Friday Night Flights!

[Foxbat]

S! Seems there is a lot of interest in some organized head to head action for the squad to fly. I am offering for the groups consideration, an inner squad battle which would be an ongoing weekly event. The aim of the event will be to promote live human vs human action with specific targets and goals for each side during each battle. Each week a new mission will be flown and most likely in a competely differant theater of operations. These may range from all years of the war. Effort will be made to ensure that the A/C and objects or goals of each battle will include those which are at minimum year correct for the battle. The numbers of A/C will be kept on even parameters and will be matched as close as possible to their counterparts in type and ability. The focus will be more on the action and live planning for each side and not on a historic specific basis. This allows the parameters of setting these up with more flexability to create matchups and mission goals. What I propose is that each week flights are rotated. The battles are flown with two flights on each side. Example if A and B fly together week one, the next week A flies with C and so on. Scoring will be based on how each flight accumulates points. A winner for axis or allied will be determined each night but will not count in overall score. The emphasis will be the scoring of each flight and those ongoing scores will be posted each week. The individual pilot scores will be announced at the end for the record but not count in overall score. In game scores will be used for all A/C kills in air or ground as well as standard score for all ships or ground targets. A flat score bonus of 50 points will be added for any pilot returning safely home. I am currently planning on running these on dog fight maps so as to simulate refueling re-arm scenerios and am thinking of limiting respawns for each player to 3 for each 90 minute battle. So in effect a flight can gain 50 points apiece for each A/C that RTB's for fuel and re-arm and lands in one piece during the battle. Any A/C that upon landing even though intact will not receive the bonus if a kill is credited by the game to an enemy pilot as a result of damage to a plane which returned to base. Each pilot will have 3 repawns available during each 90 minute battle. They can be used at any time or as directed by flight leader. If a pilot loses a 3rd A/C during the match he will respawn a 4th time at a nuetral base which will be placed in each map away from the action. This will allow the player to stay in the game until the end to watch the action and to aid in getting the scores at the end. He will not be allowed to comment or aid his comrads in the battle and will remain parked at the spawn spot on the nuetral base until missions end. More on the scoring. There will also be an extra bonus of 500 points awarded to a flight which meets two criteria in each battle. The first is that during the battle a particular flight uses the least amount of repawns during the match. The second which is attached to the 1st, is that the flight must also have the highest score of the match. This will encourage the need to be effective while managing the assets of the flight. Each week a mission breif will be sent out which will include seperate goals for each side along with the intel for each. Flights will be assigned the side which they will fly and each side will nominate a mission commander. The mission commander selected should be one who is willing to setup an ATC for his side prior to mission launch. I would like to eliminate the HQ section as a seperate flight in this also. I recommend placing them in the flights permantly throughout these and we could move some pilots around as needed to balance the sides.I can have this up and running by just after X-mas and was thinking we would fly these on Friday or Sat nights. I'll build all of the maps and keep track of scoring but would love to have people who want to contribute missions and matchups in the effort. There are a few more details to be worked out but are minor and we can talk more about those. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

[_AH_Gonzo]

S! Fox, great idea! If I can be of any help for this just let me know.

[Foxbat]

S! Awesome Gonzo. Would apreciate your input on any of this. If you have some thoughts on A/C matchups that would be great! For instance, what would you think about a land based battle involving some ground pounding and air to air in the Tunisia desert say around 1943? Not really worry too much about if those planes were there but which planes would work for a mission of this type on both sides with a dual role situation. And of course be as close to year specific as possible. That kind of thing. Will consider any ideas for theater of ops or situations we can setup and can work in the game and be balanced.

[_AH_BBQhead]

S~.   yes, please.  great idea, Fox.   

use the HQ guys anyway you like. we're easy that way.   :surprised-027:

 

[_AH_Toccs]

Gonz, let's call it  "Friday Nite at the Fights" ! I'll be glad to help organize in some capacity befitting my minimal skills.

This is going to be cool. Moggys' Tueday nite slot campaigns for teamwork, Gonz' Friday nites for adrenaline junkies like me.  Mo and mo co-ops by the mission writer  in AH. Flight sim heaven.

Sweeeeeet!!!!

[_AH_*PODS*_RGAA]

AWESOME STUFF .... FOXBAT! L@@KING FORWARD TO IT ;-) IF I CAN BE OF ANY HELP PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

[Foxbat]

S! Ok gents. I'll have a test mission ready to go in a few days. Anybody who wants to contribute feel free. Contact me and I'll provide you a template for the mission. It will cover the basic elements for each one but otherwise its wide open. This should be alot of fun.

[_AH_Moggy]

S! Foxbat:

Sounds like a great idea!  Am looking forward to it big-time.   A couple of questions:

1.  Re the limited # of spawns:  Is there a way to track the # of times a player spawns in in DF servers/maps?  As an alternative to the max 3 spawn limit, you may want to consider penalizing respawns in excess of 3 in order to keep everyone in the mission for the whole 90 minutes (or however long it lasts).  Say, a 10-pt (or more, I'm not sure of the # that would work) penalty or something like that?

