1946 arena, and yes I know, it's low on the list

[LCADolby]

KWA wouldn't be too taxing and well balanced

Tupolev MiG vs B29 F86

1946 is pretty broad to put together as the aircraft are all speculation for the Axis.

[Wiley]

I loved and still enjoy IL2 Sturmovik 1946.
But not for the late war monsters but for the 109E7 

A 1946 arena I don't think would be as much fun as a Korean War arena. wonderful balance of F86 and MiGs 

And to me, I'm not sure a Korean arena would be all that interesting.  4 main planes doesn't really do it for me.

I like the wonderful variety of aircraft we have access to from WWII.  I would really enjoy playing with the stuff that almost made it into the war.  It really seemed to be a quantum leap in performance, while still being more about maneuver fighting and gunnery than missiles and speed.

Unfortunately it would be a buttload of work, pretty much creating a new game's worth of FM's.

1946 is pretty broad to put together as the aircraft are all speculation for the Axis.

Yeah, but it would be fun.  Not historical or educational, but fun.

Wiley.

[Arlo]

KW would still be guns on. 1946 would be a cool 'what if' environment. I still want expanded sea toys first. But not subs.

[Butcher]

A KW arena would basically be just a Sabre vs MiG thing. Or a Sabre and Panther vs a MiG thing. Ok, lots of UN hardware vs a MiG thing. Still ....

This is why I have no interest in the Korean War Arena, both Mig-15 and Sabre-F Would be perked, the rest nobody would fly, just like the Main Arena.

[PJ_Godzilla]

A lot of these "designs" never even saw prototype status. I suppose in the case of, for example, TA-183, we'll just have HiTech install some virtual GE turbofans in there? Or should he just take a guess at what the final weight, power, wing area, etc are?

While we're at it, why don't you buy me dinner, only, instead of us actually going to dinner, can you just send me a check for what I would've eaten?

I tell you what, let's just have Addink finish the designs for the Horton Amerika Bomber, the TA-183, the late-war Gotha stuff, etc - and every other paper wonder that was sent in response to an RLM spec. We'll have him finish the designs using '46 levels of technology. That way, when he simulates them, he can do so without haaving to resort to a lot of guesswork.

[Coalcat1]

Thankfully, a lot can be learned by looking at the German designs, and there is info on their possible performance out there. Whether or no you believe what can be gathered, that's up to you, since they where never flown.

[Arlo]

Twould be amusing if players critiqued the SWOTL models. Yank,Russian and Brit, otoh, should match post war stats since they were indeed built and flown.

[Rich46yo]

After the war ended, or before they could/were allowed to engage in active combat, there were many improved versions of already established aircraft that could also be included in a 1946 arena. Would there have to be some guesses in the performance data in modeling these aircraft? Sure because there just isnt a wide body of data in order to draw from. But modeling cartoon aircraft, built 70 years ago, isnt an exact science anyways. So with tinkering a bit with already existing airframes we could add to the '46 arena easier then simply modeling entirely new aircraft.

How do these Titles stick around for so long in the world of gaming? They continually change and grow. Im looking at the K/Ds of some of the planes Ive seen added in my time here for APR LWA we just finished, 200 for B25c, about 580 for 25H, 107 for B29, 500 for Brewster, 500 for Storch, 49 for the Betty, 136 for the 111, 120 for the i16, bout 400 for the Stuka G2, 46 for the Mossie bomber, 80 for Sea Hurri, 420 for the 410. None of them beat out the most heavily perked airplane we have in the game, about 650 for the 262.

So Im wondering exactly what would modeling more obscure aircraft would do for this game except allow a few players, who would probably never even fly them, to crow about how we now have a full plane set. Which does what exactly? With such a rapidly falling players base they dont even add much to events because very few fly them now anyways.

As it is I dont think this game is going to last. Even with only a new graphics engine. I dont enjoy saying this but I think its the truth.

