Lockon boring?

[Aeroscout]

Ok, let's face it, unless you your doing some ground pounding and enjoy pwning the AI, the only place to fly is online, on hyperlobby, and I'm not a ground pounder!

 

So what happens when there is one server (namely the 169th or 104th) has all the people in it? well, unless you wish to fly around aimlessly, you're kinda forced to fly in that server.

And what if that server (169th) has had the same map for the longest time, and the second most popular server (104th) has that same map? well, you could imagine that, due to lack of options, one could become quite board in a matter of days flying online.

 

Ok, it's time to be frank. I'm tired of the current maps! Every time I find some free time, I log on to HL, just to find that, once again, it's the 169th thats popular. I join, and I spawn at the same airbase, same time of day, same weather, same everything! I fly out, shot someone down, someone shoots me down, I type "GK," click quit, click FLY and repeat! Spawn at the same airbase, same plane, same time of day, yada yada. I want something different! And it's not as easy as "just go to another server" because, frankly, there is no one in any of the other servers! (and the 104th has the same map)

 

Maybe it's about time someone made another map. (I'll even volunteer if a server wishes to host mine!) Remember the Crimean? "Oh, Ya! I forgot about that! Isn't that that big land mass over there to the west?" and what about the Kerch Strait? I loved those missions. There's more to the lockon theater than just the Caucasus Mountains! Remember that "Crimean Tour" video? I'm sure someone could make many missions around some of the things in there! Naval missions could also be a blast! And how about the weather? Add some overcast, or some rain! In short, change something so that it's not the same thing every time we log onto HL. Lockon's becoming boring, and it's a shame. Also, for goodness sake! Put the F-15s and the Su-27s on different sides!

 

Oh, and before I take lots of crap for this, I do appreciate very much what PoleCat, Ice and all the others do to make online play possible. This post is merely a friendly suggestion and constructive criticism, based on my observations of online play. Also, this is not a post about the current "airquake' situation as I believe we beat that horse to death in grimes' thread. I don't post here much any more, but I just wanted to point this out.

 

Thanks,

 

Aero out

[Rhino4]

51st dedicated already hosts missions (I think there are about ten of them now) that are identical to what you asking for...I guess people aren't interested in something new though, because everytime the 51st flies there a whole bunch of people join, and then when we quit, so do they.

[Pilotasso]

It tends to be maykop VS Sochi game because thats the place with the best landscape to use deception tactics, every other area is almost flat. LOMAC never has been a naval SIM, Naval combat is much less realistic. American planes on one side and Russians on the other? It has been tried and sides always got lopsided. Statistics show russian planes are much more flown than the american ones.

[graywo1fg]

i know you dont ground pound but i have 25 servers on my server :D some donated by the 504th :) but if some air to air servers need missions i will be more than happy to donate some of my time to make some for them. :D

[Kuky]

Aero... very simple solution to this "problem". If there is noone in other servers there has to be one person to join first... others will follow... if everyone thinks they don't want to join an empty server, then all servers would be empty all the time. Someone has to "break the ice".

[Cosmonaut]

You're where a lot of us were a couple of years ago. The problem doesn't really have anything to do with spawn locations but more to do with the lack of online capabilities for the mission editor, also no dedicated server software. This leaves us with only one type of game play TDM (Team Death Match) and after a while that gets kind of boring although coops are cool but they require an active addmin for the most part so you really don't see many of them online which is ashame becasue back when LO first came out coops would pop up quite regularly.

 

The only solution is to mix it up with off line play .. and when you're tired of shooting down AI then go online again for a more competitive experience. I do wish more people would fly online though then I think we would see better missions that would require some team work.... However what I would really like to see is an online engine similar the IL2 series where you're engaged in a complete mission to destroy resources like factories power plants and of course Aircraft and pilots. This gives you something to play for and a reason to protect the bombers and back up players that request an escort etc.

 

I hope flying online with BS is a better experience than LO, but I haven't really read anything about that yet and there doesn't seem to be much discussion about it either :cry:.

