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Been looking through the trade account order list and none of the new AI stuff is listed so it is all going to GW Direct. This new release had re-ignited my interest in the game but if it is going to be locked behind GW Direct and entire factions (not just extra craft) being resin only then I'm going to look at moving my stuff on. The last book was the Companion at £16 but this was soft back.
Not sure what to think of that at the moment. I'm just going to see what happens on Saturday and weigh up whether its worth investing in or not.
Aaaaand it's direct only
Aaaaand it's fomo. Rip Aeronautica.
Yeah I missed it. No idea how quick it sold out, admittedly I forgot about it (wasn't at my computer at midday anyway though) and it's now 7pm in Oz.
Tossing up getting the Vanaheim boards, if they weren't direct only they would have been about $60AUD, so getting 2 of them to do canyon runs with 3 boards would be ~$120AUD, that would be cool. But instead, they're $78 direct only, which ventures into the realm of "eh, do I REALLY want this?"
The hexes are also orientated the wrong way to do canyon runs (you'd be zigzagging down the canyon the way they've laid it out).
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/20 09:41:11
AT and AN have both been fairly quiet with releases. It's hard to know if their sales metrics are low and they are being slowly mothballed; or if they are limping on; or if staff are simply focused on other projects and don't have time or if there's something big coming or whatever.
Necromunda and Bloodbowl seem healthy. AT/AN possibly on life support and Cursed City limping along
I see AT being played pretty regularly and Titans are often posted in hobby showoffs. During lockdown I saw more Titans than Necromunda gangs or BB teams and afterwards they still seem pretty popular. AN is almost non-existent and usually in a clearance bin online or irl. The only AT kit I see getting clearance sales is the Iconoclast which is probably a lot more to do with everybody who wanted one already buying the ranged Warmaster before it was announced, or seeing the rules are worse and just going with the better options. The AT ruleset also gets a lot of praise from people.
It's never really had a overly aggressive release schedule though. A lot of supplementary books and knights, but the Warmaster and Dire Chicken are the only new Titan kits after launch aren't they?
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/08/20 13:58:11
Well I'd managed to totally forgot this so was pleasantly surprised when I logged in to find it all still in stock. Then I added it all to the bag and it ended up totalling £92 for not a jot of plastic. If you have someone interested in Horus heresy that you want to get into the game for them just to buy rules, a board (which because of odd hex sizes is pretty essential) and the cards (not essential but really do help quality of life) that is £72, before plastic.
I am wondering if I wish I'd missed it and then get out of the game to be honest.
Legion Abilities cost point instead of just being free like AT, oops looks like they're still try to make the game "balance" instead of just fun.
That's how things should be. Ideally by unit as value of ability depends on unit.
Free bonuses is what leads to imbalance and unfluffy forces.
People would rather have fun rule than "balance" one, and balance is in quote because this game isn't balance at all, nor anyone should try to make it some kind of competitive sport, because they're delusional if they think so.
The main problem with these point cost is that the ratio between the upgrade and the cost of an actual plane is too high, most of the time you'd rather have an extra plane or or more rocket rather than the upgrade. Game like 25 pts and 50 pts will pretty much see 1-2 plain fighters, or fighter with missiles fight each other.
In AT not only you get free rules from the legio, you also get free rule from maniples, and it's widely considered a good ruleset. The cost of the upgrade and weapons in AT are also a fraction of a cost of the titans, and the force are semi-limited by the battlegroup rule, you can take pretty much any or multiple upgrade without worrying about being outnumber. In Killteam the factions abilities are free, and it's one of GW most active competitive games, even AT got a "Titan owner club" meet up every year to compete with each other, i don't expect to see any "AI owner meet up" in the next 50 years.
Solution : Faction abilities are either free or increase the point cost of the aircraft up so that taking an upgrade does not feel like you will go -1 or -2 planes in the force for doing so, if anything, put a hard limit into number of aircrafts that can participate in a scenario for each factions.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/20 17:33:28
Wha-Mu-077 wrote: The almost complete lack of model releases recently certainly doesn't look optimistic
Do we really need more releases? Add the Chaos fighters and the game is complete, we don't need to follow the 40k model of constant new releases regardless of whether or not the game needs them. AI will be just fine as a complete game that receives only minor balance/errata updates.
(Though TBH AI 1.0 is the far better game and the only purpose of the new models is to replace the OOP Epic models. Once that is done there is certainly no need for any further content.)
Chopstick wrote: People would rather have fun rule than "balance" one
Balance is a big part of what creates fun. All else being equal a balanced game has more interesting decision tress and vastly greater replay value. People have a lot more fun when the game is about your decisions on the table and not your ability to copy/paste the standard netlist with the obvious best choices. So yes, when adding a buff to a unit improves that unit it should cost points to reflect this. Otherwise adding the buff becomes an automatic choice, as does playing the sub-faction with the strongest buff.
The main problem with these point cost is that the ratio between the upgrade and the cost of an actual plane is too high, most of the time you'd rather have an extra plane or or more rocket rather than the upgrade. Game like 25 pts and 50 pts will pretty much see 1-2 plain fighters, or fighter with missiles fight each other.
