Great post Simaril,
First off the Wirbelwind wouldn't need to be perked, it's no more deadly than the Ostwind.
The Wirbelwind does not have reach the Ostwind has. The Wirbelwind is just as vunerable to enemy fire as the Ostwind, the turret which was nicknamed the "keksdose"- cookie tin, which only offered marginal protection for the crew.
The only big difference between the two is that the Wirbelwind can spit out more rounds per second {like the M16} but has fewer rounds per magazine {20 per mag} than the Ostwind.
If modeled correctly there would be reload time, like in a tank, a few sec's you could not fire.
It would be like having a N1k2 on the ground shooting up, I don't know of any pilots in the game that get on someone's six and shoot at them from 1.5 to 2.0k out. I doubt you would ever hit them. I'm not a 100% sure due to the fact I don't fly too often, I could be wrong here.
Next we have the issue of balance, you state might tip the balance too far towards the defence.
I would have to disagree, NOT because I'm in favor of the Wirbelwind, but due to the fact it is virtually imposible to stop an organized attack.
1) For fair to good defence {against enemy A/C} you need a minimum of 3-4 AA guns shooting at ONE target in order to be effective. If a bomber group {or two} happen to make it to the field and are low enough to be hit by Ostwinds or field guns, almost all guns have to be trained on that target to maybe bring it down. Meanwhile the other enemy A/C are strafing and bombing the ground targets into oblivion. A large number of these guys {you know who you are} can place a 250-500lbr right on top of a GV everytime.
2) Nine times out of ten there is not enough AA guns at a field, as most are in planes {most of the time} Keep in mind these are observations from my crew and other countrymen over the last 3 yrs in AH
3) The current field AA defense system is sub par at best, a decent to good pilot can de-ack the field in sec's {excluding Port ack} which brings me to another point. Why is it that so many "hate" going in on a port? because you have a lot of guns shooting at you. Which by the way is how it's spose to be, it is a place of high importance.
4) As it is right now there is almost nothing one can do for the most part to stop an organized or "horde" attack. The VH gets dropped almost immediately, low flying and dive bombing Lanc's, B17's, B26's and B24's can wipe out and carpet bomb an entire field in min's.
So if there's a complaint or issue with "balance" I would have to say it's definitely in favor of the enemy A/C and not the ground defense's.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to see the Wirbelwind in the game, not because it's some kind of "Uber" weapon It just happens to be my favorite German veh of WWII.
I honestly don't think if it were in the game it would make that much difference to game play outcome, no more than the LA7 or Spit14 does. Think about it for a second, when's the last time you saw 15-20 LA7's attacking and taking an airfield? Thought so, yet it is one of the most talked about A/C in the game {and it's not even perked!!}
I would like to see all around better systems for defence, almost all would agree that it is better to have a tough challange to take a base than it is too just roll in, de-ack real quick, drop a couple hangers, kill the city, setup a vulch {vulch light on, remember this one} and take the base. Wash, rinse, repeat.
I'm not saying EVERYONE in the game plays like this, nor do I want people to play "my way". That would be boring.
I honestly believe that more players like a big fire fight at an airfield or base than simply steam-rollin' um.
We used to have some of the best fights in AH1 at fields with GV's all over, fighters duking it out overhead, tracer rounds flying all over the place, total white knuckle fighting. Friends and enemies alike would each other and we would have a ball. Sometimes we kept the field, sometimes we lost. But what a fight it usually was. Now a lot of times it just seems to be a big gang-bang land grab, cherry pick vulch vest slaughter house alt fight horde run type game than anything. I guess it's the persons right and it is their $14.95, so who am I to say.
I have said it before and I'll say it again, when you have a game based on "perks", "points" and "rank" that's just how people will play wrong, right or indifferent it's the truth. Not to mention it's all personal, "you shot down LTARmoil" now imagine if it said "you killed an enemy GV" or "you shot down a Zeke"
In WWII a pilot didn't get a message on his canopy telling him he shot down Cpt. Vonpickaname?
Oh well just a game;)
