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In reading random war materials and seeing how the game has progressed and what could be modified I started looking at airfields and the issues around attacking them.

In the Battle of Britain there was a moment when the UK was almost crippled due to airfield damage. Luckily German VERY high command was insane and kept changing targets...So the UK could recover.

BUT how could something like that be simulated, and simplified in the game.

I thought how about...

What if airfields became like ports.
They have a value 1 to say, 6 maybe 8...

You can put airfields where ever they can be placed now.
To increase the size you build an airfield and place it on the spot. That adds 1.
Each city would have an airfield of at least size 2.
And other hex that air could be located in that does not contain an airfield is automatically size 1, and be increased to 2 by placing an airfield there.

Each size would determine 2 things, one how many operation points the units on that hex have as well as how many units can be stationed there.
Each level would mean X air units could be stationed there.
Str 1/2 = 1 air, 3/4 = 2 air, and so on...

Operation points would be affected by the size as such.
Air units stationed on any hex (No airfield just a "field") would just get 1 Op point. Any city would have an airfield to start to be 2...
IF there are multiple air units on a hex then the total operation points is based upon the total level of the airfield...so if 2 air units were on a 3 airfield one unit would have 2 another 1.

When airfields are bombed this number drops...just like strategic bombing...say 20% 0, 70% 1, 10% 2.
To add to this air units could also be damaged...as they should be.

Each turn an airfield would repair 1, perhaps 2 if within X hexes of an engineer unit OR if one were on the hex.

This could simulate bombing airfields and giving a reason too...as well as grounding and disrupting air options.

It could also be allowed that air could "evacuate" a field that is to low to allow operation points BUT it would be at say double the efficiency loss or just allow them to move once for free with one op point.


Not too complex but it adds a use to attacking airfields as well as a reason to build them more.

Another possibility would be the larger the airfield the more efficiency units could recover, kind of like having a air HQ.


Thoughts?

It's well thought out, but I think it's complicated to implement in the game.

Simply that the bombed air units could lose STR and OP would be enough.

In current version yes...

Maybe in WP2...

Bombing air SHOULD affect their active turns op points...not just the defense version.
That is overall pretty useless to be honest.

I do not know anyone that attacks airfields at the moment because you almost always lose air and kill nothing.

Some ports can upgrade in Warplan Pacific. So, I like the same idea for airfields.
Hope ports and airfields can be damaged as well in WP2.

It's a really excellent idea building on the port size capacity.

But it makes things very complicated for the A.I., writing battle logs, where to pull what from, etc.

Now you have to think where it adds value without micromanagement beyond the simple system I have implemented currently.

I honestly do not play the AI any more.

No offense but it really is not good in a game this large. It is okay to test somethings but it does not defend the way it should, nor attack that way.

Humans are way to unpredictable which is huge...they will just do things the AI never would.


One of the reason I had asked for a special PBEM scenario.
Could easily replace a scenario that is rarely if ever played.

But adding a HUGE feature to just PBEM might be too difficult even if it would work nice.