The A-H scouts are very nice.
The plane types and the colours & camouflage.
I really like them.
The A-H scouts are very nice.
The plane types and the colours & camouflage.
I really like them.
Voilą le soleil d'Austerlitz!
Yes, ARES' A-H range of models should be extended significantly. But producing new models only with possibly the same manoeuver decks and more or less the same damage capacity as the models we already have can not be called "expanding" the game, in my honest opinion. We are just given new nice looking toys on a table, but you can replace one eye candy plane with another of the same or similar values and as game playing is concerned - virtually nothing happens.
Look what a big change was made with fast speed late war airplanes in WGS. It was something refreshing. Now, getting just a new nice looking figurine with already known values - does not enhance the game experience.
I understand that differences between individual WWI scouts types were not great, but they were. Pilots; skills varied. Tactics of the sides varied. Some maneuvers were sometimes harder to perform on one type than on the other. Some were dangerous. The overall simplicity of the WoG may suffer, but is not it the time we shall call ARES to work on some official levelling the game up, refreshing it, giving it a new boost?
It may sound like a Dark Side call, but I will repeat it once again: producing new looking toys of the same or similar factors as the previous ones is not the way the Game shall exist and attract newcomers. It shall truly live, expand, surprise us (like a ) to have blood circulating faster! New cards/pilots/skills, additional rules, figures, ground targets, new eras (post war conflicts), ships, u-boats, official scenarios.
Or I am wrong, wanting too much?
"We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."
May be it is time for using Ace Skill Cards?
The new blood were Brisfits and other I-can-do-an-Immelman doubleseaters. It is not possible to bring such major changes like in these two searies everytime.
These are all very exciting ideas chaps.
Even if Ares only took a couple of them on board each year we would be moving forward and the game would not be so stale.
When I look at what has been introduced here over the last three or four years it shows we are ready to evolve.
We have, Aircraft painted up for combat in all parts of the globe, 3D buildings, ships, Airships, Kettering bugs, V weapons, special target cards, special maneuver cards, and Ace abilities, to name but a few.
With this scope for expansion sets, by no means is the sky the limit.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
Good ideas, Andrzej.
Sound like a good thread for the WGF section.
Voilą le soleil d'Austerlitz!
I think the Phonix fighter should have it's own deck. It could be slight but different. Perhaps stall without a diamond symbol.
Andrzej is entirely correct here. Not only does the idea of focusing on non-aircraft cards, rules expansions, what have you do more to keep the game fresh, but it also offers the opportunity to apply other known principles of aerial combat; to whit, what matters more than differential hardware performance is aircrew talent, skill, confidence in their own abilities (and BTW, equipment), tactical doctrine & application, etc.
For example, it is utterly useless to argue "X aircraft can do a loop, whereas Y aircraft couldn't", when in fact, looping an aircraft was (almost) entirely a matter of pilot skill and confidence in his own ability. Let me reinforce this point with a quote from the book "Fighter Pilots of World War I" (Robert Jackson, St Martin's Press, 1977: it is an episodic capsule biographies of several WWI fighter pilots): The quote concerns James McCudden, quite early in his combat career: "He pulled back on the stick and the horizon dropped away underneath his nose. All he had to do now was to keep the stick right back and drive the little biplane (note: he was flying a DH 2) over the top. It should have been simple-but at the last moment, McCudden panicked. With the aircraft almost vertical, he suddenly changed his mind and shoved the stick forward. The result was dramatic. As the biplane's nose dropped sickeningly, the negative 'g' caused McCudden-and everything else-to become momentarily weightless. Some ammunition drums rose from the floor of the cockpit and shot past the startled pilot's head, striking the 'pusher' propeller behind him with a hideous splintering sound and tearing off three of its four blades."
