Originally posted by Widewing
Here's my thoughts:
American airpower is represented a total of 22 aircraft.
Germany is represented by 17 total aircraft.
We have 5 varients of Spitfires. Plus the Brit plane set includes the Typhoon, Tempest, 3 Hurricanes, Mosquito, Boston and the Lancaster, which adds up to 13 total aircraft.
Japanese aircraft are represented by two Zeros, the D3A, the B5N and the N1K2-J (all IJN aircraft). The JAAF is represented by the Ki-61, Ki-67 and Ki-84a-I. This comes to 8 total aircraft.
Soviet aircraft consists of Two yaks, two Lavochkins and the IL-2, for a total of 5 aircraft.
Italy is represented by the C.202 and C.205. That's just 2 aircraft.
We do not have any French aircraft. No Dutch aircraft. No Romanian aircraft, and so on.
What we really need is another late-war Japanese single engine carrier bomber. Perhaps a version of the G4M medium bomber. This set could also use the J2M3 Raiden and since a second Ki-84 varient is easier to do, add that as well. This will provide a balanced Japanese plane set.
Soviet aircraft could use the Pe-2, Yak-3, I-16 and the Yak-9D.
Any Italian bomber would be welcome, and theres always the Re-2000 or Re-2002 or Re 2005 as well as the various Fiat fighters.
Any aircraft representing countries like France and Holland would be welcomed.
Once we have balanced the plane set better, then introducing other Spitfire marks would be appropriate. Likewise, another P-38 model and the P-39 could be added. Planes like the P-39 and P-63 could appear in Soviet colors, adding to that set.
There is certainly a gap in German bombers. Maybe the He 111 or Do 217 would be considered.
Sure, there were many different versions of the Spitfire and Mosquito, but these only build on sizable plane sets. Let's get things balanced and then move on to more versions of existing aircraft.
My regards,
Widewing
It doesn't matter how many planes each country has. It matters what plane each side has and how useful it is. The US plane set is mostly '44. So they may have more planes but if tod is to be a success you would need early variants or play substitution roulette like they do in the CT. Which is a complete failure in terms of 'historical match ups'. Look what they got to do to run BoB.
Adding a French Hawk 75 or an Italian Re 2001 won’t mean anything at all to the main or to ToD or to an event / scenario.
I agree with most of your post. However, 'balancing the plane set' to me isn't so much about relative parity in the number of AC available but should be based on ToD / CT / events / scenario match ups 1st. There's not much left to do in the main. It will always be a late war arena...
Even though the US and DE have more aircraft they need quite a few more. Same with the RAF and if we all want a quality Pac experience we need more Japanese planes.
The VVS have nothing that can be used to make an eastern front theater for ToD. Even very late war a lot of planes are missing and would make a ToD set up terrible and unsustainable over a 30 day period (its still unknown if ToD 'tours' will match main tours). It would take more then just adding a plane here or a plane there in the short term.
If HTC starts building a VVS planes set they will have a long way to go just to get something that is 'playable' in terms of ToD.
2 planes that could make an impact happen to be US planes, an earlier P38 and a p39.
I can't think of 1 French, Romanian, Dutch aircraft that will add anything to the game in real terms whether it be in the main or ToD or Events. They might provide a 'kewl alternative' to the mundane main arena or a 'special attraction in some made up CT set up but they would sit there unused for the most part. Maybe an IAR-80 or IAR-81 but even then out side Ploesti or a Stalingrad (South Eastern Front) it would be a hangar queen.
IMHO
1. Add earlier US variants
(earlier p38 and p47 (C or very early D), p39 (D N or Q or all 3), B25
2. Expand the Japanese plane set
(a6m3, Ki-43, Ki-44, Betty)
3. Fill the gaps in the RAF plane set (another spit 9, Wimpy, another mossie etc...
4. Fill the small gaps in the LW plane set.
(109F-2, 190A3 or 4, 109G-14, He-111 and Do-17z)
5. Then work the hell out of the VVS. I could list my suggestions but the list would be quite long.
6. Other Nations...
Most of the planes I suggested would be all but useless in the main (except a later Spit 9 and G-14) but could add quite a bit to ToD and to Events and to the CT...