As hard as it might be for 40k fans to understand, this is a good thing. AI does not need rules bloat with layers of special rules attached to every unit. Most aircraft should be basic ones with only secondary weapon upgrades at most, and named pilots/ace upgrades/etc should be the exception rather than the rule. Expensive and situational chapter upgrades are perfect, you'll occasionally take them for a specific purpose but the default is to keep everything basic.
Balance is a big part of what creates fun. All else being equal a balanced game has more interesting decision tress and vastly greater replay value. People have a lot more fun when the game is about your decisions on the table and not your ability to copy/paste the standard netlist with the obvious best choices. So yes, when adding a buff to a unit improves that unit it should cost points to reflect this. Otherwise adding the buff becomes an automatic choice, as does playing the sub-faction with the strongest buff.
As hard as it might be for 40k fans to understand, this is a good thing. AI does not need rules bloat with layers of special rules attached to every unit. Most aircraft should be basic ones with only secondary weapon upgrades at most, and named pilots/ace upgrades/etc should be the exception rather than the rule. Expensive and situational chapter upgrades are perfect, you'll occasionally take them for a specific purpose but the default is to keep everything basic.
A "netlist" will always exist for any point and scenario regardless of if the upgrade cost point or not. You don't see people playing the exact same Legio + Maniple all the times in AT despite they're supposedly horribly unbalanced since lots of them are "free", same for 40k, but i didn't bring 40k up at any point until now.
If the existance of the new rule that will save this game is "situational at best" then the existence of the new book is redundant. The future of AI is "hoard them before it's too late" as usual.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/20 18:54:10
Chopstick wrote: People would rather have fun rule than "balance" one, and balance is in quote because this game isn't balance at all, nor anyone should try to make it some kind of competitive sport, because they're delusional if they think so.
This is really just GW's fault for handling the rules so poorly. I know GW didn't want to turn it into a competitive game, but they should have, they should have tried to snag some of the X-wing pie, then maybe AI wouldn't have such a dismally small player base.
Chopstick wrote: A "netlist" will always exist for any point and scenario regardless of if the upgrade cost point or not. You don't see people playing the exact same Legio + Maniple all the times in AT despite they're supposedly horribly unbalanced since lots of them are "free", same for 40k, but i didn't bring 40k up at any point until now.
A netlist will always exist but you can certainly narrow the gap between a netlist and a normal list. Having free upgrades of varying power layered onto the base unit rules is an excellent way to push that in the other direction.
As for AT, I don't know about that game specifically since I don't play it, but in 40k lots of people take non-netlists for various reasons (all of them prioritizing something else over winning) and get wiped off the table by the netlist players. The only way to have fun without netlisting in 40k is to have an agreement among everyone in the group that you will deliberately make weaker lists and avoid using too many of the strongest options, and as soon as someone breaks the agreement you either kick them out of the group or spark an arms race that inevitably results in everyone playing netlists.
If the existance of the new rule that will save this game is "situational at best" then the existence of the new book is redundant. The future of AI is "hoard them before it's too late" as usual.
AI does not need saving. It just needs GW to release the Chaos models and then maintain inventory of the existing products. Games do not need monthly new releases regardless of available design space to succeed.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
AllSeeingSkink wrote: This is really just GW's fault for handling the rules so poorly. I know GW didn't want to turn it into a competitive game, but they should have, they should have tried to snag some of the X-wing pie, then maybe AI wouldn't have such a dismally small player base.
It's really a shame because AI 1.0 was one of the best games GW has ever made and an excellent foundation for a reboot with new kits. But instead GW doubled down on their 40k errors, decided that not being able to roll dice "isn't fun", and stripped out anything that would prevent you from rolling dice every turn with every unit. No more limited ammunition, no more maneuver restrictions, no more ground attack weapons. Take whatever you want, move it wherever you want facing whatever direction you want, and roll all those dice! And now their solution is to layer on more special rules and put even more emphasis onto list building instead of on-table decisions.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/20 19:15:23
I really wish GW would announce up front whats direct only and whats not. I had pre-preordered this with my FLGS only to learn this morning that its direct only and they can't get them. Log in to the online store to find its already gone. I would have been johnny on the spot with the online store if I had known.
CoALabaer wrote: Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
Chopstick wrote: Didn't say sold out, just "temporary out of stock". The "worldwide" stock still there so they will probably move some back to US soon.
I wouldn't trust the GW store's labels too much, USA said temporarily out of stock, Australia says sold out.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
chaos0xomega wrote: I really wish GW would announce up front whats direct only and whats not. I had pre-preordered this with my FLGS only to learn this morning that its direct only and they can't get them. Log in to the online store to find its already gone. I would have been johnny on the spot with the online store if I had known.
Over here retailers won't take preorders until the same Saturday that GW starts taking preorders (though some start taking them earlier than others). That means the retailer won't be taking preorders until they know they can secure stock, and also know what price they'll be charging (direct only stuff has smaller margins, so the shops that bother to stock it won't give as large discounts).
