Wish List - Future BOX Enhancements

[S10JlAbraxis]

Updated (12/14/21) to reflect some of the enhancments released since I first posted this...  10.5 items from the list addressed - not bad!  I am thinking some of the map enhancments may get addressed with the Normandy release.  Would be great if some of the career suggestions got addressed in 2022. 

 

 

BOX is by far my favorite flight sim and I have spent a lot of time enjoying the fantastic work the devs are doing.  I really appreciate the constant stream of improvements that are included with each release.  So I can’t help but think about how to make it even better.  Following is my “wish list” for future development.  Most of these ideas are nothing new rather they are just a collection of enhancements that appeal to me.

 

I fly mostly SP, so I do not touch on MP enhancements.

 

Some of these enhancements would probably be relatively easy and others very resource intensive.  Some may also not be practical until further down the road when more computing power is available or an engine upgrade is implemented.  At any rate it doesn’t hurt to dream!

 

Feel free to add your favorite enhancement ideas.

 

Fixes:

1) Once planes enter the landing pattern, they should defend themselves if the enemy attacks.

2) Reduce the instance of enemy aircraft following you halfway across the map back to your home base.

3) Correct the fading ground smoke issue (for sources of persistent smoke).

4) Address micro stuttering.  I never noticed this in SP until the last update.  I have this problem sometimes when my frame rate is over 100.

 

Quality of life:

1) Active Career listing should indicate the type of aircraft currently being used by the pilot.

2) Add ability to adjust the order in which active career missions are displayed (instead of just the order they were created in).  For example - sort by map then nationality.

3) Selections for aircraft (skins and weapon load out etc.) should be persistent in career and quick mission based on previous choices.

4) Add ability to further customize the instrument bar and navigation/aircraft markers.  For example:  aircraft markers can be just a small triangle with or without enemy ID and make it possible to select which items appear on the instrument bar or permanently hide it while still allowing use of the mini map.  Mods allow this currently so why not build it in?

5) While loading a mission show a splash screen with the type of aircraft you will be flying.

6) Enable faster time compression (even 4x would make a huge difference) or allow “jump to next waypoint” if inside friendly airspace.

 

Career Mission enhancements:

1. Some long-range missions should begin before dawn or end after sunset as was the case in real life (action still takes place during daylight). 

2. Add missions to attack shipping and barges where appropriate based on the map.

3. Add the option to refuel and repair aircraft in some career missions.  For example, could have a running fighter sweep/airfield attack battle that lasts for many hours.  When ammo is exhausted could have the option to land and rearm if you are defending.

4. Add ability to land at any friendly base when low on fuel or in need of repairs then generate a mission to fly back to home base.

5. Include a random chance to make it back to friendly lines if you crash land or parachute behind enemy lines.  Success could be more likely if close to the front line.

6. Include a random chance of surviving parachuting into water (this will be important for cross channel missions) in BON.

7. Add additional random generated moving targets on the way to mission goals such as vehicles, trains troop columns etc.

8. When approaching close to an enemy air base occasionally generate flights that will attempt to intercept your flight.

8. Populate all enemy and friendly air bases with at least a few aircraft.

9. Add multi mission “mini campaigns” within the career – for example several linked missions to support destroying industry in a specific city where it may take several days to accomplish the goal.  The same could be done with ground support missions that are tied together in support of ground initiatives in specific parts of the front.  

10. Have a specific aircraft assigned to your pilot (possibly just for higher ranking pilots).  As in real life there would be small performance variations between aircraft.  For example, top speed may vary by 5 or 10 MPH.  Also model basic mechanical failures such as a rough running/overheating engine or hydraulic failure that will occasionally cause you to abort a mission.

11. Display kill markings on your aircraft and allow importing a standard size decal for personalized artwork (for those so inclined).

12. Add recon and artillery spotting missions.

13. Add forward base operations in situations where this was used (example being the “night witches”).

 

Map Enhancements:

1. Add more objects such as small villages and farms on maps where they existed historically (Europe).  Do not need to add them all in but some attempt to populate empty areas would be great.

2. Make visual navigation easier by adding greater variation of ground textures thereby creating more cues to navigate by for those who do not want to use way points.  Even adding 2 or three additional types of farm fields would be a huge improvement. 

3. Add more types of roads that are easier to see and follow from altitude such as the multi lane autobahn in Germany.

4. Add dual track railroads and at least some rail yards where they existed (Europe).

5. Add additional unique targets such as dams and historically correct factory targets (even just a few of these for each map would add a lot of interest).

6. Smoke from destroyed ground targets should persist longer (depending on target type).

 

Aircraft Enhancements:

1. Squadron specific skins should be the default in career mode.  Could add this over time and perhaps get help from the community as was done in ROF.