[VMFA117_Poko]

Aero... very simple solution to this "problem". If there is noone in other servers there has to be one person to join first... others will follow... if everyone thinks they don't want to join an empty server, then all servers would be empty all the time. Someone has to "break the ice".

Exacly. Aero! Join the server and go making yourself a cup of tea or coffee, whatever. Probably when You are back You'll find others. But join the most popular servers.

[Boberro]

Aeroscout mentioned important "problem" - why RED\BLUE has same planes... It is so booring and frustrating when same planes are in both sides. In my opinion it isn't fair but also isn't too realistic.

[Yeniceri]

but thats a difficult problem to solve boberro..

west has only one A/A fighter (f-15) and only one A/G capable pounder (A-10) while east have 4 A/A fighters (SU-27, SU-33, Mig-29, Mig-29S) and 6 A/G capable aircrafts (all of the A/A fighters plus SU-25 and SU-25T). And dont forget that max speed of A-10 when empty is slower than slowest speed of eastern pounders when full loaded..

 

If there was a mission like that (east vs west) I would be on the east side for sure. Just like %90 of the community..

[Boberro]

Unfortunetely it is true Yeni :C...

 

...but... in Eastern side can be example Su-33 and Mig-29, 25T. On West F-15 and A-10A. We can also out Mig-29 and leave only Su-33 or Su-27 instead of 33. Various combinations :)

[PoleCat]

We should have a new mission together very shortly for the 104th dedicated and more to follow after that. We had been able to change the mission once every 4 or 5 weeks up until Blue Tide as we do not like the idea of missions that run too long. I would also like to point out that the 169th has had their mission running for well over a year. Don't get me wrong BSB is a good mission but our latest has only been running about 9 or 10 weeks, we think it good, and we were already anxious to change it after 6 weeks. We had hoped to experiment with the mission rotator soon and a series of smaller objective based missions but we have been so busy with SIM-MOD Warthog Weekend and RL we have had little time to do so. That being said we will do our best to provide some exciting alternatives for missions moving forward.

 

There are several other great servers on HL many of which were mentioned here in this thread that are deserving of your patronage as well. IMHO there is as much variety across these servers as I think there can be given the limitations of LockOn in a large multiplayer environment.

 

Skies the limit! Community Rules!

 

Out

[GGTharos]

Open up the range to 200nm+ between bases, give MiG-29G's to the west side as well for close escort/defense of the A-10's and see how that works out for you ... I bet it'll be quite a bit different.

 

Don't forget to mine the airbases inbetween.

 

If there was a mission like that (east vs west) I would be on the east side for sure. Just like %90 of the community..

[RedTiger]

but thats a difficult problem to solve boberro..

west has only one A/A fighter (f-15) and only one A/G capable pounder (A-10) while east have 4 A/A fighters (SU-27, SU-33, Mig-29, Mig-29S) and 6 A/G capable aircrafts (all of the A/A fighters plus SU-25 and SU-25T). And dont forget that max speed of A-10 when empty is slower than slowest speed of eastern pounders when full loaded..

 

If there was a mission like that (east vs west) I would be on the east side for sure. Just like %90 of the community..

 

Excuse me for commenting here, as I don't play online, but reading this gave me an idea. This isn't realistic, but it would be interesting. How about setting up a mission where each side has their dedicated air to air and air to ground platforms, but reserve the MiGs for both sides as multirole fighters? They aren't really true multirole, but MiG-29s are used for CAS and they're the closest thing in the game in size/flight performance/role to an F-16.

 

Like I said, this isn't realistic and it certainly isn't perfect, but maybe it would open up more mission possibilities instead of just "team deathmatch". I can tell you that even though I prefer air to air, I'd gladly move mud on a regular basis if I didn't have to plod around in a hog of frog to do it.

