thanks for the comliment. The mission is the end result of 12 months or more of tweaking and testing.
1. The server is for everyone. Having externals on gives new guys an oportunity to see what the hell is actually going on.
2. Popularity. Its proven to be more popular with them on than off.
3. For fun. I and many others like to watch their own aircraft fly bye, admire skins and best of all watch their team mates take out targets like ships or sam sites. as well as enemy pilots.
4. The server already has AWACS most of the time and they will do a better job of giving SA then trying to F2. Especially once there starts to get more players.
5. Policing: Admins are able to respond quickly to warpers, and illegal loaders.
All in all its our opinion that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
This whole mission is designed for teamwork. A single 25T flying on his own survival rate is very poor. However, a coordinated strike of 2 or more with fighter escort has a much greater chance of being successful and surviving. If a plan is made and fighters meet up with frogs then then extra flying time is useful get the group formed up.
Running a server and designing missions you soon learn that: You can't make everyone happy all of the time. You can make most happy most of the time.