Most air battles in WWII were not fair. Early on, the axis often had an advantage in both plane performance and numbers of aircraft. By the end of the war, the advantages swung to the Allies. The point of this game is not to recreate history at every turn, but it is to PLAY A GAME that somewhat resembles history. For it to be a fun game, it does not need to be fair all the time. However, consistent lopsidedness is hardly ever fun.
What I don’t like seeing, is a set up that gives the Allies (or the Axis for that mater) an advantage of having the fastest planes in the set up, and the best turners. Couple this with a tendency of many players to always choose the side with the better plane set, and you will often have the side with the performance advantage also gaining a great numbers advantage. Very few players can survive in an environment facing an enemy in greater numbers, with faster and better turning planes that are also probably at an altitude advantage.
Every set up does not need to involve combined Allied forces. While certainly countries fought together, seldom did a big mix of fighter types on both sides engage each other. Most battles that I have read about involved only one fighter type per side engaging each other. Personally, I find big type-mix fights less immersive than one type verses one type. If I’m flying a 109, and I see P-47s, P-51s, P-38s, Typhoons, Spitfires and Hurricanes all in one furball, I don’t buy-in to the fight as a believable battle. 20 or 30 of one type gives me the feeling of really being there. A big silly mix is just a glaring reminder of how the CT can resemble the MA.
My recommendation is that future set-ups offer less plane types per base. Single air bases did not launch P-47s, P-51s, P-38s, Typhoons, Spitfires and Hurricanes. I don’t think it helps CT game play either. One or two fighter types per base is plenty, IMO.
Personally, I’d be happy with only one fighter type per side in the entire arena. I think the above recommendation would offer enough type variety to keep the single plane type enthusiasts happy though.
eskimo