Vote: Next game world

[tm07x]

bugger, I was hoping for a 2000s world. So we finally get to play the NEW airplanes...

Maybe it's just me, but I'd love to transition from 757 and 767 to 777s and A380s...

Heck, it'd even be fun to include todays prototypes into the game.

[fjls]

Heck, it'd even be fun to include todays prototypes into the game.

maybe the a380-900, a350-1000 or b787-10

[tm07x]

maybe the a380-900, a350-1000 or b787-10

Stuff like that yeah.

[Aliens62]

Would one very long game be of interest to many...i.e start in the 60,s with prop driven and go all the way through to say 2015, so you experience the huge changes in travel and the airline business. You could start with a small regional carrier with say a couple of DC3,s and build to an international mega carrier. Would take some staying power as the game would looooonnnnggg, but may be an interesting challenge to try??

[RushmoreAir]

Would one very long game be of interest to many...i.e start in the 60,s with prop driven and go all the way through to say 2015, so you experience the huge changes in travel and the airline business. You could start with a small regional carrier with say a couple of DC3,s and build to an international mega carrier. Would take some staying power as the game would looooonnnnggg, but may be an interesting challenge to try??

Sami doesn't want to make a super-long scenario, because he says that new updates are hard to put in long-running scenarios, among other things.

Could just be less profitable for the amount of server space it ties up, though. 

[JumboShrimp]

Sami doesn't want to make a super-long scenario, because he says that new updates are hard to put in long-running scenarios, among other things.

Especially since next set of game worlds will be the last ones on version 1.2.  Maybe we can come back to ask for longer running scenario when 1.3 is released.

[The Great Santini]

Post war through the beginning of the jet age would be great, roughly 1948 to 1970.

[Frogiton]

2007-2022  or something like that would be a good scenario because we've never reall had a real MODERN scenario.

[swiftus27]

2007-2022  or something like that would be a good scenario because we've never reall had a real MODERN scenario.

I fear, for Sami's sake, that we will have to use too many assumed plane statistics to be able to do this.

[Dashek]

Hey Sami and all,

My suggestions in brief:

1) Cargo!!!!  Belly Cargo as well as cargo planes or combis.
2) Possibility to transition pilots within the airplane categories vs. the current having to lay off small plane pilots and at the same time hiring large plane pilots and thereby still wrecking your image.
3) Wetleasing for shorter periods (i.e. to cover C and D checks), thereby creating new oportunities for firms. i.e. ACMI leasing.
4) Infrastructure investment (i.e. maintenance hangars).   Scheduling your whole fleet for a B-Check at the same time should not be possible unless providing sufficient hangar space.  Airlines could rent out open hangar space to others also based at the same airport.    Renting vs. owning.
5) More information about the product the competitors are providing on same routes.   i.e. pricing, seating.

What do you think?

[Alexandre Meniuk]

I donīt know about its feasibility and if other players would agree with me. But longer game world, starting maybe in the 50īs and going as far as present days would be very interesting. This would force major fleet updates,  something not encoraged in game worlds that lasts for 20 years or less.

[JumboShrimp]

Sami,

Any update on what game will start (based on feedback) and when?  I think most of the current games (maybe except Alliance challenge) are so far into the game world that most of the active players have their airlines more or less on an autopilot.

And it is so much harder for new players to enter mature game worlds - and still go through a full game experience (probably first 5 to 10 years of the life of the airline).  I don't think any of the current games have that much life left in them (5 to 10 game years).

[Sigma]

I donīt know about its feasibility and if other players would agree with me. But longer game world, starting maybe in the 50īs and going as far as present days would be very interesting. This would force major fleet updates,  something not encoraged in game worlds that lasts for 20 years or less.

Try a major fleet update and let me know how it goes.

You'll see why anyone's who's been around a while doesn't want to play a long-term game.  The process of changing plane models absolutely sucks when you've got to do it, per route upwards of 500 aircraft.  You could very easily be doing the horrible process upwards of two-thousand times.  Whenever we have long worlds you often see the original large airlines just crash and burn because people get so tired of upgrading planes they just stop playing because the game loses 100% of its fun.

Even that fact withstanding the games are already largely no fun after about 10 years.  Competition is gone, it's just you by yourself or you and other airlines that are so huge they're never going down, and the game worlds get really stagnant.

[swiftus27]

Sigma is 100% correct with that statement.

