Here's another thing that has bothered me since the beginning. If Aces High was designed primarily as an "Aircraft" combat simulation game, Why is there so much WATER on nearly ALL the maps ? Just take a look at the rest of the WishList posts, and it's clear how many players would like to turn Aces High into a NAVAL combat simulation game as well. Mines, Mine Sweepers, Submarines, BattleShips, Bigger Fleets, More Ship Guns, Specialized Ammo for ship guns, and on and on and on.
I think Aces High has created its' own MONSTER. It looks to me like during the design process, someone highjacked the game concept and steered it towards a NAVAL game by putting a disproportionate amount of water on the majority of maps. I suspect it may even have been a benevolent decision. Afterall, many planes were designed specifically to fight from carriers. Even though all these carrier planes DID HISTORICALLY OPERATE FROM LAND BASES AS WELL. But no matter how benevolent an idea is, sometimes the "Law of Unintended Consequences" kicks in and suddenly the "good" idea turns into a very "bad" idea.
This problem of direction should be addressed by AH before it gets any worse. Future maps should have far less water on them. Take a lesson from the armor component in the game. Most maps incorporate an abundance of forrested and mountainous terrain, serving as a natural barrier to armored ground units. As a consequence, few bases are taken by armor and few squadrons are tank oriented. Why then design maps that cater to wanna be admirals ?
