Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Wishlist => Topic started by: Saxman on February 03, 2006, 01:04:51 AM

Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Saxman on February 03, 2006, 01:04:51 AM
Here's an idea I had that could be useful for some aircraft:

The ability for players to "report" the location of an enemy carrier. Once reported, the CV group's location would appear on the map. However the icon is static and doesn't move with the TG unless the new position is reported by a pilot.

This function would be limited to certain aircraft. It'd give another reason to add (AND for players to fly) aircraft like the PBY, Mars and Mavis flying boats, or smaller scouts like the Kingfisher. Buffs like the B-17 can also report, but maybe set it up that ONLY if the buff is flying without a formation.

Adding another option to sortie types, like recon, would be one way to limit it. Say, the only way to report a carrier's position is if you're flying a recon sortie.

It could be a way to get people to start being smart about CV use in the MA, since once reported, every buff pilot and their mother will be homing in on the flattop's MAPPED location

The icon could be on a set time limit, say half an hour to an hour after which it is gone from the map unless the position is updated.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: SMIDSY on February 03, 2006, 02:01:30 AM
seems like a good idea. also, if there is no CV group, no icon appears. and you get lots of perkies for spotting one. i already do this on my free time with the navy camo B-24 and sometimes the Ar-234.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Martyn on February 03, 2006, 01:34:12 PM
Yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes
,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes

Was I clear enough?

At the moment there's no real reason to have PBYs, Sunderlands, Condors etc. in the game but to allow spotting (and picking up the odd perk) would be ideal. The CV would have to mount air patrols to prevent being spotted - just (a bit) like RL.

I often up a buff, set it on a long over-sea course, make myself a sandwich, come back and patrol the nme coastline near their ports looking for fresh fleets - before I get bored and re-up elsewhere.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: parin on February 05, 2006, 12:40:15 PM
Could be like a check six call on the CV group. Just hit the *key* and it is taged.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: mussie on February 05, 2006, 01:02:25 PM
Ar234 as a scout..... thats not a bad idea.

Have used it to tease NME fighters before but never as a scout
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: KD303 on February 06, 2006, 07:28:27 AM
Quote
Originally posted by mussie
Ar234 as a scout..... thats not a bad idea.

Have used it to tease NME fighters before but never as a scout


Yeah, the Arado's great for armed recce. You can do some damage to a carrier with those 500kg bombs.
The OP seems a bit biased towards American aircraft - Sunderlands would be a good plane for this role. Say, Catalina (PBY) and Sunderland (and FW200 at a pinch). Better to have flying boats because they could be based at ports. I'd prefer the big planes but I suppose an Arado 196 could be used, though I doubt anyone would use it much. Maybe better with one of the big Dorniers (18, 24) or a Blohm and Voss (138). I think it would add to the game. I've been wantinga Sunderland for a while now, and the OPs suggestion seems a good reason to get one.

KD
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Martyn on February 06, 2006, 10:08:39 AM
I've just thought - if HTC have PBYs and stuff would that not help with CT too? They could have 'Hunt for the Bismark' scenarios - easy. Just have fleets with no CVs (Bismark, Scharnhorst et. al.) and lots of water (not too dificult to map I think).

Cruiser based fleets have been suggested in the past too for naval engagements of the bang-bang kind.

River Plate? One cruiser against a few destroyers (OK OK - I know it's inaccurate - but you get my drift).

Midway too! (That has to be on the cards already).

Seems like an idea which'll add a new dimension with little development cost.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Saxman on February 06, 2006, 11:15:55 AM
Well, PBY was more amphibious than pure flying boat, as they could also fly from land bases, so they'd need to be available at airfields, as well.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Sikboy on February 06, 2006, 07:03:20 PM
I like this idea.

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=122448&highlight=MARPAT

-Sik
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: helldiver on February 10, 2006, 04:44:45 PM
yeah a pby would be good or a kingfisher
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Karnak on February 10, 2006, 05:03:27 PM
Emily.  That is all.

Ok, a reason, Emily had 24 hours of fuel endurance at cruise settings, even at 2X burn rate that would be 12 hours of flight time available.

She was also a decent bomber as Japanese stuff goes.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: SuperDud on February 10, 2006, 05:58:13 PM
I have no strong feelings either way, but let me play devils advocate:D

1st point I'll make, is what would the icon thing add? It seems to me that when you find a CV then call it out on the radio a horde quickly arrives regardless of whether theres an icon or not.

2nd and probably more important. Seriously, who's really going to want to fly recon for hours on end? I don't doubt a few crazies will but the vast majority of the arenas aren't going to bother. How exciting can it be to fly expanses of sea searching for a CV group? Especially when all it takes is for the call to go out that a CV is attacking a base, up a horde of dive bombing lancs and sink the carrier in minutes. In order for it to be worth the time to find one out at sea they'd need to up the power of the CV group considerably.

3rd, why would a player take a PBY, swordfish, Emily, etc.. over a Lanc or 24's or even a TBM? The heavies carry a better payload and better defense and can recon just as well. I think the new planes would see some use intitially but then the guys wanting to hunt CV's would revert back to the heavies and jabos.