[GGTharos]

^^^^

 

While this isn't necessarily a bad idea, I would rather see fighters entirely blocked from carrying A2G munitions, for two reasons:

 

a) It devalues the dedicated mud-movers

b) LOMAC doesn't punish you enough for carrying air-to-mud stores, and accuracy is too high

 

b) results in supersonic rocket and bomb passes that are difficult to intercept by both SAMs and fighters, while achieving a high success ratio. Fighters aren't speed-limited by their munitions as they should be, neither in flight nor at separation. Bomb drop altitude is practically un-restricted, eliminating most pop-up vulnerability ... etc.

 

I suppose again, opening the ranges might help there at least against people who care to return to base after their sortie ... unlike the spate of folks who find it faster to log and respawn once out of ammo, or er, when under A2A attack because 'they can't possibly dodge it anyway' so its 'pointless to remain in the air and just take it' ... ;)

[Maxum]

I'm guilty of flying on 104th and 169th servers. My reason has to do more with connection quality as opposed to numbers.

 

Like it has been mentioned East Vs West will not work as the West aircraft selection leaves big holes in its overall capabilities. I think that 104th and 169th has done a great considering what they have to work with.

[Maxum]

Awww......I do like that idea! GG

[S77th-konkussion]

... and I'm not a ground pounder!

Aero out

 

maybe you need to expand your horizons?

[Cosmonaut]

We should have a new mission together very shortly for the 104th dedicated and more to follow after that. We had been able to change the mission once every 4 or 5 weeks up until Blue Tide as we do not like the idea of missions that run too long. I would also like to point out that the 169th has had their mission running for well over a year. Don't get me wrong BSB is a good mission but our latest has only been running about 9 or 10 weeks, we think it good, and we were already anxious to change it after 6 weeks. We had hoped to experiment with the mission rotator soon and a series of smaller objective based missions but we have been so busy with SIM-MOD Warthog Weekend and RL we have had little time to do so. That being said we will do our best to provide some exciting alternatives for missions moving forward.

 

There are several other great servers on HL many of which were mentioned here in this thread that are deserving of your patronage as well. IMHO there is as much variety across these servers as I think there can be given the limitations of LockOn in a large multiplayer environment.

 

Skies the limit! Community Rules!

 

Out

 

Sounds great! For the objective based missions I would like to make one suggestion to aid the ground pounders and the mission as a whole. And that is to weigh the mission in their favor so the targets for A10/Su25 are easy to get to and they can get to them under cover. So many times I've seen targets for the mud movers set between the opposing airfields, or near about, which just makes a difficult job impossible and you just end up getting shot down as you get to the target area. It would be great if the fighters had to search the coast, valleys etc to save their ground units instead of just flying towards the oppositions airport and hopefully it will encourage the fighters to escort too.

[159th_Viper]

......I join, and I spawn at the same airbase, same time of day, same weather, same everything! I fly out, shot someone down, someone shoots me down, I type "GK," click quit, click FLY and repeat! Spawn at the same airbase, same plane, same time of day, yada yada. I want something different!.......

 

Well then do what every good Fighter Jock should - protect your Bombers!

 

Actively seek out a Bomber Pilot and inform via Team Chat that you're going to fly Top-Cover for him and Close-Escort him to the HZ and back, aiding in his SA as far as Bandits and possible SAM launches are concerned as well as target-ID'ing/relaying Target Info re location etc etc to the Bomber - an impromptu co-op adds a lot, especially if you go after an EWR, for example, to aid the Fighter Boys. And the possibilities go on.......

 

The majority of my Hyperlobby online play is merely to practice weapons deployment and the like and very seldom with the intention of a structured/co-ordinated flight.

 

However, every now and again it spontaneously happens that a Fighter hooks up with me and things flow from there - and from a Frog-Drivers' perspective it's a helluva lotta fun and adds a lot to the immersion. For that mission it makes Hyperlobby a Good place to be :D

 

You want something different - you need to make something different ;) :)

[Boberro]

Well then do what every good Fighter Jock should - protect your Bombers!

