I agree with your Zone basing arguement. I think having more important bases on the map in certain areas would bring bigger and better fights.
I don't so much like the shortage of planes than can roll. This would limit mission sizes and players would get mad if they couldn't roll right there to get to the fight shorter, or roll with their squads.
I do think making areas where there is more action and forced action in certain areas, along with areas that allow for shorter distance to defend from back fields, will be the best way to stop the hoarding.
No it wouldnt limit the mission sizes. Just the number of planes that could up from any single base. The planners would just have to show more skill in planning on what group of planes up from where.
Currently. "Ok 20 people all up from A17 climb to 20K and everyone just mob A36" which in essence is how its done now is not a great show of skill
My notion would go something like this as an example
In the planning room you could set say B17's to up from A23. P51's and P38's would up from A26.
Set waypoints to meet at XX location then make your way to target.
Orr If you want to remain in simple form
17s up from A23, fighters from A26 and everyone just horde the target.
See. It doesnt reduce the mission size. It just expands the number of bases to be used.
If I had my utter druthers on top of what I already suggested above
We would go back to zones
Medium and Heavy bombers and fighters would only be able to up from large bases.
Medium bombers and fighters from medium bases. And only fighters from small base.s
Each zone, base wise would contain 1-2 GV bases. 1 small,1 medium, and one large base.
and each zone would have 1 or more of some sort of small strat target.
To control a zone you would have to have 3/4 of the bases and destroy the strat target. (think of it as just being a larger version of taking a field but a smaller version of winning the war) Doing that would result in that zone being under your countries supply and control with the remaining bases supply time being greatly reduced unless supplied manually by its native nation.