Even when considering the player numbers, AH life seems to have become stale and kinda 'on autopilot'. Especially when you look at the squads, which IMHO had been the very foundation of this game. Squads taught the new players the ropes, squads where driving the gameplay. Back in the day only a very few players were not part of a squad. Now we have an astonishing amount of squadless players, and about no one seems to be looking for new players.
When I came back under a new name I was at no point trying to pose as a "new guy", but still I was expecting a few invitations before word got around who I actually was - particularly after landing some good kill tallies. Years ago I absolutely HAD to form my solo squad just to prevent the constant squad invites popups.
Did not get a single one this time.
Sometimes I think this is a retirement home. We being just a few old geezers with little enthusiasm and lot of memories of the 'good old times'. And the few young folks occasionally dropping by for a visit, looking to get the hell outta here as soon as possible.
I ask people all the time if they want to join our squad....you are 100% right about squads are the driving force of the game...you are also right about the shade thing...I believe that 80% or more of the new names I see are actually old vets coming back...not interested in joining a squad
I think the AH3 is awesome...and as Silent said yesterday to me "in this game you actually have to shoot"
My new computer will be ready by Frame 2 of FSO next Friday...
....but I have been having no problems playing with my FR 20 to 40 normally hanging right at 28FPS...the needing a super computer to play AH3 excuse doesn't work...
Now a short lesson on how to find a fight with low numbers and a high ENY...
1. Find an enemy base that is within a sector of a friendly base.
2. Select 190F8 with large bomb and 12 rockets from hanger.
3. Takeoff and climb at 2000 FPM WEP on until 5 or 6K.
4. Drop bomb on town and use rockets to deack.
5. If no one has upped by now, bail and come back.
6. By now there is a GV waiting for you...bomb him or shoot at him with rockets if its a tank(don't screw around with wirbs...bomb them)
7. If the wirb has killed you, come back...you are fighting someone at least...bomb or rocket the crap outta him.
8. If you are tired of the wirb...get a TU2 with the 2 x 1 ton bombs and the 4 500s...drop the VH with the big bombs and hit town again...
9. With the VH down now...the manned gun heros are watching you...they will now up a fighter to kill your TU...but they don't realize the capability of the TU as a fighter...
10. With these steps...you can find a fight at ANY TIME WITH ANY AMOUNT OF PLAYERS ON!!!!! This tactic only takes about 30 min to work...by the time you get the town deacked there is usually a fighter or gv ready to throw down...
You can use your imagination and come up with any fighter/attack - bomber combo to do this with....
I was on the other day...there were 22 people in flight...I picked a base started running F8s and TUs and ended up with a furball, first me against like 4 nits, then friendly's saw it and started coming...it turned into a fight that lasted probably 4 hours