Exhaust flame effects, Player vs. AI

[Strike]

I was thinking about a compromise, where they don't use the "animated" flames we have now for other aircraft and AI, but just brief 2D sprites/images that are similar to first person shooter muzzle flashes. That would save a lot of resources compared to the animated smooth flashes we see now.

Then again, perhaps remove the normal operation flames completely, and add the effect ONLY when the engine is either suffering from fuel starvation (neg G dive) or when misfiring (after damage).

I honestly believe that is doable without a significant performance drop!