freaking impossible, but running around in that small arena created so much action, fun, and excitement in a short amount of time, there is no wonder why so many people were signing up to play.

I think AH needs an arena like this. It needs a quick play arena were people get shoved into the action immediately. It needs an arena for people who don't have longer than 30 minutes to play. It needs an arena that can build up new players and get them excited in the game quickly and sporadically. Sure the trial time is a little longer, but I don't think you would regret it in the long run.

We were fighting in the Death Bowl the other night and I had this idea because we were having so much fun in a short amount of time. I feel like it will bring hundreds or thousands of new players who want to jump into the action and have instant excitement. 
« Last Edit: July 24, 2016, 11:04:27 AM by DmonSlyr »
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Offline SlipKnt

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2016, 11:06:15 AM »
That has potential!!!

+1

HiTech states in their mission statement.  Their business.  Will run as they see fit.  But this is truly worthy of a read IMHO.

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Offline caldera

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2016, 11:24:13 AM »
Instead of two months of free play, how about 100 sortie hours?   

If they use up the 100 hours, chances are they're hooked.   Sometimes life can keep you from playing and having a time limit (even though two months is far better than two weeks) could be a deterrent for some.
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Offline EagleDNY

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2016, 07:46:15 PM »
Instead of two months of free play, how about 100 sortie hours?   

If they use up the 100 hours, chances are they're hooked.   Sometimes life can keep you from playing and having a time limit (even though two months is far better than two weeks) could be a deterrent for some.

Heck - I was hooked after the first 4 hours, but the learning curve is high for new players.   Frankly, I think they are stuck until AH3 goes live - a lot of people are waiting for it.

Offline JunkyII

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #4 on: July 25, 2016, 09:21:54 AM »
I do feel new players need more time to figure out the game....2 weeks isn't much time to learn the game which helps with retaining players...most people aren't going to keep doing something if they are just going to keep dieing.... 100 hours would be enough time for them to get passed that initial portion of the learning curve.
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Offline Hajo

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2016, 10:26:34 AM »
As I stated in a previous post AW had a new player arena for new players only.  It was a great idea.  Getting experience before entering the big boy arena was fun and useful.
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Offline redcatcherb412

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2016, 12:19:51 PM »
Free hours in the MA instead of a day cap should definitely stir interest.
Maybe make the training arena free for a longer period than the MA ?
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Offline puller

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2016, 12:53:48 PM »
I like this idea...

And agree the 100 hours is perfect...

Don't allow anyone with a MA k/d over 2.0 into the New Players Death Bowl...

Don't allow shades into New Players Death Bowl...

Give them 50 Hours of MA and 50 Hours of NPDB = 100 Hours

Give them the TA for 100 Hours...but don't tell the customer until after the initial 100 Hours has expired...
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Offline Lusche

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #8 on: July 25, 2016, 02:08:51 PM »
I like this idea...

And agree the 100 hours is perfect...


Hmmm I could imagine it could have a very undesireable effect from a business standpoint...  :headscratch:

Does anyone of you know the average customer retention of games in general or AH in specific? I don't. But I would not be surprised if it's only something like 6 months (AH BBS population ain't the average customer ;))
In that case, 100 hours could possibly eat up 4 of those 6 months...

That's possible one example of those things you could easily label "perfect" as long as you don't know about the business internals  :old:
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Offline JunkyII

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #9 on: July 25, 2016, 02:21:02 PM »

Hmmm I could imagine it could have a very undesireable effect from a business standpoint...  :headscratch:

Does anyone of you know the average customer retention of games in general or AH in specific? I don't. But I would not be surprised if it's only something like 6 months (AH BBS population ain't the average customer ;))
In that case, 100 hours could possibly eat up 4 of those 6 months...

That's possible one example of those things you could easily label "perfect" as long as you don't know about the business internals  :old:
100 hours or 1-3 month??? How often do most people get to play in 2 weeks time??? I never thought 2 weeks was enough time for anyone to get the hang of the fighter portion of this game (GVs and buffs not as much)
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Offline Lusche

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #10 on: July 25, 2016, 02:32:19 PM »
I never thought 2 weeks was enough time for anyone to get the hang of the fighter portion of this game (GVs and buffs not as much)


Most people never get the hang of the fighter game at all ;)
No, I'm actually half serious. Getting 'the hang of it' is a somewhat ambiguous term: I for one have no idea where to put that point. I know that most players struggle a lot to get their kill even after many months or even years. I think the point is getting them hooked, which is probably much earlier than 'getting the hang of'.

Now that I think of it, it's possibly much better to hurry and get them a better overall gaming experience instead of giving them more hours in the games current state?

But of course it's pretty much obvious that I don't have any 'golden' ideas myself.
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Offline JunkyII

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #11 on: July 25, 2016, 02:46:03 PM »

Most people never get the hang of the fighter game at all ;)
No, I'm actually half serious. Getting 'the hang of it' is a somewhat ambiguous term: I for one have no idea where to put that point. I know that most players struggle a lot to get their kill even after many months or even years. I think the point is getting them hooked, which is probably much earlier than 'getting the hang of'.

Now that I think of it, it's possibly much better to hurry and get them a better overall gaming experience instead of giving them more hours in the games current state?

But of course it's pretty much obvious that I don't have any 'golden' ideas myself.
I first jumped into the main arena with a P38 trying to drop bomBS on stuff like I seen on the discovery wings channel....I kept lawndarting because of compression. Getting "used to" would be just BFM...the ability to fly around with augering, land without crashing, turn without ripping wings off, turn without immediately flat spinning a spitfire ect ect ect....not expectin them to be able to go into rolling scissors or something  :aok

I do agree though that a better experience over a short time is better then a mediocre experience over a longer time.
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Offline Lusche

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #12 on: July 25, 2016, 02:50:40 PM »
Getting "used to" would be just BFM...the ability to fly around with augering, land without crashing, turn without ripping wings off, turn without immediately flat spinning a spitfire ect ect ect....

In my opinion that could easily be done in two weeks, if your are at least moderately interested. If you had somebody showing you those basics, I would say (opinion!) less than 2 hours even. BFMs like that don't take long to learn. Catching up with the vets in battle does  :joystick:
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Offline Coalcat1

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #13 on: July 25, 2016, 04:13:32 PM »
Some of the guys from beta still haven't "got the hang of the fighter portion"...

Offline Ack-Ack

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Re: Let's get more people back in the skies!
« Reply #14 on: July 25, 2016, 04:16:10 PM »
A 30 day free trial is sufficient enough for a new player to get over the learning curve and to decide whether or not they wish to remain as a paid subscriber. 
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