How have we lost so many people to this wonderful game?

[DmonSlyr]

My only issue with this is as follows. Ive been playing this game a long time and most nights Im in for less than 45 min. For me except for scenarios and stuff it wouldnt make any sense to pay for an acct/.

Which is another reason for the limited plane set.

[TequilaChaser]

Since so much software is subscription based these days....  they must not do much on their computers.

Heck, Microsoft has been working towards making Windows a monthly/quarterly/yearly subscription based service that they are almost there.... They've already semi-accomplished it with MS Office 365... and they were talking about the fact that this "continuesly paying subscription service" was their target all the way back during launching of WindowsXP/2000/ME days....

[Vraciu]

My only issue with this is as follows. Ive been playing this game a long time and most nights Im in for less than 45 min. For me except for scenarios and stuff it wouldnt make any sense to pay for an acct/.

You would mitigate that by limiting the plane set that's free.

Anything given away free has to be enough to bait the hook.

I am like Violator in that I started in the free 8-player arenas then moved over to the Main.  I don't know what it was about that setup but it simply worked well.

[Vraciu]

Heck, Microsoft has been working towards making Windows a monthly/quarterly/yearly subscription based service that they are almost there.... They've already semi-accomplished it with MS Office 365... and they were talking about the fact that this "continuesly paying subscription service" was their target all the way back during launching of WindowsXP/2000/ME days....

The day they do that is the day I switch to Linux Mint for good.

[CptTrips]

they must not do much on their computers.

You must not play a lot of games.

Many games that are subscription, have F2P levels where you can play as long as your want for free, maybe not with the best stuff. (Hmmm where have we heard that suggestion.)  Because subscriptions are a very hard sell, you have to lure them in carefully.

Other games like the battlefield series, you buy the base game and get to play on the servers for free.  There will be DLC you can buy, but are not required.  You may pay $60, but that is psychologically different than letting a company get their subscription hooks into forever.

I bought Battlefield 4 for $60 in 2014.  I never bought the DLC, but eventually those get release free, you just don't get them first.  To this day, the servers are still full and I've played all this time on the initial investment.  That company rakes in billions, so somehow they make it work.

You may not like those models, but that is the competitive landscape HTC is facing.  Those are the games setting the expectations of players that come to try AH.

[Wiley]

So how do you guys propose to allow the free players any kind of success or fun in the MA when they're in their Hurri 1's or whatever against a world of LA7s and Spixteens?  They're already at a severe penalty in that they have no experience, they have no joystick, and they're in inferior equipment.

In something like BF, bullets still work, and the paying members move at the same speed the free guys do.

Wiley.

[Ciaphas]

instead of completely redesigning the wheel, let's look at what worked during the "hay day".

What setups worked to retain players, what were the catalyst changes that pushed people out the door?

 


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[CptTrips]

So how do you guys propose to allow the free players any kind of success or fun in the MA when they're in their Hurri 1's or whatever against a world of LA7s and Spixteens?  They're already at a severe penalty in that they have no experience, they have no joystick, and they're in inferior equipment.

Do you prefer they uninstall the game completely?

In games like WT, don't the F2P have access to inferior hardware?  Or at least have to grind harder?  Some how WT makes money.

In the past when I've suggest a F2P set of planes, I proposed that flying those planes they could grind out perk points to let them occasionally fly a premium plane to get a taste of what subscribers get. 

In reality, the plane is probably not their limiting factor.  You could put them in ME-262 and it wouldn't make any difference.  So let them have the F2P planeset (which puts variety back in the arena), and someday they may learn enough to actually take advantage of a better plane when they subscribe.

In something like BF, bullets still work, and the paying members move at the same speed the free guys do.

BF doesn't have F2P , but they do have just a one time purchase model.  Until the next version or DLC.   They've been doing that since 2003 and making billions.

[Wiley]

instead of completely redesigning the wheel, let's look at what worked during the "hay day".

What setups worked to retain players, what were the catalyst changes that pushed people out the door?

 


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IMO what pushed people away was options that weren't open world, (relatively) long term strategy PVP that gave them something to work towards and more fairness in the matchups.

Wiley.

[Lusche]

instead of completely redesigning the wheel, let's look at what worked during the "hay day".

What setups worked to retain players, what were the catalyst changes that pushed people out the door?

That's the problem:
There were no no specific catalyst changes that more or less suddenly impacted the population. At some point, AH hit a peak, held it for some time and then started to drop gradually. There were no significant changes at that time anything could be attributed to.
So if anything, it's possibly more a lack of changes. But which ones? You will get a plenty opinions about that here on the BBS.

[Wiley]

Do you prefer they uninstall the game completely?

Which they won't do the 20th time in the last half hour where their free plane got smashed with no chance against their opponent?

In games like WT, don't the F2P have access to inferior hardware?  Or at least have to grind harder?  Some how WT makes money.

Yup, and they're matched up against equivalent planes.  You don't go in with a biplane against P51Ds.

In the past when I've suggest a F2P set of planes, I proposed that flying those planes they could grind out perk points to let them occasionally fly a premium plane to get a taste of what subscribers get. 

In reality, the plane is probably not their limiting factor.  You could put them in ME-262 and it wouldn't make any difference.  So let them have the F2P planeset (which puts variety back in the arena), and someday they may learn enough to actually take advantage of a better plane when they subscribe.

BF doesn't have F2P , but they do have just a one time purchase model.  Until the next version or DLC.   They've been doing that since 2003 and making billions.

Again.  Bullets still work in there, and the other guys can't run away any faster than a day 1 player.  There's a difference.

Wiley.

[100Coogn]

instead of completely redesigning the wheel, let's look at what worked during the "hay day".

What setups worked to retain players, what were the catalyst changes that pushed people out the door?

 


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Orange/Blue Arenas and Titanic Tuesday!
Dot-Dar

Coogan

[Ciaphas]

That's the problem:
There were no no specific catalyst changes that more or less suddenly impacted the population. At some point, AH hit a peak, held it for some time and then started to drop gradually. There were no significant changes at that time anything could be attributed to.
So if anything, it's possibly more a lack of changes. But which ones? You will get a plenty opinions about that here on the BBS.

There has got to be a way to compile data concerning player loss against major updates with a two month buffer after each change implementation to include the changes that AH3 implemented upon release.


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[FBKampfer]

Since so much software is subscription based these days....  they must not do much on their computers.

Unless they're doing actual work, they certainly aren't using subscription software much, no.

Either its something like video editing software, or sound mixers, etc, for your business, in which case you either bite the bullet and curse the software company's name every time it boots, or they bootleg it and pray nothing happens for it.


If you're doing a hobby, you bootleg it, flip the software company the bird, and go on your merry way.



The only gaming related subscriptions that I have even heard of anyone using regularly is Xbox Live or Playstation Plus, where it's required to access online multi-player.


Outside of gaming, the only ones I can even remember anyone talking about are the streaming services.

[Vraciu]

So how do you guys propose to allow the free players any kind of success or fun in the MA when they're in their Hurri 1's or whatever against a world of LA7s and Spixteens?  They're already at a severe penalty in that they have no experience, they have no joystick, and they're in inferior equipment.

In something like BF, bullets still work, and the paying members move at the same speed the free guys do.

Wiley.

You make one ride free that's reasonably competitive.   Spit V or Spit IX.