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/21 03:46:38
Been looking through the trade account order list and none of the new AI stuff is listed so it is all going to GW Direct. This new release had re-ignited my interest in the game but if it is going to be locked behind GW Direct and entire factions (not just extra craft) being resin only then I'm going to look at moving my stuff on. The last book was the Companion at £16 but this was soft back.
Not sure what to think of that at the moment. I'm just going to see what happens on Saturday and weigh up whether its worth investing in or not.
Aaaaand it's direct only
Aaaaand it's fomo. Rip Aeronautica.
indeed, Direct means the same as not bothering to release when they intensionaly exlude 3rd party FLGS.
GW shops i will never set foot in and any order from any shop in UK will never happend as brexit doubled the import taxes and the shipping time.
darkswordminiatures.com
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Collects: Wild West Exodus, SW Armada/Legion. Adeptus Titanicus, Dust1947.
I just saw the Ares Gunship on the FW site (did it come out last week? Maybe I missed it).
$81AUD for a single model GW be taking the piss on this one. I know it's worth a lot of points in game, but when a Vampire is $74 and 2x Necron aircraft are $69 (*insert childish laughter*).
If anyone still need any non-Imperial planes, now is the time to buy. Everything non-Horus Heresy era has gone “last chance to buy” on GW’s site. Everything but Marines and Imperial Navy will be unavailable shortly (including the Valkyries…they aren’t Heresy era).
Forge World stock is also showing last chance to buy.
No doubt this is them thinning the selection down to only those usable in Legions Imperialis. The game itself will be no more, though looks like they’re keeping the AI: Horus Heresy book around for the time being.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/07/05 00:55:10
God damn it GW. This feels like back when they killed AI the first time, scrambling to get what you need to to finish a force.
The Vampire Raider is already out of stock, that's the main thing I wanted from FW. Looks like my Eldar will remain transportless unless 3D printer go brrr. Grabbed some Ork plastics to finish off that squadron.
I guess GW are really trying to drive home the "Epic is for 30k only, get your thoughts of Xenos out of here" point.
They really do their best to give with one hand and take with the other.
GW: Epic is coming out! Fans: yay! GW: It's only HH Fans: *sigh* Okay GW: And we're taking away your non-HH AI too. Fans: Feck...
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/07/04 23:58:24
MrHobbles wrote: If anyone still need any non-Imperial planes, now is the time to buy. Everything non-Horus Heresy era has gone “last chance to buy” on GW’s site. Everything but Marines and Imperial Navy will be unavailable shortly (including the Valkyries…they aren’t Heresy era).
No doubt this is them thinning the selection down to only those usable in Legions Imperialis. The game itself will be no more, though looks like they’re keeping the AI: Horus Heresy book around for the time being.
Really a shame that it's going to be Horus Heresy only. Titanicus never made it past that so I doubt the new game will either, there's some nice stuff this is going to be discontinued.
Avengers and Thunderbolts are gone? Aren't they Horus Heresy era?
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/07/05 00:40:20
GW are seriously squatting the entire Aeronautica Imperialis game? Didn’t it just get released like 2 damn years ago?
ph34r's Forgeworld Phobos blog, current WIP: Iron Warriors and Skaven Tau +From Iron Cometh Strength+ +From Strength Cometh Will+ +From Will Cometh Faith+ +From Faith Cometh Honor+ +From Honor Cometh Iron+
The Polito form is dead, insect. Are you afraid? What is it you fear? The end of your trivial existence?
When the history of my glory is written, your species shall only be a footnote to my magnificence.
2023/07/05 07:37:19
Subject: Aeronautica Imperialis News - Last chance to buy for all Xenos Aircrafts and ground assets.
Was juat looking at the AI stuff yesterday, and thinking about buying some Orks and Tau, the two Xenos I don't have.
Went back today, and Tau Baracudas are gone. Luckily I was able to buy some Orks.
Sad to see AI go, we all knew it was a matter of time when HH Epic was announced... just thought we might have had a warning. Guess GW want to kill off the game around the back of the shed where no one can see the massacre.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/07/05 07:37:45
The objective of the game is to win. The point of the game is to have fun. The two should never be confused.
2023/07/05 07:48:51
Subject: Aeronautica Imperialis News - Last chance to buy for all Xenos Aircrafts and ground assets.
Dont be too quick to give up on the last chance items. I went into my LGS last sunday, and they had many AI kits in stock, I bet the same applies to many gaming stores around the world (AI being one of those games where in-store stock hangs around for years due to low popularity). Just go scawenging through your local stores and you should still be able to find those T'au flyers, my LGS at least had em in stock
I'm contemplating on grabbing any ground assets they might still have available, to use as terrain for Epic Imperialis obvs
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/07/05 07:50:44
"The larger point though, is that as players, we have more control over what the game looks and feels like than most of us are willing to use in order to solve our own problems"
2023/07/05 07:49:57
Subject: Aeronautica Imperialis News - Last chance to buy for all Xenos Aircrafts and ground assets.
ph34r wrote: GW are seriously squatting the entire Aeronautica Imperialis game? Didn’t it just get released like 2 damn years ago?
They probably think that with new Epic game, kits for it, at least Imperial/future Chaos (and with possible expansion into 40k, also Xenos ones) will sell better than currently.