Thus, yes, if Ares were to focus on developing a rules expansion pack covering aircrew skills, it would a) not seriously change the game mechanics, or bog the players down in details of how to get from point A to point B-this is after all, one of the great attractions of the game-after all, there are already some rules incorporated into the system along these lines e. g. ("Bullet checker" pilots); b) Add 'realism' to the game system, in the sense of separating player knowledge and understanding from that of the fictional aircrew we're moving around the table; c) Change the game system just enough to keep it fresh; d) open up a major opportunity for role-playing aircrew, and developing a career for the aircrew. I don't know of anyone who plays air combat games that will turn down that last aspect.
Thanks for support and a very interesting and intriguing quotation of the book, Sam. I feel after flying so much "hours" we need just that kind of individual ascpect of the game and there is a business chance for ARES to provide the community with that. Like a fresh breath!
"We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."
Very interesting. I have to say I don't have as much time to play so I have a pile of WWII bombers and such that haven't seen a table, Brisfits that haven't gotten a full run, etc. So I don't feel like the game is stale. It would be cool to expand, I think x-wing has put forth a path with the individual pilots and such that would be interesting as Andrzej says. Campaigns and sets for individual battles would be good as well. However, to be honest, I will buy the planes as long as Ares makes them, even if I never play again. I love the models, and would set them on a shelf as a display and be happy. So I agree that they won't bring in new players, but they sure won't lose this old player either. Which plane should be next? One of each!
And yet there does not seem to be a shortage of newcomers and some on the forum have contributed additional rules, figures, ground targets, new eras, ships, u-boats etc that fit the bill. 'Official' scenarios are nice but not necessary and let us not forget what's coming in October !
So maybe you are wrong and wanting too much Andy ?!
"He is wise who watches"
Is there any more news on Series 9?
I was almost a year out of the game but picking it up again :-)
What about RNAS squadron 8 who started out with 3 flights
A Flight = 6 Nieuport 11
B Flight = 6 Sopwith Pup
C Flight = 6 Sopwith 1/1/2 Strutter
I would love to see a Voss flat turn card. That he did in his final battle as a pilot skill with the DR-1. That would be cool. You could also have a card for the turning aircraft the had a needle that would allow you to turn from 1 degree up to 30,60,or 90 degree. Why must you turn a full 60 degree not 15 degree? This game has lots of room to improve.
This could work, certainly. But I think you can approximate Voss' skills/maneuvers using a combination of Ace Skills as they are in the RAP. Don't have it in front of me atm, but linking 2-3 in a row could do the trick... two steeps in a row, non-straight after an Immelmann, extra damage card, etc.
Perhaps there could be a 'Spinning' skill, which allows a pilot to initiate a spin, drop a level and then recover from the spin with the plane pointing in another direction. It would probably need a special manoeuvre card. In fact perhaps there could be a whole pack of Special Ace Maneouvre cards devised and Ace players given one each at the start of a game so that they can spring a surprise move at some point.
That's an interesting idea, David. I wonder if they could be universal, so one deck would work for all aircraft/pilots.
Have you, perchance, use Flash's spin rules? He's got a nice photo essay in one of his albums. Not too complicated, and a nice variation.
Spinning is the most effective way of losing altitude so long as your aircraft is certified for this manoeuver. Not as much as a sick-bag filler as everybody thinks it is. The key to spin recovery with this degree of precision in mind is to commence the spin with something you can count as it passes through your field of vision like a house on a road / large oblong field etc. So you know when to initiate recovery before you see this reference object pass by again. So long as there is not too much weight or momentum to the rear a WW1 fighter is likely to spin safely subject to structural considerations. Like this suggestion lots but I would not recommend trying this out in a Gotha!
In Wings of War, I asked all maneuvre decks to have the same back. This could allow mixing decks to personalize them (like having an ace with two more sideslips taken from another deck, or making a new deck for a different plane choosing cards from two other decks). This could also allow special universal cards, like a jolly "repeat previoous maneuver card" for a specific ace skill.
People complained that they preferred maneuvre decks to be more easily told from each other. Ares decided to put a code on the pack of cards. Now you could not have a universal spin card - you would need one for each maneuvre deck.
