Community Preference Initiative

Originally Posted by mxmadman

The Monologue: (Optional)
Let me explain where I'm coming from: I've just finished work. I'm sittin' here enjoying an adult beverage and thinking about what I want to do in Clod but can't. I have just a short amount of time to play (today I do, but not always), and I'd like to jump in multiplayer and have some fun before I log off to do other things.

But when I jump into the ATAG server, I end up flying around almost aimlessly chasing around 'Yun'ku's 88!' or the more popular, "...got a guy out of in front of me here.. somewhere" from a helpful teammate on TS3.

I do this for a long while. I normally end up running out of fuel, and/or being so devastated by flack, that I must return home. Sometimes, I fail to even spot the notorious "Yun'kuh" or the even more illusive 'random unidentified guy in an unidentified location', let alone get a good fight out of him.

If I do manage to get in a fight I have to immediately dive below him, if I'm not already. Is this a great tactical move? Not even close! I have to dive below because I can't keep him in sight if he's against any background other than sky.

Then I get frustrated and, generally, fire up another sim. This isn't a knock on the game, and it's not an insult to the ATAG server. I love the ATAG server preferences on occasion when I have a lot of time to burn and I'm feeling rather patient.

Which brings me to my real point: we need more variety in the multiplayer choices. To be more specific, the variety is already there, we just need people to populate the servers.

The Facts:
At about 7 PST and later on Monday March 26, 2012
Il-2 Sturmovik 1946 (Hyperlobby - 170 Users in-game):
Most Popular Servers:

1)Skies~Of~Valor
21/50 Users - Disabled Realism(meaning these things are allowed): Player Icons, External Views, Hud Icons, Map Icons, etc.

2) =IRSS=Dogfight 4.11m
16/40 Users - Disabled Realism: Hud Icons, Map Icons, Player Icons, etc.

3a) -=PLR=- Server
12/20 Users - Disabled realism settings include : HUD Icons, External Views, Map Icons.

3b) Fun~4~ALL~411
12/37 Users - Disabled Realism: (almost everything, this appears to be a "newbie server") Player Icons, Hud Icons, Map Icons, All possible views, etc.

3c) Spit_vs_109_Mod
12/90 Users - Disabled Realism: None. This is the only populated "full realism" server, and it's tied for third most populated in Hyperlobby at this time.

Rise of Flight:

1) New Wings - Novice Battlegrounds
31/65 Users - Disabled Realism: Very little, as implied by the novice part of the title. Notably including all object icons.

2)Syndicate Full Realism (+AI) (website omitted)
26/61 Users - Disabled Realism: None, as titled implies this is full realism. It's also the only populated full real server in RoF currently.

3) Flying Circus
2/65 Users - Disabled Realism: All object icons, engine warm-up, and padlock.

Aces High:

482 Current Users - This is more of an MMO, so "realism settings" are as created by the developers. However, object icons - "VIEWING ENEMIES ON YOUR HUD IN YOUR BRIGHT RED LETTERS" - are ENABLED and at very high distances. This is by far the most online users of the examples, and in fact is more current online users than all of Il-2 Sturmovik 1946, Cliffs of Dover, and Rise of Flight combined.

Aces High uses a similar HUD style to Clod(with Object and other Icon's enabled). It's 98% text based and displays enemy aircraft in red. You immediately identify friend and enemy, just like with Clod's interface, and it also tells aircraft type and distance.

The Initiative:
Let's start dogfighting in the North American primetime's! (MST, PST, etc...)

Judging by the numbers I just pulled for this - ridiculously - long forum post, people want to dogfight. Object icons, Map Icons, and all of this lead to several things. More fighting being the main one. You're average sortie time drops. You're average kills per hour soars. This is not a surprise to any of you I'm sure, people want to relax and get their game on, especially on weekdays.

More people want to play these (niche) games with those icons on, in total.

These servers are already active, online and available every time you go to client search, but there's only one problem. They always have users ranging from 0/50, to 3/52. So you join ATAG, because that's an epic experience sometimes (great server, and I love it) and play, or if you want to get into a dogfight right now!.. you go back to single player, or you go to another sim.

This has taken far too long. I'm gonna make this shorter by just saying JOIN ME ON and try to unite guy's to get a consistent game together!

It has 'No Object Icons', 'No Map Icons', and 'No Map Path' Disabled. Complex Engine Management (CEM!) and Engine Temperate Effects, are ENABLED! It's still a sim even if you're aren't straining your eyes so hard you're running for the Clear Eyes after each dogfight. I'm not trying to say those options are bad, there is just no denying that this is a dividing option as far as game experience goes (see game user stats above).

TLDR:

Let's start doing more fighting and stop LOOKING FOR DOTS! Atleast on the weekdays. Preferably during North American prime-time (give or take a few thousand miles). And start using the guns on the aircraft more often!!!



Please feel free to give ideas, post criticism, and whatever else pops into you're noggin'. If you're like me and you want to get into more fights, even if it means seeing bright red letters telling you where the enemy is on your screen, post here and let's try to get something together and perhaps people will join when they see other users online.

Flying in no particular direction! Waiting to fight! I'm pretty bad, so it's easy kills!

My five cents? Here you are:

I think that there are servers for quick dogfighting and servers for those who just like realism. Why do we need to turn any server to a quick dogfight server and leaving the ppl who prefer realism (even if they are a minority) with nothing? ATAG has its audience with realism settings and me personally I overall prefer flying on this kind of server like my squadron mates even if occasionally I go for a quicky on the reduced realism df servers.

Full realism servers do have their audience. The lack of players currently may be rather attributed with the still missing patch.