Video got me fired up - What to fly?

[AndyJWest]

I suppose you could try setting up a server where you just selected RAF or Luftwaffe, and then had your plane allocated to you to keep the balance right, but that might encourage people to keep leaving and rejoining until they got what they wanted. Personally, I'd like to see a system that allocated 'scores' differently depending on what you were flying, and what you were attacking. If hits doing significant damage on a Bf 109 when flying a Spit scored 10 pts each, give 15 points for the same hits in a Hurricane. Damage to a He 111 should score higher still (you are trying to defend your territory, not just looking for 'kills'). No doubt there would still be arguments about getting the points balance right, but this might at least stop everyone flying the same planes.

[MikkOwl]

WWII Online has a limited amount of aircraft available, produced in virtual factories and shipped by commanders to each airbase. The rank of the pilot restricts the plane types - experienced get the better stuff, inexperienced don't. It's messed up though, as if all the bad planes are used up and there's a bunch of slightly better ones laying around, and you don't have the high enough rank, you cannot fly at all.

As for your system of score, yes, I think score should be adjusted for what was accomplished in what (also exists in WWII online - it checks how much your machine is 'worth' compared to the target's machine, and the target acts as a multiplier to the default score. A cheap machine bringing down an expensive one gives tons of multiplication = tons of score. And vice versa.

Regarding allocation, I think one should be able to set one's plane preference. If there are free ones, one gets it automatically. If others outrank you and it's limited, then they get priority to the machine, but no rank restrictions. If your preference is not available, you get the plane choosing menu to find another ride.

[Avimimus]

Blenheim/Bolingbroke first.

[IceFire]

The Hurricane and the Spitfire the most followed by the Bf110.

I'd love to make the Hurricane work for me against the 109E... but I know it will be very hard to do. It already is. Although not historical the Spitfire I and the 109E are excellently matched... should provide some fantastic battles.

[MikkOwl]

What did the Blenheim do in the battle of britain? I've never heard or read much about it, but it keeps appearing all the time in sims. It's like a 'no name' brand plane to me almost.

The Hurricanes have their good and bad parts, like any other planes. As long as you have something on your opponent's plane that you can use against him, it's not at all so hopeless (been reading and soaking up too much "In Pursuit", a book about virtual air combat, heh heh). Hurricane turns amazingly well, you will -always- lose the 109's if they ever get behind. Speed and roll rate is different, and the inability of the merlin to accept negative G-forces. Snap rolls work in the Hurricane, with no ill effects to the engine. It was difficult at first for me but now I think it's the most awesome maneuver to employ in slow rolling planes (Can get a 110G, P38 and Ju-88 to do faster-than-Fw-190 rollrates if you give me two seconds). The many machine guns on the Hurricane are also the easiest thing of any plane to shoot into the canopy or cooling of a 109 and kill the bastard pilot - go for high deflection snap shots, easy to pull off if you can just drag your sights in their path. The high RPM, so many bullets, covering such a large area, constantly, whenever thumbing the trigger. Not sooo amazing from behind though

[Bobb4]

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

What did the Blenheim do in the battle of britain? I've never heard or read much about it, but it keeps appearing all the time in sims. It's like a 'no name' brand plane to me almost.

The Battle of Britain
The Blenheim units operated throughout the battle, often taking heavy casualties, although they were never accorded the publicity of the fighter squadrons.

The Blenheim units raided German occupied airfields throughout July to December 1940, both during daylight hours and at night. Although most of these raids were unproductive there were some successes; on 1 August five out of 12 Blenheims sent to attack Haamstede and Evere (Brussels) were able to bomb, destroying or heavily damaging three Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and apparently killing a Staffelkapitan identified as Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank. Two other 109s were claimed by Blenheim gunners.[6][f]Another successful raid on Haamstede was made by a single Blenheim on 7 August which destroyed one 109 of 4./JG 54, heavily damaged another and caused lighter damage to four more.[7]

There were also some missions which produced an almost 100% casualty rate amongst the Blenheims; one such operation was mounted on 13 August 1940 against a Luftwaffe airfield near Aalborg in north-eastern Denmark by 12 aircraft of 82 Squadron. One Blenheim returned early (the pilot was later charged and due to appear before a court martial but was killed on another operation), the other 11, which reached Denmark, were shot down, five by flak and six by Bf 109s.[8] It is a testament to the courage of the men in these units that they continued to operate throughout these months with little respite and with little of the publicity accorded to Fighter Command.

As well as the bombing operations, Blenheim-equipped units had been formed to carry out long-range strategic reconnaissance missions over Germany and German-occupied territories. In this role, the Blenheims once again proved to be too slow and vulnerable against Luftwaffe fighters and they took constant casualties

[TheGrunch]

Originally Posted by MikkOwl

I wonder if the online servers will enforce any kind of realistic make up of the planes available.

It'll depend entirely upon the server, I'm sure. Some people will never play on a server where they can't fly their favourite aircraft. Zuti's MDS already incorporates this sort of feature in Il-2 by limiting the number of each aircraft that it's possible to fly, hopefully it'll be possible in SoW fairly soon after release.

[DB605]

109E for me. Actually i'm already waiting later add-ons Channel front and African theatre '41-'42 with Friedrich...future looks very promising. But BoB will be great start to long airwar...

[Skoshi Tiger]

Hurricane of course. The plane that won the Battle of Britain!
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Keep the line tight and wait for the nibbles.

[csThor]

109 ... not a tough choice. Second will probably be the 110.