Yet Another Wish List

[matchwood]

I have recently (finally) finished BTR 1943 as Allies and thought I would post a features wish list for BOB and BTR.

1 Flak suppression missions - these happened historically and were an important part of strategy. It would be good if results included destroyed/damaged AA. Damaged AA could go back into the move pool to represent temporary suppression/repair?

2 The ability to save missions and re run them. Eg set up Radar bombing missions and save them under some kind of profile so they can be selected when needed instead of reconfigured from scratch each time. Often problems with weather and aborted missions mean that complex bombing plans need to be re-entered from scratch. The squadrons aren't tired and are ready to go the next day.

3 Perhaps some balance over FB attacks - in BTR FB's do much less damage to ground troops than a low flying level bomber - shouldn't FB's do more damage more consistently than LB's do?

4 Ability to transfer pilots - when pathfinders take losses they get replaced from the pilot pool and you end up with novices leading veterans. Which leads me to the next point as well...

5 Experience gain from missions should be changed. It seems that pilots might get some exp gain from their leader inspiration but not from missions. In my latest game I used some squadrons for recons very heavily and their experiecne never changed. The same I think for bombers + fighters.

6 Pilot pool should be transparent like War in the Pacific. If pilot replacements are running low the player should have the opportunity to change strategy.

7 Ground reinforcements should be transparent - if the German player is to be able to balance the protection assigned to ground troops this is all relevant to reserves?

8 Any chance of ground troops being included in BOB...hey wasn't that the actual point of it all? Wasn't it all about an invasion? Or nah, it was about cratering fields wasn't it. Once a certain percentage of cabbages were destroyed in Southern England then Churchill would know there was no use resisting.

9 Factory relocation - when a factory is damaged over 50% and production is relocated this seems to get up and running very quickly. On one hand it takes a long time for a factory to retool to produce a different variation of a product but a whole new factory can be created and up and running in no time at all if the original is damaged. Shouldn't these new factories start at 60-100% damage to reflect the time delay?

Thanks guys,
Can't wait,
G

[otisabuser2]

Definite YES to the first seven of these.

Now you mention it, pilot experience is something that I would like to have as more transparent. I'm fed up with using paper to record statcks of stuff in game. I would like to have a list in game somewhere that lists the all pilots that gained exp on the last turn.

Or, have a +2 beside a pilots name to show he has gained 2 exp in the last week.

8. Not sure on ground troop inclusion. The game is pretty much over when Sealion becomes good to go.

9. We defer all factory stuff to JCL. Am not even gonna touch that one. [:)]

regards Otis

[The Dude]

Maybe make the ability for the German and US fighter group to split up and work as sqdns. For the Germans this would allow more effective dispersal and allow more effective bounces of isolated attacks such as fighter sweeps.

When German troops withdraw, the flak at captured areas atomatically returns to the transit pool for delivery to the AA pool. Based on damage to the tgt a certain number of guns could be lost as postions are overrun.

Incresed range for the P47. By Apr 44 groups were flying 6.5 hour missions.

THe ability to 'rest home' German groups. Taking a group out of the fight for 2 weeks or 1 month. Thier fighters would stay with the unit but the pilots would disappear and reappear with not fatigue.

The ability to move 128mm AA guns. Perhaps its just my game, but they are in the game and i cant seem to move them.

A limit on AA defense of a certain tgt. While the expensiveness of heavier wpns makes it difficult smaller wpns are cheap. Putting 2000 Mgs or 600 20mm around a radar site or AF is brtually unrealistic.

[Capt Cliff]

A BIG YES for number 2!! Preplanned missions for both BOB and BTR a must!

[matchwood]

Oh and another thing is the ability to task a whole squadron to recon not just a single plane. They could be spread over the day or all together. This comes back to the role of recon that I spoke about in previous posts - every additional sucessful recon of a target should have the chance to improve intel accuracy...

