Next scenario -- Philippine Phandango -- schedule is set

[Brooke]

It is November, 1944, and MacArthur has returned. With the battle of Leyte Gulf just completed, the Fleet Carrier Task Forces of the US Navy have moved off to hit the northern islands of the Philippines. On Leyte, units of General Kenney's Fifth Air Force and several Navy and Marine squadrons remain to cover the newly gained foothold. The Japanese, intent on reversing the recent tide of battle, have moved several elite aviation units to the Philippines with the start of Operation Sho-Go 1. Both sides are desperate and going all out to win control of the skies and seas of the southern Philippines.

It will be the F4U-1A & D, P-38J & L, P-47D-11 & -25, FM-2, B-24J, and B-25C & H, against the N1K2-J, Ki-84, Ki-61, A6M5b, and Ki-67. The whole of the southern Philippine Islands is a battlefield, featuring dogfights in the sky, strategic bombing of targets on the land, and antishipping attacks and ship vs. ship battles at sea.

Please join us for the fight!

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More details are available here:

http://www.ahevents.org/scenario-current-or-next.html

It runs Saturdays, with Show-Up Time being 3 pm Eastern in the Special Events II arena.  Dates as follows.

July 31:  test frame -- please all attend
August 7:  frame 1
August 14:  frame 2
August 21:  frame 3
August 28:  frame 4

[Brooke]

Registration will open on July 2nd at 8 pm Eastern Time.

What you register for is what you will fly, first come, first served.

So if you want a particular plane or to fly with particular people, please register before what you want is taken by others.

[BoilerDown]

Purdue opens at Notre Dame Sept 4th.  So thanks for squeezing this in there.  I was getting worried.

[WMLute]

Reenactment.

This is not a Scenario this is a reenactment.

[Wildcat1]

really man?

[Babalonian]

Reenactment.

This is not a Scenario this is a reenactment.

While I'm sitting in my skivys and drinking a beer while participating in this scenario, I want color photos of you participating in this reenactment while in your own simpit in full WWII pilot gear. 

Unless your last name is Gates good sir and you have the desire and resources to build or recomission some WWII-era JP and USA carriers with a full compliment of aircraft and can pay my rent while we're off floating around in the SE Pacific for a month, we'll be generating a "scenario" online in the virtual skies as close to a "reenactment" as physicaly possible for all of us.



HUUZAH, NEXT SCENARIO IS UP!

[WMLute]

really man?

There are those of us who have participated in Scenarios for 15-20 years now and have been watching them steadily decline over the past 3-4 years.

You obviously are also a 10-20 year Scenario vet (why else would you chime in as you did) so I would like you to tell me why you feel it is a good thing to decide in advance all of the orders and script out how the event will pan out.

I am curious as to what insight you can give me on why this is a positive direction to take this particular Special Event.

While I'm sitting in my skivys and drinking a beer while participating in this scenario, I want color photos of you participating in this reenactment while in your own simpit in full WWII pilot gear. 

Unless your last name is Gates good sir and you have the desire and resources to build or recomission some WWII-era JP and USA carriers with a full compliment of aircraft and can pay my rent while we're off floating around in the SE Pacific for a month, we'll be generating a "scenario" online in the virtual skies as close to a "reenactment" as physicaly possible for all of us.

HUUZAH, NEXT SCENARIO IS UP!

That goes for you as well.

Please explain how taking away all tactical decisions from the CO's is the right thing to do.

[Babalonian]

That goes for you as well.

Please explain how taking away all tactical decisions from the CO's is the right thing to do.

   "the right thing to do."  PU-lease...  kettle call the pot black much?  Ok, seriously;

Not until I get my answer from the last scenario on how was it possible for the allies to fly around the edge of the map of norway and well within Sweedish airspace to flank their strategical targets in Norway.

This is a debatable subject that has no end or "right".  Lets just say I agree with you that the COs should have some tactical decisions and control.... BUT.... given the results of abuse and exploitation of such a liberty in the last few scenarios I have absolutley no objection to making you guys sit in the corner and eat your stale bread and water for at least one scenario until you realize that with such a liberty comes a responcibility and required sence of fair play not just for the half of the participants under your comand but for all participants.

