Which of the remaining unreleased WWI bombers would you like to see released next?
You may vote for two machines as this seems to be the most likely scenario for releases.
Rob.
Caproni Ca.4
Curtiss H.16
Felixstowe F.2A
Friedrichshafen G.III
Handley Page O/400
Zeppelin Staaken R.VI
Which of the remaining unreleased WWI bombers would you like to see released next?
You may vote for two machines as this seems to be the most likely scenario for releases.
Rob.
My vote is for the 0/400 and the Staaken... even if they end up being pricier than previous releases...
Yeah my pick was the same as Kens even though I have a Shapeways 0/400.
I still have 2 Skytrex 0/400 and a Staaken in my build queue... but how nice would it be to have extras that do not have to be built or painted!
Aye I could live with a Handley Page and a Staaken pre-made and painted too
Felixstowe and Friedrichshafen get my vote.
Handley Page O/400 & Zeppelin Staaken R.VI
That's my choice...
I have an unpainted Felixstowe, but I need of fleet of them.
My choice is Felixstowe and Friedrichshafen, I like them both
Marco
Curtiss H.16 and Zeppelin Staaken R.VI
Handley Page O/400 & Zeppelin Staaken R.VI would also be my choice - even if I'd need a bigger table to play them
The Caproni Ca.4 is a nice bomber, too.
But I already own (a Clipper made) one from a won contest.
The Friedrichshafen would be cool in Belgian colours.
What ever! I have 4-6 of each on the list already. . . gotta keep those elves working or they get distracted with house chores like book shelves etc. . . or is it book she elves they keep ordering? Hmmmmm
My votes go to the Handley Page O/400 & Zeppelin Staaken R.VI.
How about none of the above. At least an AEG G-type or a Letord can be used in daylight.
Don't know about that. The Curtiss would probably be a major pain to operate in the dark. Landing on the water in the dark, brrrrr.
0/400 and F2A
Felixstowe as that is one that fly's in daylight, is armed to the max, and even though there are no German seaplanes by ARES there are lot of other German planes that could be used, for example a Gotha returning home intercepted by a Felixstowe!
Uh, guys... if tooled right you could probably get both the Felixstowe AND the H.16 out of one set of tooling, since the historical Felixstowes were reconstructions from Curtiss basic airframes.
With that development, I'm seeing a problem that we have 3 Entente basic aircraft, 1 Central Powers and 1 "shared" aircraft. (That Belgian Friedrichshafen's circumstances are so cool it's just GOTTA be done someday...)
So, O/400 and R.VI are one logical pair for the superheavies, Ca.4 is about midway between them and the G.III so those two might roughly balance--when selecting releases to advocate for, I try to make sure that each opposed pair of planes roughly balances in size and capability--which leaves the flying boats as odd ducks out. Sadly, I can find no historical record of true large flying boats for the CP, only small seaplane fighters (which the Austro-Hungarians unwillingly supplied a few engineering samples of to the Italians, like a captured Lohner L, that ended up being reverse-engineered, improved and adopted into service IIRC).
This is also why I've been trying to plant a bug in Ares' collective ear about packaging the Drachens as a "Balloon Busters Redux" with a Central Powers fighter, as a direct balance to the original with one each Entente/CP balloons but two Entente fighters, and a future WGS series with Dauntless, Shturmovik and two Axis fighters as a direct counterbalance to the old WoW WWII Series 2.
Personal philosophy on future release preferences:
1. Each release should either
(a) be balanced within itself, or
(b) correct a previously unbalanced set. (Note: Balance does not mean "exact clone," just that as far as possible opposing aircraft should be roughly similar but with strengths and weaknesses balancing each other, like the old scenario with "fragile but agile Nieuport 11 vs. stouter Halberstadt".)
2. To the extent possible, aircraft selected to do this, and paint schemes for same, should be drawn from existing Wings of War cards.
Last edited by Diamondback; 11-21-2012 at 17:19. Reason: misremembered scenario *d'oh*
Despite my earlier post (and wish list) I've got to say that is a well-reasoned and well-written post Diamondback - I hope Ares take note!
Thanks, amigo--part of it is a view that since WWI was a grueling war of attrition and any side gaining a landslide technical edge would either swiftly gain victory or an enemy capability to neutralize it, the same mechanics should be at work in the game.
That and, one of the lessons I learned from Richard Baker when he was designing A&A War at Sea was about the need to try to balance as many interests as possible per outlay of capital expenditure--not necessarily to PLEASE everyone at once, but to stroke each fanbase group a little in turn so that even if they don't get their biggest want this set they'll still buy in so you can get the funds to develop a future set with something they DO slobber over, knowing that everybody takes a turn on the long end and on the short end of the stick.
