Greetings Fellow Aviators & Developers:

Yep, it's me again. You developers are probably saying to yourselves, "We just fixed her bloody X52 joystick glitch, and how does she choose to repay us - with a f#$@ing 'honey-do list'!, What a b@#%&!" What can I say - besides someone would eventually get around to posting their 'list of demands', why not let it be me? Also let me state up front, I have not finished the game yet, so if these features do currently exist (or if I just have not noticed them) please forgive me. Alright, here goes nothing...

1.) Pilot head-bobbing effect like in FSX. I'm a Student Pilot in the real world, and from what I've noticed the pilots head is anything but stationary (especially in violent high-G turns).

2.) While we are on the subject of high-G turns - please add a black-out/red-out effect for vision.

3.) Airframe overstress failures like in FSX.

4.) While the Blazing Angels franchise has focused on WWII combat - how about other timeframes (WWI, Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War). The only reason I didn't mention the Gulf War and Enduring Freedom is because many other games have modern air combat covered (i.e. Falcon 4.0, the Ace Combat series, etc.)

5.) Where is the love for the Rotorwing (helicopters) segment of aviation? Granted helicopters were not in military use until Korea, and Enemy Engaged 2 focuses on Modern copters but there is a lot that can be done here.

6.) I've never seen a game that allows the player to DEFEND or even FLY a large Zepplin...that may be cool. Manning a AA turet onboard during a desperate attack could be exciting. Think about it...

7.) A dynamic weather model that effects the flight characteristics of your aircraft like in FSX.

8.) Less forgiving stall characteristics for all aircraft in simulation mode.

Developers: After your bug-squashing days are over on BA2, please checkout this list. I do realize that some (if not all) of these requests would require a serious overhaul of the BA2 game engine. Please keep these items in mind for future Blazing Angels releases. And let me say again, great job you guys on BA2. As far as I'm concerned, your wiping the walls with 'Crimson Skies'.

To my fellow throtle jockies out there: make your voices heard. The only way you can try to get the game you want is by asking for it! As for me - I'm going flying, but I'm sure that I'll be adding to this list soon. See you in the skies...

Best Regards,

jbranda

quote:

Originally posted by jbranda:
Greetings Fellow Aviators & Developers:

Yep, it's me again. You developers are probably saying to yourselves, "We just fixed her bloody X52 joystick glitch, and how does she choose to repay us - with a f#$@ing 'honey-do list'!, What a b@#%&!" What can I say - besides someone would eventually get around to posting their 'list of demands', why not let it be me? Also let me state up front, I have not finished the game yet, so if these features do currently exist (or if I just have not noticed them) please forgive me. Alright, here goes nothing...

"We just fixed her little X52 joystick glitch, and how does she choose to repay us - with a nice 'list of feature suggestions'!, What a cool thing! Thank you, and since you asked so nicely "


(I was made to promise no "spicy jokes" like I do internally - their words, not mine.)

quote:

1.) Pilot head-bobbing effect like in FSX. I'm a Student Pilot in the real world, and from what I've noticed the pilots head is anything but stationary (especially in violent high-G turns).

Nice, definitely something to consider. I always thought that the heads were a bit "doll-like" myself, but it didn't even dawn on me to say something. Ahh, next time if there is one...

quote:

2.) While we are on the subject of high-G turns - please add a black-out/red-out effect for vision.

We had this in multiplayer in the first BA to keep the 1 on 1 dogfights interesting (break the loop). But, we chucked this in favor of the "defensive weapons" category to accomplish the same thing.

quote:

3.) Airframe overstress failures like in FSX.

Nah, though I'm sure the sim fans would love it, your aircraft suddenly disintegrating without warning is considered a bad thing. If you want, you can make some hard maneuvers around Bogdan's light-saber searchlights and get shredded that way for fun

quote:

4.) While the Blazing Angels franchise has focused on WWII combat - how about other timeframes (WWI, Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War). The only reason I didn't mention the Gulf War and Enduring Freedom is because many other games have modern air combat covered (i.e. Falcon 4.0, the Ace Combat series, etc.)

We've discussed this...but thats all I can say or I'll have to kill you (or hire you).

quote:

5.) Where is the love for the Rotorwing (helicopters) segment of aviation? Granted helicopters were not in military use until Korea, and Enemy Engaged 2 focuses on Modern copters but there is a lot that can be done here.

The love for the rotorwing comes after the WW2 era. Believe it or not, 99% of the stuff in the game actually existed at least on paper at the time. I really stretched the tesla concept and made up the directional mine (it was a claymore from my army days), but that was about it. Everything else was pure research. Germans did have a chopper, but it wasn't even close to combat ready.

quote:

6.) I've never seen a game that allows the player to DEFEND or even FLY a large Zepplin...that may be cool. Manning a AA turet onboard during a desperate attack could be exciting. Think about it...

Its all about the level design baby ...come sign yourself up for a job.

quote:

7.) A dynamic weather model that effects the flight characteristics of your aircraft like in FSX.

Again, too simulatorishice. This ain't a sim, and marketing did get the memo this time. We do have air pockets that can mess you up a bit and rain and fog.

quote:

8.) Less forgiving stall characteristics for all aircraft in simulation mode.