I'm afraid you crying about it, from my perspective, is the cream ontop of my sour grapes from the last few scenarios, so cary on your complaining like any 2-year old sent for a deserved time-out to sit in a corner.  This "punishment" will likely only last one scenario before it laxes up again... if you imature COs and participants didn't learn your lesson though then it's back to the corner for a longer period.

For the COs this sucks, I agree, but for the 99% of the players participating seems like we're about to go have a fun time in this scenario, lack-luster surprises and all.

[Stoney]

Brooke, why is the 348th flying both the D-11 and D-25?  At this point in the war, the 348th was flying D-23's almost exclusively.  The only difference between the D-23 and D-25 is the bubble canopy.  Otherwise, its the same airplane.  Without the wing pylons for extra fuel, the Jugs will be extremely range-limited.  Considering they flew primarily air-to-air missions, this is, IMO, important.  It should simply be two squadrons of P47-D25's...

[oneway]

For the COs this sucks, I agree, but for the 99% of the players participating seems like we're about to go have a fun time in this scenario, lack-luster surprises and all.

You will still get 'lack-luster' or otherwise 'surprises'...they just wont come in the form your normally accustomed to...the more things change...the more they reveal themselves to be the same.

Scripted Scenarios are less risky from a design perspective...because they are in fact 4 mini events rolled into an amalgam stitched together through a system of scoring...one side could get whipped in one frame, only to coming roaring back in the next frame...that is the lure of the scripted format...

Its far more difficult to design a successful Scenario that is not scripted and runs in a balanced fashion across its entire duration. A simple choice such as how many aircraft a particular unit gets can end up having a catastrophic effect that snowballs from Frame 1.

Something suggest to me that the solution is somewhere in between a fully scripted event, and a linear unscripted event.

Perhaps dynamic balancing of points and objectives as things play out...

There is a better model out there...nobody has figured it out yet.

Oneway

[Fencer51]

Brooke, why is the 348th flying both the D-11 and D-25?  At this point in the war, the 348th was flying D-23's almost exclusively.  The only difference between the D-23 and D-25 is the bubble canopy.  Otherwise, its the same airplane.  Without the wing pylons for extra fuel, the Jugs will be extremely range-limited.  Considering they flew primarily air-to-air missions, this is, IMO, important.  It should simply be two squadrons of P47-D25's...

Well Brooke is not the person to ask, as it was my decision.

P-47s - The P-47s in use at this time in the Philippines were generally P-47D-23 razorback Thunderbolts. In order to give as accurate as possible simulation the P-47D11 and the P-47D25 are available. Between the two versions they should provide an accurate balance for the one actually used.

I had ran this by a couple people and they agreed with me.  But that doesn't mean it was the best decision.

Do you have any data on the D-25 vs the D-23?  Or a location where I can get a look at it.  You concern about fuel has merit as well.

[Fencer51]

There is a better model out there than raw linear events on one hand, and fully scripted events on the other...nobody has figured it out yet.

While disagreeing with the "fully scripted" portion..

Oh I figured it out, but it got vetoed.   

[Babalonian]

Oh I'm sure there will be surprises oneway, I realise now some of my words seem to be putting down this decision, but it has my full support and eager anticipation.

By "lack-luster" I meant it will hopefuly not be as "dramatic" as the previous ones in previous scenarios that left half the participants cursing the opposing CO for his lack of inovative tactics by resorting to MA-tactics and eventualy degrading into every insult and viable curse imaginable cast upon their mother.

[oneway]

The whole design process seems so daunting I do not see how you even contemplate participating in it...

There are so many 'what if' things to consider, they branch and multiply like an amoeba or hydra...

Every single decision has a cascading series of possible consequences to consider...

Its beyond my linear "if ... then ... else" mind set..

Hats off...

How is that fire feeling after jumping out of the frying pan?

 

Oneway

[oneway]

I understood Babelonian...

I think that no matter what is done...you will get the same level of surprises...they will just come in different flavors...

It will always be something...

Oneway