I've recently had the chance to look at the cards in the Wings of War "Immelmann" booster pack, and then I was looking over the most recent Unofficial Aircraft Availability and Stats file. I think the Fokker E.IV would be nice to bring back to the game, and I got to thinking about a couple of things ...
First of all, aren't the old out-of-print "G" maneuver deck and the current in-print "T" maneuver deck actually the same thing? I've compared them, and they appear completely identical. If they're not the same, then how are they different? And if they are the same, why does the Aircraft Availability and Stats files continue to refer to the "G" deck (and the modified "G*" deck in numerous places? In files regarding unofficial card stats, it makes sense to me to use "T", as people can obtain it by purchasing currently available models, and they may get frustrated if the chart says to use the "G" deck because that deck is out of production.
Secondly, in the Unofficial Aircraft Availability and Stats file, why did the Unofficial Stats Committee say they the twin-gunned Fokker E.IV should use the "J*" (a.k.a. "V") maneuver deck? From what I've read, that doesn't seem to fit in with the E.IV's historical performance, and I think it should use a new deck -- the "T**", which is the "T" deck with one or both sideslips removed. (I think removing both sideslips would be best from what I've read, but I'm open to just one if other people think that's more accurate.) Oh, and yes, that's two asterisks, as there's already a "T*" deck, and the "T**" deck would be different. (The "G*" deck is the "G" deck with the Immelmann removed, and so that's what I think the "T*" deck should be as well.)
For those of you that don't know its background, the Fokker E.IV had a stronger engine than the E.III, and it was mounted with an additional forward-firing machine gun. (The prototype actually had three (!) machine guns, but that was found to add too much weight for practical purposes.)
To reflect this, in the "Immelmann" booster pack, the Fokker E.III used a "B" damage deck, and the E.IV used the "A" damage deck (and even doing "AB" damage for the prototype model!).
The big problem with the E.IV, however, was that pilots said the stronger engine didn't help anything, and in fact the E.IV was significantly more difficult to handle, especially in turns. As a result, despite the extra firepower, pilots preferred the E.III. Although the E.IV was not as common as the E.III, however, the E.IV was used for combat, being the first twin-gun fighter to appear over the Western front -- so I think it's a very worthy addition to early-war games.
As far as game play goes, there actually are official cards for the Fokker E.IV in Wings of War as part of the "Immelmann" booster. The "Immelmann" booster pack, however, is a bit strange, in that the maneuver cards assigned to each plane have since been switched, with the more maneuverable planes becoming less maneuverable, and vice versa. Or to quote the thread detailing the difference between Wings of War and Wings of Glory: "When the cards for the early war Aircraft were first released the Fokker E.III & Morane were allocated the P Deck & the Halberstadt & DH-2 were allocated the G Deck. Those players who knew their history knew that the latter 2 were more manouverable & faster than the Fokker & there was much discussion on the Forum about this. Andrea one of the Games designers is most particular to try for historical accuracy & took this on board so when the new series 5 early war minis were released the Fokker & Morane were allocated a new T deck & the Halberstadt & DH-2 allocated the P deck which far better reflects their abilities."
To account for decreased maneuverability in comparison with the Fokker E.III, in the "Immelmann" booster set the Fokker E.IV used the "G" deck, which did not have the far-reaching sideslip that the "P" deck had.
As noted above, however, as things are with the currently released miniatures, the Fokker E.III uses the "T" (i.e., the "G") deck. Therefore, the Fokker E.IV needs to use a deck that is less maneuverable that the "T" deck.
However, in the most recently released Aircraft Availability Chart, the Unofficial Stats Committee has the three-gunned Fokker E.IV (which in reality performed so poorly it was abandoned) as using the "G" (i.e. "T") deck, which makes it just as maneuverable as the Fokker E.III. And even more puzzling, the Unofficial Stats Committee has the twin-gunned Fokker E.IV as using the "J*" (i.e. "V") deck, which would make it as maneuverable as the Albatros DII!
I'm assuming that the stats for the Fokker E.IV have been in place on the Aircraft Availability charts for years, and the Unofficial Stats Committee simply didn't get around to changing them after the maneuver decks were switched around upon the release of the Series 5 miniatures, so I'm not complaining or anything. I do think, however, that the stats should be revised for the Fokker E.IV, and that references to "G" and "G*" maneuver decks should be changed to "T" and "T*" (which is why I think the modified Fokker E.IV deck should be called "T**").
So what do you think? Whatever your response, I appreciate it!
-- Eris
Bookmarks