My Findings on AH Videos

[Animl-AW]

Most sim video views are from their own community. Comparing views to a sim's community size, the bigger the community the more views. 50%+ are from their own community. I've watch some seriously badly done videos with much larger view numbers. So if ya post a link to 5k players, 1.2k will click to at least start watching it. I pretty much have the same % from AH bbs

The views of other 2 vids I have are not correct as they had been removed and uploaded 3 times. Beating War Drums is really around 500+, it was also posted on my personal YT page first, before creating the Animl page.. Combat Challenge is actually around 400.

Runstang 2 wks. 169 views
External views = 78 (external meaning from links outside YT. The only links I posted are in bbs and AH FB pages.)
Channel pages = 38
YouTube search = 27
Suggested videos= 11

Runstang has a series of different type video scenes.
It's normal for all videos to lose an audience within the first 20 seconds. "That's not what I was looking for..."

Music, kinda got a little boost, just a touch above the scenes with just engine sounds, not very much. That said, compared to the other 2 videos, scenes with just engine sounds did seem to hold views as steady as music playing.

(00:42) First peak opening HO shot, no explosion, views hold steady.

(1:26) The video peaks again during the P-51 gun fire at the bogie going after the B-17s, with no explosion, It then holds fairly steady.

(2:06) The very next boost and then significant drop after that is the B-17s. Viewing holds steady through that scene right up until one explodes. You'd think they would hang for more explosions scenes.

(2:32) Next peak is the P-51 only going straight up and slowly flipping. Nothing else happening at all.

The videos then holds fairly steady.

(5:32) Chase through the farm yard, this is the final large peak

(7:44) Starts a slight peak. The merge onto the 109's 6.

Holds steady until the kill

I was wondering why I lost views around explosions, which everyone claims to want to see. So I thought back to Beating War Drums, my biggest dip happened during a series of fight scene kills in a row with explosions (5:13). Combat Challenge, most peaks came with the number of planes in view, furballs had a slightly higher peak, explosions just stayed level. Again, what everyone claims to want to see. But it was working in the opposite direction. I literally lost views during those scenes. Why?

Plane graphics are great.
Terrain is great.
FM is great.
Scenes are O K, nothing great.
The sky and clouds are great.
why during explosions?

Don't think about this as a player watching, think about the other 50% non-player viewers. Maybe even first time seeing AH vid.

My current personal conclusion is; Explosion and object strike graphics. When people look at the more modern games they see some pretty speculator explosions and strikes, modern eye candy. As soon as they see older AH ones, it seems to turn them off. ("if that's the best ya got, phfff") I don't see their analytics, but using myself, other sim explosions do have a hook/sensationalism to them. This is just a instinct vibe I get. There's not enough views for data to support it. If everyone wants to see explosions they want some real good explosions. It seems to be a selling point. Many on IL-2 or WT can't remember which, love the cluster bombs, of which I don't even think existed back then, I could be wrong.

IMO, upgrading just explosions and objects strikes would be a major improvement and modernization with the least work involved. I weigh - How much work, how much the impact. IMO, it's the only real graphic thing other sims with large programming teams have on AH. Without those explosions it doesn't look any better then AH, to me. Skys, terrain, and basically planes all look the same. It's the only real difference >> I've found <<. What AH has on them is that it's more fun then all of them. This game probably relies on numbers for game play more then the others, since they run a lot of staged missions (single player).

I'd take a swat at the explosions if I knew what software or file types to use,... if it could even be done separately.

It's just what I seem to have gotten looking at the stats on my videos. Hey, I could be wrong about all of it....it's just a pattern I picked up on. Obviously, we won't see anything soon.....so I'll make a video or two more and let it lay for a while. I'm not sure how long the game will be here, not sure how long I'll be here. <shrug>

[SAJ73]

I think you are right about the explotions, they are a instant realism killer if you are seeing an AH video for the first time. The rest looks fairly realistic, enough to hold the viewers interest. But if they are watching with an critical eye the cartoon-explotions is kinda instant turnoff in mid act.

But what about using an AI generator? Tell it to make realistic explotions in your videos?!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Animl-AW]

I think you are right about the explotions, they are a instant realism killer if you are seeing an AH video for the first time. The rest looks fairly realistic, enough to hold the viewers interest. But if they are watching with an critical eye the cartoon-explotions is kinda instant turnoff in mid act.

But what about using an AI generator? Tell it to make realistic explotions in your videos?!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ya, first impression I get, why I don’t show many.
I have some real nice ones, pretty much ready to go. I can insert them in videos, but that would be false impressions.

I’m wearing thin on trying. <shrug>

Refer to my post “learning new software” in general forums page.

[oboe]

I'd like to see 'em in a video, even if its a false impression of the game.  Many of the videos for other games I've seen add voices and sound effects not present in the particular game, for effect.

Besides, sometimes seeing something as it could can be powerful persuasion - it could be a first step toward getting improved explosion effects in AHIII.

[Animl-AW]

I'd like to see 'em in a video, even if its a false impression of the game.  Many of the videos for other games I've seen add voices and sound effects not present in the particular game, for effect.

Besides, sometimes seeing something as it could can be powerful persuasion - it could be a first step toward getting improved explosion effects in AHIII.

I posted samples in that thread. Currently in slow motion

I’ll consider your suggestion.

