PBY Catalina standalone Module

[76IAP-Black]

If the Dev's will decide to go further with the GB Series, a plane like the PBY could expand the Gameplay alot further and even on Multiplayer Servers too.
Rescue downed pilots over open water, new mission Profiles, recon and ASW.

The Hybrid PBY 5A would be a nice choice to have it land and water based.
The whole thing could be created as a playable package with with new content. Otherwise it will be as AI in the GB Series and can be used for mediterane and pacific theaters too. 
Not just the North Sea

Maybe I should seperate the question for the payment from the Yes or No question 

[AndyJWest]

I'd certainly like to see a PBY in IL-2 GB, and have said so on several occasions. Anyone who has seen the glorious Felixstowe flying boat in RoF can be confident that the team would do a PBY justice. Not sure whether including a price in a poll will tell anyone much though, given how few potential purchasers tend to participate in them. 

 

 

[Feathered_IV]

How would the gameplay work?  Would you search singlehandedly for a downed pilot while your AI crew do nothing to help, or do you envision a special rework of the AI aircrew and speech packs to include search & rescue duties?  

 

Do you propose a rework of the flak guns for Black Cat ops, or would the PBY die like a Po-2 that flies near a train?

 

How would recon work?  Would it be for imaginary points like the Ju-52 cargo missions, or would the player shoot at an invisible searchlight with a pistol to get credit for the mission on a website somewhere like FC does?

 

In MP, would downed pilots be a static object that the mission builder places around the map?  Or would the player need to go truckin into a DF furball to find where another player went down?  Would the downed player need to wait indefinitely for rescue?  Or would they be able to continue playing in the meantime?  Can they pick up enemy pilots too?  Lots of questions.  Curious to know what you think.

[BraveSirRobin]

"Would you buy aircraft X?" polls always end up with majority of yes votes.  They're completely useless.

[Pict]

8 hours ago, BraveSirRobin said:

"Would you buy aircraft X?" polls always end up with majority of yes votes.  They're completely useless.

 

Absolutely.

 

The real questions are, would X aircraft fit within the BOX framework / map?, and if yes, then, is there anough data on the type available to make it to the BOX standard?

 

These questions should be asked and answered long before, "would you buy it?" and if so "for how much?" which on their own without any kind of contest are just pointless.

[76IAP-Black]

9 hours ago, Feathered_IV said:

How would the gameplay work?  Would you search singlehandedly for a downed pilot while your AI crew do nothing to help, or do you envision a special rework of the AI aircrew and speech packs to include search & rescue duties?  

Do you propose a rework of the flak guns for Black Cat ops, or would the PBY die like a Po-2 that flies near a train?

 

How would recon work?  Would it be for imaginary points like the Ju-52 cargo missions, or would the player shoot at an invisible searchlight with a pistol to get credit for the mission on a website somewhere like FC does?

 

In MP, would downed pilots be a static object that the mission builder places around the map?  Or would the player need to go truckin into a DF furball to find where another player went down?  Would the downed player need to wait indefinitely for rescue?  Or would they be able to continue playing in the meantime?  Can they pick up enemy pilots too?  Lots of questions.  Curious to know what you think.

Gameplay? New mechanics for new missions, pic up downed pilots, personal transfer from Land to "Ship"

Flak Guns Po-2 and Ju-52 is already a sitting duck, but there are many people around who like to fly those planes

Recon In MP events, yes it will work

In MP downed pilots If a player bails out over water, his position will be filled with a floating lifeboat and a pilot in it. So land near it, get it on board, get some points

If a plane is useless in your eyes, than kill more than half of the Bf-109 and have just one plane of each type  Cause the other "version" are a little bit faster, maybe a different gun but ok ... useless

Here we could get a whole new game mechanic and a float plane. 

Don't understand the "Ney" sayer and marking the PBY as useless 

[BraveSirRobin]

46 minutes ago, 76IAP-Black said:

Don't understand the "Ney" sayer and marking the PBY as useless 

Absolutely no one said that the plane is useless.  It’s the poll that is useless.  Every single “do you want aircraft x?” poll has a majority “yes” response.  We all want every aircraft.

 

If you want a useful aircraft poll, maybe ask if people would rather have a flyable B-25 or a Catalina.

[76IAP-Black]

52 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

Absolutely no one said that the plane is useless.  It’s the poll that is useless.  Every single “do you want aircraft x?” poll has a majority “yes” response.  We all want every aircraft.

 

If you want a useful aircraft poll, maybe ask if people would rather have a flyable B-25 or a Catalina.

Did a poll in the past between the B-25 and B-26 as a flyable plane, interesting outcome.
the Cataline opened up a new discussion, what could be done with it 

And how it could be implemented into the game mechanics 

[LukeFF]

I have zero interest in a plane where the majority of the time one will be staring at vast, empty stretches of ocean hoping to see a liferaft or the wake of an enemy ship. It makes for dull, boring gameplay.

