New planes requests (from other threads/please pin it)

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Marabekm

I have a request.
Get rid of the dates on the plane names. That way individuals will stop the misguided thinking that a plane that saw service in say 1943, was immediately obsolete and not used any more in 1944 or 45.

This is a very, very easy fix that you might even be able to do yourself. All that is required is editing the appropriate ".ini" file.

While the year of introduction is useful info for mission builders and people using dogfight servers, it could be moved to the "view objects" screen.

Other than that, just assume that an aircraft might have remained in service long after it was introduced despite being progressively obsolete, like Brewster B-239 and Hurricane Mk. I in Finnish service.

But, if we're talking about upgrading the the "view object information" feature of the game there's lots that could be done.

* Reduce or remove the historical section. It's irrelevant for a particular plane model.

* Add a screenshot of the cockpit for aircraft, along with a numbered list of positions for relevant gauges.

* Add useful information that you'd want to know when fighting or flying a particular airplane - like best cornering speed, maximum manifold pressure, take-off manifold pressure, take-off and landing distances, amount of ammunition, location of vulnerable points, armor location, etc.

* Add useful information for mission builders, like month and year of introduction, month and year of withdrawal from active service, units which used the type, and total units produced.

[sniperton]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

This is a very, very easy fix that you might even be able to do yourself. All that is required is editing the appropriate ".ini" file.

The appropriate '.ini' files are not accessible in the stock game, I'm afraid. What you mean is probably the plane.properties BTW.

As to the rest, TD would only need to create a form and a protocol how external data could be imported, and the rest could be done by the community. But honestly, the object viewer is far not as handy as good old AircraftViewer used to be.

[RPS69]

I used to research each scenery, I used to build missions with apropriate aircraft, and always complained about the lack of some models in particular.
To the point of avoiding entering in some of them for the few actors available.

For example the Su-2. On 1941 it was used widely, much more than the famous il-2 on the eastern front.
The Do17, the He-112 for a romanian campaign.
The Pzl 24 for the balkans map. The Bf110c, the french bombers, and the D520.
Now for the frecnh campaign we got the Hawk-75, it was actually the major type on the french air force.

Easch scenery got someone missing, but it is becoming better and better.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by RPS69

I used to research each scenery, I used to build missions with apropriate aircraft, and always complained about the lack of some models in particular.

Agreed. There are certain maps and campaigns which just can't be done correctly without adding a number of "obscure" units to the game. That is, units which were used during a few campaigns and no place else.

Mostly, they concern early war scenarios. Off the top of my head "obscure" aircraft which would be needed for a particular theater are:

China 1939-41: Ki-10 "Perry", Ki-30 "Ann," Ki-32 "Mary", Ki-51 "Sonia," A4N, B4Y "Jean", B5N1 "Kate," G3M1 "Nell". Curtiss A-12 Shrike, Curtiss Hawk III, Curtiss Hawk 75M, Dewoitine D.510, Martin B-10 (139WC).

Poland 1939: PZL P.7, PZL.23 Karas, PZL.37 Los. BF-109D-1, Bf-109D-3, Do.17Z, He-111P, Hs.126.

France 1939-40: Br. 693 series, Curtiss Hawk H75A-1, D.520 series, DB-7B-3, F.220, Late' 298 series, LN.401 series, LeO.45 series, Glen Martin 167F, MB.150 series, MB.200 series, MS.406 series, Potez 630 series. Battle Mk. I, Lysander Mk. I. Bf-109E-1, DFS 230 glider, Do.17Z, Hs.126.

Battle of Britain 1940: Bf-109E-1, Do.17Z, He.115 series. Anson series, Defiant Mk. I, Hampden Mk.I, Hudson Mk. I, Oxford Mk.I, Sea Otter Mk.II, Spitfire Mk. I, Sunderland Mk.I.

North Africa/Mediterranean 1940-43: Bf-110D & E series, He-115 series. Ba.64, Br.20, CANT Z.501, Cr.32 (and probably other Italian types). Albacore series, Barracuda series, Baltimore series, Bombay Mk. I, Boston Mk. I, II, III, & IIIA, Havoc Mk. III, Liberator Mk. II/LB-30, Hurricane Mk. IID & IV, Kittyhawk Mk. II, IIA, & III, Lysander Mk. I, Maryland series, Mitchell Mk. I, Sea Gladiator series, Sea Hurricane series, Sea Otter Mk. II. B-25B Mitchell, P-38E, F, G & H models, P-40 F, G, K, L, & N models.

