Author Topic: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?  (Read 925 times)

Offline BnZs

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Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« on: March 22, 2011, 10:33:54 AM »
Okay guys, lets face it, the WWII set is pretty full right now. Yes, there are still a few gaping holes, but practically every fighter that was both important numerically AND is likely to see much use in the MA has been added.

The same can not be said of the WWI arena. Several of the most advanced and important types that would no doubt be effective are still missing. Hell, one of the major powers, France, is not represented by a single bird. That is equivalent to having a WWII arena with no Japanese planes in the set.

So whaddya say? Throw us a Spad XIII next update? Maybe a Nieuport as well?
"Crikey, sir. I'm looking forward to today. Up diddly up, down diddly down, whoops, poop, twiddly dee - decent scrap with the fiendish Red Baron - bit of a jolly old crash landing behind enemy lines - capture, torture, escape, and then back home in time for tea and medals."

Offline FLS

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2011, 10:56:24 AM »
The last time HTC asked for suggestions for a plane poll I didn't see any WW1 aircraft requested. Did I just miss them? Hitech posted that he has plans for the WW1 arena so I wouldn't be surprised to see new aircraft also. Even if initially all we get are bombs and targets to drop them on we should see more variety in the fights there.
« Last Edit: March 22, 2011, 01:34:32 PM by FLS »

Offline Wmaker

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2011, 11:02:07 AM »
- Spad XIII
- S.E.5a
- Albatros D.Va
- Halberstadt CL.II

...would very nicely round out the WWI-planeset for a while.

If Hitech adds mode functionality to the arena, ie. something to bomb, DFW C.V and Breguet XIV would be great multipurpose singles that carry a nice bomb load.
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Offline BnZs

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2011, 11:15:34 AM »
Wmaker,
I'd lean towards adding the Nieuport 17 as well, in light of its importance, and because it would give the French two planes. I can find info on its performance but not much on its handling other than it was often said to be "highly maneuverable." I'm wondering if it could be credible competition for the Dr.1s and Camels.
"Crikey, sir. I'm looking forward to today. Up diddly up, down diddly down, whoops, poop, twiddly dee - decent scrap with the fiendish Red Baron - bit of a jolly old crash landing behind enemy lines - capture, torture, escape, and then back home in time for tea and medals."

Offline CptTrips

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2011, 11:31:10 AM »
Even if initially all we get are bombs and targets to drop them on we should more variety in the fights there.

I agree. 

However, at the risk of flogging the obvious, I'd point out that there has to be a "reason" to bomb those targets, IMHO.  It needs to be a zero-sum game.  There has to be a benefit for the bomber to be worth doing it, and to make it worth sending fighter cover to help them get it done, and it needs to have a negative repercusion for the defender to incentivize them to send up interceptors to stop the bombers.  Both sides need to have skin in the game to make the bombing activity generate intensity and drama. 

Regards,
Wab



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Offline Wmaker

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2011, 12:50:18 PM »
Well, I think Nieuport 17 is too early war to fit to the current planeset alone. Nieuport 28 would be more appropriate. Having a comprehensive planeset for one part of the war enables better possibilities for Special Events and makes a better working "main arena" considering that the WWI planeset is still in its infancy.
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Offline BnZs

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2011, 01:29:39 PM »
Good point. I thought people would object to the 28 vs. the 17 because the latter was more common, but I have no problems whatsoever with having the most "whizz bang" member of the family.

Well, I think Nieuport 17 is too early war to fit to the current planeset alone. Nieuport 28 would be more appropriate. Having a comprehensive planeset for one part of the war enables better possibilities for Special Events and makes a better working "main arena" considering that the WWI planeset is still in its infancy.
"Crikey, sir. I'm looking forward to today. Up diddly up, down diddly down, whoops, poop, twiddly dee - decent scrap with the fiendish Red Baron - bit of a jolly old crash landing behind enemy lines - capture, torture, escape, and then back home in time for tea and medals."

Offline FLS

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2011, 04:51:10 PM »
I agree. 

However, at the risk of flogging the obvious, I'd point out that there has to be a "reason" to bomb those targets, IMHO.  It needs to be a zero-sum game.  There has to be a benefit for the bomber to be worth doing it, and to make it worth sending fighter cover to help them get it done, and it needs to have a negative repercusion for the defender to incentivize them to send up interceptors to stop the bombers.  Both sides need to have skin in the game to make the bombing activity generate intensity and drama. 

Regards,
Wab


I believe that stopping people on a bombing run, just for a change of pace from the furball, will be enough reason to go after them. The last thing I want to see on a small map is bombs shutting down the furball.

 If some kind of move-the-trench-line-get-points element was added it would be nice if it didn't effect the furball at all. Bombing or spotting arty onto trench targets could replace town capture. When all the sections of a trench line were down that line changed sides until the battle was won and one side got points. If the trenches could reset without booting everyone and interrupting the furball you'd have variety without the usual friction.

I think you could also change the current fights by adding air spawn at 15k to the central area in between the fields. It would be too high to simply dive into the usual furball between 2 fields and it would give you a different fight without the long slow climb.





Offline CptTrips

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2011, 05:48:18 PM »
I believe that stopping people on a bombing run, just for a change of pace from the furball, will be enough reason to go after them.