[Dadtallica]

I posted samples in that thread. Currently in slow motion

I’ll consider your suggestion.

Maybe it’s less the visual explosion and instead people duck out after because the boom is the culmination of whatever particular sequence they were watching.

[Animl-AW]

Maybe it’s less the visual explosion and instead people duck out after because the boom is the culmination of whatever particular sequence they were watching.

Not sure I understand.
It could be various reasons. I don’t believe in blanket answers. But, IMO. They can be modernized. Eye candy is what sold rivals who otherwise their actual game play style is lacking.

Any loud noise in midair dissipates instantly as there are no reflective surfaces.

Off subject but here is snd example how sound works.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EBClzOM_Lbw

[Dadtallica]

Not sure I understand.
It could be various reasons. I don’t believe in blanket answers. But, IMO. They can be modernized. Eye candy is what sold rivals who otherwise their actual game play style is lacking.

Any loud noise in midair dissipates instantly as there are no reflective surfaces.

Off subject but here is snd example how sound works.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EBClzOM_Lbw

Say they were watching a dog fight, the explosion most likely means the fight is over. Maybe they choose not move on to the next bit of action because of the explosion, maybe it was because they liked what they saw and it ended.

[Animl-AW]

Say they were watching a dog fight, the explosion most likely means the fight is over. Maybe they choose not move on to the next bit of action because of the explosion, maybe it was because they liked what they saw and it ended.

These dips are also followed by equal peaks, more like a click through. I'm not saying the FXs are defiantly the cause of the dips, I'm just seeing a pattern form. It's like that in all 3 vids.

Well when I A & B competitors and AH, it's not that they are bad, just out of date in comparison. I.E. the trailing flames. They look like what I designed in AW before it shut down. Looks identical, I have to look at old pics to see. Point being, it's an old design concept. AC explosions aren't bad, just needs more theatrics.

I just think that is a key feature, maybe even easiest to implement, that would bring out the realism of the rest of the game, it would remove the oldness without doing everything. IMO, everything else is damn good, even at it's age. I think it would make a difference, especially using vids to sell the game, because it seems to be the only way to advertise these days. Things like that can produce players and revenue to afford the future.

I also think some pine trees would have a good effect. Not sure the reason they were left out, there may be one. Maybe the needles on the branches are a resource hog.

I'm just looking at what I perceive as the easiest updates, with the biggest improvements. Asking for a core update is overboard, and least likely to happen soon by one person. I think with time and new computers there is some room to add modern FX, just a notch or two, and still load and run fast.

[oboe]

Just wondering outloud, but are you to compare to dogfight videos for, say, IL-2 or DCS?   Do the same dips and peaks happen, and correspond to a plane shot down/explosion?  Or can you tell if the IL-2 and DCS viewers actually watch through the explosions?

[Dadtallica]

Just wondering outloud, but are you to compare to dogfight videos for, say, IL-2 or DCS?   Do the same dips and peaks happen, and correspond to a plane shot down/explosion?  Or can you tell if the IL-2 and DCS viewers actually watch through the explosions?

Yes that’s what I was saying and Animl indicating the new peaks after the explosions reinforce that people are only watching clips.

Forget long form YouTube for now. If you want to attract a younger crew of cartoon pilots you need 10-20 second videos on that stupid tik tok or even youtube reels, insta, x, whatever… all of them unfortunately. In fact you have about 2-4 seconds to actually hook them.

This is where we live. Time for the AH tik tok, who’s taking the plunge?

Also, not to get off on a tangent, but I’d be willing to wager in another thread I’m not starting  that the legacy AH crew do not really want a what a current younger crop of pilots coming in here may actually mean. Make of that what you will.

[Animl-AW]

Just wondering outloud, but are you to compare to dogfight videos for, say, IL-2 or DCS?   Do the same dips and peaks happen, and correspond to a plane shot down/explosion?  Or can you tell if the IL-2 and DCS viewers actually watch through the explosions?

Unfortunately, I can’t compare their analytics to mine, as I can’t see theirs.

Most games have more modern these days. Its one of the only things that make our graphic appear older.

If it draws my attention it probably has the same effect on others.

[Animl-AW]

Yes that’s what I was saying and Animl indicating the new peaks after the explosions reinforce that people are only watching clips.

Forget long form YouTube for now. If you want to attract a younger crew of cartoon pilots you need 10-20 second videos on that stupid tik tok or even youtube reels, insta, x, whatever… all of them unfortunately. In fact you have about 2-4 seconds to actually hook them.

This is where we live. Time for the AH tik tok, who’s taking the plunge?

Also, not to get off on a tangent, but I’d be willing to wager in another thread I’m not starting  that the legacy AH crew do not really want a what a current younger crop of pilots coming in here may actually mean. Make of that what you will.

Which is fine. Personally I wanted to show what can’t be shown in 30 sec.
I’m going to TRY to produce a 30-1 min video as more of a true short ad.
As far as TikTok, not me. But others should consider sharing videos instead of just waiting until they stumble upon them. Kinda thought that would happen by players who want more players, don’t think it did after two complete dweebs spit on my efforts and put them in bad light. Never validate their sgenda.

[Animl-AW]

Doesn’t help that a certain player is allowed to constantly advertise DCS here

[Animl-AW]

No longer worth my time or effort, when it's allowed to be countered from within by former players.

AMF