4.13 development update discussion and feedback

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Treetop64

Not really sure adding more layers in the FMB menus is terribly necessary.

It would sure help the learning curve, though!

If not sub-menus, then possibly a search option or an auto completion feature, so that you can type "Jadgpanther" or just "Jadgp" and you're taken to the first relevant option.

Spektre's idea about allowing more than 4 objects to be placed is good, especially if it allows you to do things like place an entire tank company, artillery battalion or heavy bomber wing in historical formation with one click.

It would also be cool if you could add your own custom formations to the FMB, to simulate specialized formations. That would save the trouble of having to reenter the information or mess with cutting and pasting information from other missions.

Originally Posted by Treetop64

As for the gear suggestion: Manually operated gear was a relatively labor-intensive procedure, and repeatedly pushing a key is a good way of simulating this.

It also gets the time required about right.

In some cases, manually operated gears could be dangerous. For example, in the F4F, if the landing gear wasn't locked (or even if it was but the forces were extreme) under G-forces the gear could extend violently, and the spinning crank handle could injure the pilot's leg! Experienced F4F pilots learned to position their leg to keep the crank from spinning before they entered a high-G maneuver which was likely to make the gear extend.

Originally Posted by Treetop64

Now, on the other hand, your suggestion would be an excellent idea for some of the Russian aircraft, where the pilot actually had to hold a controller in place to fully actuate the gear and flaps; that is something I would love to see implemented!

+1 on this idea!

[IceFire]

I like the idea of a search function but I'm not sure I would welcome the added menus. This might be power user versus casual FMB user but adding that many menus would slow me down.

I do like the idea of a formation building function. So you could specify 12 or 16 bombers or something like that and then you told them to hold a box formation. That'd be nice!

I'm not sure how much reworking would be required to do that...