Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGrunch
Well, I don't think DT did the *wrong* thing, per-se. The maximum economical cruising speed for the Spit IX (from the manual) is 170mph, so they clearly went toward making those long missions more comfortable.
"The recommended speed for maximum range is 170 m.p.h. (147 kts) I.A.S. if the aircraft is lightly loaded. At heavy loads, especially if the rear fuselage tanks are full this speed can be increased to 200 m.p.h. (172 kts) I.A.S. without incurring a serious loss of range."
"On aircraft not fitted with interconnected throttle and propeller
controls
(a) With the supercharger switch at MS fly at the maximum
obtainable boost (not exceeding + 7 lb./sq.in.) and obtain the
recommended speed by reducing r.p.m, as
required.
NOTE.— (i) R.p.m should not be reduced below a minimum of 1,800. At low altitudes, therefore, it may be necessary to reduce boost or the recommended speed will be exceeded.
(ii) As the boost falls at high altitudes it will not be possible to maintain the recommended speed in low gear, even at maximum continuous r.p.m, and full throttle. It will then he necessary to set the supercharger switch to AUTO. Boost will thus be restored and it will be possible to reduce r.p.m, again (as outlined in(a) above).
(iii) In both low and high gears r.p.m, which promote
rough running should be avoided. "
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That's a big subject but you're right on the money. I won't repost everything from the other thread about the AI, but a lot of imbalances in IL2 (perceived or real) and departures from what people expect to see based on historical knowledge, are the result of the simplified engine management mechanics of a 10 year old gaming engine.
Just because there's a Spit +25lbs doesn't mean it can run that for ages like it does in the sim and this goes for every other plane too, regardless if it's allied or axis. You know what the maximum continuous power was for most Spit Mk.IXs? A mere 8-9lbs of boost! Anything higher than that was unsustainable and pilots had to be closely monitoring the coolant temperature when they exceeded it...if the coolant in the radiators exceeded 100-something degrees celsius and the water-glycol mix started boiling, bye bye cooling and welcome bubbles in the liquid clogging up the system and making cooling inefficient, even busted heat pipes due to expanding steam with resulting loss of coolant and eventually engine seizure.
Similar restrictions apply to every other aircraft in the game, whether it is a Pony running 70 inches of manifold pressure all day long, or a 190 that does the same at 1.45 Ata or whatever it is they run
Having all that spare power is meant as a "reserve bank" to use in high altitudes for when the available ambient air pressure the engine draws from is reduced, plus emergencies or delaying that stall for a few seconds in order to take a firing opportunity when you are climbing vertically behind your target.
It's definitely not something that could be used almost 24/7 in real life like we do in the sim and in that regard, it makes perfect sense that the real life aircraft wouldn't have their trim adjusted by the ground mechanic for a speed range that was unsustainable due to engine restrictions.
That kind of engine limitations is one of the things i most eagerly await in the new sim, because it doesn't only add a new layer of realistic challenges but also gives us new things to occupy ourselves with. Today a good virtual pilot is one who flies well, shoots well, is a solid tactician or a combination of the above...with the arrival of CoD a good pilot will also be the one who knows how much he can stress his aircraft's subsystems without breaking them.
For example you could be bounced by a player in a superior performing plane but the added workload alone might eventually turn the tables on him, since just because some plane is more maneuverable or faster doesn't mean it was easy to be flown that way.
I expect a lot of the match-ups will be totally changed in regards to that. For example, when the new series branches out into 1943-late war it will be great fun learning the ropes all over again, with the better performing but exclusively manually controlled allied fighters versus the lesser performing but fully automatic axis ones.