[BraveSirRobin]

2 hours ago, 76IAP-Black said:

And how it could be implemented into the game mechanics 

Implemented realistically you would get 15 hour flights spent staring at an empty ocean.  
 

Also, a poll choice between a B-25 and a B-26 tells you absolutely nothing about how much people really want a PBY.  Of course, I’m pretty sure you already know who wins the poll between a PBY and a B-25.  That’s why you don’t want to do it.

[76IAP-Black]

I give up ...

 

Wish you gentleman a nice time

Edited November 9, 2021 by 76IAP-Black

[Gambit21]

3 hours ago, LukeFF said:

I have zero interest in a plane where the majority of the time one will be staring at vast, empty stretches of ocean hoping to see a liferaft or the wake of an enemy ship. It makes for dull, boring gameplay.

 

Well to be fair, most of the time Mustang pilots spent their time staring at vast, empty stretches of sky hoping to see an an enemy airplane.

As with other aircraft, getting the most from the PBY would come down to mission design.

 

Plus it's a flying boat.

Bring it on.
 

With a good map, great clouds, I think the flying itself would be engaging, bonus if you found something else to do.

 

[Pict]

15 hours ago, 76IAP-Black said:

Don't understand the "Ney" sayer and marking the PBY as useless 

 

I said no. Here's why.

 

Of all the maps currently available, or soon to be released, only one, the Kuban map offers the possibility of having Catalina's operating from it. And even then it was minimal and of little significance, ie., 5 aircraft !!!

 

https://vvsairwar.com/2017/03/07/the-soviet-pby-catalinas-of-wwii/

 

Quote

By the time the GSTs (Soviet designation for Catalina) were relocated to the Caucasus after the Crimea had fallen, only five of the Fleet’s 11 Catalinas were remaining. For the next two years, Soviet flying boats would play only a negligible role in the war against Germany, due both to the fact that the decisive battles of 1942 and 1943 were land operations, and to the fact that the Soviet military’s arsenal of flying boats had been severely depleted by the German onslaught of 1941 and early 1942.

 

We don't and will not have a PTO map of any description for the forseeable future. Nor do we have an ETO map that covers any area where Catalina's operated. Plus the time period of all the other aircraft we have does not fit well with the majority of Catalina use by the RAF in the ETO.

 

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_PBY_catalina_RAF_service.html

 

Quote

Coastal Command in Home Waters

The Catalina first saw active war service with RAF Coastal Command, before the United States entered the Second World War, but it was never present in British waters in large numbers. Seven squadrons operated the Catalina from Britain and two briefly from Iceland, giving the often quoted total of nine Coastal Command squadrons. However of these squadrons six used the Catalina with Coastal Command for less than a year, and only No.210 Squadron retained the Catalina in British from its introduction in 1941 until the end of the war. At no point were there more than three squadrons operating the Catalina from Britain.

 

So for ETO use, much like Eastern Front use, the Catalian was of little significance during the timeframes allowed for within the IL-2 sandBOX.

 

========================

 

As a counterpoint, I don't understand why anyone would say yes to this, when there is a long list of other potential aircraft that would fit right in on maps we already have.

 

Tu-2

IL-4

P-40M

P-40C

Meteor

Mustang I

 

To name but a few off the top of the head, the list would be long I reckon and the Catalina would be right down at the very bottom, if it made the list at all.

[Alexander9822]

I would love a PBY but I believe it needs to be a mini "dlc" in away. I am willing to pay $70 for it but I believe you should get $70 worth of PBY related content for it, such as higher detailed and more advanced submarine and ship ai and more advanced water mechanics and dynamics. Stormy weather with stormy water and rough waves with low visibility. If it just anther collector vehicle that can land on water then I feel $30 is fine for it.

[Gambit21]

9 hours ago, Pict said:

 

I said no. Here's why.

 

Of all the maps currently available, or soon to be released, only one, the Kuban map offers the possibility of having Catalina's operating from it. And even then it was minimal and of little significance, ie., 5 aircraft !!!

 

https://vvsairwar.com/2017/03/07/the-soviet-pby-catalinas-of-wwii/

 

 

We don't and will not have a PTO map of any description for the forseeable future. Nor do we have an ETO map that covers any area where Catalina's operated. Plus the time period of all the other aircraft we have does not fit well with the majority of Catalina use by the RAF in the ETO.

 

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_PBY_catalina_RAF_service.html

 

 

So for ETO use, much like Eastern Front use, the Catalian was of little significance during the timeframes allowed for within the IL-2 sandBOX.

 

========================

 

As a counterpoint, I don't understand why anyone would say yes to this, when there is a long list of other potential aircraft that would fit right in on maps we already have.

 

Tu-2

IL-4

P-40M

P-40C

Meteor

Mustang I

 

To name but a few off the top of the head, the list would be long I reckon and the Catalina would be right down at the very bottom, if it made the list at all.

 

Given current maps I agree.

Kuban would be a great ‘retro-fit” for it however should we get PTO (which has to happen eventually)

[Trooper117]

But we could have this...  MBR-2.