As a buf pilot, I would surely like to see the following issues addressed in the future.
Top Priorities
1) Realistic takeoff, climb, and engine-out performance. We need to be able to get off the ground before the end of the runway. We need to be able to keep the plane in level flight (or climb slightly) with the failure of one of the two engines (or two of the four engines, if weight permits). Climb rate is often only 500 feet per minute. I am not asking for an uberbomber. I just want performance similar to the real thing.
2) Survivable Damage- My squad has flown for a long time with another online sim. Some of our best experiences are bringing a damaged plane home (engines shot out, vert stab missing, oil leaks, etc.). With Aces High, we either avoid damage altogether or go down in flames. We really miss the ability to bring a damaged plane home.
Nice to have items
3) Clouds with realistic visibility distances. Generally, two planes in tight formation can see each other inside clouds, but once seperated, they are invisible from each other. I would love to fly close formation with another fighter or bomber and see the fog effect as the plane slowly becomes more invisible with distance. At present, a con can still follow a buf inside a cloud, and this is unrealistic.
4) Areas of wide cloud cover. In the war, there were areas of stratus (flat layer) clouds that covered large portions of the map. Such should be the case in Aces High. Choice of targets should be affected by cloud cover. Bufs and fighters should have the ability to duck into stratus cloud layers to disappear from enemies. This was the way things were in WWII and, if technically possible, this is the way we should have it.
5) Feathering propellers- Each B17 should have four engine feathering controls. If your #1 engine gets shot out, you should have to feather the propeller to make it move easily through the slipsteam. The aircraft performance (yawing and climb rate) should be affected by whether a dead engine is feathered or not.
Conclusion- I want to fly into battle with my buddies in our bomber formation. When one of my engines is hit, I want the engine to quit, instead of having the whole plane blow up or the wing fall off. I want to then activate the correct propeller feathering button and look out my window to see that the propeller is now streamlined to the slipsteam and to see my performance improve once this is done. If I have to leave the formation because of damage, I would like the option of ducking into a stratus cloud layer (if one exists) and flying on instruments for part of the way home. Upon landing, I want a couple bare-breasted nurses in a jeep to rush to my plane and perform mouth-to-mouth resesitation (ok, I guess I'm asking too much). You get the picture though.
