What we have been up to.

[Oldman731]

Have you reads the Steam Community Boards for AH?

Its unfortunate that there is bad blood between HTC and any number of players, but that wont just disappear by switching to a new board.

Yes, I've read them.  They're really not much different from the BBS here.  You have a handful of players who are verbose in their castigation of HTC, and of HTC veterans (seems to be two things that they equate), and of various facets of the game.  They do not appear to be the majority of posters, most of whom are/were confused about how to get the game to work right for them.

As others have said before, you can't let the posters run the game.  Good lord, HTC would have gone nuts trying to figure out whether we should have all planes perked or no planes perked; big arenas or small arenas; strat or no strat; two sides, three sides, four sides...the list does not end.

I'm sorry that those posters' feelings were hurt.  But they're being dogs in the manger, and I can't respect that.

- oldman

[The Fugitive]

Yes, I've read them.  They're really not much different from the BBS here.  You have a handful of players who are verbose in their castigation of HTC, and of HTC veterans (seems to be two things that they equate), and of various facets of the game.  They do not appear to be the majority of posters, most of whom are/were confused about how to get the game to work right for them.

As others have said before, you can't let the posters run the game.  Good lord, HTC would have gone nuts trying to figure out whether we should have all planes perked or no planes perked; big arenas or small arenas; strat or no strat; two sides, three sides, four sides...the list does not end.

I'm sorry that those posters' feelings were hurt.  But they're being dogs in the manger, and I can't respect that.

- oldman

I was just pointing out to CptTrips that his thoughts of a fresh start on a new board for the new game would not have the negativity that this one has is foolish. Im not "negative", just honest. I call them as I see them. I love this game and just hate to see it fade away.

[Shuffler]

I don't use steam. I have absolutely no use for it at all. Should I be going around posting crap about it? No.    Unfortunately you have folks that go around and post crap just because they can

I would say that most stuff posted about anything on the internet is just plain garbage and many times just out and out lies. The gullible will eat it up and many young are extremely gullible today.

[Bruv119]

I think having a couple of Cv's roving the arena make them near impossible to sink. 

Without bomber formations Lancs etc SB's, people using B5N's and TBM's would take a big organised effort  to get them down  = team A or B win the round.

Flying defensive cap. scouting the opposition groups it's all legit WW2 gameplay whilst also being alot of fun.   Sometimes its the only thing on the map in the MA to provide some sort of intensity to the fight. 

You could airstart but to reload etc put the CV in the back.   As a time limit draws nearer lets say 1hour the Cv's start getting closer.   

[The Fugitive]

I think having a couple of Cv's roving the arena make them near impossible to sink. 

Without bomber formations Lancs etc SB's, people using B5N's and TBM's would take a big organised effort  to get them down  = team A or B win the round.

Flying defensive cap. scouting the opposition groups it's all legit WW2 gameplay whilst also being alot of fun.   Sometimes its the only thing on the map in the MA to provide some sort of intensity to the fight. 

You could airstart but to reload etc put the CV in the back.   As a time limit draws nearer lets say 1hour the Cv's start getting closer.

You want something that in depth, you need to play AH   

I think this new game is going to be just like WT, fast down and dirty game play. 10-15 minute rounds then a reset. Nothing to involving, detailed, or extravagant. I picture something like that "capture the sheep" game they had when AH3 first came out.

[Bruv119]

You want something that in depth, you need to play AH   

I think this new game is going to be just like WT, fast down and dirty game play. 10-15 minute rounds then a reset. Nothing to involving, detailed, or extravagant. I picture something like that "capture the sheep" game they had when AH3 first came out.

problem with the MA,  Bish and other 2nd accounts / fun police already have a beeline for the CV before anyone has upped. 

just having the cvs down there ready to land/rearm would  be a nice touch.   whether they get into gun range doesnt really matter.  its something to include IMO

[CptTrips]

We have seen plenty of evidence, check the numbers in the arena...... dropping week after week.

I meant, people should wait until they actually see some evidence before assuming Hitech is planning to dump Aces High and put all HTC's eggs into AO:P.  I see absolutely zero evidence of that and it just sounds like nutty tin-foil hat alarmism to me.

