I think it was a great idea. I think some of us have been looking for a good WWI flying experience for a long time, and IMO no company could have done it better than HTC. I know that the mystique of the Great War and its aces was my first interest in combat aviation, even before WWII. I think HTC will see at least modest increase in its customer base from this update once word gets around. To the naysayers, I can only say that most of the time when I take a look, the WWI arena has more players in it than Early and Mid combined. And this is a furballing arena with only one map and 4 planes!
To me one of the best things of the WWI is how the planes are more or less equal from a 1v1 standpoint. Which is not to say they are the same in their handling and performance, but their differences all shake out pretty equal. 1v1s in there really do basically boil down to individual pilot skill and/or initial positional/energy advantage.
Some people have singled out the D7 and compared it to the Spixteen. This is inaccurate IMO. It's strengths are offset by its being the poorest turner. In fact, the *average* stick in a D7 will usually not win a "duel" against a Dr1 or Camel, although a good pilot can dominate either in the D7. However, it cannot be denied that the D7's combination of stability and roll rate do give it an advantage when taking the shot-it effectively has "better firepower" than the competition, even this is technically not so. For this reason, it is more aptly compared to the C-Hog than the Spixteen. When more planes are added, giving the Dr7 a *very* light perk price might be considered, but with only 4 planes in the set currently, that would be a mistake right now IMO.
I think the guys who have asked for higher take-off bases, in the 2K range, have a point. People don't want to climb very much before getting to the furball. The result is that most action really is right above (or between) the treetops. WWI dogfights really benefit from having air under you to dip into the alt bank for energy, so I think a little higher starting point that would encourage more fighting in the 3-5K range is a great idea.
I'd like some balloons and zeppelins to shoot. As part of a larger strat system or not, I don't care, I just want to fire at a large bag of hydrogen!