2. Higher resolution damage decals.

3. Allow adjustment of instrument panel light brightness for aircraft that had that feature in RL.

4. Add fuel management and drop tanks (already being worked on).

5. Add more external wind noise for high speed dives and hard maneuvers.

6. Add other miscellaneous aircraft sounds such as creaking in extreme high G maneuvers.

7. Include 4K cockpit textures (could be an option like external 4K).

8. Improve flyby and external aircraft sound (should be louder than internal sound).

9. Make cockpit warning and info lights as well as external navigation lights real light sources that reflect off surrounding materials.

10. Get rid of engine timers and replace with detonation and overheating.  If you run too long at high MP the engine overheats and or detonation begins ultimately leading to permanent damage (ability to run at high MP should vary based on condition of the engine and a random factor). If you back MP off sooner the engine returns to normal once it cools down.

 

Environment:

1. Currently full overcast with possibility of rain and snow only seems to occur on the Moscow map.  Add this feature into all the maps.

2. Add dynamic weather.  From what I have read the weather was as much the enemy during WW2 as the opposing side and played a huge role in many missions. This doesn’t need to be hugely complicated.  Could be thee basic scenarios.  Weather remains unchanged during the mission; weather gets worse or weather clears.  

3. Clouds should make your aircraft invisible to the enemy AI (in general should be easier once separated to break out of combat).

4) Isolated towering thunder storms with lightning flashes would be interesting as well. 

 

AI Communication:

1. Wing men should advise when you need to break if you are in their line of site.

2. Command should be added to request assistance even if you are not the squadron leader.

3. Add ability to command a wing man if you are an element lead.

4. Add ability to communicate with friendly air bases when landing (get instructions regarding which runway to use wind direction etc.).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2021 by S10JlAbraxis
Added one more suggestion... eliminate/modify engine timers

[Hoss]

On your aircraft enhancements, the wind noise needs to be fixed (eliminated) when the canopy is closed, and you move your head from side to side.. It's annoying as all get out.

[FeuerFliegen]

I agree with pretty much all of this.  

 

Here are some of my favorites- 

 

1. Currently full overcast with possibility of rain and snow only seems to occur on the Moscow map.  Add this feature into all the maps.

 

2. Add dynamic weather.  From what I have read the weather was as much the enemy during WW2 as the opposing side and played a huge role in many missions. This doesn’t need to be hugely complicated.  Could be thee basic scenarios.  Weather remains unchanged during the mission; weather gets worse or weather clears.  

 

3. Clouds should make your aircraft invisible to the enemy AI (in general should be easier once separated to break out of combat).

 

4) Isolated towering thunder storms with lightning flashes would be interesting as well. 

 

3. Add more types of roads that are easier to see and follow from altitude such as the multi lane autobahn in Germany.

 

5. Add additional unique targets such as dams and historically correct factory targets (even just a few of these for each map would add a lot of interest).

 

I would LOVE some unique targets such as a damn.  Imagine blowing up a damn and watching the flood of water go into a nearby town... I understand this must be a lot of programming to make work, but it would be awesome!

 

10. Have a specific aircraft assigned to your pilot (possibly just for higher ranking pilots).  As in real life there would be small performance variations between aircraft.  For example, top speed may vary by 5 or 10 MPH.  Also model basic mechanical failures such as a rough running/overheating engine or hydraulic failure that will occasionally cause you to abort a mission.

 

With this (would only work for a campaign), we could theoretically get rid of engine timers, and instead do what was in real life, where running the engine hard for long periods of time would reduce the long term engine's reliability and power output.

 

11. Display kill markings on your aircraft and allow importing a standard size decal for personalized artwork (for those so inclined).

 

12. Add recon and artillery spotting missions.

 

5. Include a random chance to make it back to friendly lines if you crash land or parachute behind enemy lines.  Success could be more likely if close to the front line.

 

6. Include a random chance of surviving parachuting into water (this will be important for cross channel missions) in BON.

 

7. Add additional random generated moving targets on the way to mission goals such as vehicles, trains troop columns etc.

 

 

Regarding skins, I wish that even if you can't upload a custom skin that other MP users would be able to see, I wish you could at least add numbers, various  symbols such as the chevron, double chevron, triangle, vertical and horizontal bars, such as these -

 

             

[ZachariasX]

Map Enhancements:

1) Paste "maps" on a sphere instead of a flat surface.

 

Dusk, dawn and general perspective in flight would finally represent this world.

[S10JlAbraxis]

9 hours ago, FeuerFliegen said:

10. Have a specific aircraft assigned to your pilot (possibly just for higher ranking pilots).  As in real life there would be small performance variations between aircraft.  For example, top speed may vary by 5 or 10 MPH.  Also model basic mechanical failures such as a rough running/overheating engine or hydraulic failure that will occasionally cause you to abort a mission.

 

With this (would only work for a campaign), we could theoretically get rid of engine timers, and instead do what was in real life, where running the engine hard for long periods of time would reduce the long term engine's reliability and power output.

