[Pursuivant]

Another idea for the wishlist: improved parachute/bailout realism.

1) Chance of parachute failure for aircrew bailing out, increased if the crew member is wounded (simulates damage to the parachute or unconsciousness). Some estimates of parachute failure were as high as 10%.

2) Player or FMB control (for AI) over when parachutes open. In some cases, crew waited until they were fairly close to the ground before they opened their parachutes in order to avoid enemy fire.

3) Random parachute opening altitudes for aircrew bailing out. Often, aircrew had minimal training in how to use a parachute. They sometimes opened their 'chutes too high or too low.

4) Paratroops open their chutes after falling a set distance from the plane. This simulates paratroopers using static line parachutes.

5) Different bailout speeds for paratroopers. Paratrooper training emphasized leaving the plane as quickly as possible in order to keep the "stick" of paratroops together.

6) DM for parachuting figure modified so that if it is shot, it is subject to crew wounded/heavily wounded/killed with the canopy still open, rather than the stock parachute collapse animation.

7) Parachute canopy should be much more resistant to gunfire. Currently it collapses too easily.

8 ) Parachutist model should be modified so that it inflicts much less damage to a plane in a collision.

9) Skins can be assigned to paratroopers carried as cargo.

10) Weapons containers ejected from aircraft along with paratroopers for nations who used such things (i.e., Britain, U.S., Germany).

11) Bailout animation modified so that crew are vulnerable to collisions with parts of their own aircraft. Unless done carefully, it was possible for crew to be injured or killed by a collision with the aircraft's tail. This was especially a problem with twin-boomed planes like the P38.

12) Different figure and animation sequence used for paratroops. Paratroops don't go into "free fall" when they bail out of an airplane. Instead, they drop feet first until the static line opens their 'chute, then grab the risers to stabilize the 'chute as it descends.

13) Some ability to control, or even "fly," the 'chute. It was possible to maneuver the round WW2 era parachutes a bit by pulling on one of the risers to spill a bit of air. Of course, this ran the risk of collapsing the chute.

14) Reserve 'chutes for forces that used them (most aircrew didn't carry reserves, though).

15) The possibility of placing parachutes above the map in the FMB. This would allow you to create missions where aircrew have already bailed out and you must shoot/protect them on the way down.