2.  Can we use the "no enemy externals" mod that Duff4r recently discovered?  That would be pretty cool, I think.  Along with some really limited icons.

3.  I'd like to recommend that we do at least one map using the desert map.  It's fun to fly using the desert camouflage & flying "nap of the earth."

Anyways, count me in big-time no matter what settings we end up using! :cool:

[_AH_Boosher]

I've got a few old dogfight maps I made for the Wings of War server if you want those.

[Foxbat]

S! Thanks all. Moggy, I hope to have a couple maps ready to test before X-mas. I need to get a few guys to get in there and go through a dry run. It will be important to set the time limit for these. Either 60 or 90 minutes in length will determine the respawns allowed. I kinda want to stick to that format if it works.
I need somebody to work with that has the log file working. I use Wingman and my log file is buggered.
Can't retrieve the info. Respawns will have to be on the honor system. I don't think the game can be set to limit the spawn ins. There is a way to track them though I believe. I have recieved requests for the template and I'll get those out soon. Its really just a basic guideline for how the sides would be setup. Also the need for a nuetral base away from the action. And effort to have the fights or targets away from any home base. Heavy flak to be placed around home bases. Other than that, wide open.
I would love it if we could get the views setup to friend only for these. There already will be no waypoints due to it being a DF map. Keep it flowing guys, good stuff.

[_AH_BBQhead]

S~.

    i recall the WW guys were able to limit how many times a plane could be used.. which is close to a spawn limit.. but not exactly what we need..   from racing i know that as a group we have a hard time counting past three while flying. 

i have a question though.. will these be set up with just one type of plane per side?

   i like the idea of limiting spawns.. but i am picturing a match where some of one side have been shot down three times.. so the remaining couple on that side are now severely outnumbered..strateeeegery would then dictate.. since i'm out numbered.. don't spawn... it will only serve the other side to put another target in the air with the odds against me as they are..so for the last twenty minutes.. only on side would be flying.   would like to find a way to avoid that scenario..

  whatever we set the labels/icons to... let's set the dots to double that distance.. thereby really limiting them as well.   it just seems to me the guys that like the labels in close also like the dots to stay out at about 10 all the time.. so by setting the dots using a ratio of 2 to 1 with whatever distance the labels are set to it might help negate any hardware advantage they may have, while still giving them the challenge they're looking  for.

  and remember.. if we fly a couple and find we want to change something.. we can..
lookin forward to the chaos and mayhem. 

   

[_AH_Toccs]

Maybe a Ghost Skies type match? engines off, scramble at same time. unlimited re-spawns, strict time limit.   Plane sets in time brackets  (ex: 39-41, 41-43, or 43-45).  Score is based on kills only.

[Foxbat]

S! Good points BBQ, Toccs.

As far as the spawning goes I do want to limit the number of spawn ins. The team that manages its assets the best will most likely win these matches. Now for the scenerio BBQ mentioned where guys may not spawn at the end if outnumbered. That would be a mistake if that tactic were used. The reason being they most likely will still have ground targets or ships which they have to defend. If they don't put any planes up, the other side has free reign to attack those targets and score anyway.
These are not going to be dogfighting plane on plane only matches. There will be specific goals and targets for each side to attack and defend. Bombers, transports and other A/C will be used throughout
depending on the mission. That is why some planning by each side will be needed. If a side loses all of its aircraft during a match, it will end at that point. The testing I will be doing will allow me to zero in on the best number of spawns to allow. Both to make it a challenge but within reason. Right now I am settled on a 60 minute mission for each with a 30 minute period beforehand for each side to brief.
The mission commander for each side will place the pilots in the planes available at his discretion.
The pilot who is assigned must stay in the same plane type he took at the start. So, if your in a bomber you stay in a bomber. If you lose all your bombers or fighters there are no more for that match.
The teams will have targets which might be ground or shipping . They will be located in 2 seperate locations at least. Commanders will need to use their assets wisely and decide what to protect and what to attack.
With hopefully no external long range enemy views, a team can be succesful attacking with bombers and spreading out their forces following their plan.
Alot of volunteers have already stepped up to build some of these. There are going to be alot of creative ideas and interesting missions. Should have a test mission ready to go in a few days.

[_AH_BBQhead]

S~.

we ran a mission the other night with the shorter Dot range..  i kinda liked it.   6 was a little tight.. but it sure did keep me on the edge of my seat. 

  in real life i know you can see 'dots'  way further out.. but in real life you can also tell what color and which direction a plane is going from further out than in the game, too.. so having the dot ranges set using a ratio to the label range formula, it just kinda makes sense to me. 

[Foxbat]

S!

Gentlemen, I have a 2nd mission ready for testing for our Friday Night Flights. Its an island attack battle and I would like to get some guys in there tonight for a test. Looking at around 7:30 pm central to get started on it. Need input on how it goes. We'll fly a couple sorties, check scores and talk a little when its done. Tonight it will be A and C flying Allied and B and D flying Axis. I need a volunteer from each side for mission commanders. I will have a short brief package for you tonight.
I hope to see you there!