Exterior Viewing for Fighters?

[Halo]

I've been enjoying flying MS Flight Simulator 2004 so much because of the easy view switching from cockpit to virtual cockpit to tower to exterior that I wonder why Aces High doesn't allow  on-line exterior viewing for fighters, ground vehicles, and ships as well as bombers.

Is it too big a drain on computing resources or programming?  Is it considered too unreal?  What?  

It's such a blast hotrodding or just cruising and looking at aircraft from the outside that I often wish we could have the external and chase view options for fighters as well as bombers.  

I don't think many people will or can seriously fight aircraft from the exterior views, but that is certainly a fun option to have -- an even greater feeling of starring in your own movie.  It would increase the appeal of the game while ultimately requiring cockpit manuevering and gunning for maximum effectiveness.  

What was the reasoning for allowing bombers to have exterior viewing in Aces High and not fighters?  Hopping around the bomber crew positions seems to give viewing commensurate with real life and fighters, so why did bombers get external viewing?

What do you think?  If it's possible to implement, would you want external viewing available on line for all Aces High aircraft, vehicles, and ships?

[Toad]

You can't do it in Online combat arenas but you can do that in Offline mode. I'm happy with that.

[SKurj]

exterior view in fighters comes in REAL handy in some o them other sims!

Can see your opponent even when he is directly beneath you for example...  no hiding places (low 6...)



External was put in place for bombers as a work around.  In a real bomber there could be 10 sets of eyes or more scanning the skies all in contact with the pilot at all times.  Without the external view in bombers... you would not have anything even close to a realistic state of SA.  You would have to switch back and forth to all the different positions and then have to orient yourself and while doing this you couldn't do pilot stuff.

Perhaps the external view is abit liberal, and in some cases way off base (2 seaters come to mind, which I have suggested solutions in the past)
perhaps ah2 will come up with a different idea, though i doubt it.


SKurj

[Rooster]

We had external views in fighters in early Beta, yup it was nice to look at the pretty airplane from outside. But it had a sort of hollow feeling in using it to fly and fight, plus it gets you >< this close to start asking for glass cockpits

Tanks had external views also. Which made it possible for you to sit behind a ridgeline and direct your gun fire as if you had a balloon with an observer aiming for you.

Tried out and found wanting by the powers that be, and I second their decision (fwiw)

[AtmkRstr]

Originally posted by SKurj
 You would have to switch back and forth to all the different positions and then have to orient yourself and while doing this you couldn't do pilot stuff.
SKurj

That's the same problem people have with being unable to man the guns and bombadier position.  Got a work around for that one yet?

[SKurj]

yeah, bring a gunner
(work around, not a fix)

SKurj

[Halo]

Can get an idea of what this would be like by jettisoning bombs and then trying to dogfight the D3A with its teensy guns.  Wind up going back to cockpit (and sometimes rear gunner) views more than using external.  

Still, would be a nice novelty to have for all aircraft and vehicles on and off line, I would think, although conceding many would be annoyed at ground vehicles having in effect aerial spotters.

[vorticon]

exteriors are coded but there not used because its unrealistic dweeby and arcadish

[Nilsen]

agree with vorticon on this one