Anything that provides another revenue stream to HTC, I see as a good thing.  The more financially strong HTC is, the more years they can keep AHIII running. 

Anything that introduces a new generation of players to high fidelity flight models, I see as a good thing.  They may prefer a more curated experience than an open sandbox, they prefer different payment model than the standard monthly subscription, but at least  you are encouraging a high expectation for flight model fidelity.

I see AO:P as almost a complete subset of AHIII.  Other than some different front end menus and billing code, it is just a repackage of the existing code.  That means there is very little work that won't benefit both games.  Any bugs fixes or features improvements for one will probably feed seamlessly into the other because it is the same code base. They will be getting paid twice for every line of code they write.  That is a bad thing?

I think they have come up with an inspired, and elegant solution.  I just don't understand why a certain percentage of this community is addicted  to immediately jumping to the most dire and negative interpretation to any move HTC ever makes.  It may or may not work out, but I think it is a really good, reasonable safe and low cost, low impact idea to try.     

Some of you need to have a couple of Shuffler's Colorado cookies and chill. 

Did you read the posts on the stream page? Nope, because if you had you would have seen many old players that havent played in a long time took the time to trash the hell out of AH on those boards.

Yes, I think I probably read all of them.  I don't see how that argues against AO:P having it's own new forum separate from AHIII.  It will still be HTC's forum and they will be moderating it. 

New game, fresh start.

[The Fugitive]

I meant, people should wait until they actually see some evidence before assuming Hitech is planning to dump Aces High and put all HTC's eggs into AO:P.  I see absolutely zero evidence of that and it just sounds like nutty tin-foil hat alarmism to me.

Anything that provides another revenue stream to HTC, I see as a good thing.  The more financially strong HTC is, the more years they can keep AHIII running. 

Anything that introduces a new generation of players to high fidelity flight models, I see as a good thing.  They may prefer a more curated experience than an open sandbox, they prefer different payment model than the standard monthly subscription, but at least  you are encouraging a high expectation for flight model fidelity.

I see AO:P as almost a complete subset of AHIII.  Other than some different front end menus and billing code, it is just a repackage of the existing code.  That means there is very little work that won't benefit both games.  Any bugs fixes or features improvements for one will probably feed seamlessly into the other because it is the same code base. They will be getting paid twice for every line of code they write.  That is a bad thing?

I think they have come up with an inspired, and elegant solution.  I just don't understand why a certain percentage of this community is addicted  to immediately jumping to the most dire and negative interpretation to any move HTC ever makes.  It may or may not work out, but I think it is a really good, reasonable safe and low cost, low impact idea to try.     

Some of you need to have a couple of Shuffler's Colorado cookies and chill. 

Yes, I think I probably read all of them.  I don't see how that argues against AO:P having it's own new forum separate from AHIII.  It will still be HTC's forum and they will be moderating it. 

New game, fresh start.

First off I agree that HTC is doing a good thing (for themselves) by making a second revenue stream. I also believe HTC doesnt plan on dumping AH.

The problem I see is the new game WILL attract a client base, most likely NOT AH players though Im sure some will find there way there and may even give up their sub at AH (making less players in AH to add to the problem of dwindling numbers). Once the new game starts getting players it will be easy for HTC to concentrate on adding "War Online: Europe", War Online: Eastern Front" and so on. This of course will take away development time for AH, after all they have a pretty small staff at HTC.

If things arent fixed in AH numbers WILL continue to drop. And even with HTC pulling money in from their other games to keep AH going whos going to want to play in an arena with 50 players?

The new game, while using the flight model, graphics and such from AH is a totally different animal. It looks like it is going to be more of a furball/free for all type game setup using a limited plane set. It may do well, tho I think they are a bit late to the party for this type of game, I do wish them well. For me it isnt the type of game Im really looking for. If it was Id already be playing WT and the others. Im sure many others look at it the same way.

As for the message board, your very naive. YES it will be a brand new board, No it will not be tied to AH BBS in any way, and yet with in a week it will have the same posts as this board. Its unfortunate but there are a large number of people who will love to come to the new boards and just crap all over it just like they did on the steam boards.

