Originally posted by -ammo-
I am pretty sure that one of the main reasons they modeled a B5N is because it was a priority on the CM list of needed AC. I am not saying I know why HTC came to that decision, but I know that the Kate was identified by the CM group as a need, that is all I am saying with that statement. I believe it fills a needed whole for early pacific battles. I am glad they modeled it.
Well, not completely true, Ammo. There was some disagreement on the CM staff about whether to ask for the B5N or the B6N. Myself and a few others were lobbying for the B6N, so it would be a more accurate foil for the TBM. Keep in mind, also, that we are planning our scenarios out about a year in advance now, so we have a huge list of aircraft and vehicles we need to keep producing new scenarios. We don't have the luxury of asking for a B5N
and a B6N when we don't even have say, a Stuka yet. So we basically ask for planes to fill huge holes....like a Japanese torpedo bomber, a Russian level bomber, etc...
Also keep in mind that while Pyro tries to balance planesets between what the CM's want and what would be good for the CT and the MA....he always produces what he wants to produce given his own logic and perspective.
I have never seen any call for either of those aircraft from the CMs, or anybody else. Everybody seems quite content to allow the Allies to sub in the TBM-3 and SBD-5 instead. Yet when an equivilent subbing is suggested for the Japanese by adding the B6N2 we get a whole load of crap about it not being the right aircraft.
Karnak, that's because you don't have access rights to the CM forum!

We argue about planes and vehicles all the time. As I said before to Ammo, it's not that we wouldn't ask for a SBD-2 or a TBD Devastator. It's just that we need certain plane types to fill out holes to allow certain events to be held. So, while we would certainly prefer to see the TBD Devastator in AH, our lists of priorities dictates that we end up putting that on the lower end of the priority scale, and instead asking for things like a Russian level bomber, the Stuka...etc.
There is certainly not a "pro-US" bias on the CM team. You'll notice that the Japanese level bomber produced by HTC was the Ki-67 Peggy, not the slow, vulnerable G4M Betty. We lobbied Pyro to give us a good, late war Japanese bomber that would be more survivable than the Betty.
BTW, I'll be flying in my very first AH scenario on Saturday, having been a CM for every previous one. I'll be flying the Val and I will be sinking those Yankee dog American carriers! Banzai!
