The AH2 whine thread

[Urchin]

Lets go ahead and get em all collected here, I want to be the author of a 3,000 post monster.  In the interests of both the whiners and cheerleaders, I will attempt to give a "fair and balanced" TM report and tell both sides.  

First-  Understand that AH2 is a huge project.  Gigantic in fact, even with no new planes or anything.  They have to change/update the graphics for every unit in the game (using a new graphics engine), they have to change/update the flight model for every plane in the game (at least I presume that is what they are doing), and they have to change/update the whole user interface for the game.  And that doesn't even include the real "meat" of AH2, which will be an entirely different method of gameplay that has to be designed from the ground up.  Big project + Small company = Long time.  Deal with it.  

And just to be fair-

First (again)-  It has been over a year since we had any update worth mentioning.  Even in that release we got no new planes that stick in my mind as being particularly 'crucial' or even useful.  The gameplay has gotten staler than a pizza that has been left out for a week (no pun intended, honest), and with no new 'toys' to play with it makes it seem even more dull.  Combined with a complete blackout for months on end as to what the state of the update is, it is easy to 'lose faith'.  

As for me, I'm somewhat in the middle.  Yea, the gameplay is godawful nowadays, but that is more a function of the population itself than the game.  The designer doesn't have a whole lot of control over how a "mmog" is played.  And as long as there are a lot of people playing it, the designer is making money.  Money = Satisfaction.  Maybe AH2 will be the godsend everyone thinks it will be, I don't know.  All the new release is going to be is an updated graphics model  and the physics model (if I read correctly)-  no new gameplay, no new toys.  But whether AH2 is a cornucopia of goodness or just same ol' same ol' with more makeup, it is going to take 5 people an awfully long time to get it out the door.  So there is no point in getting your panties in a wad over the delays.  Or the silence, because it would be foolish for HTC to give things away to their competitors as to what is going to be new in AH2.

[AKIron]

I'm sure they are giving it max effort. Creating something like Aces High isn't like building a house where it's been done many times and is easy to predict the completion.

No use whining over it taking longer than expected. Stiff upper lip and all that.

[Halo]

I guess so.  Aces High epitomizes the publc relations axiom emphasizing the need for organizations to build a reservoir of good will.  The game has done that and is drawing on it now.

[Glasses]

Urch lay off the Fox news and O'Reilly

[Flossy]

Good post, Urchin.  

[maik]

Well said Urchin.

[MrWimpy]

Ok, what's the latest expected release of AH2??

[Kweassa]

*Mooooooooooooooooan.*

 ...

 Ok. I'm done whining.

 Waited almost a year for a new update. I think I can wait couple of more months

[Gremlin]

Originally posted by Urchin
Even in that release we got no new planes that stick in my mind as being particularly 'crucial' or even useful.

I'm right with ya on most of that Urch, but I think the above statement is a little unfair.  I agree the latest additions are not much good for the MA environment, but AH is so much more than the MA.  The more recent release have made lots of special events possible that couldn't be done before.

Nice write up all the same

[Gremlin]

Originally posted by HiTech
Added the following planes: P-40B, P-40E, D3A1, SBD-5, Boston III, A-20G, A6M2, F4F-4, FM2

(From v1.10 release announcement)

Pretty significant additions IMHO.

[hazed-]

Knew it was coming really, HTC posting some pics which dont show any new model plane (at least i seem to remember seeing the updated spit before) was the first clue to there being more stuff to be done.

Quite honestly my veiw is if it aint ready it aint ready, but I also think its no big deal to cancel your account if the game becomes too boring. Everyone reaches a burnout period and that seems to happen whether you have new planes or not. All games become stale if you play them enough. What is amazing is that AH has held so many of our interests for so long.Its quite a feat of programming to do that