Battle for Greece 1941: PZL P.24F & G, Breguet 19. Ba.64, Br.20, CANT Z.501, Cr.32 series (and probably others).

Southwest Pacific (i.e., Malaysia, Philippines, Dutch East Indies, Australia) 1941-42: Ki-30 "Ann," Ki-32 "Mary", Ki-51 "Sonia," D3A1 Model 22 & D3A2 "Val," G3M2 "Nell", H6K "Mavis". Buffalo Mk. I Field Mod., Mohawk series, Wirraway series, Hudson series. Curtiss H75A-7, Martin B-10B and 139WH, Dornier Do.24. Beech 18, Consolidated LB-30, Consolidated PBY series, P-26A, P-35A, P-38E, F & G models.

CBI 1942-45: Ki-32 "Mary", Ki-51 "Sonia," Ki-44 "Tojo" series. Hurricane Mk. IID & IV, Vengeance series. B-25B, C-46 Commando, P-43A, P-40 F, G, K, L & N models.

SW Pacific 1943-45: As for 1941-42, but also Commonwealth Boomerang, Vultee Vengeance, B-26A, P-47C-10, P-38 G & H series.

Romania: He-112, JRS-79, PZL P.24E & F.

Hungary: Ca.309, MAGAV Heja (Re.2000 variant), Me-210, WM-21 Sólyom

[sniperton]

Hungary had one of the weakest and smallest air forces among minor nations. Early-war planeset:

CR-32quater (76), CR-42 (60), Re.2000 (70);
Ju 86K-2 (66), Ca.135bis (36);
He-46E-2 (36), He-70K (18 ), WM-21 (altogether 128 until 1942);

Apart from these types used 'in numbers', there were some other obscure types in service, but typically with less than 6 planes each: Fw-58, Ca.101/3m, SM-75, FIAT G.12, He-111P, Do-215B-4, Ar-96.

Later in the war (after 1942) most of them were replaced with second-hand German equipment. (The licence-built Re.2000 version (200 built after 1942) was mainly used in second-line home defence.) The only flavour of the later-war Hungarian planeset was the home-manufactured Me-210Ca-1, which proved to be quite effective. But I think it was the same as with the Finnish: when you learnt surviving in a crap plane, you feel like a god in a mediocre one...

[dimlee]

Yer-2 for Eastern Front.... Ar-2 as well...
Ah, wait, are we going in another circle again and again?

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by dimlee

Yer-2 for Eastern Front.... Ar-2 as well...
Ah, wait, are we going in another circle again and again?

The Soviet "rare birds" which aren't in the game, but which were produced in decent numbers, and which saw some degree of combat action are: Antonov A-7, Be-4, Shavrov Sh-2, Scherbabov Shche-2, Yak-2, Yak-4, Yak-6, UT-1

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by sniperton

Hungary had one of the weakest and smallest air forces among minor nations.

Rivaled only by Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, which aren't even in the game!

Good write-up of what it would take to get a complete Hungarian order of battle.

Currently, we have the Bf-109, Bf-110, CR-42, FW-189, FW-190, He-111, Me-210, and Re.2000. That's a good selection of aircraft for a minor air force, but there's nothing there that you can't get by flying for the Luftwaffe or Regia Aeronautica. It would be fun and interesting if there was at least one "rare bird" which was unique to the Hungarian Air Force.

While it's utterly ridiculous to include it in the game, I've always had a soft spot for the WM.23 Ezust Nyil. Logically, it would make more sense to add the WM.21 Solyom or the Me-210C.

[sniperton]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Good write-up of what it would take to get a complete Hungarian order of battle.

For me it doesn't seem reasonable to have such a complete OOB. One obsolate plane is not much different than the other, and only those are worth the effort which were used in quantities by other nations as well (e.g. Cr-32, also used by Italy in the ground attack role). Having a WM-21 doesn't make much sense for me, all the more so as Hungarian aircrew preferred the He-46 to it. Obsolate bombers are more reasonable to have (as AI-only planes), for they remained in service for long as transports.

[Marabekm]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

Rivaled only by Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, which aren't even in the game!

Yugoslavia is kind of in game. Not as a selectable country, but we do have some of the aircraft.
You have to substitute the BF-109E4 for the 109E3, (And download Yugoslav skins somewhere for it.
Also the IK-3 was added in 4.12 something. (It has the Yugoslav skin already)
And the Sm-79 also saw service with the Yugoslav air force( but this could have been the 2 engine version like Romania used, I am not sure.)