 

Actively seek out a Bomber Pilot and inform via Team Chat that you're going to fly Top-Cover for him (...) :)

 

I flew not little time on example 169th as Su-25T and since I started fly there as bomber nobody offered a cover. I guess it is too boring to fly 500-600km\h about 30 mins until first opponent shows up :).

[GGTharos]

Good post! I'll inject some of my opinions here:

 

Well then do what every good Fighter Jock should - protect your Bombers!

 

Actively seek out a Bomber Pilot and inform via Team Chat that you're going to fly Top-Cover for him and Close-Escort him to the HZ and back,

 

Close escort is not so good. If I catch you close-escorting a bomber and I shoot you down, that bomber's toast. Your best bet is to run a fighter sweep ahead of that bomber, then CAP its attack area - it all has to be nicely timed, and some close escort MAY be necessary and even useful for some of the flight, but as a fighter pilot, it's probably the worse of your options (Save for not escorting at all) :)

 

aiding in his SA as far as Bandits and possible SAM launches are concerned as well as target-ID'ing/relaying Target Info re location etc etc to the Bomber - an impromptu co-op adds a lot, especially if you go after an EWR, for example, to aid the Fighter Boys. And the possibilities go on.......

 

The majority of my Hyperlobby online play is merely to practice weapons deployment and the like and very seldom with the intention of a structured/co-ordinated flight.

 

However, every now and again it spontaneously happens that a Fighter hooks up with me and things flow from there - and from a Frog-Drivers' perspective it's a helluva lotta fun and adds a lot to the immersion. For that mission it makes Hyperlobby a Good place to be :D

 

You want something different - you need to make something different ;) :)

And again, I say distance would be the key. :) With people having to manage their fuel, apply evasion and search tactics that become more important over long ranges, as well as navigation, fly specific flight profiles - this is ALL forced on you by distance.

 

As a lonewolf, you're likely to perish in the face of a coordinated flight much more likely than in shorter-range missions (because running away become difficult) on the other hand, it's easier to survive if you play your cards right and manage your fuel (because chasing you becomes an issue) so it now opens up more options for engagement/disengagement decisions, etc.

 

Of course, it also weeds out anyone who wants to take off and shoot, which might make the server just a little less popular ...

[159th_Viper]

Thanx for the Clarification GG - does indeed make a lot of sense :)

 

 

....which might make the server just a little less popular ....

 

 

 

It'll be the only one I fly in :)

[Pilotasso]

LOMACs problem in this are:

 

1)Lack of multirole aircraft

2)lack of support from other players

 

In face of these 2 factors you can only expect to go any far from base in a frog if there are many places to hide. Even if the mission editor could be fixed, wihtout satisfying 1) and 2) theres nothing you can do about it.

Getting 1) would at least encourage cooperation between the players to cover each other AA and AG in the same pakage.

 

The only place to be in a Su-25 is in the mountains near sochi or gudauta. Going for the straights of Kerch without a fighter escort is purely suicidal and a waste of time specialy if bases are appart 200 miles.

 

BTW Graywolf, I do use Su-25T to clear that SAM thats bothering the hell out of me. However do it less when I dont have all day to play wich dosnt happen for quite a while.

[GGTharos]

I'd be in there too ... we (the 504 and 44) have actually run such a mission for a very short time, and it was very successful, but it IS difficult. MiGs were really suffering, as were lonewolves, and in addition I got a lot of:

 

"Who's the #(*$&(#&(*%^# who made this mission, it takes forever to find the enemy" ... which is probably something a frog pilot might not mind hearing .. :D

 

As I recall, I ended up in a dogfight with Pilotasso - he was winning, but his wingman had left him, while my wingman saved me ... also, in a confrontation between 2 4-ships, there were only a couple planes hit before fuel and other concerns forced a general disengagement.

 

 

It'll be the only one I fly in :)

[RedTiger]

a) It devalues the dedicated mud-movers

 

I can agree with your points except this one. It could allow missions to be designed where the dedicated air to ground planes can perform more in their intended roles leaving strike missions up to the MiG-29s.