Hello Klem - I've taken the liberty of re-ordering elements of your post so that i can address the different issues a little more easily
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Originally Posted by klem
Please remember that this thread is specifically intended for us to air our views on this week's offering fom Oleg. He's quite capable of answering for himself on such a fundamental point. It's the first time I have seen the map and you can judge from other posts that the Duxford issue is a real concern.
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Understood - my reaction may have been a little on the strong side. I wasn't trying to defend Oleg though - the opinions were purely my own
Quote:
Originally Posted by klem
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No Duxford in the BoB is like playing cards with all the Jacks removed.
BoB in it's historical sense can't be properly fulfilled or re-enacted/scenario'd without it. OTOH, if people are only interested in big dogfights and shooting down a few bombers over Kent and pretending they are recreating the BoB they won't care, and it won't matter, what fields are or aren't included.
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I think that our differing opinions about this reflect the debate that has been going on regarding the campaign game: some people want to be able to make strategic-level decisions for the German side - to be able to direct the air campaign with a view to changing the outcome, i.e. a German win. Others think that this is out of place - that the campaign should reflect the perspective of a single pilot (or squadron at most).
I'm probably in the latter camp. Though I wouldn't be averse to a strategic-level sim of the battle - I think that SOW's (and Il2's) emphasis is naturally on the small-scale air combat.
So I don't really think that SOW BOB is going to be able to re-enact the battle on that strategic level where the player can alter the outcome by use of 'Big Wing' tactics, etc. That large-scale recreation of the battle requires a different game I think. The map for that game should include all of Britain and the German bases in France and Norway. The player would also need to be able to choose where to base his squadrons - eg the German commander could withdraw his forces in Norway and use them as reserve for the main attack across the Channel. It really would be a game on a whole different level.
Given that Oleg isn't going that route, what should he attempt to do with the game map given his limited resources?
I think that he has to provide a representative setting - a stage - for the tactical / individual raid-level air combat that the game can recreate well. That really means the map recreates a portion of the south-east of England.
It doesn't preclude the use of 12 Group squadrons in the missions - I think I'm right in saying that although their bases may be off the map, they fought their engagements on it. It means that if the game won't be attempting to refight the battle on the strategic level there is not really a role for the 'what-if' scenarios that some people would like, and there is no need for the 12 Group bases.
Quote:
Originally Posted by klem
I don't want to offend Oleg but it is so fundamental to the main defensive Battle, in the South East, that it should be in there. It is not a 'future enhancement' for 'other campaigns', it was an important factor in the Battle and should be in from the start. Not having the one day major NE Coast Luftwaffe raid (2 targets) playable is only a small matter.
I know you're joking about Norway but as an example that was a separate campaign and could come later.
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You are right about the minor nature of the northern raids and about my mention of Norway, but the point is that a line has to be drawn somewhere.
The reasons I've given above explain why I think Oleg has it roughly right.