What is going to make this fun for you?

[SKUD]

Squadron Series- The most fun I ever had was flying as sim was the S3 events on Warbirds back 10 years or more ago. Getting a historical scenario whipped up with commanders on each side and squads given specific assignments by those commanders. Victory is a completion of objectives within a preset loss range and for the other side denying victory to the aggressor is victory. Maybe a good commander will win or maybe the better squads? Limited lives-If you bail over friendly territory you get another plane after a set time out. Die and you can go back to the quake server and practice. Events have a preset start time and a limited length. No AI no co-op. All living targets.
To me, and I know a lot of others, flying with your squaddies in a coordinated objective-based manner is the most compelling reason to fly and by far the most satisfying. Anyone can get good enough flying to shoot down plenty of enemies but it is something else to keep a cohesive formation in the air and fight as a team.
Now, can we do this without any changes to the existing CLOD? Yes probably, but maybe some tools to help organize multi-squad missions, like scoring tools, squad based briefings, recon photos and waypoint maps would help.
-SKUD

Originally Posted by SKUD

To me, and I know a lot of others, flying with your squaddies in a coordinated objective-based manner is the most compelling reason to fly and by far the most satisfying. Anyone can get good enough flying to shoot down plenty of enemies but it is something else to keep a cohesive formation in the air and fight as a team.

This right here is the wording I was lacking. The racing, stunts, and capture the flag are good time-killers between real missions like what you just described. Give gamers a reason to not only shoot down the enemy, but fly well as a part of a bigger group, and you have a recipe for a sim that draws new players, moves off the shelves, and has a bit more staying power than what we have now.

[Feathered_IV]

I'm pretty easily pleased. Convincing AI chatter would improve things immensely. The current setup has just FOUR voice actors. Each one sounds like he's pulling words out of a hat and reading them with different expressions.

That and ai crews that actually do their jobs (but that will never happen).

[Codex]

sdk

[csThor]

Originally Posted by SKUD

Squadron Series- The most fun I ever had was flying as sim was the S3 events on Warbirds back 10 years or more ago. Getting a historical scenario whipped up with commanders on each side and squads given specific assignments by those commanders. Victory is a completion of objectives within a preset loss range and for the other side denying victory to the aggressor is victory. Maybe a good commander will win or maybe the better squads? Limited lives-If you bail over friendly territory you get another plane after a set time out. Die and you can go back to the quake server and practice. Events have a preset start time and a limited length. No AI no co-op. All living targets.
To me, and I know a lot of others, flying with your squaddies in a coordinated objective-based manner is the most compelling reason to fly and by far the most satisfying. Anyone can get good enough flying to shoot down plenty of enemies but it is something else to keep a cohesive formation in the air and fight as a team.
Now, can we do this without any changes to the existing CLOD? Yes probably, but maybe some tools to help organize multi-squad missions, like scoring tools, squad based briefings, recon photos and waypoint maps would help.
-SKUD

It takes a very mature and committed community to make such setups work. I did lurk for a long time over at the S3 boards and was always fascinated by the setup (although I felt it was far too often far too fighter centered but part of this is owed to WB's planeset).

I think CloD - once its stability issues and AI problems are sorted out - could be a very fine base for such a setup, especially since we can actively use AI formations for types rarely flown by human players (bombers, Stukas, recon etc) but a few more things have to be added, yet. First I can think of is the ability to designate, target and destroy (and read from log) static area targets such as airfields, supply dumps, factories, supply lines (i.e. railway lines which can be broken) and similar targets. Right now that is not possible. Second would be an easier FMB, or rather the scripts part of it, since unless you know your stuff in C or similar languages you're stuck with very basic functionalities.

[SKUD]

Originally Posted by csThor

It takes a very mature and committed community to make such setups work. I did lurk for a long time over at the S3 boards and was always fascinated by the setup (although I felt it was far too often far too fighter centered but part of this is owed to WB's planeset).

I only flew a half dozen or so of these frames unfortunately but I remember one in particular-throwing my 6 FW190s against at least 60 B-17s piloted by human pilots. Quite an awesome sight when they first pop into view. The same awe felt by the LW pilots in defense of the Reich. Imagine what 600 looked like. We did like they did. We went in and did our job the best we could and try to get back alive.
I think most of us are attracted to this genre because we kind of wish we had been there and could become that part of history. Of course its nice not to face real death. It's also neat to see real life results emerge from a simulation.
-SKUD

[Flanker35M]

S!

I remember the historical scenarios in Aces High. That was great fun! Felt more like bing there instead of senseless furballing over a certain spot on the map. We got lucky and decimated the incoming bomber formation before escorts arrived, so our job was done That felt like an achievement!

[carguy_]

Originally Posted by SKUD

I only flew a half dozen or so of these frames unfortunately but I remember one in particular-throwing my 6 FW190s against at least 60 B-17s piloted by human pilots. Quite an awesome sight when they first pop into view. The same awe felt by the LW pilots in defense of the Reich. Imagine what 600 looked like. We did like they did. We went in and did our job the best we could and try to get back alive.
I think most of us are attracted to this genre because we kind of wish we had been there and could become that part of history. Of course its nice not to face real death. It's also neat to see real life results emerge from a simulation.
-SKUD

I remember those days. And let me add that this was the type of mission where P47 and P51 really shined the brightest. You faced them @8000m and there was rarely anything you could do other than run for your life. And it very true that a huge B24/B17 formation looks fantastic. You group up with your mates in a diamond and take em head on from above. It suddenly begins to rain with yellow tracers everywhere. You place careful deflection and let em rip with 4-6 MG151/20 cannons. You exit out of the bomber formation range and are immediately jumped by 2-3 fighters. Amazing.

I also witnessed other missions, where the fighter escort was lured by 2nd fighter group, which left the bombers unprotected. What a feast it was. One by one, the fatties fell from the sky, rarely with burning engines, often completely torn apart. Luftwaffles took their turn and so on until the ammo ran out.

Same I can say about simulating desperate LW offensive missions in Normandy, such as airfield raids. I mean I knew it was all lost already, but I couldn`t help but take 5 of them down before they made me bail out.