Author Topic: Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)  (Read 665 times)

Offline beet1e

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« on: July 12, 2002, 01:22:55 PM »
There’s no need for me to advise you that there have been a great many whines on this board about the current AK-Desert map. Just out of interest, I did a search to locate posts containing the word “pizza”, and got more than 200 hits!

More than a few guys are having problems. They can’t find the fights that they once could, or at least not in the same way. For me, however, the new version of the game, combined with the AK-Desert terrain, has presented new opportunities. I have been fascinated by the capture of those small vehicle fields around the edge of the map, and also some of the ones down in the canyons in the middle of the map. The past 48 hours have been amongst the best, most fun times I’ve had in Aces High since starting last November.

On the face of it, capture of a desert vehicle field looks easy. Just roll an Ostwind to get the acks and (optionally) the hangar if you think a PNZR might pop up, then roll in your M3 with troops. There’s even enough time for the same person to do both! Some guys are better than me and can get the acks with the M3 gun! But what to do if there’s a PNZR hotshot like CODY waiting for you :( - or a manned field gun?

What I found yesterday, when working with squaddie Keez is something I have sought for a long time. I’ve at last discovered a mission that requires planning, co-ordination, co-operation and communication, and of course accurate timing to deploy the necessary forces as they are needed, but without vast numbers of pilots exerting ridiculous numerical supremacy. The scene was this: A vehicle field was being protected by either a field gunner or a PNZR, or maybe both. Those who dared stick their heads over the last sand dune got blown away. So we went about it in a different way. The only way we could see to capture the field was with air support. I called Keez on the squad channel, and he came over in his P47 with bombs and rockets. While he was on his way, I rolled an M3 up as far as the last sand dune. He got the two acks plus the hangar and a pesky PNZR, and I was able to roll in with the M3.

A little later on, I was involved in a further three capture attempts. One of these failed because we underestimated the importance of air cover, and the target was a long way from our nearest airfield. The enemy PNZR was able to spawn nearby using a remote spawn point of a distant field and sat on top of a hill, taking pot shots at my guys. The only way we could have prevented this would have been to bomb that other field – even deeper into enemy territory. But that was a mission that taught me the importance of the timing. Get your goon up early if you want to use one, get ground cover into position, and jabos in the air with plenty of fuel. Of course, a big challenge might be to find guys that can be relied upon to play their part, and names like akwabbit, ws8s, doyle, animal42, snorkel, gman, and squaddies keez, revvin, dayo are all names I can trust. The P47D30 really comes into its own on missions such as these. I decided to fly one myself, and used 2x1000 bombs for the vehicle hangar, rockets for the acks, and the last bomb for that pesky PNZR who might be hiding nearby. One time I missed the VH by a few yards, but found I could strafe it down with the P47’s 8x.50cal.

Planning these missions has been such a welcome change from the erstwhile AH formula of upping en masse – you know what I’m talking about! Guys who call for 40 tiffies, B17s, LANCs, maybe a dozen or so goons, P38s etc. - and go mob handed to forcibly smash down and capture a field. That does not interest me in the slightest.

With 1.10, the game has changed. Guys are whining that they cant find fights. They can’t rack up the kills the way they once did. LOL! My [expletive of choice] heart bleeds for them. :rolleyes: You see, real war wasn’t like that. Real war was about encountering obstacles that had to be overcome. Missions had to be thought out. Planning was paramount. Once the Battle of Britain had been won, did its pilots deployed to hotter climes complain because their aircraft would not have the same climb performance in an atmosphere of reduced density? I don’t think so. They had a job to do, and they did it. Pilots did not rack up kills every day. Gabreski was active in his P47 over Germany and later in an F86 Sabre in Korea, and got about 35 career kills in two wars spanning more than ten years. Some guys in AH are whining if they get less than that in an evening!

In AH, the war has moved into a new phase. Some guys don’t like it because the old familiar fields are no longer there. They used to know which were the high alt fields, and which targets to hit and from where and in which plane. They had learned to “game the game”, but now the game has changed and they’re crying. :D They also complain about the distance between fields, but at least that means a planned attack does not get wiped out by dweebs upping LA7s from the nearest base a few miles away and coming in with a huge alt advantage.

If I wanted to, I could still find mindless furballs, kills for their own sake, and organised gangbangs in which I would have the opportunity to boost the one thing that is of utmost importance to some lost souls – kills, stats and scores. But I’ve found something which for me is rather better. ;)

And now, Tomato is here and it's her birthday. We are going to an Italian restaurant in Henley-onThames. I shall probably order a pizza :D

Offline Ripsnort

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2002, 01:25:11 PM »
Hehe, good post Scrambl ! :)

Offline Creamo

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2002, 01:41:29 PM »
If I wanted to, I could still find mindless furballs, kills for their own sake, and organised gangbangs in which I would have the opportunity to boost the one thing that is of utmost importance to some lost souls – kills, stats and scores. But I’ve found something which for me is rather better.  

Yah, OK. I'll be your wingman. This ought to be bliss.

You were having a run till you eluded that AH is just like a "Real War".

 When will everyone understand AH has nothing in conception regarding war besides machines, namely WWII. It's a GAME. A GAME!

