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Feature Ideas 8-30-2023
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Written and Edited by: MarkEAW CONTENTS
This is a list of features requested from EAW virtual pilots since the beginning, or at least a month after release of October, 1998 :) Many features where implemented in the un-offical versions of the game, v1.28 has alot as bugs and features where addressed in that version. This list is for EAWv1.2+. and would more details as what to include and an estimate of how to. FIELD OF VIEW Would like to see a wider field of view in cockpit i.e
being able to zoom view out farther/move seat back from panel. FIELD OF VIEW (FOV) - Widen it for Widescreens:
(Started with v1.1) The current programming MicroProse introduced in EAWv1.1 when raising the resolution has the "viewing area" only slightly increase or widen, while at the same time its actually moving the pilot seat back a bit to gain more viewable area on each side of the cockpits frame; The higher the FOV, the smaller the HUD printing, targeting sight and plane models become. This is a problem that shouldn't be with true widen FOV and has caused issues for people with poor eye sight when they set there smaller monitors to higher resolutions in game. On a plus side, the higher resolutions in game have a denser pixel count, thereby making even distant planes look like planes instead of a jumble of pixels, the down side is they will be small. Obviously, the larger the monitor screen, the easier it will be to see the smaller print or objects. Larger Font: The Virtual Cockpit: FOV vs Resolution: It's best to pick a resolution your happy with where the MPS pilot seat adjustments are not too far, but far enough from the cockpit dash and you have a tad more viewing area on the left and right side of your screen. Any Resolution that is of a 4:3 aspect ratio will have a very close 45 degree FOV, this is the way the game was first designed. A square aspect screen will keep the targeting sight in the cockpit round in shape rather than oval. If the gun sight is oval in shape, then the screen is stretched. These are 4:3 aspect ratio resolutions (proper ratio):
5:3 aspect ratio resolutions: 5:4 aspect ratio resolutions:
16:9 aspect ratio resolutions:
16:10 aspect ratio resolutions:
NOTES: Overlapped Views: FXEXE Widescreen / View: True Widescreen FOV:
LOADING FUEL GAUGE SCREEN The original game had a very nice looking retro looking MPS "fuel" gauge that showed Mission Progress loading, it gave flavor and function to the game. In the stock game it's available in 640x480. However the other resolutions do not have the gauge, there is just a blank black screen while the mission is loading.
2D COCKPITS Bring Back Standard Cockpit Displays: (started
at v1.1) No one has found away to use the more detailed 2D 'static' cockpit displays again at higher resolutions...They still load with the game however, your just not seeing them...
BUILT IN FRONTEND As helpful as the many existing external front-ends are, Improving the built-in frontend so we can configure the flight from with-in the game itself as well as move the more appropriate eaw.ini settings to the in-game frontend would be helpful. Perhaps we can have drop down menus to choose from if the 8bit in game frontend was updated to 32bit.
VARIABLE WEATHER
would like to see variable weather conditions en-route and over the target... FRONTLINE SMOKE
would like to see battle smoke rising from the moving battle line... MORE SMOKE
smoke columns last longer and rise higher (this is now fixed.... along with much better contrails too...) TIMED FIRE / SMOKE
would like to see a bomber's smoking engine either be feathered and the smoke stops or the smoke develops into a fire which increases and finally causes the bomber to leave the formation and go down... SQUADRON MARKINGS
would like to see fighters with variable markings...instead of the same skin for all plane types....need true multi skin. Aircrafts of same type wear all same livery. No squadron/personnel insignia's...available in OLDER games made before EAW. (done in v1.28) I miss that German late war fighters with "Reichsvertedingund" colored fuselage bands. WAKES
would like to see ship conveys move (with wakes) as do their land counterparts...(such convoys always have existed in eaw they are controlled by 14 bytes in the exe setting their start and end positions on the map, and appear if you set up an interdict on a site with a shipyard... adding the wakes isn't too difficult, we can use the shadow file for that...both VB and I have done that for the basic ships...) CRASHING SHADOW
would like to see the enlarged shadow of crashing, landing A/C reduced to proper scale... CLOUDS
would like to see actual 3d clouds...available in OLDER games made before EAW. SEARCHLIGHTS
Searchlights, they would look soo nice! (VBH made some already!) BARGES
would like to see supply barges on the rivers... TRAIN TRACKS
would like to see Railroad Marshalling Yards with multiple track systems and freight car targets on track sidings...(these are either ttd or target objects and now exist in the newer campaigns we have rail yards with separate targetable wagons in both SAW and Iraq.. (and possibly FAW though I haven't asked VonOben)... and in SAW we have pretty busy ports/ river sides with shipping and dock installations to hit.) BRIDGES
would like to have bridges included as mission targets...(is under active examination at the moment and is an issue with both the mission files and the tmod table in the exe...) How about bridges as bombing targets... they were important targets in ww2 I seem to remember...available in OLDER games made before EAW. ARMOR
would like to see ground armor situated along the moving battle lines...( hmmm.. in SAW we have static armor and trench lines along the frontline... and of course there are moving convoys randomly placed down there too.... but not purposeful moving armor such as in strike fighters...) TROOP SHIPS
would like to see more troop ships located at all the landing beaches during D-Day...(easy to do and troops on the beaches, and armour and supply dumps etc... just needs a new tardata.dat making..with the new tools that is easy...(see moggy's dunkirk)...) MANY MORE
would like to have V-2 sites developed and placed on the missions list...including V-2's and their launch platforms(and new tanks, new terrains, new trucks, a new US Jeep, LSTs, LCTs, and many, many more TMODs, etc, etc, etc)... DAMAGE MODEL
Not need a direct hit to destroy a tank RANDOM TRAFFIC
And the best of the best: Random traffic on the roads, we are almost alone in Europe now (If I'm not wrong only 8 trucks move along countryside ) MORE RANDOM AI
would like to see attacks on bomber formations to be more random as far as location and also number of intercepting aircraft are concerned... CAPTURED CAMPAIGN PILOTS would like to see the captured pilot escape and return to his unit after a few weeks or months...