 

 

Good point - I added this to the list.  Eventually your mechanic will repair/replace your engine in the meantime would need to fly an aircraft with reduced performance (can not use above cruise power) or if the engine is severely damaged would need wait out a few missions or fly another plane.

 

             

Edited December 23, 2019 by S10jleffert

[von_Michelstamm]

Two words: realistic harmonization.

[19//Moach]

 

Few big things for me (some were kinda mentioned before): 

 

-- Fix the overcooling issue that affects all engines and makes by-the-book operations awkwardly impractical (what the RL manuals say shoud happen in given conditions often don't, or the very opposite takes place instead; e.g: Overcooling during ground idle, when all manuals clearly state overheating should occur instead)

 

-- With overcooling fixed, engines at high power should naturally overheat, thus removing the "need" for the hated engine mode timers which detract so much from the realism of the sim. With the expected overheating to detain abuse, (as happens in most other sims I've experienced) we can thus safely get rid of the abominable made-up self destruction time limits.

 

-- Get even more rid of even more of the excessive wobbling still present in most rapid aircraft rotations.

The angular momentum model continues to feel quite severely under-damped, which makes for unrealistic lack of yaw and pitch stability. This was improved once already, yet it still feels like the controls are connected to the stick and pedals by bungee cords, especially at lower airspeeds.

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2019 by 19//Moach

[Serdalf]

What I would like:
Whether the maps are more realistic, there are too many water courses or pieces of river that do not have to be there and that are not finished, too many trees along the roadsides ... Lack of detail the environment around and in towns and villages. It would also be necessary that the planes during landing near a drill, cannot pass any more through the trees, and that the damage is materialized with the environment of the airports during collisions with.
To add with what was said above ..

[BMA_FlyingShark]

What I would like to see in the game:

 

- Realistic radio navigation (more options for the Lorenz system).

- Control over course setters on compasses that had them.

- Realistic working autopilots for planes that had one..

- More in-depth control system (separate controls for instrument lights and cockpit light, separate control for each formation light, gun switch on/off,  etc,...).

- Like mentioned before, engines overheating instead of under cooling and get rid of timers (maybe add the use of carburetor heat lever).

- Icing on wind screen and therefore the use of pitot heat or, like in the Mustang, make the plane spray fuel over the windscreen to de-ice it.

 

Have a nice day.

 

Edited January 7, 2020 by FlyingShark

[Jade_Monkey]

- Fix the spotting. The new feature of distant spotting is great but at intermediate distances it's practically impossible to see anything.

- More effective brakes, right now they seem very weak.

- More complex formations (multiple heights).

- Make AI taxiing more fluid

- Tweak the tracers, they look a bit like star wars blasters.

- remove limitation for cloud base to be 3K Max.

 

Edit: of course review how strict the engine limitations are

Edited January 7, 2020 by Jade_Monkey

[RedKestrel]

None of my requests are particularly ground breaking but I Think would improve quality of life in the sim by a lot, especially online:

-Improved engine limitation modeling to replace or augment the timer-based system we have, including pre-detonation and more complex turbocharger modeling
-Improved Dserver stability and netcode
-Visibility improvements and bug fixes
 

[Jade_Monkey]

I always forget about this one: master arm/gun safety switch.

 

We already have the switches modeled in game for the startup procedure, it would be great to give the user the freedom to control them via a key binding.

[BMA_FlyingShark]

2 minutes ago, Jade_Monkey said:

I always forget about this one: master arm/gun safety switch.

And maybe the option to not make the game switch them by default.

Could be done via game settings.

 

Have a nice day.

 

[Angus]

On 7.1.2020 at 14:58, RedKestrel said:

Verbesserte Dserver-Stabilität und
Netcode - Verbesserungen der Sichtbarkeit und Fehlerkorrekturen
 

that's what all those who fly online want.....

I am still waiting for the day with a minimum of 100 pilots online to be of one map

[falle96]

After flying some career mode yesterday to get some footage recorded, I do have a short list of things that I think should be immediately improved.

 

1. Defensive flying/abort landing behavior from the AI when hostile aircraft pursue over the airbase

    1a. Enemy AI really needs to stop chasing you to the ends of the Earth. My last flight I had a single 110 fly all the way back to my airbase, dead set on killing (or being killed...)

2. Better radio protocols - I want to be able to call my flight leader for his position, ask wingmen for assistance, and call the airfield for a bearing when I am trying to RTB. On the Moscow map in particular, I feel like it is very easy to get disorientated.

[Lama]

3. Add the option to refuel and repair aircraft in some career missions.  For example, could have a running fighter sweep/airfield attack battle that lasts for many hours.  When ammo is exhausted could have the option to land and rearm if you are defending.

4. Add ability to land at any friendly base when low on fuel or in need of repairs then generate a mission to fly back to home base

[Nic727]

I'm in for better communication, but I would love to see crash crater with smoke to get a better sense of battlefield.

Also smoke shadow like in Il2 1946.