FSO: June - Operation Husky, the Invasion of Sicily

[Stoney]

I don't think Sax's initial post was as much as a complaint as it was just a hey don't forget the blue plane guys.

If only we could find some squadrons that were dedicated to flying Japanese, especially IJN, aircraft.   

You guys act like we're doing it intentionally.  Sometimes the Admin just can't make it work out.  Spit squads and Luft squads are fortunate, as so many setups involve those aircraft.  GD has a competitive setup planned that potentially offers a few new wrinkles with the GVs.  Best to enter into the month with an open mind that you'll have fun 3 Friday nights in a row, regardless of aircraft. 

[Saxman]

Shifty,

1. Italy
2. Dieppe
3. High Blue
4. Sicily

Stoney,

Part of it may be the woeful under representation in the Japanese plane set.

[Shifty]

Shifty,

1. Italy
2. Dieppe
3. High Blue
4. Sicily

Stoney,

Part of it may be the woeful under representation in the Japanese plane set.

Ah okay there was four straight I was thinking there was that VVS/IJ thing in the middle.

Well obviously pointing it out is a mistake and nobody wants to hear about it.
Enter the month with an open mind, close your eyes,and think of England. 

[Stoney]

Stoney,

Part of it may be the woeful under representation in the Japanese plane set.

There's no doubt that the planeset could use some work, but I think it has more to do with the overall performance disparity between the early and mid-war Japanese aircraft and USN/USMC aircraft.

Shifty, making mention of 4 ETO setups in a row is one thing, but saying "remember us Corsair/Hellcat/Wildcat squads" is another.  We are not purposefully denying you the ability to fly the Hog.

[ghostdancer]

What actually is rather limiting also is the available map set. Now before anybody goes there building a historical terrain for use in these events is much, much time consuming than building a non-historical terrain for the MA. Basically the designer is doing research to get the right elevations of the terrain, trying to match coastlines, roads, base positions (in many cases) and also then creating the textures for the terrain and Special Objects.

It is a lot of work and every time a new TE or OE comes out everything needs to be tested to make sure old designs are still working with new designs and that old ways of doing things still work with new software. This is why map production for events is slower than the MA.

So we have the maps limiting us to what areas we can do battle in and then we have plane sets as you guys point out.

As for the past 5 FSOs we have done 1 Pacific, 2 ETO, and 2 MTO. Yes, another Pacific one is do and is coming up (another Admin is planning a Pacific event) and started planning his before I did mine. I am before him in rotation but I didn't want to run an event on the same terrain he is using almost back to back.

That left me with the option of an event using the Tunisia terrain, doing Husky or the Siege of Malta (southern Med events in contrast to the later Italian event previously run), or something in Hungary. I will admit to a bias here that the Hungary Map doesn't perk my interest so I didn't go with that. I have already run a Tunisia event back in 2008 so I decided to go with a Southern Med event and decided to go with the Invasion of Sicily for a couple of reasons.

1) I could incorporate British Fleet Carriers in the event and have the FM2 stand in for the Martlet. So I thought that would be a nice change of pace to have British CV operations (Seafires and FM2s).

2) With people being able to man the guns of DDs I thought it would be interesting to do an amphibious invasion battle. Have a couple squads man DDs and LVTs and try to take a base while being resisted by shore batteries and GVs.

So of the available map options open to me Sicily I thought provided the terrain with the most possibilities for interesting twists. This is why I went with it.

[Odee]

Wonder how BoB would have faired if it was the Japs attacking from France...  Or even the African theater.  Sub all LW planes for same era Japs and have at it?
 

[Anaxogoras]

Wonder how BoB would have faired if it was the Japs attacking from France...  Or even the African theater.  Sub all LW planes for same era Japs and have at it?
 

With a range of nearly 2000 miles, the A6M2 would be an interesting substitution for a 109E.

[fudgums]

Cough rangoon cough cough

[Shifty]

Shifty, making mention of 4 ETO setups in a row is one thing, but saying "remember us Corsair/Hellcat/Wildcat squads" is another.  We are not purposefully denying you the ability to fly the Hog.

I never said you were Stoney. If I thought that I'd come right out and say it. I think those planes get lost in the backwash because of the lack of some needed IJN/IJAAF aircraft and just the overall popularity of the ETO aircraft. Heck if there were all USAAF vs IJN/IJAAF scenarios I'd gladly fly Japanese in that to support any P-38/P-39/P-40 squadrons that don't get much in the way of their squads hostorical action. Also for the chance to fly in a USN/USMC vs IJN/IJAAF scenario. Like I mentioned in my first post I love the Norway sceanrio and the chance to fly the F4U against the Luftwaffe. I'm not some guy demanding to fly the F4U-4 against the A6M2 or some such nonsense. Heck I'm excited to fly Operation Husky, I flew in the scenario a couple of years back and enjoyed it. I'm not demanding and not complaining, I was just making an observation. I don't mind flying other aircraft, if I did I wouldn't even participate. I enjoy the FSO for what it is and have for years. Regardless of what you think of my post or seem to think I'm up to, I'm a huge supporter of the FSO staff. I'd just like a chance to fly the Corsair more often than one frame in a six to seven month time frame. It's not a demand, attack or accusation, it's just a wish.

<S>

[ghostdancer]

Rangoon is tough with this number of players. I created a Rangoon event in the past and APdrone ran it again after modifying it. With so few air bases it makes it tough to have things spread out for 500 people so that we don't get areas with massive congestion of players in the same sector.

But who knows for the future.

I know the next FSO after July is a PTO design.

[PFactorDave]

Rangoon is tough with this number of players. I created a Rangoon event in the past and APdrone ran it again after modifying it. With so few air bases it makes it tough to have things spread out for 500 people so that we don't get areas with massive congestion of players in the same sector.

Just a thought here, but have you ever considered running two sessions of the same set up for something like Rangoon?  Might even be able to run one session at a time slot that is more friendly to our European players...  Just throwing it out there.

[fudgums]

oh no that was a reply to Anaxgoras and odee asking about an A6m2 vs Spit1 Hurri1 setup. Basically the rangoon scenario had a squadron or two of spits and hurris

[Stoney]

I never said you were Stoney. If I thought that I'd come right out and say it.

Fair enough.  I do appreciate feedback.  We'll get it sorted out. 

 

[Anaxogoras]

oh no that was a reply to Anaxgoras and odee asking about an A6m2 vs Spit1 Hurri1 setup. Basically the rangoon scenario had a squadron or two of spits and hurris

But without any of the strategic constraints of the BoB, and with an egregiously bungled planeset full of bizarre substitutions.

[fudgums]

Either way we dont have a adequate bomber for BoB anyway. Except the JU88 Im not sure if its the correct version