CALL TO ARMS DDz !

[Painless]

Salute chaps, the numbers flying have been alarmingly low across the board lately.

I have been guilty of not flying on a Sunday myself over the past few weeks so this is not a soap box request.

For those who host it is always nice to have a good show of DDz for any session so if you have let things slide a bit or have been distracted by other “stuff” please consider getting back in the saddle more regularly. 

If there is a problem with our calendar of regular flying events now would be a good time to voice your concerns. We all have an equal voice here remember !

Thanks Dogz !

 

[Crash]

Looks like Santa Pod for me on Sunday, so no 1946 AGAIN for me .Sorry. However I am interested in other peoples views on what we should/need to do to get more regular flyers.

[DD_Fenrir]

Good call Mick.

If the current allocation of  particular sims to specific evenings is causing you to miss out regularly then perhaps a re-organisation is in order. 

I myself can only really fly two evenings a week; as the squad DCS flagwaver, I've been concentrating on providing support for DCS users on these nights and joining other sim nights when I can. 

 

[BluBear]

Gents,

I've been struggling to find the time this year to commit to my ideal two nights a week, sometimes even one is difficult. This is regretful, but hopefully only temporary.
Currently it's the combination of a new home-life situation and a demanding job that often leaves precious little evening time or energy for anything else.
Having reluctantly made the decision to ditch Sundays a while back due to focusing on the newer sims, I have missed the banter with certain dogz for some time now.

Honestly, 1946 doesn't really do it for me anymore, I've been well and truly bitten by the DCS bug so tend to gravitate there should I find myself with an evening free to fly.
Even CloD is losing it's appeal in recent months due to its developmental stagnation and drop in regular Dogz numbers.
I want to spend more time in BoX, but if I only get one evening free it's simpler to just fire up DCS. (plus, there has been considerable investment here compared to elsewhere )

Perhaps as Tom says, another review is in order?

[FoolTrottel]

Hm, what if we simply create a Dogzday, add it somewhere into the regular 7 day week?

We will all have a extra evening to spend on ... Oh, yeah, wait, on what?  

[Crash]

If there is anyone who wants to fly a specific sim at a specific time please say so

[Painless]

Cards on the table time..... I would not be upset to see GBS on Sunday and Tuesday, DCS on Monday and Thursday. There I said it ?

[Crash]

To be honest ..... me too however more people need some input.

[DD_Arthur]

58 minutes ago, Painless said:

.... I would not be upset to see GBS on Sunday and Tuesday, DCS on Monday and Thursday. 

Suits me.  I'd like the opportunity to fly GBS more and.....I'd like the opportunity to fly DCS more.  More VR flying; yes please.

 

 

 

 

However,  I do feel the CloD server has to remain running.  If we switch it off I think there's a real danger of CloD going belly-up numbers wise at the moment.

We'd be "the squad that killed Cliffs"

   

[Painless]

I would like to hear Arjen’s opinion on this as it is him and Tom who have put so much time and effort into the squad...........

[Gypsy]

Being a newbie here and one without much of a life outside the old homestead, I am up for whatever is presented. I have let my preferences known before and they are DCS and GB, but as long as I can zoom around the virtual skies with the DDz, I am a happy yank! Sundays during the NASCAR racing season is always gonna be hit and miss for me as I do so enjoy watching 38-40 chunks of metal turn left at 180mph for 400-500 miles..and the wrecks are soooooo much fun ?!

[FoolTrottel]

5 hours ago, Painless said:

I would like to hear Arjen’s opinion on this as it is him and Tom who have put so much time and effort into the squad...........

I dunno. I really do not know!

Not that I do not care - Just can't make up my mind what to think.

There's positives and negatives that I can sum up, but I'll go with what is best for the group ...

[Crash]

12 hours ago, DD_Arthur said:

However,  I do feel the CloD server has to remain running.  If we switch it off I think there's a real danger of CloD going belly-up numbers wise at the moment.

We'd be "the squad that killed Cliffs"

   

Yes indeed Arthur, in a way its a shame that the server is so popular

[Painless]

13 hours ago, DD_Arthur said:

13 hours ago, DD_Arthur said:

However,  I do feel the CloD server has to remain running.  If we switch it off I think there's a real danger of CloD going belly-up numbers wise at the moment.

We'd be "the squad that killed Cliffs"

That is a worry Arthur ! Here is a politicians sneaky angle..... what are the chances of the CLOD server users you are talking about also being recruitable GBS or DCS users ? See where I am going with this .......

 

[DD_Fenrir]

Re: CloD.

