Friday 2010-10-01 Dev. update and Discussion

[Blackdog_kt]

I think this is because we don't have a dedicated moderating team. Nearmiss is just one person and he can't be everywhere all the time.
The double edged sword about forum moderation however, is the fact that those who spent a lot of time on a forum and could possibly moderate are usually also the same people who can't keep a level headed attitude and totally lack the qualities of a good moderator

I commented on the update previously but in an effort to get things back on track i'll just say that i can't wait to see the multi-engined birds in action, that wellington is making my hands sweat
I usually fly 190s in IL2 but since there's no focke wulfs in BoB i'll have to choose a different ride.

Sure, i'll fly the fighters too, but with the improvements in FM/DM and systems modelling that are coming along i think i'll greatly enjoy flying a more complex aircraft on a regular basis. If this is coupled with improved multiplayer capabilities for online flying and a "smarter" dynamic campaign engine that can maintain a good balance between triggered events and free flowing action, i think we'll be in for a treat.

Just think of the kind of missions available to twin engined aircraft for the timeframe that SoW will focus on, there are some unusual mission types that have almost never been done properly so far.

Me 110s: Starting with the more common stuff here. Apart from the usual air combat, during BoB Erprobungsgruppe 210 (is that even the correct spelling? ) pioneered some experimental and very effective ground attack tactics in the Jabo role. If the AI in single player is multi-layered as has been told in some old interviews and we can be vectored by radar in multiplayer, then things will be pretty much interchangeable between offline and online with regards to the amount of cool tricks we can do.

Here you go then, jump in that 110 and fly at wave-top height across the channel without the advantage of increased visibility range that high altitude flying gives you. You can't fly by the landmarks and map if all you see around is water. Draw up a flightplan that you can distribute to your wingmen (AI or human), view and edit in flight so that you know what the route legs are. Then after take off, tune that direction finder antenna or have your navigator do it and vector you (either a human navigator in multiplayer or an AI one, i wonder if there will be some scripting support so that we can create crewmen functions). Just as you pass over the radio beacon you can see the needle in the instrument reversing. You call up your inflight map and take a look at your notes, the target is at a bearing of 300 from the beacon so now you know where to fly. Nearing the coast you lose signal reception but it's almost time for the pop-up anyway. Merely miles from the radar towers you are targetting, you climb up to 2000-3000 feet to take a look at the landscape and orient yourself. Your squadmate calls "there it is, 10 o'clock low", you instruct full military power and go on a shallow dive, the entire flight releasing bombs in a single shallow pass, leveling off at tree top level to dodge the flak. Swinging around in a wide arc you settle on a south-easterly heading and cross the coast outside the range of the flak batteries. A few miles later your navigator's voice crackles in your headphones "we've got reception from the NDB again, follow the needle and it'll take us straight to it, then after reaching the beacon vector 120 for home base". For extra cool points, do it with a single 110 as a pathfinder leading a flight of Jabo 109s.

Do17: Not flyable initially, but famous for its low level attacks.

Ju88/He111: Apart from day bombing raids the 111 was also heavily involved in the night pathfinder role. Try to fly a precise heading, altitude and airspeed, because the points where the radio beams intersect to signal bomb release are fixed and don't account for different altitude and speed. The rest of the formation drops on your command.

Blenheim: Good old suicidal low-level bombing runs across the channel, targetting occupied ports and airfields. Flak bursting all around, 109s whizzing by and you're stuck with one of the most vulnerable aircraft of the time. You'll have to rely on some pretty clever routing and high speed, low level flying to maintain the element of surprise and ensure survival, but that makes bomb aiming a bit difficult. Quite the nice challenge. Need i say more?

Bristol Beaufort: I don't even know if there are plans to include it at some point, but the type flew a lot of mine laying, torpedo/anti shipping and bombing sorties during BoB. Similar missions for the beaufighter and mosquito (if and when they are included) with the addition of night fighter sorties.

Avro Anson: It could make for a cool twin engined trainer and light attack aircraft in coastal command colours.

Hampden/Wellington: The start of bomber command's offensive. They too could be used for mine laying and anti-shipping strikes, but longer ranges and heavier payloads make for some pretty daring raids if a map is released to support them at some point.

Various types: Photo reconnaisance work.

I'm not going to lie. If the aircraft systems are sufficiently modelled then 5 years down the line i'm looking forward to a big enough map so that i can get a couple of mustang escorts to scout out ahead, assemble my flight of twin engined bombers and tear across occupied Europe at tree-top level, all the way from Norway to the Ruhr valley. And that's coming from someone who spends most of his time in IL2 flying luftwaffe birds