Thanks War Thunder!

[Wiley]

Some folks went nutz over the idea of having AI in the MA.  Why argue with more targets to shoot at?  Bots are not exactly something challenging once you figure them out, but at least provide SOMETHING over NOTHING.  It could help HiTech peg the resupply thing that's an issue as well, with Bot bomber streams hitting factories.

A lot of people just don't want to shoot at AI.  They want their fights to be with humans, period.  If it's between fighting AI and doing something else, they'll choose doing something else.

As far as scheduled AI bomber streams hitting the strats, I believe after about the first week they would have roughly the same effect as having the strats scheduled to go down on the same timeframes.  Very few people hunt bombers at alt.  A group of bombers like you describe would be an overwhelming force for the number of people that are generally available at any one time to intercept.

Wiley.

[Krusty]

I agree on all points. However, I cannot 100% dismiss the potential. Say you're upping a fighter sortie and going to have some fun but you see a random number of formations between 1 and 3 sets (and randomized whether mixed type or same type). Wouldn't that add a little extra interest to your mission? Sure you can avoid them and go on your way, or you can try to engage.

It would add a little flavor. Same as folks that have asked for a moving frontline that has some AI firing at each other, etc. Something to interact with.

In this case you would need bare minimum:
1) NO OTTO!!!! Otto was the bane of WB. None of that "you die if you get inside this zone" type of AI gunners. They should be dangerous, but they're AI not human so they shouldn't be so bad nobody wants to engage them.
2) They should miss their target a lot too. Because they're AI and not players, their target (randomize it to be hangars, field towns, or strats) shouldn't be in dire threat if you don't stop them. Make them have a randomization factor in their calibration or just hard-code them to miss by a mile at times (or just negate their bombs a random % of the time so no damage done?). That would also allow bomber pilots to tag along in-formation as if pretending to be AI then dropping real targets by properly calibrating and so forth. A little cat-and-mouse game and a little AI cover for the bombers, albeit of dubious quality.
3) It can't be all the time, every time. It should be generated once an hour plus or minus 15 minutes - numbers open to debate - and only affect a target within 1.5 sectors of a full dar-bar sector. No rear-sector raids with no chance of running across the enemy. No mindless spam. It should at least go into harm's way but the balance is to make it an addition, not a deciding factor, and not something you should rely on.

And this is all just brainstorming a possible inclusion. I'm not saying I'm for them, exactly. I'm just saying while it's not my cup of tea I think I can see a way they are included into the main arena without harming it in any way, and possibly helping it. Because of that I can't flat-out dismiss the suggestion in my head, you know?

[thndregg]

I lost interest in AI games the first day I played Air Warrior those many moons ago.

A lot of people just don't want to shoot at AI.  They want their fights to be with humans, period.  If it's between fighting AI and doing something else, they'll choose doing something else.

I'd be gone for good as well. AI (something other than the circular traveling objects we have) might be alright for training and getting some bugs worked out offline (only). But online? Online means simply with and against other humans in my book. Period.

[Krusty]

Again, I agree but I can't help seeing some possible hint of another system. Even in FPS games I prefer real players and not AI, but then there's that mode where you're in a raid, or something PvE (horde mode, in the common terms?) where you're working with a team of real players against AI bots against long odds so it's still challenging.

I wouldn't say "I'd be gone" if AI were introduced in some way. Not all ways are bad. It would really depend on how bad it was if I'd bail or not. It would never replace coming across other players, though. That's the main reason I still like Aces High.

[BBQsam]

aper above said:

""HTC is struggling in bringing new players into the game but the solution is simple. Move existing subscribers to two countries (Bishops and Knights) and open one country (Rooks) for 500+ new players with mouse control only on free to play basis and it will be fun again. As soon as people from WT will discover the big-scale non-stop war on AH arenas they will start migrating to AH naturally, so there will be no need on spending money on ads. (There will be need for buying new servers soon though).""

I  would say this be a great idea for AH to do on April Fools day or something like that.  Would be fun.

[Lazerr]

Having a third country full of noobs getting clubbed sounds terrible.  Having two countries to compact action seems like something good.

I always hear it doesnt work.. but with lower country switch times and the ENY system i think they are wrong. 

[bustr]

Or 5x5 sector terrains. Distance and numbers of players is part of why you think two countries will solve things. Distances allows self segregation like we see all the time by our numbers into the illusion two countries is the solution. Having the third country gives those in the two fighting countries who have less of a risk tolerance to do less risky things for their $14.95, aside from Hitech's concern for balancing. Our game is not full of people looking for a fight, most are accepting of having to fight as part of being in the game. That is a lot of $14.95's a month.