[PJ_Godzilla]

So Im wondering exactly what would modeling more obscure aircraft would do for this game except allow a few players, who would probably never even fly them, to crow about how we now have a full plane set. Which does what exactly? With such a rapidly falling players base they dont even add much to events because very few fly them now anyways.

As it is I dont think this game is going to last. Even with only a new graphics engine. I dont enjoy saying this but I think its the truth.

I think you answer your own question. As long as we only have the existing player base, all is futile. However, a full plane set and improved graphics might attract new players, so long as prospective new players are reached via advertising of any form.

That reminds me, the only ads I've ever seen for AH were on the Military Channel. Granted, this is a reasonable target audience and the rates were probably cheap - however, I'd think the Discovery/TLC/A&E nexus of channels might be a better approach for new meat.

The other upside of new meat: easy kills. I mean, there's only so long I want to have to work (and still die), tangling with the likes of a LAtrobe or C2Mex. Every now and then, it's nice to be swinging the big one, scaring everybody, running the 440 against geriatrics and cripples...

[Volron]

Forget a 1946 Arena.  Skip that and instead do a Korean Arena.  THAT would be a better option.   Don't get me wrong, I'd love for stuff like the G5N1 and G8N1 to be added, but it's just out of the question.  Aces High shouldn't go the way of War Thunder/World of Warplanes.  Stick to what it's been doing, adding things that saw combat.

[Rich46yo]

Plenty of successful franchises do pretty well with wars that were never fought, no matter what planet they were on. I amiyt the Historical accuracy of AH is what drew me but I, as well as many of you, are WW2 flight enthusiasts. Which is why I understand why active players would want a full combat plane set and why AH and many current players hold on to strict inclusion rules.

But we might as well admit many of us are getting old. Our genre is a dieing breed, those that have even kept their sub's, and if the game is going to grow again I think it has to appeal to a wider and younger crowd.

1946 would be perfect cause we already have so many airframes that could compete, so many models that would only have to be touched up to their final generation of performance. The number of actually "new" air/ground frames would be much lower then if Korea was done.

[lunatic1]

cc my friend,as somebody already said--1946 is not WWII'as far as i know the u.s. was not engaged in in wars at the time..so it would not make sense to have a 1946 arena...but i think it would be fun to fly planes that were developed between 1945 and 1946 that saw little or no action.f8f and the skyradier to start.

kudos for a new idea though

[Wmaker]

A lot of these "designs" never even saw prototype status. I suppose in the case of, for example, TA-183, we'll just have HiTech install some virtual GE turbofans in there? Or should he just take a guess at what the final weight, power, wing area, etc are?

GE turbo fans? Why not use the specs of the engine it was projected having?

[Xavier]

I think that what attracted most of us to AH II is the historical accuracy and a "realistic" planeset, not including what-if airplanes and aircraft that barely made it to the war. We already have flight simulators that thrive on post-1945 aircraft (WoW, War Thunder, Il-2 1946), so I think Aces High should center on filling a nice WWII planeset, a new terrain (already in the oven) and new maps/scenarios. No other sim can offer an experience as complete as AH does, and this should be kept in mind.

And for the debbie-downers, remember that the new graphics aren't far away, they will include some new planes and a new wave of players, you can be sure!  On the topic of new players, maybe it would be a good time to implement some in-game tutorials. AH II has a steep learning curve if it's your first flight sim.

[artik]

To be honest I'd like to see 50th planeset: Korean-War, Suez Crisis and so on rather that post WW2 40th.

Russian:

- MiG-15
- MiG-17
- IL-28

British:

- Hawker Sea Hawk
- de Havilland Vampire
- de Havilland Sea Venom
- Gloster Meteor
- Hawker Hunter
- English Electric Canberra

French:

- Dassault Ouragan
- Dassult Mystere IV

USA:

- F-86
- F-84
- F-80
- Grumman F9F Panther
- McDonnell F2H Banshee