Three things that could really improve the AH experience

[Flit]

95 percent of the people playing WW2ol are there for the ground game( myself included)
you want realism, how about the planes that bounce off the ground ?
 or the fact that spits and hawks can take 6-10   rounds of 20mm?
and outturn a 109
damage model, what damage model, the only damage I see is either smoke or fire
Nope, WW2ol does'nt even come close enough to compare to AH in the flight model department.
 then there's the attrition factor-I rarely play because of it.
while it did stop the 100 quake/tank attacks, there's something discourageing about goin to the "front" and there's nothing but riflemen left because some dweeb went out and lost 5 tanks in a row to a at gun
as for the numbers, I have never seen "thousands" on at the same time.couple of hundred, Maybe.LOL the server would take a huge dump, lag would be 5 minutes, and you'd never see the guy that got ya (or vice versa)
Keep in mind that 99 percent of the people don't want to have to do a "walk around", or follow control tower directions.
they want to  get in the plane and Go !
 Now, if you want to do the ground thing, WW2ol is pretty good,except for that daggone 64 limit thing,
if ya want to do the air thing, AH has it hands down
 O , and go fly the Beta, get on runway and jam 100 percent throttle on and see what happens

[AKIron]

Originally posted by Toad
Absolutely, when it comes to the fighting part.

All else.. the coffee in the mess hall, the walkaround inspection, the 27 step interior cockpit check, tightening your shoulder harness just before you put the power in........... is useless dross.

IMO.

Ya have to admit, all that would add to the tension and excitement when trying to get up to defend a base under attack. Ya might hafta skip the coffee though.

[nopoop]

Originally posted by banana
What I don't understand is why I get called a "realism nazi" just because I like my airplanes to feel like airplanes when I'm on the ground and in the air

banana it's a slippery slope, the realism thing..

Think of it as tough love )

Next thing is pages upon pages of discussions of AoA, P factor, not to mention ballistics, weapons availibility, aircraft damage models, cockpit intrumentation placement, cowl flap operation, numbers coralation vs. actual reports and on and on and on..

When these things start to become "important" to your enjoyment, the fire is waning. From what I've seen in this disease, noodling the numbers and worrying the graphs replaces the fire that somehow left.

And no matter how much it's noodled, configured and worried, it is never "quite" right.

I suggest a HEAVY dose of hair on fire..

Then grab an available plane in beta without flaps for a couple of touch n' goes.

It will pass.

[Toad]

Iron, isn't there already someway to skip the short engine start procedure in AH? Seems I heard about it, but never bothered. Someway to get in the air faster than the default way?

Remember too, if you're seeking "realistic immersion" that while you have 38 step checklists, you can also jump in a plane, wind up the inertia starter, flip on the mags and engage the starter and roll... if you HAD too.

Also remember what usually "realistically" happened to WW2 pilots that tried to takeoff at fields under active enemy air attack by fighters.

Hint: that pretty much happens here too.. we call it "vultching" I think.

[AKIron]

I guess a slower start might discourage the ever hopeful vulchees. I don't really wanna simulate the actual startup, would be fun a few times but would as you suggest get old quick.

It's not that about Il2 that I find fun in the takeoff. It just feels real, hard to understand if ya haven't tried it. Maybe you have Toad?

[Replicant]

This isn't about AH vs WWIIOL.  banana raises some good points and I'm sure some of these would be good for the CT/scenarios but perhaps not the MA.  Maybe with the mission setup in TOD (AH2) would better suit some of these changes?

[nopoop]

Originally posted by AKIron
It just feels real, hard to understand if ya haven't tried it. Maybe you have Toad?

The sound of the engine when you run it up to full power, the "on the edge" feeling when it's been firewalled. It IS a takeoff roll with horsepower, I agree.

[Toad]

Iron, nope, never tried IL-2 other than a few moments at a Con when Milo had it up.

I'll say this.. the new AH2 takeoff is the best in a game I've experienced so far. (Some of the planes are still buggy, but HT knows that and they'll get tweaked.)

In the last beta or two, I fired up a few different planes and rolled. I was quite suprised to realize (about halfway through the roll) that I had been looking inside/outside/inside/outside/stay outside in the exact same places with the same durations I looked at when flying actual WW2 taildraggers like the BT-13.

I was doing the exact same things with my hands and feet and my eyes were getting their confirmation and scanning in the same places and patterns.

I was impressed.

Is IL-2 better than that? Heck, I don't know. But AH2 impressed me as far as the takeoff roll "experience".

But man....... did I ever miss that 37 step checklist, including "battery switch - on".

[AKIron]

Takeoff in AH2 is a definite improvement over AH1, not as good as Il2, Il2FB anyhow. Wish Hitech could get together with Oleg and merge the two.

[Toad]

Now to bust your bubble.

About the only time I DON'T use autotakeoff is when the CV is turning. Then I use manual and go straight down the deck using rudders.

Why? For me..... and maybe me alone....... takeoff doesn't offer anything that excites me or "immerses" me or whatever. It's just a prelude to the action on the order of logging into the arena.

It's a good time to get a beer, hit the head, run do some small favor for the wife.

I can manually takeoff any plane in the game. The only one that gives me trouble is a max loaded F4U from the CV and those are doable you just have to be a bit more careful.

Perspective I guess. I don't know how many actual takeoffs I've logged but it's gotta be way past 10,000. After learning how, the only exciting ones were the ones where a motor quit, the hdyraulics quit and the gear didn't come up, there was a humongous gusty crosswind near the limitation or a bird hit the windscreen right in front of my face. Routine takeoffs are, by definition, pretty routine.

YMMV.

[Wanker]

banana it's a slippery slope, the realism thing..

I see your point, nopoop, but the slippery slope can go both ways. Some people might not want to deal with the current AH1 three-step check list for take off. Why can't they just air spawn?

Would you prefer air spawns? If not, then I argue that we are all "realism nazi's" to a certain extent. Each person has their own comfort zone.

you want realism, how about the planes that bounce off the ground ?
or the fact that spits and hawks can take 6-10 rounds of 20mm?
and outturn a 109
damage model, what damage model, the only damage I see is either smoke or fire
Nope, WW2ol does'nt even come close enough to compare to AH in the flight model department.

Flit, while I haven't personally experienced any of that, I'll take your word for it. I have already personally witnessed the uber Stuka armor, though.  But that is why I still enjoy AH, because it does have an outstanding FM in so many ways.

That being said, there are some pretty neat parts of the flight experience in WW2OL that, if added to AH, would only increase my enjoyment of AH.

[nopoop]

Originally posted by banana
but the slippery slope can go both ways. .

Can't argue with that banana. Alittle either way goes along way. A balancing act any way you look at it.

Too much weight on either side and gravity takes over.

[_Schadenfreude_]

Originally posted by Furball
3 things:-

1) Beer
2) Women
3) Naked Women Carrying Beer

Scantily clad is sometimes a lot better than naked....

[FUNKED1]

Harder != More Realistic

[AKIron]

Originally posted by FUNKED1
Harder != More Realistic

No, but sometimes Realistic==Harder