A 5x5 terrain with our current numbers would allow ranging to other fights by those who want to get at available targets to fight. Instead of pulling their hair out and calling them wussies. There would be the illusion of less risky territory while the 2.5 sector distance of each front would force all of the players in each country into combat if they leave the tower. They could choose to change fronts for one Lazerr whacking them with the illusion of a lesser Lazerr at the new front. Then Lazerr would take a while to follow them and start whacking them again. I'm not sure what would have to change from the land grab game perspective but, this would make visiting all of a country's feilds with a P38 looking for scalps a reality. It would suck for CV battle unless terrains then would be land terrain or ocean terrain. Not sure how many customers want to be limited only to the planes on a CV for a week.

The reality of being able to get at everyone anywhere on a terrain at will, is like a kid dreaming how wonderful it would be to get locked in a candy store over night. But, small arenas and no where to run seems to be the hall mark of many other kinds of shooting games these days. And then all we would need is aimbots to even the odds.   

[Krusty]

5x5 maps is insane. You realize each sector is 25 miles square, right? That's 125 miles at maximum. That's so short even an I-16 could fly that with enough fuel to fight and not refuel before they were done.

Bombers had ranges of 1000+ miles. Now you're compressing the space for an arbitrary fighting style just because you like that style. That cuts short all other fighting styles outside of what you want others to do.

In short, that idea only smacks of "I want you all to fly THIS way and no other way" -- and that's bad.

There are other solutions. Micro-maps is not one.

[popeye]

Seems like all maps could have a "furball island" similar to the one on NDIsles.  (Could be anywhere on the map.)  Furballers and WarWinners can ignore each other and play the game they enjoy -- everyone is happy.   

[100Coogn]

5x5 maps is insane. You realize each sector is 25 miles square, right? That's 125 miles at maximum. That's so short even an I-16 could fly that with enough fuel to fight and not refuel before they were done.

Bombers had ranges of 1000+ miles. Now you're compressing the space for an arbitrary fighting style just because you like that style. That cuts short all other fighting styles outside of what you want others to do.

In short, that idea only smacks of "I want you all to fly THIS way and no other way" -- and that's bad.

There are other solutions. Micro-maps is not one.

That's hardly enough room to get my B-17's to altitude. 

Coogan

[bustr]

The reality of being able to get at everyone anywhere on a terrain at will, is like a kid dreaming how wonderful it would be to get locked in a candy store over night. But, small arenas and no where to run seems to be the hall mark of many other kinds of shooting games these days. And then all we would need is aimbots to even the odds.

Krusty you should have your conversation with Lazerr, 5x5 would keep everyone unable to hide like Lazerr wants. And bomber guys, Lazerr would be on 200 telling you to go home to yur mommies or fight. A two country 5x5 would do the same thing because distance matters to how players utilize an arena. Lazerr just wants everyone unable to do anything but let him whack them for upping anywhere. Most FPS games work that way with arenas smaller than one of our sectors. It would change the MA into one giant 24x7 DA, where as the distances and three countries in our game take the place of the match timer in those other FPS games.

People need a timer or distance to have a breather, or they don't want to up into getting whacked over and over and over. Aces High dosen't have skill level fighting arenas to give players a choice along with a way to keep Lazerr out of the weenie arena. Otherwise the MA in 2007 would have been a ghost town with 1000 of us all in the DA.

[Dawger]

See Rule #4

[NatCigg]

Last time I played Aces High it was more akin to foreplay with an inflatable doll that has no bodily orifices.

thats what i had in mind too!

 

where did you get yours?  ghi says they can be hacked, careful out there! 

[Spikes]

WT does a great job at directing EVERYTHING towards promoting human versus human fights (NOTE:they do fill in with AI when humans drop out). That is the biggest difference for me. AH has a great persistent world and the ability to have hundreds in the same area but it is too easy to avoid human versus human aerial fights and it gets boring.

In AH's defense, it is easy to have a small map with only 32 players.

Of course it is easy to avoid combat when there are only 100 in an arena. Years ago, that was not the case with 500 in an arena.

[Shuffler]

It is extremely hard for me to accept the excuse that it takes too long to fly to the fight, then turn right around and complain of upping at a vulch fest.

You either like a fight or you don't. One of those situations or the other fills your bill.

Wish I could fly now..... still down because of the flood. Hopefully I will be setting up my system in my RV in the next few weeks.