For a few months, sami has been trying to find ways to slow down the first stage of a game when this all happens because there is often a massive falloff in the number of airlines in the latter 2/3rds of a game.

[Dashek]

I personally enjoy fleet planning, updating and so on very much.   Yes, I only owned small airlines (30 - 40 aircraft), but that was the big fun in the JET AGE games.  Beying ahead, planning ahead.   But maybe that would keep people from creating "monster" carriers - not trying to talk down der success - and giving the game another aspect.   I.e. I had to ground an original successful carrier because my 707s turned out to be loosing money on my ultra long range due to rising fuel prices.   I couldnt get rid of them in time and... bankrupt.   

[Aliens62]

I agree with Swiftus and Sigma, there is a point where you don,t see any challenge anymore in the game as you have build a huge carrier that dominates with a number of others. This leads to other players dropping out and a certain level of boredom for those who continue. Would it be possible to include some features that are 'unlocked' once certain goals are achieved to allow you to develop the game further, that are not available at the start. The ideas suggested by Dashek below would be a good start.
My suggestions in brief:

1) Cargo!!!!  Belly Cargo as well as cargo planes or combis.
2) Possibility to transition pilots within the airplane categories vs. the current having to lay off small plane pilots and at the same time hiring large plane pilots and thereby still wrecking your image.
3) Wetleasing for shorter periods (i.e. to cover C and D checks), thereby creating new oportunities for firms. i.e. ACMI leasing.
4) Infrastructure investment (i.e. maintenance hangars).   Scheduling your whole fleet for a B-Check at the same time should not be possible unless providing sufficient hangar space.  Airlines could rent out open hangar space to others also based at the same airport.    Renting vs. owning.
5) More information about the product the competitors are providing on same routes.   i.e. pricing, seating.

What do you think?

[oggie84]

Currently there always seems to be at least 3 "full" game worlds open at any one time.

So to cater for everyone's needs how about these types of scenarios as each current game worlds end:-

One "Early Days" Scenario - 1960 - 1980
One "Jet Age" Scenario - 1980 - 2000
One "Modern Times" scenario - 2000 - 2020

This way all Era's are covered and at 20 years per game, should keep the interest for enough people for the whole duration. At least i think it could 

[AydiAir]

So to cater for everyone's needs how about these types of scenarios as each current game worlds end:-

One "Early Days" Scenario - 1960 - 1980
One "Jet Age" Scenario - 1980 - 2000
One "Modern Times" scenario - 2000 - 2020

I think that's a really good idea.

I, personally, prefer playing games in newer worlds with newer aircraft and larger pax demands. I agree that it's very hard to join a game that has established airlines, and when you get a large airline, it's hard to keep the game fun. It's a delicate balance, but one that the game is yet to master.

[TechnicianX]

Hi everyone.

The ideas being thrown around here are rather good.  I voted for 1990s but now realise that a scenario starting in the 1980s would probably be best.  Allows for players to start with older machines (which are interesting to learn about) before getting access to newer stuff like the A330/A340 and B747-400/777 series.

However regardless of the time period, does anyone have an idea on when a new world will be opened?  I left the Air Travel Boom world a while back due to a lack of time to play and difficult growth within the game.  Been waiting for a replacement recently and now that ATB has closed up it'd be great to know when a new launch is expected.

[RushmoreAir]

1) Cargo!!!!  Belly Cargo as well as cargo planes or combis.
2) Possibility to transition pilots within the airplane categories vs. the current having to lay off small plane pilots and at the same time hiring large plane pilots and thereby still wrecking your image.
3) Wetleasing for shorter periods (i.e. to cover C and D checks), thereby creating new oportunities for firms. i.e. ACMI leasing.
4) Infrastructure investment (i.e. maintenance hangars).   Scheduling your whole fleet for a B-Check at the same time should not be possible unless providing sufficient hangar space.  Airlines could rent out open hangar space to others also based at the same airport.    Renting vs. owning.
5) More information about the product the competitors are providing on same routes.   i.e. pricing, seating.

What do you think?

Well, 1 and 2 have been mentioned more than a few times, and each time, Sami has said that they are too hard to code for them to be viable anytime in the near future.  So those are out. 5 has been discussed, and the consensus has been that if this were allowed to happen, whoever had the most money could win, running the smaller airlines into the dirt with $1 and $2 fares.

I do like 3 and 4 however.  Especially 4.  In most other "simulation" or "tycoon" games, you have the opportunity to invest in real estate, no matter what your original business is.