Like I said, I have no strong feelings either way, but the above questions kind of popped into my head when thinking about it. Just some food for thought.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: helldiver on February 11, 2006, 09:27:50 AM
here is another idea to help get pby's and kingfishers in game.get this search and rescure (sar) operations!
i know people can just warp back to the tower but still it would be cool! :noid WELL GOOD IDEA RIGHT?
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Martyn on February 11, 2006, 11:48:22 AM
SAR would only work if the downed pilot got to keep any perks he earnt during his prevous flight. But if that were true a few would-be aces would appreciate a storch, or kingfisher etc on stand-by.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: helldiver on February 11, 2006, 12:16:17 PM
so it's a good idea then?:D
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Tilt on February 11, 2006, 12:37:26 PM
If an ac was modelled with air to surface radar then it  would "reveal" stuff in its range.............

Like it was a mobile tower with a separate setting for range and radar height.....

As its airborne radar it could be used anywhere to show up enemy......... if its air to ground then it may catch some NOE stuff.


There is an arguement now for std tower radar to see cv's if the cv is higher than the minimum radar height.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: helldiver on February 11, 2006, 05:58:06 PM
besides catilinas use to fly night bombing missions and were nicknamed black cats and were painted flat black not high gloss becuse the japenese spotlights would not reflect well off the flat black paint as to were the high gloss paint would reflect more:noid
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: FBGrit on February 11, 2006, 06:08:00 PM
I like this idea also, but I agree it has to be spiced up with the on-board radar idea and ability to "rescue" a downed pilot.  

Too cool.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: helldiver on February 11, 2006, 07:12:01 PM
all in all the demand for the catalina is huge. plus we need it and the kingfisher!:noid :noid
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: simshell on February 12, 2006, 04:06:43 PM
while being able to spot cvs  any planes you spot should be reported on the map like radar does  on the clipboard         so besides looking for cvs you can report enemys and being sorta like a AWACs
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: helldiver on February 12, 2006, 07:17:17 PM
good point:noid
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: helldiver on February 14, 2006, 05:54:36 PM
any one there:noid !
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: moneyguy on February 14, 2006, 10:57:30 PM
just bring in the damn PBY's already!
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: RAIDER14 on February 14, 2006, 11:05:26 PM
they might when they get to the pacific theatre
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Saxman on February 15, 2006, 10:38:56 AM
Poor old PTO. Relegated to secondary status during the War, by Hollywood, by gaming...
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Martyn on February 15, 2006, 12:35:00 PM
So we would like two new classes of planes.
1. Sea planes to operate from Ports (e.g. PBY, Emily)
2. Land planes to operate from Fields (e.g. Lysander, Storch)

Some planes are amphibious (e.g. PBY) and can land on either.

Both types can pick up and return downed pilots to a friendly airbase to collect their perks at full value. Sea planes can land on water, land planes on land.

Both types can 'mark' enemy fleets on the map (although the 'mark' only lives a short while and stays still).

It will add a new aspect to the game.

Cool.  :cool:
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Sikboy on February 15, 2006, 12:39:15 PM
Quote
Originally posted by SuperDud
I have no strong feelings either way, but let me play devils advocate:D

1st point I'll make, is what would the icon thing add? It seems to me that when you find a CV then call it out on the radio a horde quickly arrives regardless of whether theres an icon or not.

2nd and probably more important. Seriously, who's really going to want to fly recon for hours on end? I don't doubt a few crazies will but the vast majority of the arenas aren't going to bother. How exciting can it be to fly expanses of sea searching for a CV group? Especially when all it takes is for the call to go out that a CV is attacking a base, up a horde of dive bombing lancs and sink the carrier in minutes. In order for it to be worth the time to find one out at sea they'd need to up the power of the CV group considerably.

3rd, why would a player take a PBY, swordfish, Emily, etc.. over a Lanc or 24's or even a TBM? The heavies carry a better payload and better defense and can recon just as well. I think the new planes would see some use intitially but then the guys wanting to hunt CV's would revert back to the heavies and jabos.

Like I said, I have no strong feelings either way, but the above questions kind of popped into my head when thinking about it. Just some food for thought.


I hate to admit it, but I really do think you're right for the most part. The attraction of MARPAT would be very very limited, and even the most ardent supporter (such as myself) would probably get bored with getting shot down by F4U-4s while searching for a "hidden" CV someplace way out in BFE. So I think that you're more right than wrong that these planes, no matter what we do (or at least no matter what has been suggested) will see much use in the MA.

In special events, they could still be great fun, but then you wouldn't need any special rules, just sending radio reports out. Scouting was a pretty big deal during the Coral Sea scenario last Summer, it would be nice to have some dedicated scouting planes, but really it has to be near the bottom of a very tall stack of things to get done.

-Sik
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: helldiver on February 15, 2006, 03:41:02 PM
so they are still use full.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Martyn on February 16, 2006, 03:32:36 AM
Adding recon planes adds pressure to put a CAP on a CV or to ensure that the CV 'sneaks' up to a target.
Title: Idea for PBYs, Mavis, Mars, Kingfishers, etc...
Post by: Saxman on February 16, 2006, 10:06:39 AM
And not sit a mile off the freakin' target.

I think HTC should look at ways to make losing CVs a REAL setback when someone gets stupid with them, not just the minor inconvenience it is right now (CVs dead! Oh well, we'll just up from the base a sector away instead of a mile offshore).