No 100 vs. 3 Germany airwar fultile horrid atrocity, maps can look like a Gyro and work, you even get fuel for the pitiful German machines, it don't matter. It's planeset fun, with anti-never been even eluded too WWII strat.

It's the only thing that keeps me sane knowing I pay $14.99 which is 3 trips to Wendy's a month  to look at the fantacy cockpits.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2002, 01:46:35 PM by Creamo »

Offline AKIron

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2002, 01:55:49 PM »
Well said beet1e. :)
Here we put salt on Margaritas, not sidewalks.

Offline J_A_B

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2002, 02:00:14 PM »
I agree with Creamo.  AH is a game.  It doesn't--and shouldn't--try to replicate every aspect of a "Real" war.  War isn't fun; AH is a game and hence should be fun.



J_A_B

Offline AKIron

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2002, 02:07:12 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by J_A_B
I agree with Creamo.  AH is a game.  It doesn't--and shouldn't--try to replicate every aspect of a "Real" war.  War isn't fun; AH is a game and hence should be fun.



J_A_B


Not to be argumentative but so is checkers. I enjoy the strategy element as well as the furballing and I've found both in abundance.

I do sympathize with those that are unable to play at peak times but feel pretty sure something will be done to accomodate them.
Here we put salt on Margaritas, not sidewalks.

Offline Creamo

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2002, 02:20:09 PM »
For me, however, the new version of the game, combined with the AK-Desert terrain, has presented new opportunities...

Iron, please... I know that's a "Your OK" in the eye of the whine storm, but your actually OK no matter how far fetched that "this is a great vehicle capture map!" post is.

 Good work, but should i get excited about bad Panzer graphics and a anti-GV player base?

 I'm a flightsim junkie.  I have Steel Beasts btw, the math is so clear.

The velocity of people to get excited about  nothing while the flight game play has questions is amazing. I just like it AH as a flightsim mostly, and note what I think needs to be changed. Seems fair.

At least Drip is impressed. Why? Who knows.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2002, 02:22:54 PM by Creamo »

Offline AKIron

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2002, 02:43:04 PM »
Creamo, I'm a flight sim junkie as well and have been for almost 20 years. I've almost never had any trouble finding a fun fight in Aces High either before or after 1.10. Of course it helps that there's almost always a squaddie on that's invloved somewhere and all I have to do is ask.

Not sure what you mean about the whining, there was a lot of angst expressed when HiTech first released a pic of AKDesert. If it had been expressed in a somewhat mature way I never would have called 'whiner'.

Unlike HiTech, none of you folks are my customers and I'm as free to express my opinion here as are you. I never call my customers whiners, even when they are. (but I do my friends)  ;)
Here we put salt on Margaritas, not sidewalks.

Offline Creamo

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2002, 02:56:04 PM »
Angst it is.

Don't bother me now.

Tour 3? I'd a cut throats! :)

 I got $2.37 that says 100 of them early players would too, but are equally patient.

Offline beet1e

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« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2002, 07:18:50 AM »
Creamo - I agree about the game thing. It's true to say that War was not fun, and therefore the more realistic we make AH the less fun we will have. But there's a limit to the reverse of this, which is the less realistic we make it, the more fun we'll have. Well I think so anyway. I don't have any fun at all, vulching. Some people like Fariz enjoy large missions, although he claims the the secret to success in AH is not force, but sneaks - LOL  

Here we are, having captured this field, and about to embark on another "stealth" mission.

Offline lazs2

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2002, 11:14:55 AM »
some peoples idea of what consists of a "fun fite" is quite different from others.    

as creamo points out... real war is boring to replicate.   lopsided is not fun for at least one side.  inaction is not fun for MOST.  

I find it a little insulting for some to come on here and tell people that everything is fine and that we are imagining that we can't find as good a fites as before.   The things that beetle described to me sound exactly like watching paint dry fun wise.
lazs

Offline Revvin

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2002, 11:36:59 AM »
Quote
I find it a little insulting for some to come on here and tell people that everything is fine and that we are imagining that we can't find as good a fites as before


So cry me a river :rolleyes:

Offline Sandman

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« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2002, 12:07:15 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by J_A_B
I agree with Creamo.  AH is a game.  It doesn't--and shouldn't--try to replicate every aspect of a "Real" war.  War isn't fun; AH is a game and hence should be fun.



J_A_B


War is a game also. There's just a hefty price for losing.

I can't recall the name, but I think it was a civil war general that said something to the effect of, "It's a good thing war is so terrible, otherwise we might enjoy it too much."
sand

Offline beet1e

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2002, 02:40:06 PM »
LOL - Lazs has finally risen to the bait. I'm good at baiting - some would say I'm a master at it :D

Lazs, I echo revvin's sentiments. Tough toejam if you can't game the game any more. You and your 500 clones will have to get used to it. Why don't you just play offline, and shoot down drones - now that they're killable again. Repetitious? Maybe, but I doubt whether you would notice any perceptible change from what you do year in, year out in the MA.

Offline Ghosth

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Gaming the game; ...but oh! The game has changed :)
« Reply #14 on: July 13, 2002, 03:24:55 PM »
Excellent post Scrmbl I too have enjoyed the increased ground war potentials.

There is something for everyone here if you take the time to look for it.