Deadline Manila Campaign

Started by Kopfdorfer, December 05, 2017, 06:32:52 PM

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Kopfdorfer

#30
Skinpack Updated 1-1-2018

See the Dropbox links in the initial post at the beginning of the thread


Kopf

Kopfdorfer

Skinpack Updated 8/1/2018

I hope this is the last one !

Kopf

Kopfdorfer

Mission 4 AAR

Well I enjoyed last night's mission - though I spent most of it watching as I got zapped right after dropping my ordnance
on Nichols Field about 7 minutes into the mission.

The good news is both C-47s made it into Luzon , so no fuel shortage for Mission 5.
Bad news is that Japanese troops overran Orani Airfield , and now we are compressed into Pilar , Mariveles and Kindley Airfield on Corregidor Island.
We lost our last O-46 , so future spotting must be done by Jeep. Yep.
We also lost one of our last 2 PBYs so we are down to one there as well.

I totally enjoyed watching Fragmann evade the Ki-27s in the C-47. Impressive.

I do want to comment on the use of minimap path.
Last night's mission was a good example of why I don't believe in it.
The term Situational Awareness always comes in to any discussion of air fighting - the ability to see and sense what is going on around you in order to determine the best action in a given situation (in brief).
While chiefly concerned with fighter tactics, I believe it comes into any successful operational assessment and outcome.
I believe that the minimap path inhibits both the immediate situational awareness (the current mission) ,
and retards the development of situational awareness as a combat tool - if you don't use it , you don't get better at it.
It also uses a limitations of the FMB as a crutch for situational awareness.
While I do acknowledge that when a military unit is given an order , it is the expectation that it will be carried out. That being said, if a "general" military objective is given (ie "anti-shipping patrol - as for the PBYs last night) , there is an understanding that a certain amount of discretion is on the commander of the aircraft as to what ships to attack - or in fact whether to attack anything else if no ships are spotted.  I want my missions to reflect this quandry for the combat pilot.
Clearly last night the interpretation was that "I must not attack these 4 ships I am passing by because I have an attack waypoint further along my flight path and therefore must attack what is there". Well while there may have been some intelligence historically to suggest that there MIGHT be a target where the Gattack Waypoint was on the minimap path , there are never such assurances on the battlefield.
As a Mission designer I am limited by what the FMB can do. Not knowing whether a human pilot or an AI will be fulfilling the patrol of the PBY , I am obliged to place a Gattack Waypoint on the flight path , or the AI PBY will sail happily by all targets. I could just place the minimap path with no waypoints , but then the AI doesn't behave as desired.
Now I am not intending to disparage the pilot of the PBY (I don't know your voices yet , sorry  and I can't remember who flew it) he proceeded to hit and damage the ship and destroy 2 seaplanes at the Gattack Waypoint. My problem is that I wish to impart fog of war to my missions , and the minimap path cripples this at the outset. I want the pilot to have to seek out the target , not know absolutely that it is there.
Many , many , many more combat missions were flown that had no combat than those that did. I realize that most of us fly IL2 to get the satisfaction of hitting our target , but I believe that the real draw is drama , and there is more drama in NOT knowing what is over the horizon.

Please please please DO NOT ENABLE THE MINIMAP PATH on the next mission. There are only a few DM Missions left , and if you don't like the missions I design , you don't have to fly them. I truly believe if you embrace what I am trying to do 2 things will happen.
1) You will still enjoy the missions even if they aren't what you are used to.
2) Your situational awareness will improve.

As I said , if you guys as a group aren't enjoying the missions this way , that's fine.
Then the ball is in my court as to whether to submit any more or not.
But at least give it an honest try to see if you like them the way they are intended to be flown.

Finally , I want to say that regardless of how this turns out , I appreciate the welcome I have been shown here.
I realize that I am known in far circles as a somewhat belligerent personality.

Sincerely ,
Kopfdorfer


_AH_Bear

#33
Ok.. i just kinda skimmed over that and this is my 2 cents on the minimap path... most of the ppl here in AH have always used certain settings.. we are just now exploring no enemy padlock for example.. we have several members who are alittle older and need these aids because after all.. we are all here to have fun.. personally i can, and have flown full switch before and dont mind it.. I personally like realistic navigation... but its not for everyone... I would like you to understand this and consider it when we play.. after all.. not only are you new, but not even been admitted as an AH member as of yet that i am aware of. We play for the fun of the game for everyone and go at the pace best suited for all members.  Kinda like the old adage " you can only go as fast as your slowest member"  already a few time folks have bowed out because of these new constricting settings and I for one dont like that fact. Perhaps this should be more addressed in our next meeting. Perhaps even these missions shouldnt absorb days we already have events ongoing and moved to its own time and day?
Again.. my 2 cents .. not to be read into as angry or anything like that ... just my opinion...
I think we all like something new like this .. but not so dictated on game settings we all enjoy...
~S~ Bear

_AH_Col._Hogan

Well.

Bear, he isn't asking for full switch, he just wants to turn off MM path.

I kinda like the idea of improving our navigation skills. And again if the settings aren't for you that's OK too.

I do like your idea of revisiting the day we fly it.

More to come...