I have no other game ive played as much and i love AH but I have to say its struggling to keep my attention lately.I think ive just about halved or more my use of it over last few weeks and i was kind of hoping the release at the end of the 3rd Q would renew my interest. The problem i see with these release dates is companies seem to feel they have to maintain it will ship on time up until the last moment when they could adjust it a little earlier and COMMUNICATE with us more. Its not the delay which pisses people off , its the dissapointment at such a late stage. As we closed in on the date we got more excited, in this impatient state we tend to notice even more how theres nothing new in the game at this moment  to satisfy this impatience for the new toys/graphic engine, this is bad enough in itself as it makes people burnout even faster.Then the killer blow a week or so before you expect the new game! now thats not the way to do it if you ask me.
 It only needs a monthly update on progress to keep most people happy on this BB. If this delay was a last minute decision i could understand and its ok, but if, as it sounds, they are far from completing the model adjustmsnts needed as well as other aspects then why on earth dont they just tell us what IS finnished so we can make a few guesses of our own? If nothing else it gives us something to talk about other than the latest '2 week' joke.surely they knew they couldnt make it weeks ago?
Im not trying to be difficult, but i do feel HTC are neglecting an area in their product which is not really so difficult to do and that is a little communication through their news section. Waiting well over 2 months for so much as a single word then suddenly pictures and 'sorry its not coming out next week after all' just isnt on.
I'll keep paying my account. $14.99 isnt so bad a financial drain as to warrent closing it and i still get on a few times. Im not threatening to close in any way but there will obviously come a time when play doesnt equal value for money.for now even with the news im still paying and playing so it isnt the end of the world but HTC should realise they are upsetting people with the way they seem to be treating them.Theres no need for it, how long does it take to post a short newsletter just like this one by pyro? 10 mins max? HTC used to post stuff all the time so i KNOW it really isnt asking that much from them (brown noses please shuddap ).

Lets hope it does make christmas although now it seems we dont have a release date at all do we?.

>sigh<

[muckmaw]

I agree Hazed.

What you wrote is very well thought out, and makes sense. Let me see if I can add to it.

I appreciate HT's Effort to bring us a quality product, and I realize we pay for the current game and not the future update.

With that said, HTC had us salivating over a leap forward in our gaming experience. No one told HT to have the game out by Q3. They imposed that on themselves, and if they cannot meet it, that's fine. It's totally understandable, and forgivable.

What I'm having trouble with is the fact that they waited until the week before the end of the 3rd quarter to tell us they would not meet the deadline. Are they so close to beta that only small problems arose at the last minute?

I think it more likely that they knew they could not hit this deadline for a month or more.

The announcement would not have stung so badly if it were not made so close to the release date.

Second, the way the news was broke was bothersome, as it did not include even a hint of an updated timeline. I undertand they may have no clue, but I'm sure they could estimate it. I would be satisfied with "By Years end," Sping of '04, etc. Just give us the news. We can take it.

Finally, the relative news black-out adds to the frustration and anticipation. A simple blurb, one paragraph, once a week would be enough to let us feel like we're in the loop, and know how the game is coming along. No knowing how far along the project is adds to the frustration.

I look forward to getting slammed by the uber-fans, but I had to speak my mind.

all.

[AKIron]

Originally posted by muckmaw
I look forward to getting slammed by the uber-fans, but I had to speak my mind.

all.

No doubt that everyone feels some disappointment over this. I kinda doubt anyone is gonna feel like slammin' ya.

Maybe if that disappointment is too severe it's time to add another meaningful activity to yer schedule? Been puttin' off learning more about MS SQL for some time, now I have no excuse. Damn you HTC!

[Frogm4n]

why wont my p1 133 and voodoo 1 machine run it!1! Dont they ever think of their average customer!!11!:)  

[Kegger26]

Originally posted by muckmaw
What I'm having trouble with is the fact that they waited until the week before the end of the 3rd quarter to tell us they would not meet the deadline. Are they so close to beta that only small problems arose at the last minute?

I think it more likely that they knew they could not hit this deadline for a month or more.

The announcement would not have stung so badly if it were not made so close to the release date.

Second, the way the news was broke was bothersome, as it did not include even a hint of an updated timeline. I undertand they may have no clue, but I'm sure they could estimate it. I would be satisfied with "By Years end," Sping of '04, etc. Just give us the news. We can take it.

Finally, the relative news black-out adds to the frustration and anticipation. A simple blurb, one paragraph, once a week would be enough to let us feel like we're in the loop, and know how the game is coming along. No knowing how far along the project is adds to the frustration.

 AMEN BROTHER.... Preach on! lol
Really though I fully agree with you. I think since its being held off for a bit we should atleast get a full update on the news. We got a link for a reveiw for the game a week back, that gave everyone false hope. HT had to have known he wasnt going to make 3Q a month ago. So he wetted our apps for a game he knew wouldnt make it out on time. I think that is a bit unfair. That being said, I am not mad at ya. Just plz dont do that agin. Thanks. Ohh yeah and if you want to make it up to us.... check out my sig