Thanks for the info Andrea! An ace flying with cards from multiple decks would make for a nasty surprise!
Last edited by fast.git; 10-17-2015 at 11:21.
I like that idea a lot!
im impressed! still yet more open ended rules we havent even heard about yet. i love this game! i think you could still get away with a universal spin. who checks the backs of maneuver cards in play unless there appears to be a mix up. heck with my eyesight any more its hard enough to read my own deck letter let alone one across the table lol.
Superb idea.
I'm sure that the more Photoshop able among you chaps can whip up a suitable card in no time at all.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
One doesn't need a new card for a spin, just put a turn card in front of your plane but sideways. This has been written about before. Simple and uses existing cards.
I know you don't actually need a new card Peter, but I like the idea of just being able to pop a card in rather than think through the move with cards side ways on, which in its way was a great breakthrough, but which I don't use because in the heat of battle I can't be fagged to go and look it up to see exactly how it works. for we old and decrepits, any simple aid is a bonus.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
or just add a plain paper or card to mask the card back.
See you on the Dark Side......
I've been trying to find out when the Albatross CIII was introduced. I have found some on the net but it is somewhat confusing.
I have read dates all from dec-15 to aug-16. I suspect that this some sort of mix up of different C-type Albatrie. Am I right?
And when was the CIII intruduced?
This source states that the first twelve Albatros C.III's reached the front in December 1915. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles...ros_C_III.html
It agrees with other sources that say late 1915.
So my first research was right then
Thanks David
Sad, but it has been over a year since this series, preliminary though it was, was announced. I am not trying to be a negative ninny, and certainly I have great respect for those who make gaming pieces for me to use, but why do we have to wait so long? Bring us more planes!
I am spending my waiting time fruitfully, getting more cards and painting done.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
"We do not stop playing when we get old, but we get old when we stop playing."
Hard times.
I'm so curious for the new A-H planes. (want them all!)
I want some 1 1/2 Strutter for fighting the Staaken. (1x normal, 1x comic)
I love to own that Italian Nieuport 11 with rockets. (1x Italian, 1x French)
Don't know what to do with the Albatross C.III, but like the Hannover twoseater, I would buy 1 and that's the painting sheme I like the most.
Voilą le soleil d'Austerlitz!
I have a couple of Shapeways Phonix D types in my collection, enjoyed playing them I must admit. I am really looking forward to Series 9 for the AH Phonix as well, at last , the Strutters, even though I already have a flight again Shapeways.
Most for me though the C type Albatross want for my early war .
Next though I would love to see an official Sopwith Pup
Thanks for the update Andrea.
I must admit that I have to agree with Chris on this one. It is the first release for some time where I will be buying every aircraft, but then I only own one Strutter.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
Strutters and Albatrosses for me - although I do like the Phoenix (bugger this just expensive all of a sudden)
Never Knowingly Undergunned !!
Great looking aircraft
The unrestricted stall is that similar to the DVII?
And the short dive? Questions, questions. The anticipation is growing bigger and bigger
Yes, same unrestricted stall as D.VII. But it has not the two "curving stalls" of the D.VII, famed for its ability to "hang on its priopeller".
Exactly.
I understand Andrzej's - and other people's too - concern about all planes being lame variants of previous ones. As you know, I worked on some rules to feature some specific advantages and faults of single plane models:
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sho...pecific-planes
In these packs you will find a few optional cards with such rules, and sometimes ace cards or skills. I hope that you will appreciate them.
Last edited by Angiolillo; 11-21-2015 at 05:09.
It's great to see one of the Phoenix versions is going to be a naval plane! Thanks for sharing the pictures, Andrea
Like everyone else, I am eagerly anticipating this next round of planes, and I imagine I'll get them all...
All the best,
Matt
Thanks for the sneak peek Andrea!
Oooooh, previews! We likes previews!
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