I am new to AH, and if this repeats a former request, apologies.
I love flying in the WW1 Arena, but it is just a dueling arena with laser accurate "archie" over the bases. Vulching not tolerated? Fine by me. The aircraft are all fun and interesting, as well as accurate enough. What the WW1 arena lacks is any "game play." So, being new, and knowing I will probably be ignored, I will put forth the following idea.
1: Add one bomber, Gotha or otherwise. These bombers were horribly inaccurate, requiring the pilot basically use a downforward view from the F3 position and guess, learning along the way when and where to drop bombs.
2: Add a German two-seater. This merely to increase the count of planes from 5 to 6. Add the light bomb load capability.
3: Reduce the handling of the F2b, which carried two men, and was therefore 200lbs or so heavier than the rest of the fighters fielded, and add the light bomb capability. There is a flying full-scale replica of the F2b at present and the pilot has noted that all must have "beaufighter legs" reffering to the massive amount of rudder effort needed to manuever the plane through even basic maneuvers. While called a fighter, it was a two seat scout, rather than a one seat scout, and all planes of WW1 were called Scouts. No one ever thought of them as effective weapons of war, except those gifted with insight towards the future of airpower.
4: Add a drivable truck, like the one in the hanger, which can carry troops and line supplies.
5: (and the reason for the above) Like the towns in WW2 maps, place one town for each side on the map, between their respective airfields. Bombable, with AA, and a Motorpool area, but not Capturable. Like the Factories in WW2 arena's, create six "mobile fronts" Rook vs Bish, Rook vs Knights, Knights vs Bishops, Knights vs Rooks, Bishops vs Knights, Bishops vs Rooks. The trenchline graphics which are stagnant and unmanned in the present map become 6 seperate manned trenchs with AI AA positions and infantry units in them. These shoot at low flying enemy planes with MG and AA cannon (though not as accurate as base archie, please). They are targets of bombing and strafing raids, and when sufficiently damaged, they shift to the rear position (like Factories) closer to their own airfields and town. They can be "resupplied" by players with trucks of troops from the Town behind the airfields, or by AI convoys of trucks.
These additions create a WW1 game. Now, the three sides have to attack the fronts, reduce the troops, knock out archie, and force the enemies front to "retreat" This pushes the enemy front closer to you and makes flying missions more treacherous. The side pushed back must concentrate efforts to push the enemy back to the middle of the three sided battleground before they can begin to push at either enemy again. Supplies must be driven to the damaged front, and troops, to reinforce the battle front, fighters must support bombers and scouts, as this occurs. The overall additions, which appear simply remodling of existing game mechanics to me, would give a tactical and strategic purpose to the WW1 game it presently lacks, and would add to the attraction of flying here. At the end of any set time, or should any side hold both other fronts pushed back for a set number of days, the War ends and restarts afresh.
The map itself need never change. The hard reality of "The Great War" was one of valiant stagnation or small gains hailed as major victories while the major powers involved impaled themselves politically and socially upon the pikes of their pride. France lost so many men in the war, that they had few adult males to face the new threat in 1940, in spite of the French women husband-hunting in so many nations that they built the reputation of the Loose French Woman by themselves, and the punative Versaille Treaty which ended WW1, was described by the US Ambassador as "Virtually Guarenteeing there shall be another War soon." Prophetic words, indeed.
I see these changes as adding the "flavor" of WW1 to the Game Room set aside for us Rag-Wing pilots. I see these changes as giving those of us who fly Rag-wings equal gaming experience with those who fly other rooms. I am JustWill of the ClaimJumpers, in the LateWar Arena, but would spend fully half my flying time in a WW1 room depicted above - a room with some "objectives" to my flying the dangerous skies.
Thankyou for your time.
JustWill.
