33 replies to this topic

[bAnderson]

Over the past year I have noticed a new generation of players coming in. This generation is worrying to the whole forum alliance business, due to the 6 main subgroups of new players.

 

Inactives: These people play once to try it out and never come back. There are probably thousands of people like this who have joined in the last few months. Why should they be here?

Airlines Only: These people only play the game. They only browse through the forum, they don't actively participate in it. There is almost no hope of recruitment.

Spammers with forum presence: These people are usually rejected from alliances but flock to the Star Alliances, OneWorlds, and Skyteams in game worlds, making up what looks to be 50% of alliance traffic. However, it is safe to say that 70% of the players in this game are spammers.

Spammers who Apply: Spammers who apply for forum alliances are looking for rejection. Our rules and regulations usually keep them out, but they are always trying, it seems.

Realistic Players with forum presence: There are many realistic players in these game worlds, whether it's those who have been here and love airlines, to those looking for a daily challenge. 

Realistic Players who Apply: Many realistic players are accepted into forum alliance, but still not all.

 

Now you're thinking, what's this got to do with alliances?

 

Well, assume that these are split evenly, 16.67% of AE players are in each category. So 16.67% are spammer, 16.67% are inactive, etc. This equates to forum alliance application to 33% of AE players, Spammers who apply and Realistics who apply. However, assuming that 50% of realistic players make it into forum alliances, only 8% of new members will be joining forum alliances. I don't know exactly how many players there are, there might be 10,000, there might be 1,000,000. On the low end, there's 800 people of 10,000 players in alliances.

 

However, we know this is wrong because everything is out of proportion. If we assume that 10% of new players are one-timers, 15% are airline-only, 50% are Spammers, 10% are Spammers who apply, 5% are realistics of the forum, and 5% are Realistic Players who apply, then all of the sudden the numbers change, now only 250 people apply out of the entire community. This is probably less than it really is, but this is still worrying for the future of alliances.

 

Without new blood, forum alliances are subject to becoming stale, and are at the mercy of the members. People like Kai, who have been here for a long time, are the people who we can trust to stay with the game. But people are going to leave the game. One day, someone's airline will either become bankrupt for the first (or 50th) time and they won't have the energy to restart that airline or make a new one. They'll forget about the game and leave it for good, maybe their alliance as well. Or they'll become busy in their lives and forget about AE too. Attrition is very dangerous to forum alliances, because if there are only 20 people left, they'll be gone. The inactive alliance list is already over 15 alliances long.

 

So what's the solution here? Do forum alliances lower the strictness of their rules to let the spammers into the alliance? Do we hope the next generation are all realistic players who can boost our ranks? Do we let forum alliances become a thing of the past? Or can we do something about it?

 

Thanks for reading this long piece! I'd love to hear the discussion here!

[vap57]

Have been playing for years.  I know what an alliance is, I join them all the time.  However, I have no idea what a "forum alliance" is.  Is it different from joining an alliance from the "Alliance Options" page?

[Denver.]

Majority of the members do not know about this forum alliance. As I used to invite members to join National there used to be tons of questions about Forum Alliances. With the current trend I can surely see quite a few alliances possible of shut down. People like WK and me have been committed about this game, even thought we have personal things to do at the same time.

[bAnderson]

Have been playing for years.  I know what an alliance is, I join them all the time.  However, I have no idea what a "forum alliance" is.  Is it different from joining an alliance from the "Alliance Options" page?

A forum alliance is an in-game alliance that is more exclusive. We have regulations and don't let just anybody join. The exclusivity makes it more appealing to some, and the branding is kind of fun. So yes and no. You can join a forum alliance from the Alliance Options, but most of the time only if you're in the forum alliance.

[Denver.]

A forum alliance is an in-game alliance that is more exclusive. We have regulations and don't let just anybody join. The exclusivity makes it more appealing to some, and the branding is kind of fun. So yes and no. You can join a forum alliance from the Alliance Options, but most of the time only if you're in the forum alliance.

Alliance's like National as compared to other alliances is Invitation based and Is not open to all AE Members. It depends from alliance to alliance. 

[Stevphfeniey]

Excel mastarrace

[NNR]

From what I've seen, I'd class the people who apply for alliances into these five categories:

 

Number One: The People Who Try. They can often be confused with Number Four. These people make a great effort with their airline, treat the application form as if it's their resume and are generally over professional. These people tend to get rejected from the bigger alliances, but other alliances tend to accept them.

 

Number Two: Shitliners. Shitliners are the people who operate 17 787 frequencies from Derry to Belfast a week (50 mile route iirc). They're rarely accepted, only by the smaller alliances.

 

Number Three: Big Names. These are the well known people on the forum who can basically get into any alliance they wish, no matter how terrible their airline is, though it usually tends to be a decent airline with good branding.

 

Number Four: Inexperienced Newbies. Need I say any more?

Number Five: Zipp, who applies to a lot of alliances.

[keanseeley]

Hmmm, a relevant topic as we just hit 60,000 members.

