who ever said it HAD to take downed pilots just so they get their name in lights?
pilot rescue is one of the main arguments for adding the pby, besides what else would you want to do with it? make an attempt to drop 4000lbs of bombs on a cv from 15,000ft at ~170mph? i don't mind a suicide run once in a while but, it gets tiresome quickly.
It might not be an idea you like or agree with, but it is one I like and have thought about quite a bit. What surprises me is the part of your post I highlighted in bold; normally you don't make such generalized and ignorant posts. You had no idea if I had thought about this or not, but I figure with the general quality of internet posts these days it is a natural conclusion to jump to. I saw no reason not to mention it on this thread because it is one of the tasks performed by PBYs during the war and it is also about as likely to be included in the game by HTC any time soon as any float plane or bringing back the night in the game.
what i said was neither ignorant nor generalized as both of those would require making a statement without having fully considered the utility of the pby in the main arena. in a battle near a friendly base, if you ditch or bail a jeep or half track would be faster getting to you than a pby. in a battle near a friendly cv, if you ditch or bail on water, a pt boat would be faster getting to you and it has a slightly higher probability than the pby of surviving the effort. any battle around enemy bases, it would not only be time consuming making the attempt but nearly impossible to succeed, not only due to the enemy units in the area but the terrain as well. the pby is big and slower than anything in the ww2 arenas, the only thing it has going for it is the ability to carry bombs and barely adequate defensive armament.
it would most likely be used frequently for one tour after being introduced, then only those who find themselves bored and new people who are curious would try it out.