[Hard Sarge]

on the 47, the range should improve as the game goes on, it will improve the drop tanks it uses, but the game will only show you the defualt drop tanks (we trying to change this)

the 128mm were not normal Flak Guns, so are with in the game, suppost to stay in place

a number of these other things have been talked about, and we are waiting to see what can be done

[The Dude]

on the 47, the range should improve as the game goes on, it will improve the drop tanks it uses, but the game will only show you the defualt drop tanks (we trying to change this)

oh ok thanks for clearing that up. But do the improvements in range get reflected in the Planes reference tab. As far as i know they always stay the same.

[Hard Sarge]

Roger that
and we hope to get that changed

the info will always show what the default info on the plane is

so if the plane does start with say 75 gallon tanks, it will always show it having 75 gallon tanks, even though it has changed to 110 gallon and then 150 gallon tanks

this is also a hassle on the GE side, lots of the 110 NF have different weapon loads, but unless it is set up in the unit page, it will not show

[JamesM]

Also yes for 2. This would be very useful for plotting night raids.

Also an improved system for plotting night fighter intruder missions.

[The Dude]

this is also a hassle on the GE side, lots of the 110 NF have different weapon loads, but unless it is set up in the unit page, it will not show

Speaking of GE NFs, what about the radar loads. In the begining of the campaign 219s can eb built with 220 radars. Didnt these radars come later than this though?

[Hard Sarge]

whole radar system is being revamped again

the templete idea has been around for a while, now it is seeing if it can be done

[Denniss]

P-47 with 150 gal tanks ?
So far I've heard of starting with a center mount 50 or 75 gal tank in P-47C and late 105/110 gal with P-47. They may had an option for additional wing tanks.

The FlaK limitation is a good Idea, maybe a limitation based on site type and size, using the movement points to calculate a max number for sites. Radar sites (size 1) with 100 points, airfields with 200 points etc, factories with 100 points per size or similar

[Hard Sarge]

the P-47 D 20 (thinking it is stated as D-RE20 ?)
started the univercal wing which added wet points to the wings, and gave the bolt the Pattleblade props

it could in the end carry 2 150 gallon tanks under the wings, most common seen with a 500 pound bomb on the centerline point, but for excourt, this could also carry a drop tank

VIIIth P-47's were flying almost all the way to Berlin (improvements in route protection, and how to get the most out of the fuel load)

which is kind of funny, when the war ended, most of the FG's were being slated to make the move to the Pacific, they were being givin P-47s to retrain on, as once they got there, they were getting the P-47 N instead of there P-51's, the Pacific was a long range war, and they would need a plane with more range then what they had !!!!!

[otisabuser2]

Maybe make the ability for the German and US fighter group to split up and work as sqdns. For the Germans this would allow more effective dispersal and allow more effective bounces of isolated attacks such as fighter sweeps.

As I understand it, this could be resolved as a simple OOB thing. Split a Group or two down from either side to make some extra squadrons.

Should be done for the initial FG and JG in BTR. Also to some JG in BoB.

[Hard Sarge]

in BoB, I would like to see the GE be able to use Staffel size units for the fighters

in BTR, I think we may of been stuck also with the slot issue and base size

but I beleive we already got that undercontrol now, so...

one hassle though is getting all the pilots from the FG's broken down and into the right squadrons

even worse if and when the B Groups get readded, then we be looking at 6 squadrons per FG (then again, the A/B wouldn't be seen in the game as the same unit, so still)

but the pilots should be in the right place

one thing we got to watch though, while most here, enjoy the game to start with and will see either of these as a improvement to the game, others who are new to it, may be totally overwelmed with all the Fighters in the VIIIth/IXth/12th broken down into squadrons

but again, maybe something for another post to debate about ?

[bstarr]

A limit on AA defense of a certain tgt. While the expensiveness of heavier wpns makes it difficult smaller wpns are cheap. Putting 2000 Mgs or 600 20mm around a radar site or AF is brtually unrealistic.

