Updated Damage model

[Hazard69]

The following is my wish-list pertaining to AH2's damage modelling:

1. Self sealing fuel tanks on aircraft that had them. Also when a tank is hit and leaks out, the "I'm damaged, come pick/gang me" vapour trail should stop.

2. When flaps are hit the visual graphics show a flap fall off, but the FM considers it as a jammed flap. I think the two conditions should be separated and have correct rendering for each.

3. When a flap is jammed please, pretty please with sugar on top stop auto-retracting the other flap. If auto-retract is to simulate pilot action at V_FE, no pilot in his right mind would retract one flap with the other jammed (I don't think aircraft systems would have allowed asymmetric flap extension either, but I can't confirm that for WW2 era planes). Perhaps just leave them both extended and if speed exceeds a limit tear them off like we do for the gears.

4. Engine fires. Way more common than fuel tank fires. Gives the potential for corrective action (i.e. fire extinguishers for large multi engine planes that may have had them). Also in our single engined fighters gives potential for "fogging up" the cockpit or perhaps even a pilot wound due to burns if the pilot doesn't bail out.
<IMHO would end the "flying on fire forever" issue">

5. Flight controls. Currently we have the control surfaces "fall off" to simulate them being pumped full of holes and rendered aerodynamically ineffective. Could we please have some incidents of a control surface jamming?

6. Kill crediting. Could we allocate kill points per component? (Don't confuse with damage points). People are credited for kills on the basis of tactical damage to aircraft rather than the total damage. If I pump the right wing full of 30cal rounds but not to breaking point. Then along comes a friendly and puts a single 20mm round in the cockpit. Should I really be credited for the kill? Not in this case. However if he put that 20mm into the right wing and tore it off, then yes I do get credit.

7. Tracks. I know tracks are one of the few things on the GVs that can be damaged by aircraft guns and have myself many times tracked a panzer with 20mm rounds. Then a friendly who took the time to drive up and end him with a 75mm shot gets an assist and I get a kill? Clearly the kill is his and perhaps No.6 above would also resolve this issue.

8. Lastly (and this isn't really a serious one), but on a pilot bailing out we see the plane spiral down and crash into the ground. Could we have the same effect when a pilot is killed in the cockpit instead of the puffball?

That's all I can think of right now, maybe more will follow later

[SectorNine50]

1)  IIRC, self-sealing tanks are already calculated into the damage model from what I understand.  Hard to tell though, you won't be able to tell you do get hit in the tank and self sealing works unless you visually inspect your aircraft.  +1 for the vapor trail ending when the tank empties.

2) +1!

3) +1!

4) To add to this, I understand that pilots could gain altitude when they had a fire and when the air would get thin enough, the flames would go out!

5) This could be cool, but I feel like it would be hard to execute.

6) +1!  This might be one of the more complained about thing I've noticed in-game...  Good idea too!

7) See 6.

8) +1!  I mentioned this a while back, really would add to the game in my opinion!  Plus I would like the confirmation that I hit them in the cockpit, not the fuel tank! :-)