[ccvi]

Once the new game starts getting players it will be easy for HTC to concentrate on adding "War Online: Europe", War Online: Eastern Front" and so on. This of course will take away development time for AH, after all they have a pretty small staff at HTC.

What efforts have been spent lately that are exclusive to the game play of AH "main" (now melee) arena? Everything that makes the game, everything that provides choice to players (i.e., to act within the game) has been the same for years (decades): Where to take off, how to spawn, things that can or cannot be destroyed and for how long, and the effect destruction has, the way things are rebuilt, and the way fields are captured. Unchanged since a long long time.

All the rest - graphics, sound, flight models, VR support, etc. - is where all the updates are being done to.

Well, maybe not all the updates. Notable exceptions are steal-the-sheep, match-play and missions arena. All of them more or less dead. WO:P seems to be more along those lines, except as stand-alone release with possibly better exposure to the target audience, and higher chance of finding its players.

(Now that the new radar for WO:P has been tested in sufficient depth in AH, maybe it can be turned off again in AH?)

[The Fugitive]

What efforts have been spent lately that are exclusive to the game play of AH "main" (now melee) arena? Everything that makes the game, everything that provides choice to players (i.e., to act within the game) has been the same for years (decades): Where to take off, how to spawn, things that can or cannot be destroyed and for how long, and the effect destruction has, the way things are rebuilt, and the way fields are captured. Unchanged since a long long time.

All the rest - graphics, sound, flight models, VR support, etc. - is where all the updates are being done to.

Well, maybe not all the updates. Notable exceptions are steal-the-sheep, match-play and missions arena. All of them more or less dead. WO:P seems to be more along those lines, except as stand-alone release with possibly better exposure to the target audience, and higher chance of finding its players.

(Now that the new radar for WO:P has been tested in sufficient depth in AH, maybe it can be turned off again in AH?)

Yup, and years ago we had TWO MAs both hovering close to 600 players in them on the weekend. Now we struggle to get 150 in a SINGLE MA on the weekend.

That is the biggest problem with the game, lack of numbers. Will a "new" game bring in more numbers? I hope so, but doubt it very much. The game as it is played today doesnt lend to players "working" to get better at more than a single aspect of the game. Right now its "smash and grab" and move on. Artistry and skill have taken a back seat to rolling bases.

The new game..... and all of its added games I think will do well, more than likely better than AH is doing right now. I just fear that it will just hasten the end of AH

[CptTrips]

The problem I see is the new game WILL attract a client base, most likely NOT AH players though Im sure some will find there way there and may even give up their sub at AH (making less players in AH to add to the problem of dwindling numbers). Once the new game starts getting players it will be easy for HTC to concentrate on adding "War Online: Europe", War Online: Eastern Front" and so on. This of course will take away development time for AH, after all they have a pretty small staff at HTC.

I guess I don't understand what you see as the alternative?  Should HTC just keep doing exactly what they've been doing since 1999, and hope for magically different results?  Will it be to anyone's advantage to see HTC's revenue continue to dwindle until they have to close the doors someday?  The first priority for anyone who loves Aces High should be to ensure HTC stays in business.  If HTC folded, you'd have no Aces High at all.

Do you really, honestly think there is some dar tweak, or hangar hardness setting, or new model Italian fighter that is going to turn the tide and suddenly put 650 players a night back into the arena? 

Every product has a life cycle.  If you are smart and lucky, your product life cycle curve has a nice long, fat tail that you can ride out for decades, but you may never achieve your peak again.  Tastes change.  Preferences for new models emerge. The competitive landscape evolves.   That fat tail may not be enough, all by itself, to fund your company forever.   So you add additional revenue streams to keep the lights on.   

I think numbers can be stabilized.  I think they can be maintained and possible improved somewhat.  I think Aces High can outlast some of their near-model competitors and end up absorbing their refuges.  I'm skeptical Aces High can ever get back to the numbers it had at it's peak, given changing tastes and other MMO competition.