A big hell yeah from me on this one. Maybe even if it was just toned down so that after a certain number of AAA units in an area the excess didn't add to the total defensive AAA - sorta like an active reserve.

[The Dude]

Of course for industrial tgts this limit if there is one set should be fairly high. The Ruhr had over 10000 guns big enough to be classfied as artillery. 75mm and up.

[HMSWarspite]

ORIGINAL: Denniss

The FlaK limitation is a good Idea, maybe a limitation based on site type and size, using the movement points to calculate a max number for sites. Radar sites (size 1) with 100 points, airfields with 200 points etc, factories with 100 points per size or similar

I think that flak at a site ought to be unlimited, however we ought to make a few changes to how they work.

Light flak (in RL) cannot placed at more than a certain density, and still have reasonable arcs of fire. In Built up areas the building get in the way, elsewhere you get trees and so forth. If you carry it to the extreme, they get in eachother's way. Thus it should be set that only x guns/mountings can fire at an aircraft attacking a point target (x is a function of target type, etc). It may also be worth splitting it, x1 can fire at full effect, a further x2 fire at reduced effect. Any further guns can only fire at transiting aircraft. That deals with the dive bombing/straffers. Attacking planes would transit to the target at their set altitude, and if above light flak range, would be immune to any further flak attacks beyond those x1, and x2 guns. Low altitude transiters would be hit by any extra guns that cannot cover the target (but again limited with diminishing returns).

Heavy flak would be similar, (but with different numbers of course). I would suggest something like the first 100 guns (of both heavy & light flak - not each) get full effect, then constant/(number squared) or something after that, so another 100 guns gives 1/4 extra effect, the next 100 give 1/9 etc (or some such relationship) - I am doing some maths to find out how uniformly distributed fixed density guns do add up. Let you know if I come up with anything

[bstarr]

ORIGINAL: HMSWarspite

ORIGINAL: Denniss

The FlaK limitation is a good Idea, maybe a limitation based on site type and size, using the movement points to calculate a max number for sites. Radar sites (size 1) with 100 points, airfields with 200 points etc, factories with 100 points per size or similar

I think that flak at a site ought to be unlimited, however we ought to make a few changes to how they work.

Light flak (in RL) cannot placed at more than a certain density, and still have reasonable arcs of fire. In Built up areas the building get in the way, elsewhere you get trees and so forth. If you carry it to the extreme, they get in eachother's way. Thus it should be set that only x guns/mountings can fire at an aircraft attacking a point target (x is a function of target type, etc). It may also be worth splitting it, x1 can fire at full effect, a further x2 fire at reduced effect. Any further guns can only fire at transiting aircraft. That deals with the dive bombing/straffers. Attacking planes would transit to the target at their set altitude, and if above light flak range, would be immune to any further flak attacks beyond those x1, and x2 guns. Low altitude transiters would be hit by any extra guns that cannot cover the target (but again limited with diminishing returns).

Heavy flak would be similar, (but with different numbers of course). I would suggest something like the first 100 guns (of both heavy & light flak - not each) get full effect, then constant/(number squared) or something after that, so another 100 guns gives 1/4 extra effect, the next 100 give 1/9 etc (or some such relationship) - I am doing some maths to find out how uniformly distributed fixed density guns do add up. Let you know if I come up with anything

Exactly! 4 guns should be twice as good as 2, and 4000 should be better than 2000 but not twice as effective.

[Hard Sarge]

the last few posts are interesting

but basicly, because one of the bugs we turned in to be looked at is the game (IIRC) starts to count over agian once the AA reaches 256, so 250 counts as 250, 260 counts as 4

the AI does not deploy all of it's AA guns in stock

(a game I have just seen, in Oct of 44, the AI has 1479 128mm in stock, but all the others are under 100, most 20 or under)

the AI tends to place AA guns based on site number (well, we don't know how or way, but it looks like) so something like Anborg is going to be loaded and someplace like ZeeBroken is not