I was pondering how many seconds long a typical movement phase would be in Wings of Glory WWII, and during my research I came across some interesting facts and resulting conclusions .
As a result, I’ve created some minor rules modifications to make movement and firing a bit more realistic in scale.
First of all, I’ll present the logic and math for my conclusions. If you want to skip all that, you can go to my next post in this thread, which has the suggested rules changes.
How much time does a typical movement phase take? Determining the answer to that took a bit of research around the Internet to find the statistics regarding different fighter planes. During that, I decided to concentrate on two of the aircraft first put out as miniatures for the game: the Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I, and the Messerschmitt BF 109 E-1.
Among the Web sites I uncovered, one stood out as particularly useful:
Spitfire Mk. I versus Me 109 E: A Performance Comparison -http://www.spitfireperformance.com/spit1vrs109e.html
Other web sites on the performance of the two aircraft generally contained very similar data, but this one was great because it had it all in one place.
Some of the important data I found was:
Me 109 -- Max speed: 300 mph – Turn radius: 885 feet – Time to make a level 360-degree circle: 25 sec.
Spitfire -- Max speed: 360 mph – Turn radius: 696 feet – Time to make a level 360-degree circle: 19 sec.
Also of note was that both planes had a climb rate of about 2850 feet/minute.
Regarding the movement decks for both planes, I found they were virtually identical in every way that mattered to my calculations, which made matters a bit easier – although it also showed that the game designers were a bit loose in determining how each plane could fly, as the performance of the two planes is a bit different in a few important ways. With that in mind, I first calculated the results for each plane, then determined an average for use in the game.
I needed a constant to base my results, and using the turn radius of the planes seemed the best choice.
In game play, both planes require eight movement phases to complete a 360-degree circle. Measuring from the center of each plane’s movement cards, the radius of such a circle is 5.43 inches, or 0.4525 feet.
Elapsed time per movement phase:
Me 109: One-eighth of 25 seconds = 3.125 seconds per phase.
Spitfire: One-eighth of 19 seconds = 2.375 seconds per phase.
Average: 2.75 seconds per phase.
Distance scale, as determined by aircraft turn radius compared to game-play turn radius:
Me 109: 0.4525 feet/885 ft. = 1/1956 scale
Spitfire: 0.4525 feet/696 ft. = 1/1538 scale
Average: 1/1747 scale
Therefore, using historical testing trials conducted on the Spitfire and Me 109 by their government’s respective researchers, the scale for movement in Wings of War/Glory is approximately 1/1800.
Although the aircraft are 1/200 scale, it must be remembered that the game is intended to simulate aircraft movement and firing, and that is what is most important in playing. The 1/200-scale models used in the game make very attractive place holders to represent where the aircraft are supposed to be, but it must be clearly understood that the models do NOT realistically represent the size of the aircraft in scale to the turns and distances indicated on the movement cards.
To make the point clear, let’s look at the historical data in comparison. If the movement cards were to be printed in 1/200 scale, then the diameter of a level 180-degree turn for a Spitfire (as represented by four movement cards) would need to be 1392 feet / 200, which equates to about 7 feet. I don’t think many of our playing tables could handle the space needed for such a game.
Next, let’s consider straight moves.
To convert miles/hour to inches/second, use the following algebra: (1 mile / 1 hour) * (1 hour / 3600 seconds) * (5280 feet / 1 mile) * (12 inches / 1 foot) … resulting in (1 mile/hour) = (17.6 inches / second).
Considering maximum speeds at level flight at sea level, you get:
Me 109: 300 mph * 17.6 = 5280 inches / second
Spitfire: 360 mph * 17.6 = 6336 inches / second
Average: 330 mph * 17.6 = 5808 inches / second
Putting that to scale in relation to the movement cards, as determined above, you get:
Me 109: 5280 * (1/1956) = 2.69 inches / second
Spitfire: 6336 * (1/1538) = 4.11 inches / second
Average: 5808 * (1/1747) = 3.32 inches / second
Taking it further, if each plane went at maximum speed forward in a straight line in the game terms,
Me 109: (2.69 inches / second) * (3.125 seconds / phase) = 8.41 inches / movement phase
Spitfire: (4.11 inches / second) * (2.375 seconds / phase) = 9.76 inches / movement phase
Average: (3.32 inches / second) * (2.75 seconds / phase) = 9.13 inches / movement phase
Therefore, each inch of movement per phase at full speed for the aircraft equates to:
Me 109: 300 mph /8.41 inches = 35.67 mph / inch
Spitfire: 360 mph / 9.76 inches = 36.89 mph / inch
Average: 36.28 mph / inch
The fast-straight movement card for both the Me 109 and the Spitfire causes the respective plane to move forward five inches (the distance from the bottom of the movement card to the dark-blue arrow, plus the height of the airplane card itself). Considering the above values for “mph / inch”, that means a fast-straight movement card for the two planes being only the equivalent average value of (36.28 * 5), which equals 181.4 mph.
