Recon Markers On Map

[mussie]

Someone mentioned doing a recon mission to find a CV...

I love taking the AR234 for a spin (usually into the ground) and the thought occurred to me that it would be great to use the old girl for CV finding Recon flights...

I intend to do this but I think It would be great if we could place a recon marker on the MAP that all friendly units could see.

Of corse this would be abused beyond belief so I would see the following as needed

1- Maximum of 1 recon marker per person in a five minute interval

2- Maximum 5 (10 ?) minutes life for markers

3- Ability to turn off markers (All, Squad Only, None)

4- Ability to report marker abuse

5- To place a marker you would
        - right click on map
        - select place marker
        - Select CV, GV, F (Fighter) or B (Bomber)
        - Perhaps Select a heading N, S, SW, SE ect

6- Perhaps the Player would have to select RECON as flight type (like score as fighter or attack) and would not receive any points for damage done to any ground targets....

[Bad31st]

ABSOLUTELY:aok

I've often thought it would be cool to add recon planes or photo recon capabilities to existing planes.

Although I think that recon markers should only be able to be placed by planes that actually performed recon duties in WWII.

It could work by adding a camera (just like selecting ord) in the hanger, taking off, once over target rolling slightly and snapping the pic.  RTB and the marker is deployed. Would be really cool if the photos were saved as screen shots too (preferably in black and white like the real thing)

iirc there was a Spit which was fitted with a camera in the side of the fusalage, F-4U's could have guns removed and replaced with a camera, and I'm sure there were others. Perhaps Krusty or one of the other more knowledgable folks around here could confirm or put together a list of sorts.

[mussie]

Yeah the whole recon idea is fun, and It would be cool to have a camera and screen shots, but the only real MA use for this is in CV hunting.....

When you bust ya hump to capture a port it really sux to see (OR NOT) the CV steaming away into NME waters.

The reason I want the Recon markers is so that players who dont hear/read your "NME CV Spotted" message see the marker.....

[Schatzi]

Originally posted by Bad31st

Although I think that recon markers should only be able to be placed by planes that actually performed recon duties in WWII.
 

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=180394

[hacksaw1]

I think the idea of adding a role for reconnaissance to the game is great, though I imagine it would be put on a far back burner for some time.

Nevertheless, another suggestion:

Enemy CVs do not display on the clipboard map, so why should all the bases of your two enemies?

As long as we are speculating about recon in the game, why not make all enemy bases behind the front a simple dot, like a city, with no strat information available until someone either flies over it with a recon bird and clicks a pic, or drives around it with a jeep and takes a pic?

Until you perform a recon mission you would not be able to tell if there even was a base rather than a civilian city, whether it was medium or large, or a vehicle base, or a port or what it was. Maps could then also be created with additional cities here and there that have no strategic value per se, but that force your enemy to perform recon.

So when you pull up the clipboard you would see all your own bases on a map. But only the enemy bases directly adjacent to your own bases along a front would show up as icons and have strat information available. All the rest of the enemy map would be dots for any ground installation, military or otherwise, and no strat information. You wouldn't be able to see spawn points.

Any enemy bases with icons showing, whether on the front, or whether having been overflown by recon missions, would have all strat info available. Those unknown dots of the enemy would not have any information available.

You would have to fly over a base, click a pic and successfully return to your base to discover what it was, and have the icon and strat info show up on the clipboard map. You could limit the recon bird to a maximum of three (or even two) bases that it could reconnoiter. You could limit the amount of time that a recon mission maintains a visible enemy icon on the map to an hour. People might remember what kind of base an enemy "dot" was, but there would not be any strat information available until the next recon flight.

Just some ideas.

Best regards,

Cement

[helldiver]

i like it!now we can have the F-5!:aok

[hacksaw1]

I also had a thought about CV recon missions mentioned by mussie.

During WWII when a recon flight found an enemy carrier they used the radio and reported the CV's postion. So it seems to me that as long as a recon plane stays within visual range of an enemy CV and reports every 5 mins or so, then the enemy CV's icon could be displayed on the map. As soon as the recon plane leaves the area (either voluntarily or by being shot down) the CV icon would disappear again.

