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| City: | Ottawa  | | Personal Data: | Male, born: January 09 1954 | | Membership | 19years 114days ago. | | Last Login | 17years 22days ago. | | Last Move | 17years 142days ago. | SteveMartin is currently  | Send a mail to SteveMartin |
| Message header | Area/Game: | Blue Max | | Topic: | Suggestions, improvement, critics | | Subject: | Re: 30, 40, 50 of fuel | | Posted by: | SteveMartin  - 18years 290days ago. |
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| Message text I think I will pass on your offer of a crash course on aircraft and flight mechanics.
Your displayed knowledge of the realities of air to air combat seems to be lacking. To make a ludicrous statement that...and i quote
patrol/flight endurance has nothing to do with combat endurance.
This statement completely flies in the face of the real concerns of a pilot who is about to enter combat, in combat or trying to decide to break off combat. With reasoning like yours, the Germans should have won the Battle of Britain, because the 109's lack of endurance over southern England would have no effect on the combat. The simple reality was that the German pilot had to keep his eyes on not just the sky, but the fuel gauge as well or he would be quickly be swimming home. The lack of sufficient fuel reserves would certainly influence his choice of maneuvers, his employment of full power, etc. The Spitfires and Hurricanes could afford to loiter til the 109s turned back and THEN pounce. The situation was reversed when the Allied bombing campaign began. The German fighters would wait til the Allied escorts turned for home and then would go after the bombers. They often would attack the escorts first in order to get them to drop their external tanks and those have to break off combat prematurely.
I am quite aware that these situations do not involve World War I, however the principals remain the same.
You are quite right about airplanes NOT being cars. That said, the same principals of motion apply equally to cars and to aircraft. Throttle settings will most certainly affect the speed of the aircraft and will also affect fuel consumption. That is why aircraft generally CRUISE to the target, to minimize fuel consumption and save it for time over the target and egress, when full power will be needed.
I did not make any sort of conjecture regarding supply and air to air combat. My comment was directed more to the general situation facing the Germans during both wars and not a specific effect on any particular situation.
Case in point however, is that while German aircraft production reached its peak during 1944, lack of fuel and trained pilots lead to the majority of these aircraft remaining on the ground and horrendous losses to the units that did manage to get aloft.
The fascination that some players show for the German side has been prevalent since the 70s and while I never mentioned Avalon Hill, they were most assuredly one of the companies that pandered to that crowd. I can recall discussion in one of the early gaming magazines, Fire and Movement, about exactly this phenomenae. Designer, John Hills over glamourization of the Whermacht and SS in several games, including Squad Leader and his flippant comment that "their uniforms were pretty neat" leading one of the others to comment that it was pretty sad that the best he could say of the individuals who had killed his father was that their uniforms were pretty neat.
I am aware that most of my references were made about World War II, but then there are VERY few games dealing with World War I and it has never really been very popular with the majority of gamers.
I brought this point up, because the proposed changes would benefit ONLY the German player and will not make the game more enjoyable or historically relevant.
--- Message edited by SteveMartin |
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