At some point somethign like this would make sense since it would allow something on DF maps that we do not have, moving ships.
We have frankenplanes, setting a plane to be a ship would be an interesting idea, thoguh as you say, it needs to have an FM and DM overhaul.
Might actually see ships comb a torpedo attack...
tater
I've said this many times, but I'll say it again, bearing in mind this is only my view, but many have echoed the same sentiments.. If I want to drive tanks, man guns, run about on the ground, I'll just put Battlefield 1942 into my pc and play.. I've got this sim to fly aircraft.. Simple as!
How about suggesting methods for introducing new aircraft. How about finding a way to improve AI. How about new detailed cockpits, How about realistic working airfields.. There are so many aspects to the flight simulator side that I would hate the modders to put their efforts into driving flippin tanks.
Trooper, while I agree from a sim standpoint in general, it would add "AI" to the ships to have some controlled. Note that the gunners, etc would be AI. Imagine having ships evade when attacked...
Might be interesting.
As an aside, I always argued that making the torpedo planes flyable would have been a total waste fo time, and I'd have prefered other planes to them. This was while everyone was clamoring for the TBF and Kate (right after PF release). Why? Because without ships with SOME AI capability, VT operations are a joke. Sure, the flak is dangerous, but aiming? In RL, a ship would turn into the attack, or away from it to present a smaller target (if an away turn, the time to drop would increase, and give the AAA more time, too). When dive bombed, you see many images from RL of the target wildly turning in a tight circle. In PF... they steam along presenting perfect targets.
For no other reason than having the option in DF or coop of ships that act like ships this might be interesting. BTW, if it was a "plane" operating on the water, how WOULD the aircraft AI react... Such a crazy thing might actually "decide" to evade as AI since as a "plane" it would have some AI.
ROSOBORONEXPORTCORP
Guest
This idea is possible. Use 3d models from a patrol boat and the class file from a multi-gun floatplane. Adjust turret position, rotation and appearances and you can produce a generic gunboat.
I have tried using the MBR-2 and shooting up targets on the shore. It is a lot of fun (thanks to Oleg's ballistics model). The biggest (read only) problem is that it would require modifying the FM and DM.
As stated, it's my point of view and what I would want to see from a 'Flight' simulation game..
I know all about manning AA in SoW, I've had a keen eye on any development news, and on a personal note I'll say i'm very pissed off that Oleg and crew are going down that road.. It all feels too arcadish to me. The reason for that attitude is twofold..
1. From a historical and accuracy point of view.. Even if in any flight simulation game, you find yourself as a pilot, running to an AA gun to shoot down the dreaded Luftwaffe, all credibility in any historical value in the game has gone out the window... That is of course unless you have been spending all your time with the Bofors crew practicing gun drills, instead of running to your aircraft and doing what you have been trained to do..
99.9% of all pilots even if they wanted to would not have a scooby on how to operate and fire an AA gun correctly..
2. I cannot for the life of me see why a flight sim developer. (or mod team), would take valuable resources and develop a stylish and probably beautiful arcade type white elephant, and make it part of what is supposed to be the premier flight sim of all time.. (we are told)..
However, just as the poster is expressing their wishes, all I'm doing is expressing my own humble but specific view..
With Trooper...please, PLEASE lets not go there...its a flight sim...and a fine one....lets just....not....nah, just doesnt sit right...No thanks.
T
I'm with Trooper on this one. I think driving ships and vehicles, manning AA guns, and running around the ground from airfield to airfield looking for a new ride, IMHO, has no place in a flight sim.
If ya' want more realistic ship maneuvering then it should be done with an improved AI, instead of asking someone to man a ship in a 90+ minute COOP, steaming from point A to point B, so if he gets attacked he can maneuver realistically for his AI gunners to get a better bead on attacking aircraft, many of which are AI.
When PF first arrived, I was appalled at the fact that there was:
No Slot
No New Britain
No complete map of New Guinea
No maps of the China theater of ops
No reasonably correct representation of any area in the PTO
No flyable Kate
No flyable Devastator
No flyable Avenger
No flyable PBY
No flyable Kingfisher
No flyable Betty
No flyable Sally
No flyable Emily
No flyable Judy
No flyable George
No heavy bombers
And an incredibly limited ship set, with ridiculous AA settings, damage models, paint schemes, and sinking times
I am already working hard with The Slot Team to take care of item one on the list and, unless things change, we plan to do items 2, 3, 4, and 5 too.
The problem is the ship AI. IMO it's somewhat pointless to do anything with aircraft vs ships right now since the ships are so completely stupid.
Dunno how the ship AI can be addresses, it's not a matter of improving it, it's literally a matter of actually build some ship AI from scratch. That somehow seems unlikely.
The only way I can think of might be to make a ship a plane so it can use plane AI (which is the only complex AI in game). A side effect of such a choice would be to make the ship "flyable."
I don't think that someone driving a DD down the slot at 0 to 30-something knots, turning to unmask guns, or to evade dive bombers is "arcade" if the speeds, accelerations, and turning radii are accurate. NOt saying someone doing this is likely, but it would certainly be useful. It would be REALLY useful for movie makers, too...