It's got a bit stagnant lately, low numbers, and a bit of a "same old, same old" aura creeping in; however, it is still:

1) a flight sim

2) a good number of us own it

3) we have a strong presence in the CloD Community because of it (therefore could be a door to recruitment, which we need to work on)

4) there is an expansion out soon to bring a new terrain and many new a/c.

Plus, and from a personal standpoint, just because I don't fly it weekly does not necessarily mean I don't wish to fly it all! The server can be fun, particularly if you team to achieve an objective rather than just operate a collection of lone wolves.

For these reasons, keeping a toe in the water with CloD could be prudent.

It seems to me that GBS and DCS have the most numbers attending.

These then I suggest should move to the Sunday (GBS), Tuesday (GBS), Thursday (DCS) slots.

Perhaps have CloD Wednesday, and Il-2:1946 Monday or vice versa. 

There's still Friday/Saturday also. Are we leaving these unassigned?

[Crash]

I see what your thinking Mick, however there are many CloD flyers who are very loyal and find CloD suits them best. I am not sure that ATAG would want to take over running missions that a few squads see as "easy" settings but the DD server does seem to offer what people want, and if we stopped running the CloD server the DangerDogz would dissapoint quite a few flyers. I dont know how much donations have come from squads, individuals who are on our server an awful lot.

Everone who has posted in this thread is a regular flyer so its hard to guess what the no flyers would like.

[Sid]

I think that this thread is the progression of those similar ones we have had over the past few months and is a sign of how the Dogz are settling into the available sims and personal routines over the time the discussions have been going. 

I am in favour of GBS Sundays and Tuesdays. Mondays and Thursdays are not so easy for me as my availability changes but I will make an effort to tie down a Thursday for DCS.

I think even putting 46 on an alternative night won't attract any more to it so I think 46 should be put in a cupboard and available time used to develop those sims we choose to fly more.

I have no input for CloD really as I haven't picked that sim up at all. However, my view is that if it is a valuable resource for the community as a whole then I would be up for the server kept going provided that those using it would be more willing to contribute to help Dogz resources if it is costing us to run it. If the server is run by an individual, is it FT?, then that would be up to them perhaps but I have always held quite strong views over contributions.

In reality I think that having 4 sims has caused an issue as there has been too much choice however I think that is now sorting itself out and the time really has come to drop those that are not as popular.

Cheerzen.

 

[Crash]

So, what happens on a DCS night?

[FoolTrottel]

1 hour ago, Crash said:

So, what happens on a DCS night?

Nothing much really, we mostly talk about how brilliant 1946 and CloD are ... 

[FoolTrottel]

CloD server: I have no intension whatsoever to stop it. All DServers (Clod, DCS, GBS) are now running on one and the same server. Rog is busy to move the rest (forums and stuff) over to it as well, so in the end there will be only one server left, which is good regarding costs. As in less than we are spending currently.

I do not see any sense in trying to get CloD server - visitors - users to donate for it. If we want to go that route, then we need to limit access to it to folk-that-pay-to-play-clod, and that simply means shutting it down. As limiting access that way is too labor intensive and complex to implement. In my humble opinion, we offer a free service at the moment. No guarantees, it is what it is - anyone can use it, anyone can enjoy it - for as long as it's there. I do not want to handle any shift when people have donated, and next the CloD server's not available, and I need to fix it because they've paid for it - maybe they have not in a true sense, but they might think they are entitled to using it. I aint goin't here!

?

 

[FoolTrottel]

1 hour ago, Crash said:

So, what happens on a DCS night?

It's mostly training and familiarization at the moment. 

A lot of code names are flying around when one of those jetfighterjocks fires yet another silly smart fire-and-forget-all-hope-for-the-mig missile thingie into the blue skies.

Usually, I am in my Spitfire, throwing bombs at some ships, then head out to sea for a long flight to our carrier, 'land' there, ask ground controls for a repair, take off from the carrier again, and fly home ... it's a hoot!

Edit: Every now and then Fenrir hosts a coop, over Normandy, where we try and fly around and survive in formation, or try and escort some B17's, and after they've all been shot down, we fly the long long way back to Tangmere... It is good stuff you know, even without VR

[Crash]

Well in that case I really really MUST try to join in

[FoolTrottel]

1 minute ago, Crash said:

Well in that case I really really MUST try to join in

There is NO TRY!!

 

[Crash]

Looks like jets for me. F-14 and A-10C and maybe the Flaming Cliff set as well. I have them just not done much with them

[Painless]

Good to hear some views being expressed chaps ! From what I can gather GBS and DCS are going to be our future with a good case being made to keep the CLOD server going for free.

Would it be totally unacceptable to anyone if we put 46 “in the cupboard” so at least we drop from flying four to three sims ?

Can old Dogz learn new tricks ?