Simple question about all Special Events

[Banshee7]

Hello all:

I have been a member of Aces High for more than 2 years now, and I have seen a common trend with the Special events including FSO, Scenarios, and Snapshots.  In all of the mentioned events I have found that the Allies almost always outnumber the Axis pilots.  For example, Frame 2 of the recent FSO (last night) - Allies had 253 pilots/Axis 233 pilots (only 20 players different); Frame 1 - Allies 267 pilots/Axis 226 (difference of 41 pilots).  As I continue to look at the logs it shows the same trend.  I just used the past 2 frames of the FSO as it was the most recent event. 

All in all, my question is this:

What exactly is the reason for more players wanting to fly for the Allies over the Axis?

Is it because of the History Channel theory that "Allied planes were the BEST planes ever"?  Is it because of the planes that are easier to fly such as the Spits and Hurricanes?  Or is it simply because of the American/British pride?

#S#



Banshee7

[Bark0]

IMO

Allies I believe had the numbered advantage. in the 1930's after Charles Lindbergh made it across the Atlantic and into France. Many People wanted to be like him. by 1940 there were about 5 thousand Pilots in the Armed forces. You don't hear a whole lot about Germany having Many flight schools.


The 109 until later in the war was "the Best fighter in the world" and the allies kept trying to make better airplanes wile Germany tried to improve it. That being said, would it be fair to have Axis have the larger numbers AND "The Best Fighter in the world"?

I think its just because FSO's try to have More and more Reality every time, I'm not an Expert, but I think that, Historically, the Allies Had a number advantage.

 

[fudgums]

Number split banshee

Allies 52
Axis 48

[Krusty]

I think scenarios are an entirely different ball of wax.

Don't fit into the usual mold, for this argument. IMO there are so many reasons to pick axis or allied (and often reasons for either at the same time!) that it's a personal decision each and every person must make.


I wanted to fly Rangoon for the P-40 (I got a -B model, but I still flew it!) and the history aspect of it.

I wanted to fly allied in Downfall because of pals/squaddies flying allied, and I wanted to wing with them, teamwork, coordination, the whole shebang.

I wanted to fly both sides of Tunisia. I like 109Fs in N. Africa, the whole Marseille mystique, and I like 190s, but on the other hand I have a soft spot for the P-40Es and P-39Ds as well! As well as I'm a B-25 fan and that was really one of the strongest draws for me to join the allies. In the end several folks in my MA squad were scattered on both sides of the event, and I ended up choosing C202 as my primary (having a love/hate relationship with the ride).

So it's always case by case for scenarios, always subjective, and I would count that separate from FSOs/snapshots/etc where folks get in a rut. To me the scenario is a bit more "special" than 'just another setup this week, might as well make a fast choice'...

[Motherland]

Most events have ratio requirement, don't they? You should have more Allies than Axis in most scenarios (post 1941).

[ROC]

As a well over 12 year veteran of scenarios, I'll let you know that events aren't unbalanced in favor of anyone. 

Events are created balanced based on a number of issues, only one of them being actual numbers of players.  Players themselves may flock to or avoid a side often due to the leadership and team on one side more often than the planeset. 

There are many who simply don't care what side they are on, they will do just fine with whatever they are saddled with.  You haven't spotted a trend, you simply noticed a minor lopsided slice of a larger picture. 

Aside from the physical numbers "imbalance" also comes with the fact that the side with more numbers does not always come out victorious.

[forHIM]

Snapshots are hardest to balance numbers wise.  The write-ups go for balanced game play and some historical accuracy (but not at the expense of game play).  The reason snapshots are hard to balance is due to the walkon nature and certainly there is a bias towards certain aircraft in snapshots.  Why the bias?  maybe country loyalty, what my Granddad flew/worked on, preference because that's what I know better.  Who knows, just know that there is a lot of effort and thought into side ratios when the events are designed and the CMs can't always achieve the balance that is being called for.

[Babalonian]

There's three things that I think influence the higher allied numbers than axis.

1) The history channel or anything else that portrays allied planes shooting down hundreds of the enemy for every single friendly lost.
2) "America > All" patriotic mentality
3) The lack of history, information, and recounts from the axis side/position.  For many years after the war, anything related to the World Wars that wasn't pro-allied was seen as "enemy propaganda", "nazi propaganda", etc., even decades after the last shot was fired.  I still think this mentality exists but not as strongly as it did in the past generations.  It's only recently I feel people are taking interest and listening to the stories and recounts of those who fought and died on the axis side for their country, family and friends back home.

[Banshee7]

There's three things that I think influence the higher allied numbers than axis.

1) The history channel or anything else that portrays allied planes shooting down hundreds of the enemy for every single friendly lost.
2) "America > All" patriotic mentality
3) The lack of history, information, and recounts from the axis side/position.  For many years after the war, anything related to the World Wars that wasn't pro-allied was seen as "enemy propaganda", "nazi propaganda", etc., even decades after the last shot was fired.  I still think this mentality exists but not as strongly as it did in the past generations.  It's only recently I feel people are taking interest and listening to the stories and recounts of those who fought and died on the axis side for their country, family and friends back home.

You and I agree on at least two points

s it because of the History Channel theory that "Allied planes were the BEST planes ever"?  Is it because of the planes that are easier to fly such as the Spits and Hurricanes?  Or is it simply because of the American/British pride?

#S#



Banshee7

[wgmount]

Because I don't know how to fly the German planes.

[kilo2]

I don't agree with that history channel paints the american planes the best ever argument. All one has to do is go look up the top aces of world war 2 to see the germans had more than any country. Not to mention several had more than 100 victorys.

[captain1ma]

I think its because they're idea was to overwhelm the enemy with numbers. They weren't better pilots but in a 5 V 1 engagement someone is bound to kill the bad guy. 5 allies V 1 axis, someone is bound to have a hunting accident and kill him. The germans had the quality pilots but they flew them rather then have them train the new guys. once you shot a Ace or veteran pilot down, you lost that much more skill for your side. hence the latter part of the war, the allies had a field day because most german pilots where either without experience or just too chicken to fight.

by skewing the numbers slightly you give the allies that advantage they had in the real war. however the skill level of the game is probably higher then what actually happened due to cartoon planes having a reset button when you die!

[HB555]

I don't agree with that history channel paints the american planes the best ever argument. All one has to do is go look up the top aces of world war 2 to see the germans had more than any country. Not to mention several had more than 100 victorys.

Kilo, another thing the German's did was kept their pilots flying, while ours were rotated out. The lucky ones who survived and learned eventually racked up many kills.
The Japanese did this also. By the end of the war, there were very few pilots left wo had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor

[Strip]

The Germans also had pilots that had entire squadron protecting one "Ace" usually....

[DrDea]

The Germans also had pilots that had entire squadron protecting one "Ace" usually....

Not to mention always bailing out over friendly territory for the most part.