Might be a bit simpler than a marker.

This might make CV's a little more of a sitting duck, or it might encourage team cooperation (lol) in keeping patrols orbiting the CV to down recon birds.

Along these lines, if a CV gets within visual range of an enemy coast, the game could automatically report its presence from "coastwatchers" upon which the icon would appear on the map. That would help prevent parking CVs offshore.

Best Regards,

Cement

[mussie]

Originally posted by hacksaw1
So it seems to me that as long as a recon plane stays within visual range of an enemy CV and reports every 5 mins or so, then the enemy CV's icon could be displayed on the map. As soon as the recon plane leaves the area (either voluntarily or by being shot down) the CV icon would disappear again.

Dam hacksaw1... Ya took my idea cut off all the excess fat and made it simple and effective.....

Hey HT, Pyro If you have a minute, any chance you could give us your opinion on the idea of recon planes...

I know that  I would happily Fly an unarmed AR-234 as a scout..... At least with the CV hunting idea

[Kev367th]

As it stands there are 4 aircraft ingame that only require the camera option to start this going.
All were figher/recce versions of the Spit. i.e. FULLY ARMED PR Spits.

PR Ia Type G - Fighter/recce Spit Ia (skin awaiting approval)
FR V - Fighter/recce Spit V (ingame now, SAAF)
FR IX - Fighter/recce Spit IX (ingame now, "Pink Spit")
FR XIV - Fighter/recce Spit XIV (not done....yet)

May actually make the XIV useful.

[Airscrew]

Originally posted by hacksaw1
ISo it seems to me that as long as a recon plane stays within visual range of an enemy CV and reports every 5 mins or so, then the enemy CV's icon could be displayed on the map. As soon as the recon plane leaves the area (either voluntarily or by being shot down) the CV icon would disappear again.

Along these lines, if a CV gets within visual range of an enemy coast, the game could automatically report its presence from "coastwatchers" upon which the icon would appear on the map. That would help prevent parking CVs offshore.
Best Regards,
Cement

 sounds good to me.

Kev, I think you can add to the list.
P-38
P-51
Hurricaine (used for recon in North Afrika) I think they used IIb or IIc
Mossie

[hacksaw1]

mussie, you have a good idea to start working on!

Other birds in addition to the ones you've listed above that were fitted for recon missions:

F4U-1P
F4U-4P
F6F-5P
Ar 234
FW 190
Me 262
Mossi
Typhi (maybe Tempest too?)
B 26
Ki 46 Dinah (which the Ki 67 might sub for in a pinch)
Yak 7
Zemke fitted his P-47 with cameras and a few other P-47s were I beleive
I'd be willing to guess the JU 88 was too

So there's no shortage of planes that could carry out recon missions.

Best Regards,

Cement

[Airscrew]

the Ju-88 was used for high alt recon/photo work, but it was a special version, pressurized cabin, extend wings, different engines.

[hacksaw1]

Airscrew - I seem to recall that version of the JU 88 now.

I think as far as reporting CV's, any plane type could overfly a task force and report the location of a CV by radio - so the feature of reporting a CV, should it be developed, could be a universal dot command like .CVloc (CV Location) and its effect would last for a few minutes.

The other suggestion about the clipboard map displaying dots for unknown enemy cities, bases, ports, etc, would require dedicated photo recon birds to overfly them.

Best regards.

Cement

[mussie]

Originally posted by hacksaw1
could be a universal dot command like .CVloc (CV Location) and its effect would last for a few minutes.

.CVloc <-- FUGGING BRILLIENT

[Kev367th]

Originally posted by Airscrew
 sounds good to me.

Kev, I think you can add to the list.
P-38
P-51
Hurricaine (used for recon in North Afrika) I think they used IIb or IIc
Mossie

CC

The FR Spits are the only ones I can think of that would only need a camera option though.

No need to remove armament as they were fully armed.

Those in your list would need a new model of some kind, e.g. PR Mossies carried no guns at all.