Do certain planes get unlocked in career mode on a historically accurate timeframe?

[Numl0k]

So I ended up buying the P-40E-1, and noticed that it should be usable in the career mode of BoS. I wanted to give it a spin, but I don't see any units where it's an option. Was it maybe not used until later, and won't be available until then? Or maybe the available aircraft are locked when you start your career, and since I bought it after I started my career, it's just not going to be available?

[BlackSix]

The P-40E-1 was used in two regiments (126 and 731 IAP PVO) from August 28 to September 17, 1942, check the first three chapters from BoS career

[Skycat1969]

BlackSix beat me to it.

 

The 126th Air Defense Fighter Air Regiment is equipped with the P-40-E1 for the first two chapters ("Advance to the Volga" and "On the Near Approaches."

The 731st Air Defense Fighter Air Regiment is equipped these two chapters and the third chapter, "City Assault."

You can transfer from one Regiment to the another mid career. You can also have multiple careers going simultaneously.

 

You can easily find which regiments are equipped with a specific aircraft type by starting a new career and unchecking all the aircraft you're not looking to fly. The remaining highlighted chapters and regiments will be options for your preferred aircraft type(s).

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by Skycat1969

[Numl0k]

Thanks guys! Looks like I just missed out on it, as it's already October 12th, 1942 in my career. Not particularly keen on starting over since I'm so far in already, so I guess I'll just deal with what I have! 

 

11 hours ago, Skycat1969 said:

You can easily find which regiments are equipped with a specific aircraft type by starting a new career and unchecking all the aircraft you're not looking to fly. The remaining highlighted chapters and regiments will be options for your preferred aircraft type(s).

 

Does this have an affect only when you begin the career? Will the unchecked aircraft be unavailable to transfer to indefinitely, or will they still show up on the HQ map after the career is started? I did use that to sort when I started this career, I'm hoping I didn't just lock myself out of anything! If I did, oh well, I'll just have to keep that in mind when I start up my Moscow career (Planning on playing through all of the careers in release order).

[Skycat1969]

The only aircraft that are "locked" are flyables that you do not own. The rest are implemented within historic timeframes. In this case, the P-40E-1 is removed from the career early in the Stalingrad campaign. If you start with one of the two equipped regiments, you will either automatically transition to another fighter or, if the regiment leaves the campaign, you can transfer to another regiment and continue your pilot's career.

 

And as I stated earlier, you can start a new career without it affecting your current career. You'll just have a different pilot. So begin a new career for Stalingrad and select the P-40 to try it out. If you get tired of the career, delete it. (I start new careers all the time to test skins and mods. I currently have six open but I think I've had up to nine.)

 

If you really want to fly the P-40E-1 through the entire career, it is possible to edit the campaign templates. It's a lot of work and it requires some understanding of how the career files operate, but it is possible. I've modified a few careers myself, including replacing one regiment's IL-2 Sturmoviks with P-47D-22s in the Kuban career as an alternate history where the Lend-Lease Thunderbolts were used in frontline combat.

 

Also, while you can play the campaigns in any order you desire, Battle of Moscow is set before Battle of Stalingrad. If you wanted to carry your pilot through a historical timeline, start with Moscow and at the end of the campaign you can continue his service in Stalingrad. My Luftwaffe pilot Peter Munz is a decorated veteran of the Moscow, Stalingrad, and Kuban fronts. He is currently flying Fw190A's on the Normandy front.

Edited December 26, 2022 by Skycat1969