Whish list -> suggestions for IL2 - Flying Circus

[OBN_Server]

1- Aerodromes locations:
Possibility to place full operational aerodromes anywhere in the map, not only in the map default locations.

 

why this is important:
To provide to mission designer more options to create interesting missions using portions of the map where there's not many aerodromes available as default and possibility to create missions using short distances to be flown by casual players as well.
As a mission designer myself, I miss this feature because my casual fictional missions need to have many different aerodromes, but close to each other.

 

[EDIT]

I've realized later that the new Western front map has something new on it, some army camps.
Those are default on the map and they are identified by a red triangle.
The interesting thing about these places is they have the ladscape flat as the aerodromes has, then they can be used as aerodromes as well if you remove the army camp buildings and put the ones do make the place looks like a aerodrome.
This kind of increased the places you can setup aerodromes on the new map, cleaver solution to deal with keep the map as real as possible and provide flexibility to the mission designer.
Not perfect, but helps.

 

P.S. Those army camps are only 'passive' scenario for the map/mission they will be a 'active' target only if the mission designer set then to be one.

 

2- Aerodromes "Radar":
To me it should be an logic object to be placed in the map instead of a default radar active attached on every aerodrome as we have.

This new logic object could have mission running time controlled parameters like:
            -Active/Deactive function.
            -Range of activity (distance) -> A circle of range activity should be show in the map.
            -Coalition filter.
            -Planes or Vehicles filter.
            -Show icons of objects detected on the map (inside range) ON/OFF.     

 

why this is important:
If we have this feature, it could bring a lot of more strategic elements to the mission.

for example: if we have a observation balloon at its maximum altitude it could have a radar thats cover a bigger area of enemy detection and by the other hand if at low altitude or destroyed the "balloon radar" could be deactivated.
Some trucks or towers cold also provide observations (but defined as short range).
for WWII the radar stations could be possible to be placed on the maps as a new strategic element for missions as well.

3- Messages on screen to players:
It should have a new filter beyond those we already have, a plane label filter.
This way should be possible to send messages on screen only to a planes that have that label.

 

why this is important:
Because if that was possible, a recon plane could receive instructions on screen like we see today, but that could be sent only to the plane labeled as RECON.
If we have on the mission a squad called 'Front defensive patrol' they could receive info about enemy presence without pollute others pilots screen, making it as a strategic factor as well.

 

4- Parachutes:
It should be an options for the mission designers to choose when it will be available on any new plane available on the aerodromes, instead of a mandatory default only and every German plane.  

A percentage of parachute failure should be interesting to have as well.

 

why this is important:
To keep equivalent feature for coalitions and if the mission designer chooses, or even limit it for certain planes or mission situations.

Making this nice feature even more close that it was on reality.

 

5- Mission Score:
Should be possible to the mission designer to choose the goal score for a coalition win the map scenario, but instead the game use a default game score for elements/targets, it should be defined on the mission logic like (+n) points to a coalition when some trigger is called or event happen, deducing score if call like (-n) points for a coalition. A score total element for coalitions should summarizing all the points and then define the winner coalition when the score reaches the goal score.

Further away or harder targets could have more value than closer and easy ones.  Special conditional targets could also have a bonus score for the team who achieved it, getting score for sucess cover a friendly structure for a certain time for example.

 

why this is important:
A new dimension of strategic elements would be added to a mission, not only counting how many targets has been put down to define the winners.
This could provide a way to design a mission where Germans could be more defensive (as it was in real)

and keep scoring even without destroying targets on Entente side.

 

[EDIT]

I've done something like this on OBN missions using the available logic on mission editor.
Unfortunately it has limitations to control the score and only goes up (positive), but enough to demonstrate the potential of this feature to make possible to set complex mission objectives, bringing team strategy to the table.

 

6- Flak + Ground fire:
For a mission designer should be possible to select when a flak or AA MG has been placed to be a "fake" shooter.
It means it should work as a regular gun, but no hit or damage to the airplanes will ever happen.

 

why this is important:
Flak and AA ground fire is used often as a enemy presence detection, in fact many players hunt targets looking for flak activity in the skies.
But no one, not even the defensive pilots in a combat flight simulator likes when the "invasor" is dead hit by a flak.
So, keeping the flak activity high in some areas without taken the fun from the pilots is good for the gameplay.
Some of the guns will be possible real ones, so the pilots will never be sure about then.

 

7- Scouts (cooper bombs):
Should be possible for the mission designer to define any scout to carry bombs like we see in some Entente Scouts.

 

why this is important:
To keep equivalent feature for coalitions and if the mission designer chooses, bring balance to the fictional missions.

We know Germans in real didn't use scouts for that, but it was possible if they want? I think they could... so why we can't?

We are trying most of time building symmetric mission designs, but that is far from the reality, so why bother?
And what about remove the option for Entente scouts to carry bombs?  That is a good question as well.
I'm sure better missions will be possible to be built when a more flexible environment exists.
At the end, it still will be an option, nothing will be lost.

 

8- Airplanes available on aerodromes:
Today we have an aerodrome index to define what planes are available on the aerodrome to fly.
The problem I see here is just one index per time is possible to consider as active to provide planes available to fly.
What if several indexes active at same time to provide different groups of planes available?
then we could active more indexes or disable others to control with planes the mission designer want to players have as options to fly.

 

why this is important:
IT could bring way more flexibility and a high complex control over with planes should be available along the mission time.
With this feature could be possible to disable spawn a new recon plane after the recon complete, or provide an entire new squad of bombers available if some situation on mission happens.
I know the way we have today it's possible to do something like I suggest, but when you go a second step further in the logic to define with ones should be available if recon is done, the fuel train didn't deliver the cargo and the plane factory has been destroyed.
been able to provide logic for all those possibilities can be a problem, but easy doable if we could control several different indexes.

 

 

that's all for now

Gus

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by OBN_Server