LIBERATORS AND FORTRESS FORMATIONS would like to see Liberators and Fortress formations fly together...
NUMBER OF BOMBERS AND ESCORTS
would like to see numbers of bombers and escorts increase as game/campaign advances... ENEMY AT AIRPORTS
would like to actually see and catch the Luftwaffe on the ground or just taking off as the mission briefing dialogue suggests...Airfields attacks, with planes sitting in the ground not only destroying buildings. REALISTIC TRACKS
would like to see the railway network across Europe increased to match more realistic patterns...(with the newest tardata editor we can make new railways easily... so the technology now exists for this one to be as complex as you want) MORE PLANES
More planes for formation. RANDOMIZE
how about randomizing the position of intercepting ai so they don't always meet us '5 minutes out'... apparently this was more randomized in the original 1.0 game and this was lost in the 1.2 update. Enemies encountered are ALWAYS 12 (apart big bombers) and ALWAYS at "ten minutes to target"... the original BOB campaign shows us that the game is capable of generating squads on separate missions to the players mission.... so how about a little more random air activity too ??... MISSION TYPE
Mission type is almost fixed depending on air force you fly for. DEFENSES
More defensive artillery at ground target locations. Radar sites and convoy strikes are very "sterile" as there is little defense to keep you on your toes. Shipping that pounds the air with machine gun and flak fire. Bridge targets with defensive artillery and multiple convoys/vehicles. BETTER BACKUP
More randomness of enemy intercept fighters on ground attack missions. Groups of 2-3 or more but at random to suggest they were called in by ground forces under attack. FLIGHT MODEL
AI should play absolutely same flight model of player and not the easy FM, apparently for multiplayer connection over internet, but is used offline too. AI BAIL OUTS would like to see the A/I pilots bailout of their aircraft after it runs out of fuel or before it gets below 800ft...
LEAD DAMAGED BOMBER would like to see the lead bomber leave the formation after sustaining battle damage instead of dragging the whole formation down to ground level...
SURPRISE EFFECT
(The enemy squadron always sees you coming.) How about diving on a fighter squadron who does not suspect you are there ? AI SKILL LEVELS
would like to see the skill level of Luftwaffe match historic reports as game advances... AI MORE AGGRESSIVE
would like to see escort fighters actually attack the intercepting fighters with a little more automatic enthusiasm...
BETTER ESCORTS
Better Escorting fighters behavior...to ?commands? BETTER AI VS GROUND
Improved AI logic when attacking ground targets, not the usual "carpet" style attacks of drop and run but more strategic selection of specific and individual targets. RADIO Multiplayer Radio - Allow leader to assign orders to
human players: This would allow faster orders to be given to all pilots, not just AI. Just the basic commands need to be programmed, with built in voice sound and text on the receiving end would be helpfully. This would bring the game to a modern level, like a command menu in modern military games!
TRUE FULL REALISM SETTINGS
Full Realism Settings - Limit the use of those Arcade Features: Add these settings to the in game configuration settings, primarly for the multiplayer menu settings, but also for the offline player, as needed.1:No padlocking
GUN CONVERGENCE
Add a basic, but proper gun convergence option and settings than can be adjust before flying. Would really like to see a solution to the gun convergence issue. (added to v1.28+)
COASTLINE FLAK
STALLS / SPINS COMBO Separate Stalls and Spins: (Started since v1.0)
PERSONALIZED AIRCRAFT
would like to see personalized A/C for player both online and offline... CONTROL SURFACES
Wheels and control surfaces visibly moving. Flaps and Rudder, etc....
PILOT MAP KEY Make Pilot Map KEY a Toggle: (Started since v1.0)
PILOT MAP ZOOM Pilot Map Zoom: (Needed Since much higher
resolutions are used now, since v1.1) No one has been able to code this into the game as it is hardware connected...
WINGMAN PADLOCK KEY Add a single key wingman padlock. You can only currently padlock on your wingman (or squad leader) by cycling through until he appears then padlock as usual.
PILOT RADIO RANDOM SOUNDS New Sounds and Slots, Pilot Radio: (Started with
v1.0)
MORE SOUNDS AT ONCE 32 Voices: (Started with v1.0)
ADD NEW SOUNDS New Sounds and Slots, Plane Functions: (Started
with v1.0)
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