I would like to make some suggestions about how the game handles "Ditches" and "Successful Landings". I would like to see values based on "How Good, The Landing Was", in regard to how the sortie is scored
Currently the game reports a "Successful Landing" three ways that I know of.
1) Landing a plane on a runway surface - Makes sense, but it is the same for an allied or enemy held runway
2) Bailing out from a plane on the ground - Speaking with HiTech, this is recorded as a "Bail", but the game reports it as a "Successful Landing"
3) Bailing out from a plane in the air - Providing the chute is opened soon enough to retard "Splat Speed"
The game reports a "Ditch" if the plane lands anywhere but on a runway surface.
I am willing to assume that later in the games evolution we will have the possibility of "Capture". (This is where we get "Our PeePee's Wacked", by being tortured
)
I only have three problems have with this current system.
1) I can "Belly Flop" a plane down on the runway, destroying it, but I still receive the pat "Successful Landing" reported by the system, as long as I stay on the runway (Ever come in a little to hot and don't want to waste the time for a fly around?).
2) The game does't seem to mind if the runway is allied or enemy held.
3) I can bail out of a plane anywhere, strike the ground below "Splat Speed" and also get the same message.
My suggestion is to have priorities for the many different forms of landings be assigned to a points modifiying factor based on "How Good, The Landing Was". This factor used to modify the sortie score.
EX: Factor = 1 - Landing a plane on a runway, with the gear down
EX: Factor = .7 - Landing a plane on a runway, with the gear up
EX: Factor = .6 - Landing a plane withing the boundaries of a facility, with the gear down
EX: Factor = .4 - Landing a plane withing the boundaries of a facility, with the gear up
EX: Factor = .2 - Bailing out and getting captured
EX: Factor = .1 - Getting killed
I did not list the all the possibilities. You could even have factor modifiers.
EX: Factor = 1 +.4 - Landing a very damaged plane on a runway, with the gear down
EX: Factor = .7 +.4 - Landing a very damaged plane on a runway, with the gear up
EX: Factor = 1 -.5 - Landing a plane on a enemy held airbase runway, with the gear down
I would also like to suggest that the game reports and records the landing in the same ways.
EX:"Successful Landing"
EX:"You Have Bailed, but You Have Been Captured"
EX: "You have Ditched, but You Have Been Captured"
EX: "Successful Landing, but You Missed The Runway"
EX: "You Have Been Killed AGAIN! When ARE You Going To Learn You Worthless Dweeb?"
I am confident some these ideas are already in the works or being considered. I just wanted to throw my quarter into the pot.
Whew! Long one...
Mino