I'm sceptical of that.  Maybe at first, but I don't think it would provide long term interest.  Especially if the bombing has no painful cost.  They'll eventually just be ignored for the most part.  And thats a long flight for a bomber to hit something if it doesn't have a meaningful effect on the battlespace.  Isn't that why people don't bother hitting the nerfed strat in the WWII MA much anymore?

The last thing I want to see on a small map is bombs shutting down the furball.

Then they'll have to learn to intercept and shoot them down. ;)

If some kind of move-the-trench-line-get-points element was added it would be nice if it didn't effect the furball at all. Bombing or spotting arty onto trench targets could replace town capture. When all the sections of a trench line were down that line changed sides until the battle was won and one side got points.

Thats an interesting idea.  It has promise.  However, in the short term I would prefer the approach of just letting us use a troop truck to haul commandos to a field command post.  Its just more consistent with the current MA model and would be the least necessary coding.  Thats gets us something workable fast as a stop gap.  Then maybe something like what you suggest could be put in the pipeline, but I suspect it would be a much deeper rework.

If the trenches could reset without booting everyone and interrupting the furball you'd have variety without the usual friction.

I think you're going to want the reboot.  Ranger is going to make us at least 20 or so WWI maps (;)) so we need a stopping point to swap them out.  

I think you could also change the current fights by adding air spawn at 15k to the central area in between the fields. It would be too high to simply dive into the usual furball between 2 fields and it would give you a different fight without the long slow climb.

Maybe.  I wonder how well spawn camping an air start would work.  :rofl  

I suspect it would work as well as Hitech early suggestion that people should fly out to the no-mans-land area for a different fight.  How many people do that often?  I see a few now and then, but not many, and not often.

People tend to ignore stuff like that unless there is a driving reason to go there.  Something there you want to take away from the enemy, or something there you REALLY don't want the enemy taking away from you.  Tourism isn't that much of a motive, tho you will occationally get a few.

I do sense that you are infering that the strat and furball worlds should exist completely separate from each other and nothing that happens in the strat should inconvienience the furballers ever.  Thats just not going to work.  It doesn't work that way in WWII MA and it won't in a functioning WWI MA.  Resources are going to get destroyed and change hands and that is going to occationally inconvience a furballer.  The furballs should be embedded within the war and occur as a result of friction between competing missions.  They can not exist completely isolated and untouchable.

I do think it would be a good idea to keep the current Furball Arena as-is for the unending, uninterrupted, mindless furball, the way you have the WWII MA and the WWII DA Furball lake.  Keep the WWI Furball Arena for that,  and simply add a WWI MA where the is a real war going on that effects everything in the arena.  

  


Regards,
Wab
« Last Edit: March 22, 2011, 06:48:51 PM by AKWabbit »
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Offline Noir

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2011, 03:52:09 AM »
Bébé Nieuports were a main ride for the American pilots too. I believe a Spad XIII would get perked tho but +1!  :salute I'm still shocked by the absence of french planes in WW1, how could they do that to me?  :cry
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Offline BnZs

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #10 on: March 23, 2011, 11:29:30 PM »
Akwabbit:
Let me put it this way...the DA furball lake regularly has 40 people. Those would be numbers I'd absolutely love to see in WWI. The only difference between da lake and da WWI is that there are actually lots of planes to choose from at the lake. To put it another way, I'd be rather upset if in the immediate future development resources were put into a complex base capture system for WWI rather than some new damn planes already.

Airstarts: I like the idea. WWI dogfights benefit GREATLY from having the altitude bank to dip into for energy but the planes climb so slowly that hardly anyone gets more than 3k before engaging.
"Crikey, sir. I'm looking forward to today. Up diddly up, down diddly down, whoops, poop, twiddly dee - decent scrap with the fiendish Red Baron - bit of a jolly old crash landing behind enemy lines - capture, torture, escape, and then back home in time for tea and medals."

Offline 321BAR

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2011, 12:53:51 AM »
guys earlier this month in AH Gen Dis, HiTech said he was going to try and work on the WWI arena to make it more objective based, more fun, and fix the DR.I gyroscope..

Just wait :aok
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Offline FLS

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2011, 07:05:13 AM »
guys earlier this month in AH Gen Dis, HiTech said he was going to try and work on the WWI arena to make it more objective based, more fun, and fix the DR.I gyroscope..

Just wait :aok

Hitech stated that there was a  flight model issue with the Dr1 but he didn't say what it was.  I expect that everyone with a complaint about the Dr1 assumes that it's their issue being "fixed".  :D

Offline BnZs

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #13 on: March 26, 2011, 05:17:04 AM »
Hitech stated that there was a  flight model issue with the Dr1 but he didn't say what it was.  I expect that everyone with a complaint about the Dr1 assumes that it's their issue being "fixed".  :D

He specifically stated that the gyro is fine too...

Judging from Pyro's post about the Dr1 in the other forum, I expect the triplane will be slowed down some.
"Crikey, sir. I'm looking forward to today. Up diddly up, down diddly down, whoops, poop, twiddly dee - decent scrap with the fiendish Red Baron - bit of a jolly old crash landing behind enemy lines - capture, torture, escape, and then back home in time for tea and medals."

Offline 321BAR

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Re: Seriously, how about some WWI planes?
« Reply #14 on: March 26, 2011, 06:40:03 AM »
He specifically stated that the gyro is fine too...

Judging from Pyro's post about the Dr1 in the other forum, I expect the triplane will be slowed down some.
hmm... i was incorrect <S>
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