Gee, I guess there were two of us that liked the RPS.
Having played these games for a long time, I look for variety to keep things interesting. AH has provided variety with new terrains, ships, and ground vehicles; and I enjoy all of them. However, I think there could be more variety in the air combat aspect, by introducing more early war planes, AND an environment in which they can compete. IMO, the RPS did that. For me, it also provided an insight into the pilots' experience of the evolution of hardware and tactics as the war progressed.
Others hated the RPS. I guess they didn't value the sort of variety it produced in the game. Some felt early war planes were too slow and didn't kill quickly enough. Others felt they deserved to fly their favorite plane whenever they want. (I guess the Tempest isn't anyone's favorite.) Whatever the reason, it seems that RPS was a marketing failure.
I propose a modified RPS:
Start with three sets of planes. Earliest at forward fields, later at more rear fields. As later generations of planes are introduced, shift the prior ones to more forward fields. Allow any plane safely landed at any field to launch from that field, as a reward for staying alive, and to allow later war planes to be ferried to the front.
Get rid of the Perk system.
Allow "Aces" with a kill streak of (insert number) to launch any plane in the current set from any field, as a reward for "doing well".
This modified RPS would provide a reasonable environment for early war planes, without too drastic a "penalty" for One Trick Pon....er, specialized players.
