I was driving along doing my job earlier today thinking about AH as I sometimes do because I like AH. My train of thought went from thinking about some of the great fights I've had in the Mossie, to irritation at the performance loss that the exhaust flare suppressors give it without any benefit in AH, to why some Mosquito FB.VIs had exhaust flare dampers, to AH2's first arena, the 8th Airforce offensive against Germany.
Now, the stuff I'm about to blather about is not intended to be a player suggestion for AH v2.00 as I think HTC has more than enough on their plate right now. This is more a player suggestion for AH v2.01, v2.02 or v2.03.
The reason that the Mosquito FB.Mk VI in AH has an exhaust flare damper is that it was a night fighter. I don't mean that all Mosquito Mk VIs were nightfighters, but the specific one we have was. Here is the nose art for the specific Mosquito Mk VI we have in AH:
I don't know why it wasn't put on the Mosquito skin, maybe it will be added in AH2, but the important thing to note is that it has 17 kill markers. A strike aircraft doesn't get 17 kills. The Mosquito Mk VI modeled in AH was used as a night fighter and because of that it was usefull to have its exhause flares suppressed, even at the expense of 15mph or performance.
The Mosquito is not the only aircraft we have in AH with exhaust flare dampers, the Lancaster also has them.
All these things got me thinking of the night bombing campaign and how to impliment it.
The Allied Air Offensive of 1944 was a joint effort by the USAAF and the RAF. AH2 will, by all reports, start with the USAAF's daylight efforts being the center. That is natural choice given the current planeset. However, we have almost enough aircraft for the night campaign as well. There would have to be some changes to the gameplay at night as well of course.
1) Icons:
Because this will be an Axis vs. Allies environment, icons are not absolutely required. True, they are required during the day to compensate for the reduced information given by a computer screen when compared with the human eye. During the night however they are not needed and in fact give too much information. At sunset, or slightly thereafter all icons should disappear.
2) Exhaust flares:
Exhaust flares should be added as a light source for all aircraft without damping equipment. They flares should not be bright enough to be visible in daytime, but should be visible from about 500 yards or so at night time.
3) Radar:
3a) Ground Radar:
Ground radar should give positional data on all aircraft with updates every minute or two and identifying friend from foe. Obviously this is mostly for the Germans.
3b) Air Intercept Radar:
Nightfighters should get realtime updates on activity in a 2.5 to 5 mile range in a 90 degree arc in front of them. This should include friend or foe data to represent IFF (which was present and usually worked). This data should be available only to the nightfighter in question, not shared nation wide like the ground radar.
3c) Monica and Window:
Lancasters should be equipped with both Monica and Window. The effect of Monica should be to show any activity in the rear 45 degree arc to about 5 miles, but should also show the bomber using Monica to any German nightfigter in the rear 90 degrees of the Lanc and withing 25 miles. Monica should be able to be turned on and off as it was in reality.
Window should have a limited number of "rounds" and should cause the German radar, both ground and airborne, to be flooded with contacts in a wide area around the bomber's location at the time of Window being employed.
4) Markers:
The British often employed a tactic where the target would be marked by parachute flares dropped by a Mosquito or Lancaster prior to the main force of bombers arrival. This greatly increased accuracy as the bombers then had a set target to bomb. Heavy flares should be added as a lightsource visible from miles away so that the Lancasters could use it as a target for bombing.
5) Searchlights:
Being caught in a searchlight often spelled doom for a British bomber. AI controled searchlights should attempt to lock onto bombers. If successful the bomber should be illuminated and an icon should appear. Sufficiently violent and erratic manuvers on the part of the bomber should have a chance of shaking the searchlight. AA fire should concentrate on bombers caught in the searchlight.
6) Needed aircraft:
Bf110G-4
Ju88C-4b
Mosquito B.IV
or Mosquito B.IX
or, prefferably, Mosquito B.XVI
An actuall purpose built Mosquito nightfighter would be nice, but the Mosquito Mk VI will work.
What do you guys think?