Clearly, the fast-straight movement card isn’t long enough to handle the top speed for these two planes. A more accurate representation of their top speed would be to place down two fast-straight movements in row (a fast-straight card laid down, then moving the plane base so its arrow overlaps the card’s dark blue arrow, followed by another fast-straight card placed touching the top edge of the plane base, then with the plane base moved up again to having its arrow overlapping the second fast-straight card’s dark-blue arrow). This would move the associated plane forward 10 inches, which in game scale would be approximately 363 mph. This may be a bit fast for the top speed of the Me 109, but not by much, and it’s almost exactly equal to the top speed of the Spitfire.
By considering the possibly of using either one or two straight-movement cards in one phase, numerous speeds could be put into play, including:
One slow-straight movement: 3.75 inches * 36.28 = 136 mph / phase
One fast-straight movement: 5.0 inches * 36.28 = 181 mph / phase
Two slow-straight movements: 136 * 2 = 272 mph / phase
Two fast-straight movements: 181 * 2 = 362 mph / phase
If you decided to add in other cards, such as a stall maneuver card, the number of speed combinations would be dramatic … but at a possible cost of adding too much complexity and, as a result, being detrimental to the game’s core playability. With that in mind, I’ll keep the speed possibilities to the four listed above.
Considering the stall card, however, let’s look at the tested real-world flight characteristics for the Spitfire.
First of all, note that the stall card, which when played causes the plane to move forward 2.875 inches, would equate to an average of 104.3 mph / phase
For real-world fighter aircraft, the word “stall” has two meanings: it can mean the speed at which a plane is going so slowly that it no longer achieves the needed lift to maintain flight (and as a result could easily crash), and it can also mean the pilot manipulating the controls to force the plane’s wing surfaces to cause an intense drag against the air (acting as a stressful “brake” for the purpose of cutting the aircraft’s forward movement speed quickly).
The Spitfire in real life has a “loss of needed lift” stall speed of 78 mph if its flaps are up, and 68 mph if its flaps are down. If my understanding of aerodynamics is correct (but I may be wrong, and if so, please correct me), the “braking” stall would need to maintain a speed greater than the “loss of needed lift” stall to allow the plane to be quickly slowed without falling into a dangerous dive. If so, then the “stall” movement card in the game achieves that purpose by braking the plane dramatically while keeping it at a speed of 104 mph. As such, the stall card seems to be satisfactory as it is, without needing adjustment for playing purposes.
Now let’s consider climbing rates. Both the Spitfire and the Me 109 have a similar climbing speed of about 2850 feet / minute, equating to about 32.4 mph – which, in scaled game terms, would be around one inch per movement phase. A good way to simulate this for the Spitfire and Me 109 would be to place a short-straight movement card against the top of the plane’s base, then move the base so that the top of the base is even against the bottom of the white arrow (as opposed to normal movement, which would be to place the bottom of the base over the arrow). This allows the plane base to be moved only an inch, which would be a good simulation of how much forward travel a Spitfire or Me 109 would do while attempting to climb as quickly as possible at max speed.
Finally, let’s look at firing distances, and compare it to the existing range ruler. Reports indicate that the Spitfire’s guns were calibrated to center at between 300 and 400 yards from the aircraft. In perspective, that would be as if you were standing in the back of the bleachers at the furthest end of an American football field, and shooting at a target in the back of the bleachers at the opposite end of the field. Although a fighter plane was large enough to make for a decent target even at that range, when you account for the fact that both the attacker and the target plane are flying very fast and maneuvering in all directions, such a shot becomes a bit tricky. With that in mind, we’ll use the centering point for the Spitfire’s guns as the extent of “long-range” firing. Taking an average of 350 yards and applying it to the averaged game scale of 1/1747 gets a length of 7.2 inches – which is almost exactly the size of the game’s range ruler (which measures 7.625 inches long). Therefore, the firing distances are fine as they are using the range ruler as it is.
Hitting a target is another matter. The standard single-pilot fighter aircraft bases (which measure 1.69 by 2.625 inches) are the targets for firing – any shots that reach any location on the bases have the potential for causing damage. As the aircraft miniatures are in 1/200 scale, the conversion multiplier would be 200/1747, or 0.114. As a result, the correctly scaled target area for the Spitfire or Me 109 would be (1.69 * 0.114) by (2.625 * 0.114), which equates to 0.2 by 0.3 inches. Although somebody could make a bunch of markers measuring that size to represent the planes in combat, probably the easiest way to handle such a small target would be to make it so that incoming shots have to connect with the target airplane’s center peg in order for a hit to be scored (when aiming at a fighter plane, that is. Heavy bombers, naval vessels and other large targets may benefit from creating 1/1800-scale representatives of them for aiming purposes).
There you have it … my analysis of the game’s mechanics in regards to real-world scale and dynamics. I realize that I based everything on the statistics of only two aircraft – the Me 109 and the Spitfire Mk. I, but I consider those to be critical cornerstones of the game, and as such, particularly because they were among the very first miniatures published, everything else in the game to a degree stands upon them.
I’m open to any and all critiques, and if I made any mistakes, I’m eager to hear about them. I want to provide this as a service to the community, and so I want to provide the best I can – and if that means I need to change something dramatically, so be it.
So, on to my next posting, which contains a variety of rules changes I feel might be appropriate in light of putting everything in its proper scale. Enjoy!
-- Eris
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