Simple Spotter Plane Introduction

[arkhangelsk]

Well eventually we'll think about it but ... we are now down to having only February, March, April, May and June to get this game to Steam Early Access standards, which is 20 weeks and a bit of change. There really isn't much time left in terms of "new projects" (fixing damage models and such is not "new project") than to get the first draft of the campaign out as fast as possible, get the worst complaints in, and then start putting all blood towards making the game as optimized as possible.

The time for any "new projects", be it a new damage control system (which I put much more importantly than spotter planes) or anything else is after the Steam-ready Early Access is pushed out the door without major bugs.

[Skeksis]

Spotter planes could be part of the recon tech tree…

e.g. 1890-1911+ spies, 1912-1934+ spotter planes, 1935-1940+ radar.

Dates are historical, 1912 was the first ship floatplane installation, 1935 first radar installation. Spies watching enemy fleets leave from ports is probably the only recon (and first enemy fleet recon notice) option for the campaign AI to tell the player of these fleet movements.

For (and if the game sticks to) realism, the game can only introduce radar in 1935, that leaves a big gap for recon during WW1 time frame, the game time frame, spotter planes can fill the gap.

If included and now talking 'campaign-wise' (and with a more complex searching mechanic such as spotter planes with there 'own visual aura'), plane application would have to be part of the campaign to balance the campaign correctly, you couldn’t add them after the fact, that would screw up any balance. Ditto for plane mechanics battle-wise.

Essentially @arkhangelsk, you have to have all your pieces on the board before you can build the campaign, with this in mind, spotter planes is as important as any "new project", even more so. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by Skeksis

[akd]

8 hours ago, Skeksis said:

e.g. 1890-1911+ spies

Strategic, very limited operational (unless you are talking about real time code breaking for operational communications)

8 hours ago, Skeksis said:

, 1912-1934+ spotter planes

Operational, very limited tactical

8 hours ago, Skeksis said:

, 1935-1940+ radar.

tactical, operational when combined with airborne reconaissance

You are placing things in a single "tree" that have completely different purposes and effects and operate at different scales of time and distance.

 

[arkhangelsk]

9 hours ago, Skeksis said:

If included and now talking 'campaign-wise' (and with a more complex searching mechanic such as spotter planes with there 'own visual aura'), plane application would have to be part of the campaign to balance the campaign correctly, you couldn’t add them after the fact, that would screw up any balance. Ditto for plane mechanics battle-wise.

The historical evidence of Rule of Waves would seem to suggest otherwise. The overall effect of planes is pretty weak and can be replicated to a great extent by a few more destroyers, torpedo boats or other scouts. Besides, we all agree that real planes must be introduced eventually, so basically you are going to have to rebalance anyway.

But a note about radar. On second thought, I think I am OK with radar coming up where it is now (starting around 1925 instead of 35). You see, if we use the historical balance, what will happen is that in the last few years the planes will become dominant, to the detriment of the game's theme.

On the other hand, the balance between plane and ship is pretty fine. In 1942, the best of AA-fire (American) had grown to the point of making approaching battleships a rather sordid business for Japanese crews (a battleship claimed 26 kills at Santa Cruz IIRC), while a top of the line plane going against relatively weak AA tends to work. In other words, if we advance fire control technologies like radar forward, we should be able to organically squeeze the darn planes out into a very subsidiary role - only the most massive air strikes or attacks against lone ships will be serious threats.

Of course, if you had been slack at developing radar and other top of the line AA tech, then planes would be very effective against your fleet. You've been warned