 

From my perspective, I don't think that the alliance system is on the verge of extinction. AE will only continue to grow larger as more and more people hear about the game. AE itself is extremely accessible, as all it takes to play is a web browser and 5 minutes to make an account. I think that this is one of the strengths of AE. While some alliances will collapse due to inactivity, I believe the system is strong enough to last.

 

I feel that there are two categories of players when it comes to AE; Those who see it as a numbers game, and those who see it as an exercise in running a top-tier realistic airline. 

 

From a top-tier realistic perspective, AE becomes much more engaging. Creating liveries, writing backstories, and joining alliances are all part of the game, even if they are not actually coded in. People who play in this style are much more likely to join and stick with an alliance and contribute to forums/chats. 

 

Without the drive to create things such as stories or liveries, AE can become what is basically a spreadsheet simulator. If somebody doesn't care about realism, and is only motivated by their ranking in the game world, spamlining is the only thing that makes sense. Since AE's standalone gameplay is centered around creating bigger and bigger numbers, there's no reason for somebody who doesn't care about realism to run a realistic airline. These players makes up the VAST majority of AE.

 

Realistic players, for lack of a better-sounding term, are an extremely vocal minority. Somebody posting even once on the forums is rare, never mind 100 times or 1000 times. There will always be the next 'new wave' of active players in the forums, gallery, and game. While the tide of inexperienced players is annoying for some, I think it's important to recognize the players who want to get better, even if they initially spamline. While lowering alliance standards to accept spamliners would be a mistake, I think helping the new players who are interested in joining an alliance and want to try realistic gameplay would strengthen both the alliance system and the community itself.

[NNR]

Hmmm, a relevant topic as we just hit 60,000 members.

 

From my perspective, I don't think that the alliance system is on the verge of extinction. AE will only continue to grow larger as more and more people hear about the game. AE itself is extremely accessible, as all it takes to play is a web browser and 5 minutes to make an account. I think that this is one of the strengths of AE. While some alliances will collapse due to inactivity, I believe the system is strong enough to last.

 

I feel that there are two categories of players when it comes to AE; Those who see it as a numbers game, and those who see it as an exercise in running a top-tier realistic airline. 

 

From a top-tier realistic perspective, AE becomes much more engaging. Creating liveries, writing backstories, and joining alliances are all part of the game, even if they are not actually coded in. People who play in this style are much more likely to join and stick with an alliance and contribute to forums/chats. 

 

Without the drive to create things such as stories or liveries, AE can become what is basically a spreadsheet simulator. If somebody doesn't care about realism, and is only motivated by their ranking in the game world, spamlining is the only thing that makes sense. Since AE's standalone gameplay is centered around creating bigger and bigger numbers, there's no reason for somebody who doesn't care about realism to run a realistic airline. These players makes up the VAST majority of AE.

 

Realistic players, for lack of a better-sounding term, are an extremely vocal minority. Somebody posting even once on the forums is rare, never mind 100 times or 1000 times. There will always be the next 'new wave' of active players in the forums, gallery, and game. While the tide of inexperienced players is annoying for some, I think it's important to recognize the players who want to get better, even if they initially spamline. While lowering alliance standards to accept spamliners would be a mistake, I think helping the new players who are interested in joining an alliance and want to try realistic gameplay would strengthen both the alliance system and the community itself.

Just to let you know, we hit 60000 members a long time ago. Denver is spreading fake news.

[Denver.]

Just to let you know, we hit 60000 members a long time ago. Denver is spreading fake news.

Hmm. Then how many members are we now. According to accessible informations for all members, we hit 60,000 members a week ago and that's what we should believe in. Please stop harassing me.

[NNR]

Hmm. Then how many members are we now. According to accessible informations for all members, we hit 60,000 members a week ago and that's what we should believe in. Please stop harassing me.

horse urine

[Conor]

Please stop being total gobshites or I'll lock the thread

[keanseeley]

Well whether it's 59,999 or 60,001, I think the the point remains the same. New players aren't going to know about the realistic way of playing if they're not told.

[bAnderson]

Please stop being total gobshites or I'll lock the thread

Please don't, I spent a lot of time writing it and I believe there is some true discussion to be had here.

[NNR]

Better solution really would be to delete the posts

[zipp]

 

Number Five: Zipp, who applies to a lot of alliances.

 

You'll be hearing from my lawyer

 

And i've only applied to like 20 thank you

[Denver.]

Maybe if joining alliances was mandatory on registration? New Members have to choose between Alliances and it reflects on their profile. 

[zipp]

Maybe if joining alliances was mandatory on registration? New Members have to choose between Alliances and it reflects on their profile.

No

[Bradimir]

What even was this?

[RJM]

I have never understood the forum alliance. And even reading through this I still feel no need to try and join one. I have been playing for a while. I look through the forums often. The main stuff on the alliance forums hasn't been updated in years in most cases. I think like me, most members don't understand what it is all about.

 

Anyone care to explain my benefit of joining?