I think Aces High is a great game.  An important game.  It's model appeals to a certain segment of the market.  Maybe not as big a segment as in 2005, but there is a market that likes that open sandbox, persistent world, monthly subscription.  I want to see it conserved for the future percentage of gamers that prefer that.   HTC, as a company, may need to diversify so they can still provide that option to players for years to come. 

However, as I said, there is so much overlap, that most work on any of those other games will also benefit Aces High.  New development on those other games, will include new development for Aces High as a free bonus.  And the revenue will keep the lights on for everybody.

You can focus on the possible negative outcomes, or focus on the possible opportunities.   It's your choice.


 

[The Fugitive]

I guess I don't understand what you see as the alternative?  Should HTC just keep doing exactly what they've been doing since 1999, and hope for magically different results?  Will it be to anyone's advantage to see HTC's revenue continue to dwindle until they have to close the doors someday?  The first priority for anyone who loves Aces High should be to ensure HTC stays in business.  If HTC folded, you'd have no Aces High at all.

Do you really, honestly think there is some dar tweak, or hangar hardness setting, or new model Italian fighter that is going to turn the tide and suddenly put 650 players a night back into the arena? 

Every product has a life cycle.  If you are smart and lucky, your product life cycle curve has a nice long, fat tail that you can ride out for decades, but you may never achieve your peak again.  Tastes change.  Preferences for new models emerge. The competitive landscape evolves.   That fat tail may not be enough, all by itself, to fund your company forever.   So you add additional revenue streams to keep the lights on.   

I think numbers can be stabilized.  I think they can be maintained and possible improved somewhat.  I think Aces High can outlast some of their near-model competitors and end up absorbing their refuges.  I'm skeptical Aces High can ever get back to the numbers it had at it's peak, given changing tastes and other MMO competition.

I think Aces High is a great game.  An important game.  It's model appeals to a certain segment of the market.  Maybe not as big a segment as in 2005, but there is a market that likes that open sandbox, persistent world, monthly subscription.  I want to see it conserved for the future percentage of gamers that prefer that.   HTC, as a company, may need to diversify so they can still provide that option to players for years to come. 

However, as I said, there is so much overlap, that most work on any of those other games will also benefit Aces High.  New development on those other games, will include new development for Aces High as a free bonus.  And the revenue will keep the lights on fore everybody.

You can focus on the possible negative outcomes, or focus on the possible opportunities.   It's your choice.


 

As I said, I think the new games will prosper, but I dont see it helping AH.

Should AH stay the same? LOL!!!!! Hell NO! people have been suggesting changes for years, but HTC has decided what works, works and have made very few changes. For a company to survive it MUST change with the times. I think when HTC hooked up with Steam it was a "what the hell lets give it a shot" type idea. I dont think they thought much of anything would come of it. Hitech said he was shocked at how many downloads a minute where hitting the server. They we NOT ready for that. The VR stuff was in it infancy at HTC, the hand controls didnt even work yet and I think that hurt them.

Had HTC changed their subscription style to something  new when all the F2P games started rolling out, like F2P plane set with a few planes and tanks to use IN the MA with the rest of the players, and keep the $15 a month subscription for ALL the equipment I think it would have kept a stead stream of player moving on the game. Maybe once a quarter add a plane the free players could buy to add to there hanger for $10. No one else had a F2P/Subscription based game before, but no one ever had a MMO game before HTC made it either.

Changes like these could still help AH, but the time and money to set it up may be more than what HTC is willing to invest in it at this time. Maybe once they build a bit of a bank roll with the new games they could give it a go. If HTC gives away 200 subscriptions with a limited plane set that these players can use IN THE MAs and not some unpopulated arena how would that hurt the game/company? They already have the infrastructure and server that they are paying for. Adding the subscriptions is all automated. All he needs is the coad to lock out most of the planes and vehicles unless you pay the full subscription. Run it a few weeks like the dar experiment and see how it goes.

Im not being positive or negative, Im more of a realist, it is what it is and this is just how I see it.

[Meatwad]

I also agree on a limited F2P set

[RobinHood]

i'm going to check it out. Hitech, just don't make it to grindy.

Thx,

RH

[BuckShot]

Japanese tanks?