I think you might like this idea, because it may all be possible using the current coding. It mostly involves adjustments to the GV icon ranges and where the GV quadrant ("GV dar") is centered: Rather than making the quadrant GV dar work in flight out 200 yards, you could accomplish the same thing by simply making the GV icon ranges for "stopped under cover" 200 yards. In conjunction, I would suggest "stopped in the open" icon range around 1000 yards and "moving" icon range around 3000 yards. These still require low-pass efforts to find non-moving GVs AND are below effective bombing levels. So you can't just "one pass" bomb GVs from any alt as we could before the dynamic icon ranges in AHII. These ranges could perhaps be increased by some amount (50%?) in the Storch.
Then, rather than have the GV quadrant centered and shifting around an aircraft, instead have it centered only on towns (maprooms?) and fields (tower?) perhaps out to something like 3 or 4K (9,000 - 12,000 yards). This would act more like a "proximity warning system" from the fields, rather than an airborne ground radar system. If possible, you could even make the quadrant dar
only visible from tower, so it acts like "pre-flight intel" instead of like realtime data.
These suggestions are designed to eliminate the bulk of what many players consider "gamey" about both the current icon ranges AND the quadrant GV dar system, in that:
1) The quadrant system no longer acts as an in-flight ground radar, but as intel from a static location, sort of line darbar for aircraft
2) The actual locating of GV's from the air would still need to be done visually and at rather low alts
3) The "hit E, engine off" no longer works as an intant cloaking device, but does reduce likelihood of detection range
4) The
stationary GV under cover range (200 yards) is still below effective dive or level bombing altitudes, so bombing would require a spotting pass and then climbing while maintaining visual to set up a bombing pass -- this is not that easy!. One
One big benefit of the shortening of GV icon ranges in AHII, was the Lanc-stuka became far less viable. However, with all the trees in AHIII and GVs moving through them at will, the pendulum has swung far to the other side. As someone who both tanks and flies, I think there is a good balance with this suggested setup.
Some optional add-on ideas:- GV movement through wooded terrain could be slowed. I believe there is a "rough terrain" tile that slows GVs movement, why not have the same effect for wooded terrain as well? Or, if possible, have collision with branches SLOW movement, but not stop GVs cold. GV movement through trees should not be possible at full speed. Concealment should come at some cost in speed.
- Allow the GV quadrant to work in-flight only on the Storch, but keep the icon ranges for the storch the same. This would represent the Storch getting real-time intel from the tower as a dedicated GV spotting aircraft.
- Add 17-lbers to airfields, especially the ones with maprooms on the field.
- Re-introduce the "red barn" object from AHII, in which GV icons would be off. This would allow full concealment by shutting down in a barn, which was much more realisitc in AHII.
The goal of this suggestion is to provide a happy medium for everyone while keeping Aces High closer to a simulated combat experience with fewer "gamey" features.