Thanks for the input Diamondback.
I did wonder about bothering with the Curtiss because as a modder, itis easy to alter a Felixstowe, but as we ain't all up to it, and in the interest of "Hands across the Ocean" I decided to put in all the aircraft included in "FoG".
Your observations are, therefore, most welcome as they reinforce my own prejudices.
Rob.
Perhaps instead of just a bomber poll, we need a seaplane poll. Set up for early naval aviation.
Quite welcome, Rob--I'm not a modder, but I do have a little machine and tool experience, which is why I suggested tooling the Curtiss/Felixstowe cousins on the same mold, with common parts on one "main mold" and the A/C-specific ones on an "accessory mold." For example, on one F-15* kit I have on my workbench, on Sprue D the common parts are on the main sprue, but the attached DA-1 or DA-2 accessory sections are the corresponding parts for single- or two-seater versions, and the tool was cut with some kind of molding gate to block whichever DA section isn't the one for the kit. So maybe wing, engines and tailgroup in the main section, with H.16 and F.2a fuselage side-sections...
*If you must know, it's an Academy F-15I that I'm stripping for parts to improve the more-accurately-shaped Revell -E, which I'm building as a conceptual "best parts from everything Extreme Eagle demonstrator".
Got my Curtiss' already!
Some one did a conversion thread a while back . . .
I need a Friedrichshafen to have all the German BIG bombers!!!
In a large part, I agree with you, as well as your earlier posts about big bombers (re: Gothas). The what-ifs for the Z Ss and H PS to be attacked by fighters can be interesting, but giving the experience with Gothas, even "escorted" makes me realise how vulnerable they were in real life. OTOH, this is more about marketing not simulating actual air operations.
Karl
Is the bomber line going to continue or were the four that were released it kind of like the balloons?
As shallow as it sounds, I avoided the recent bomber line because they weren't RFC.
They look nice and all, but I would like to see an official HP or a Felixstowe. The Gotha or Zeppelin Staaken could be a possible future purchase for me if I switch sides.
I know I'd buy anything official if I'm being totally honest ...
I do think the RFC bombers would have had greater interest, but I also don't see these NOT selling out... There's still a market for balloons as well...and even though I have 4 of them I'd love some alternate designs or heck ... even more of the official ones they're just fun to play with on the board if if they aren't tactical for anything other than juicy targets and LOS blockers
I know it wasn't in the poll, but how about the Caudron R.11? Even though it is already available from Shapeways: http://www.shapeways.com/model/50842...ductBox-search
21_6.jpg
caudron_r-11.jpg
Last edited by Biggles downunder; 11-29-2012 at 18:02.
If I'm going to shell out for a bomber I want to see something VERY prickly to get near. The HP or Staaken would be my picks for the next two. They're iconic and, quite frankly, the Staaken is a total beast. I don't know how the number of guns on that sucker don't just clink into one another during a bombing raid! lol
The 0/400 and the Friedrichshafen G.III for me.
dont know how I missed this poll
Handley Page
Zeppelin Staaken R.VI
Friedrichshafen
Handley Page
- and that's how I voted. Caproni is also interesting, but there is one already.
Felixstowe and Zeppelin Staaken for me, please
The Felixstowe and the Friedrichschafen for me if pushed.
I would be thrilled with the Zeppellin and with the Caproni or the Handley Page.
I would prefer to see more bombers of the medium two engine types. I like their versatility on the table top. My preferences would be the AEG G.IV. The Caudron R.11 would be a nice counterpart.
For the heavy types, I can't see how you can have a poll without giving a choice to the Sikorsky Ilya Muromets.
Last edited by greenalfonzo; 06-08-2013 at 08:44.
I agree with your sentiments Kev, not least because I have already made most of the aircraft on the list I posted.
However, the reason that I posted these particular machines is because cards for them already exist, and if Ares stick to the usual form book, they will only produce aircraft which already have cards on the market. I hope that I am proved wrong on this point, but don't hold your breath.
Rob.
Ah, I see your logic there. That makes sense based on Ares/Nexus' past actions. But maybe it also sends the wrong signal to Ares that we agree with their policy on only making models where cards exist, especially when it seems like a pretty misguided one considering the fact that they are currently transitioning to a models-only game system.
I think the last big reprint Camel disaster came about because of this short-sighted system. Their lack of already existing allied Camel cards led them to choose the German version, which then created a backlash from fans who wanted another new allied paint scheme. Of course, since they apparently didn't have an example of another allied scheme carded up, they just went and repeated a second of the three re-releases, to the customers' further loss.
I hope you might consider loosening things up in the future. I think Andrea and Ares would benefit by seeing what their biggest fans and customers most want them to do going forward, regardless of what they already have lined up.
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