But we're very forgiving people...

quote:

Developers: After your bug-squashing days are over on BA2, please checkout this list. I do realize that some (if not all) of these requests would require a serious overhaul of the BA2 game engine. Please keep these items in mind for future Blazing Angels releases. And let me say again, great job you guys on BA2. As far as I'm concerned, your wiping the walls with 'Crimson Skies'.

To my fellow throttle jockies out there: make your voices heard. The only way you can try to get the game you want is by asking for it! As for me - I'm going flying, but I'm sure that I'll be adding to this list soon. See you in the skies...

Best Regards,

jbranda

Sometimes it works, we always have some poor intern in marketing pour over the boards looking for comments on the game, which get compiled and distilled into something unintelligable for the designers of any potential sequel to figure out. Yes, you are being heard so sound off if (especially) you have positive things to add.

Greetings PolecatEZ:

Thanks for listening and replying so quickly to my prior posting. About that hiring bit...while I am quite busy at this point in my career, I would consider it a pleasure to be considered for a Alpha or Beta tester (or even a volunteer consultant) for any future Flight Simulation games that UBISOFT has in the works. Three things make me a good candidate:

1.) As I mentioned earlier, I am currently a student pilot (Cessna 172 and Grob 103a Glider) , and I have always been interested in aviation since I was a kid.

2.) I have played nearly every flight sim game that has been on the market since the late 1980's, both commercial and military aviation sims, on both PC and consoles.

3.) I actually taught two courses in "Video Game Design" as an Adjunct Professor at Northampton Community College located in Bethlehem, PA. (No joke)

Now that I have my resume out of the way, on to the original topic. Last night I came up with some other "feature improvements" for BA2 and/or future releases:

1.) How about a bail-out system. The free-fall and parachute experience (see MOH - Airborne) could be user-controllable and become sort of a mini-game. The pilot who punched out would have a sub-machine gun and could open fire at the SOB who just shot him/her down. Granted it's not very realistic to think that a sub-machine gun could bring down a speeding plane, but hey I wasn't the one who come up with the Tesla Coil (very cool weapon, by the way). The attacking plane could also try to kill the falling victim (or turn his chute into Swiss cheese) for bonus points and more importantly bragging rights. It's not sporting (or legal under the Geneva Convention), but I can't think of a more fun way of pouring salt in a wound or turning the tables on your foe (depending on your perspective) - can you?

2.) TrackIR 4 support for those of us who can afford the finer things in life (*puts down caviar so that she can adjust her Gucci handbag while her man-servant rubs her aching feet*). No seriously, I do understand that the TrackIR 4 owners club is relatively small in comparison to the general PC gaming audience, but it really does add to the feeling of immersion inside a cockpit. Pretty please...(...keep rubbing man-slave...)

3.) Flaps

4.) Time-compression such as that found in Max Payne or F.E.A.R. Yea, I know it's the most used gimick right now in gaming, but that's because it's cool! Think about it, people during the heat of battle do report this phenomena, plus it would aid the pilot to line up that final killer blow (and savor the aftermath). You know you want it...

5.) A post-kill debris field in the sky which would act like flak if the attacking plane flew through it. Another 'turn-the-tables-on-your-enemy' kind of thing.

Well that's it for now. I'd love to stay and chat, but my man-slave has broken free from his collar again "...HEY HEY HEY, GET BACK HERE - you DON'T want the TASER again, do you?" *voice fades into the distance*

Regards,

jbranda

A lot of good, valid and reasonable points there jbranda but IMO the best part of this game is the sheer fun and escapism. The more this can be enhanced the better, to try to make it more sim would detract from its best feature.

Not really thought how to do this yet though

Stall turns a la "crimson skies" would be a hell of a start though

Greetings everyone:

Phew...my feet hurt again after chasing my man-slave down. If he wants to escape again, he'll have to learn to use an acetylene torch. Nice try, I gotta give him credit.

Anyway, if it's cool turning maneuvers you're looking for, ROU_Tormentor, I've got just the thing. Did you ever watch the movie "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" (A must see for any fan of BA2 or Crimson Skies)? There is a scene in the movie where Sky Captain, in what looks to be a heavily modified P-40 Warhawk, deploys a grappling hook which attaches to a ground structure and literally swings the plane around a tight corner in a 1940's style metropolitan city (at streetcar level, no less). Unrealistic - uh yes, but one of the coolest flying scenes on film to date. Are you listening, UBISOFT?

Keep those ideas coming, boys!

Happy Flying,

jbranda

Greetings everyone:

Ya know, when I'm not flying or gaming or posting messages on boards, I enjoy watching Law & Order. Trying to peace the clues together is a lot of fun. Why do you care?

Well, a while back I saw a Gamespot news story which rumored the development of a brand new Flight Simulation branch on the Tom Clancy franchise tree of games (Tom Clancy's Air Combat). Who makes Tom Clancy games? That combined with PolecatEZ's prior post (specifically his/her answer to Feature Request #4 on my orginal posting) leads me to one concluion. $20 says you guys are currently working on this TC project! Please don't send Sam Fisher after me now that I figured it out! Does this mean no more Blazing Angels titles?

Regards,

jbranda