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Author
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Topic: A Plea for the Pacific Theater
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DarkEye
Member
Member # 9401
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posted 01-08-2002 03:52 PM
    
Everybody's talking about the next WWII flight-sim (presumably IL-2's sequel) portraying North Africa or the Med. Well, wait one. Don't go further west -- go further east! The last true simulations of the Pacific Theater were AOTP and PAW. CFS2 just didn't do the Pacific justice, in scope. And there's a lot to revisit:
- Pearl Harbor, Wake
- Flying Tigers
- Philippines
- New Guinea
- The Solomons
- Invasion of Japan
- Carrier ops
- Anti-shipping
And plenty of stuff that's never been modeled before:
- USSR vs. Japan in Mongolia
- China vs. Japan pre-Flying Tigers
- Filipino air force vs. Japan
- Singapore
- Dutch colonies early in the war
- Alaska
- Thailand vs. Vichy French
- Post-Flying Tigers CBI
- The Hump
- India
- Australia
- Flying boats and floatplanes
Until now, most Pacific sims have concentrated on the US vs. Japan. But now there's an opportunity to examine the other nations and obscure aircraft involved in the theater:
- Soviets flying Polikarpovs
- Japanese flying Claudes
- Filipinos flying Peashooters
- Chinese flying Lancers
- Brits flying Buffaloes
- Aussies flying Boomerangs
- Thais flying Hawks
- Vichy French flying Moranes
Flight-sim development resources are limited, these days. We've already got state-of-the-art modeling for the Soviets and the Germans (as well as the minor Axis allies). The Pacific/CBI would encompass almost every other nationality and aircraft, even the Dutch. From there, Europe, North Africa, and the Med would be even easier to model. Plus, Gonzo could finally get a chance to fly P-47s with the Mexican air force in the Philippines ...  -------------------- Political language ... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. -- George Orwell
Posts: 112 | From: Gin Lane | Registered: Jan 2002 | IP: Logged
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stag
unregistered
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posted 01-08-2002 04:22 PM
On the other hand, I don't think North Africa/the Med has EVER been done before. 'Bout time, no?A real cool three-man multi-play campaign would be flying "Faith," "Hope," and "Charity" from Malta; for some weeks the only fighters the defenders had against The Italian Airforce and Luftwaffe; Gloster Gadiators.
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DarkEye
Member
Member # 9401
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posted 01-08-2002 05:12 PM
Hee ... stag needs his Meds.  True enough. SDOE had a nod at North Africa, though. But nothing serious. No doubt that Maddox Games could get a North Africa/Med treatment out faster than the Pacific, what with the Luftwaffe already being done. But I'm willing to wait. Now, if they promised a Spanish Civil War module with the game, I might be tempted ... -------------------- Political language ... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. -- George Orwell
Posts: 112 | From: Gin Lane | Registered: Jan 2002 | IP: Logged
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mane_raptor
Member
Member # 845
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posted 01-08-2002 08:11 PM
Alaska and the Aleutain Islands has not been done!A vastly under-rated area of WWII Think of the thrill of try to land a shot-up plane on an ice covered runway in a pea soup fog. Or the thrill of bailing out and landing in water that will suck the life out of you within 4 minutes. Now that would be something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -------------------- Check six & aim for the cockpit. "We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it. ."-- Edward R. Murrow He who sacrifices freedom for security is neither free nor secure" - Ben Franklin “I believe that freedom of speech should not be so abused by some that it is not exercised by others because of fear of smear. I believe we must not become a nation of mental mutes blindly following demagogues. I believe that we should never become mental mutes with our voices silenced because of fear of criticism of what we might say.” -— U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, R-Maine, 1950, Declaration of Conscience Speech
Posts: 6145 | From: Maine USA, Proud Member of ELF (EAW Liberation Front) | Registered: Nov 1999 | IP: Logged
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stag
unregistered
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posted 01-09-2002 08:56 AM
quote:
Originally posted by mane_raptor:
Or the thrill of bailing out and landing in water that will suck the life out of you within 4 minutes.
Now that would be something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not for very long. At least in the Med, you could add something about dodging sharks...
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DarkEye
Member
Member # 9401
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posted 01-09-2002 10:03 AM
Gramps, you're making me weep! AOTP is still the gold standard, as far as I'm concerned -- at least in terms of campaign. I used to love flying with the Black Sheep over Rabul. And that Wake tour was hard! New Guinea was my personal playground, though. Boy, do I miss 17 Mile Drome, and those palm trees lining the runway. Stuggling aloft in the Iron Dog, gritting my teeth as the Zeros came in, swearing as cannon shells fell short, trying to nurse a crippled bird back onto the airstrip. Talk about immersiveness -- AOTP really put your there. Later sims had better flight models, and flashier graphics, but nothing -- even AOE or EAW -- came close to AOTP's campaign. The different branches your career could take always kept the game fresh, and really gave you a sense of the sprawl of the Pacific Theater. The little touches, like the guy in the bar between missions, maintained perfect period atmosphere. Don't think there's ever been another flight-sim that covered so much of WWII, from 1941-1946. Finish a campaign in AOTP, brother, and you knew you'd been through a war! -------------------- Political language ... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. -- George Orwell
Posts: 112 | From: Gin Lane | Registered: Jan 2002 | IP: Logged
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Zhukov
Member
Member # 4446
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posted 01-09-2002 11:18 AM
Naw, PAW:1942 took away AOTP's crown.
Z
-------------------- "Didja ever notice that guy who pulls out right in front of you, then slows down to 30? Then whenever you get to a passing zone, he speeds up... Then the double solids return, and he's back to 30. And keeps his left turn signal on the whole time? Hitler was much worse than that guy" -- overheard on plastic.com
Posts: 4315 | From: Montreal, Quebec, CANADA | Registered: Apr 2000 | IP: Logged
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stag
unregistered
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posted 01-09-2002 06:04 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Gonzalo Nieva:
Thinking again a mediterranean front will let me fly the Stringbag!!!. Don't You love lose causes?. 
Lost Causes? The Stringbag sank more tonnage in the Med than any other Allied aircraft! It just did it... slowly.
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Spectre_USA
unregistered
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posted 01-09-2002 07:28 PM
Thaks gents, never heard that term before.
One of these things...  Looks all kinds of scary during WWII to be caught in one of them...
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Jennifer
Member
Member # 4588
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posted 01-10-2002 03:13 PM
quote:
Originally posted by stag:
Ooooo! you are going to be in SOOO much trouble, now! Jen? JEN? JEEEEEEEEN!
What? -------------------- Escadrila54.com
Posts: 867 | From: W. Lafayette, Indiana | Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged
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stag
unregistered
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posted 01-11-2002 01:50 AM
MOI? When you break it down, HE implies you lose concentration if a target behaves oddly. When have you ever seen me behave od- Whan have you ever seen me behave oddly online?
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