What is this about?
This is not just about aircraft. This is about Improving the Plane experience, Game Health and All areas of the game CAS interact with. I think with the addition of Jets, players are starting to realise more now more than ever, Something needs to change!
To achieve this, the following areas need attention
- Part 1: Airfields (complete with AI AA protection)
- Part 2: Render Distance (ground and air)
- Part 3: Spotting and lead indicators
- Part 4: Finishing gunners
- Part 5: Loadout customization
I believe they are all parts of the puzzle that need to work together but I will seperate so they can be approached individually for feedback. The Topic will be Part 1: Airfields.
- Part 2 will be first reply
- Part 3 second reply. So on and so Forth
Who is this Change for?
This is about improving the experience of Everyone! Infantry, Tankers, and Pilots.
Infantry Players
- Are you sick of how quickly planes can cycle MASSIVE payloads with ever increasing frequency as BR and Speed of Aircraft Increases?
- Are you sick of no repreive from the endless cycling of planes? One falls, another immediently takes its place with no down time
- Are you sick of the frequent state of shell shock (Amplified by CAS)?
Vehicle Players
- Are you sick of being immediently and swiftly revenge bombed?
- Are you sick of the increasing frequency bigger bombs appear as BR increases?
Aircraft Players
Pilots
- are you sick of losing your plane to a mere flesh wound (oil leak)?
- are you sick of not being able to do anything about repairing?
- are you sick of aircraft that rely on speed over maneueverability and not being able to use it well?
- are you sick of your aerial victories being met with a fresh respawn instantly bearing down on you before you can recover?
- are you sick of fighter gameplay having little place, interception being quite hard?
- Have you perhaps been spawn camped at your airspawn?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, Airfield benefit you!
Why Airfields?
Airfields are a âDelay Mechanicâ. So It doesnt matter if you are for;
- Airfields
- Spawn lockout timers
- Increasing airspawn distance
- Increasing rearm distance
- All of the above
They are all about the same thing. âDelaying the Frequency of which CAS aircraft can be rotated above the battlefieldâ
Why do we need a Delay mechanic?
As BR increase, planes get faster and payloads get bigger, but the map and objective size stay the same.
A year after I initially made this suggestion, I believe players have had a full taste of what Im talking about, with the addition of Jets. You knock one down, another of the exact same instantly appears before you can savour victory.
Why Airfields over the other options?
Why Not use Spawn Lockout timers?
Its BORINGâŠit robs players of time. You could be sitting in the loadout screen waiting a minute or more to get your hands on a vehicle only for someone else who was doing the same thing to get the slotâŠIt wasted you and your teams time when you could have spawned in.
Why Not increase Airspawn Distance?
This increases the distance but it doesnt alter speed or altitude. It also benefits faster aircraft too much as they spawn in at speed in a high energy state (which can be converted to more speed)
Why Not increase Rearm distance?
By itself, this may decrease the frequency of bombing, but it doesnt effect spawning in a new aircraft. Meaning you arent rewarded for shooting one down, a new one will be back faster than it would take to rearm.
By itself, It benefits faster aircraft and becomes prefarable to spawn in a new aircraft rather than rearm.
Why Not just add Ground Level Airspawn?
This is quite a good alternative it removes altitude from the equation. This may be enough, But it still benefits fast planes like jets far more than other aircraft as it negates their weakness (acceleration)
Why Airfields?
Airfields Remove both Speed and Altitude from the plane, requiring the player to build it up first.
Everything comes into play. Weight, Climb rate, speed, acceleration. It also provides these unqiue advantages.
- A safe zone to spawn
- A place to repair
- A place to retire your aircraft/squad without having to suicide (use tickets)
- Having to start on the ground, actually provides a price to be paid for being shot down.
Video Mockup: 4.5km Airfield on slow aircraft = 40 second delay, low Energy
A combination of any of these can achieve the delay we are looking for, but Airfields provide the most extra benefits. Infantry and Tankers will benefit from this also.
What this means is that being shot down has a meaningful impact. It also makes you easier to intercept and aerial engagements actually mean something.
Airfields do not limit our choices. Our goal is to Remove Energy and require Pilots to manage the aquisition of it.
We can do this by:
- Ground spawn on the airfield (No speed no Altitude)
- Ground level air spawn (No altitude). This change could be made alone, but airfields have the other benefits we are looking for
- Different spawns for different Aircraft types (e.g Fighters ground spawn, Attackers Ground level airspawn, Jet Aircraft their own seperate spawn)
Pilots will have to choose:
- Take time to build altitude and energy
- Rush to target with very little of either
This is similar to how tankers and Infantry have to choose. take the shortest route, or spend time getting into position.
Other Benefits:
- Planes without Speed or Altitude are far easier to intercept
- Fighters become alot more important for preventing CAS
- Downing aircraft is rewarding as it takes time for them to come back
- All aircraft characteristings come into play. speed, acceleration, climbrate, weight.
For this suggestion I will NOT be promoting changing the way rearming occurs. it will stay the same.
Fortunately all Maps already have plenty of space outside of gameplay areas. It doesnt need to fancy⊠Just a strip of dirt to land with repair and AI AA. Modders have been adding this in their maps for quite some time now.
Example of Empty Space
Airfields dont specifically need to be on the teams side either, as long as they are opposite to the enemy teams airfield. For example on DDay Normandy you obviously cant have an Airfield in the ocean, but you can on either side of the active battelfield on the coast.
All the mechanics necessary are already in the game aswell and have been put to use in mods.
- Ground Spawn (spawn on carrier)
- Repair on land/crash land (Same as carrier. instant turnaround)
- AI AA guns (same as carrer)
Maps with Airfield examples: (thanks @Baklaz360pl-live for the pics)
Fortress Tunisia
Moscow Winter Maps
Rzhev
Gavutu
Munda Trail
Guadalcanal
P-51D
would hardly bother with the wall of text and videos then would I? (that took ages I might add)