~S

_AH_BBQhead

S~

I like trying different settings. Keeps things interesting by adding new challenges. That being said, if we were to always fly with no air padlock and no ground padlock I would most likely lose interest and eventually stop playing - but I don't think that's where we're headed even though I noticed the no air padlock setting creeping in to coops where we're flying against all AI -and to be honest, there has been the occasional night I've decided to not fly and that has been part of the reason. I don't want that to stop anyone from hosting with that setting if that's the popular choice. I'm ok with it a lot of the time, and other times I just don't want to work that hard to have some fun on that particular day.
Likewise, if a mission builder wants a particular setting or settings, I'm ok with that, too. The mission builders understand participation is directly related to settings and usually are very good about which settings are up for a vote, and which settings they want definitely on or off. Then balance their vision of how a mission they've built should be set up with how many will or won't fly those settings and adjust them knowing full well that some of the settings might decrease participation.
I don't think wearing an AH tag has any relevance regarding a mission builder's settings choices, though. The important thing is to be able to speak up and be heard; which has always been the way it is with AH.  Kopf has been good about asking which settings are AH standard settings, and has been quite even handed and clear in letting us know the reasons why he's changed some settings for his missions away from his preference in order to encourage people to participate and  why some of the settings aren't up for debate - and if they're not for me, no offense taken if I opt out because of it. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Different night?  Sure, makes no difference to me what night we fly it. It might even make sense to change nights since there are most likely at least one or two people that want to fly Kopf's missions but can't make it on the nights we're flying them now but could be there another night. It's also likely at least one or two people can be there but aren't flying that night only because the don't like the different settings on that nights' mission. If changing the night gets more guys in the air on either night, why wouldn't we change it?
  We've always been fortunate to have very talented mission builders come our way. Without the skill, knowledge, effort, and creativity of the mission builders it's easy to imagine having gotten bored with this game long ago. Not to say they're the only people that put in more than their fair share of time keeping us all interested and having fun, but in my opinion all of the people whose missions I've had the good fortune to be able to fly are the people that keep the game alive. Thank all you FMB guys for that. Now, get back in your basements and build me something I really like, and maybe throw in some Rufes for Jack. I think they're one of his favorites to fly. Thanks.

At that awkward age where your brain has gone from " Probably shouldn't say that" to
"What the hell, let's see what happens"?  Me too.

_AH_Turbo

Well Said  BB.       :happy-112:
Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and your a thousand miles from the corn field. -Dwight D. Eisenhower

Kopfdorfer

#37
Deadline Manila Mission 5

[Given the discussion last time , I don't know whether this is still being flown Monday or not.
It will be ready. Just let me know.]

Well we dished out some punishment last time and we took some.

The enemy has taken Manila , Cavite , Clark Field , Del Carmen Field and Subic Bay and the town of Olangapo ant the Naval Repair Yard there ,
before we were able to disable all the facilities.

Spies in Northern Luzon have alerted FEAF HQ to a convoy of ships heading south along the west coast , undoubtedly heading for Subic , and likely carrying ammunition , food , medical supplies and reinforcements.

We don't want them to unload unhindered in Subic !

Because we lost our last O-46 Spotter , now we have to use Jeeps to observe enemy forces and movements.

***

***

The first 6 spots occupied should be 2 x Jeeps , 3 x C47 and 1 x B17

Jeep 05  - Orani    Drive General Wainright from Orani past Pilar and to the HQ (Nissen Huts) at Mariveles Dock.
Park at the US Flag and Airfield Campfire.

Jeep 09 - Western Bataan. No one wants this mission , but we need to drive an Observer through our lines up the coast to the point
overlooking Subic Bay to direct the attacks on the incoming Jap Ships and the Dock Area. After Mission completion , get back to friendly lines.

1 x C47 52nd TCW Mariveles take off , link up with 1 x C47 52nd TCW Kindley and head south to Masbate Emergency Strip.

2 x P35(RE2000) 39th FS Mariveles escort 2 x C47 to Masbate.

1 x C47 , 1 x B17E (stripped down to carry personnel and supplies) 52nd TCW Masbate fly up to Luzon.
B17 to Mariveles , C47 to Kindley.

2 x P35(RE2000) Masbate escort C47 and B17E Masbate to Luzon.
Pancake Mariveles.

1 x PBY VP101 (bombs) Mariveles Dock Take off and Attack Ships entering Subic Bay.
Landing at Mariveles Dock.

2 x P40B 3rd FS Orani fly E and S down to Mariveles and escort PBY to Subic and back.
Pancake Mariveles.

4 x P40E(bombs) and 2 x P40C(bombs) 20th FS Pilar , take off and form up over Manila Bay and await the order from the observer Jeep
to attack targets in Subic Bay. If no orders come 15 minutes into the Mission , attack is at the discretion of the P40E leader.

_AH_Bear

#38
Im in for a B17 please ...:)
If thats not flyable then C47 i guess.. lol./.. rooting for the B17 tho..;)

_AH_fraggmann

At one time we had Kingdoms ruled by Kings and Empires ruled by Emperors.
Now we have Countries ruled by....mY h3Ad sT!Ll hUrZt

_AH_Gator


_AH_fraggmann

Im pretty sure we would all have to install this jeep for it to be seen by all.. :thinking-008:
At one time we had Kingdoms ruled by Kings and Empires ruled by Emperors.
Now we have Countries ruled by....mY h3Ad sT!Ll hUrZt

_AH_Col._Hogan


Kopfdorfer

Regarding the Jeep , if you have an HSFX7 install , you have it.

Kopfdorfer

_AH_fraggmann

Quote from: Kopfdorfer on January 15, 2018, 01:49:35 AM
Regarding the Jeep , if you have an HSFX7 install , you have it.

Kopfdorfer
not with the 50 cal though
At one time we had Kingdoms ruled by Kings and Empires ruled by Emperors.
Now we have Countries ruled by....mY h3Ad sT!Ll hUrZt