New Mission Ideas Wishlist

[Pursuivant]

Since we'll soon have flyable cargo aircraft and flying boats in IL2, I'd like to propose some new mission types for IL2. Obviously, this is a wish list. Many of my ideas probably aren't practical.

Cargo Plane Missions

Paratroop Drop - Also represents secret agent/partisan drop missions (Note: bombers such as the B-24 Liberator, SB-2, and DB-3 could have secret agent/partisan cargo loadouts).

Paratroops can only safely be released below certain speeds, above a certain height, and only when the plane is flying more or less straight and level (drop is slowed or stopped if the plane is pulling Gs).

Each paratrooper which makes it to the ground alive, within the landing zone, gives the player points.

Paratroops are dropped all at once, using existing animations. But, paratroops must ready themselves for jumping prior to the jump, which takes a few seconds, so you can't just press the "drop bombs" button to make them jump. This means there will need to be a new command "ready paratroops" (also opens cargo door) and then "drop paratroops".

Cargo Drop - Represents aerial supply/resupply missions. (Note: Bombers such as the B-24, B-17 could be fitted with cargo loadouts to represent Operations Manna & Chowhound, etc.).

Cargo can only safely be released below certain speeds, above a certain height, and only when the plane is flying more or less straight and level (drop is slowed or stopped if the plane is pulling Gs). Drop speed is slowed or stopped if crewmen are killed or injured.

Each cargo unit which makes it to the ground undamaged, within the landing zone, gives the player points. Points are lost if cargo lands within enemy territory.

Each cargo unit is dropped separately, but must be readied prior to drop (representing the crew maneuvering it into position). There is also a delay after the "drop cargo" button is pushed representing the time required for aircrew to kick the cargo out the door (literally!). This means two commands "ready cargo" (also opens cargo door) and "drop cargo" (can be same as drop paratroops/bombs).

Due to time required to ready various cargo units, drop missions can take minutes to complete.

Cargo Pick-Up - This is a variant on Rearm-Repair-Refuel. Airplane must land and stop within a certain distance of a pick-up zone (set in FMB - can be an object or area). Cargo is loaded at a rate of X Kg per minute - loading speed and Kg increments set in FMB. Mass is added to the plane as the cargo is loaded. Player gets points for loading each unit of cargo, and for taking off with a partial or full load.

Realistically, due to time required to load cargo, planes can spend minutes or hours on the ground. Normally very boring, unless you're under fire! To make things more interesting, the FMB can be set to load cargo at an unrealistically quick rate.

Cargo Drop-Off - As above, but in reverse. Unloading time is typically faster than loading since unloaded cargo doesn't need to be balanced and strapped into place. Player gets points for landing, and for each cargo unit unloaded.

Passenger Pick-Up - As for Cargo Pick-Up, but passengers board the plane. This is much faster than loading cargo, but animations might be needed as each passenger is seated. Passenger figures can be killed or wounded, but can't bail out while the plane is in the air.

Med-Evac - As for Passenger Pick-Up but passengers are badly wounded mean on stretchers and take longer to board the plane. They start the game badly wounded, so any further damage will probably kill them. They can't bail out, either on the ground or in the air. Occasionally, one might suffer severe bleeding, or die, while in flight.

Passenger/Med-Evac Drop-Off - As for Cargo Drop-Off, but passengers unload themselves very quickly compared to cargo. Med-Evac passengers take longer.

New Game Objects Needed

Marker panels in different colors - To mark drop zones for cargo planes, as well as target zones for ground attack.

Ground flares in different colors - ditto

Ground launched aerial/parachute flares - ditto, and to mark location of life rafts/lifeboats.

Air launched aerial/parachute flares - To mark target/drop zones for night bombing and cargo drop missions.

Cargo parachutes in different colors and sizes - red, blue, yellow, green, white, natural (cream color), camouflage. 24', 28', 36', and 48' diameter - Selectable as loadout or FMB object - so you can have parachutes in the air when the game starts. (Note: multiple parachute objects also allows aircrew of different nations to have different chute colors - German aircrew during Battle of Germany used yellow or cream color. Allies used white.)

Different cargo drop objects - mostly boxes or palletized cargo.

More paratroop types - Soviet, British, Japanese, Soviet Partisan, OSS/SOE agent.

Wounded Men on Stretchers

German Fallschrimjager weapons pods - dropped along with FJ troops.