Channel Map Question.

[Backdraft]

I dont know if this is the right spot to put this , I couldn't find right section.I dont want to sound like a hater because I'm not but the More I look at the CHannel Map I am less and less impressed by a flying perspective not as to Terrain and features but of the Location Choice. Especially in realeasing with the P-47. they have missed the Majority of the P-47 Bases. All the Mustang bases. All the B-17 Bases, all but 2 B-24 Bases. and even where it is now if this was to be a RAF based map it still misses most of all the Historic RAF bases. Biggin Hill ,Boxted, Martlesham,Kenley,Hornchurch,North Weald... Dont get me Wrong the map is amazing and beautiful, But man just think it was a missed huge opportunity for the placement of the map and potential missions and campaign design. With Basically Eliminating most of 12 group RAF, and all of the 8th AF. Kinda of a real, Bummer . I was just thinking, it would have been more community friendly in a more well known,useful, historical area. To build from. Like the cliffs are great but if that area was moved down to the left corner of the map. It would open where most of everything was fought from to the north. Then other side, ties into northern France, Belgium,Holland where some of the most numerous and historical battles took place.

 

Plus add to the fact of the current stable of warbirds. Doesn't truly fit this area. A8's, Dora's, and the 51's ,47's all north of Manston.

Now if there was Hurricanes, Early spits,109E's BOB era. I can see for future. I just belive this wonderful map could have been in a more I guess to say operationally better geographically location, Would have been good. Like I said just my thoughts as a player and why i dont think it fits.

 

But check it out. The location of all the majority of the bases both RAF and US. I know it's early access but Just Curious.

[DD_Fenrir]

USAAF 9th Air Force fields that are on the Channel Map:

 

RAF High Halden - 358th Fighter Group - P47s

 

 

USAAF 9th Air Force fields that could be on the Channel Map but currently are not:

 

RAF Ashford - 406th Fighter Group - P-47s

RAF Headcorn - 362nd Fighter Group - P-47s

RAF Kingsnorth - 36th Fighter Group - P-47s

RAF Lashenden - 354th Fighter Group - P-51s

RAF Staplehurst - 363rd Fighter Group - P-51s

RAF Woodchurch - 373rd Fighter Group - P-47s

 

 

On the run up to D-Day these groups performed both escort and ground attack duties, prior to moving to France.

 

As for 8th Air Force, yeah, you're SOL. But then we don't have P-51s or P-47s rated to the 150 octane Manifold pressures anyway so, essentially if you own either of these, you're flying for the Ninth, like it or not!

 

But given the tactical air forces sortied against targets in the Pas de Calais twice as often as they did in Normandy (Operation Fortitude) on the run up to D-Day, then maybe this map starts to make more sense.

 

B-17s did run shorter hops to plaster airfields and industry in France occasionally, but the A-20s are far more representative, taking on Bridges, marshalling yards etc. Then there are the V-1 launch sites.

 

Plenty of scope here, eventually, for a good representation of ops in early 1944.

[Sprool]

Is that what DCS is for? To give as historically accurate as possible recreation of WW2 events? Or to give a creative sandbox, immersive and rich for single player and online multiplayer missions, to allow people to build their own sets of missions to challenge their flying and tactics?

[unlikely_spider]

:doh:

Is that what DCS is for? To give as historically accurate as possible recreation of WW2 events? Or to give a creative sandbox, immersive and rich for single player and online multiplayer missions, to allow people to build their own sets of missions to challenge their flying and tactics?

Both of those things are good

[Backdraft]

Is that what DCS is for? To give as historically accurate as possible recreation of WW2 events? Or to give a creative sandbox, immersive and rich for single player and online multiplayer missions, to allow people to build their own sets of missions to challenge their flying and tactics?

 

 

You have a point but, that is what I was eluding too as to what you said. But a different area would open that sand box to exactly what you mentioned but incorporating history into play as well. As we are flying warbirds and historical representations of the era and to have that feel of being there or what could've been. Having an area that was crucial to the war in Europe. Would enhance what you mentioned.

 

Not saying this area didnt play a role. But just would have been more, ,say more opportunistic for recreation. A flight of 51' escorting to wounded birds back from Holland to bassingbourne. Or the famous 20th FG Loco Busting in Belguim. Etc. Not to say you cant know but, having the historical aspect behind that are would just make it better immersion, well at least for me. But just overall my opinion.

[Enduro14]

Allot of significant operations happened within the borders of this channel map, for instance look at Dieppe probaly spelled it wrong, but anyway lots of history.

[MegOhm_SD]

I don’t know the answer...but Has anyone said the map is not expandable?

[Tinkickef]

Nobody has said anything about expanding, but they did introduce new areas in the PG map after launch.

Early days yet.

We certainly need more airfields than at present, something that I am sure will come. At the moment, the map although very impressive is pretty much a barely functional placeholder in relation to what it will become by the time it leaves early access.

 

Looking forward to seeing it mature.

[Slippa]

I can fly over where I live on the Channel map. Virtually maybe but I can do it and often do flights from an airfield not ten minutes drive from me. 
 

Reading this, three years after the last post, I too am ‘looking forward’ to seeing someone give it what it desperately needs. For me, that would mean axis aircraft as well as allied airfields and ALGs, pretty much as @DD_Fenrir mentioned. 
 

I know it’s a sandbox and if we want to we can fly Vipers out of Manston day or night but if we’re after a bit of WW2 Module flying (which I really am) and want to make things more historically sensible, the Channel map leaves me wanting. Just my bit, after reading this and knowing how three years later, not a lot’s been changed or made a bit more sense of.

Maybe in a couple of weeks? 

[71st_AH Rob]

42 minutes ago, Slippa said:

Maybe in a couple of weeks? 

No.

I am sure if you do a quick search (on my phone so it is painful) you will find that they have emphatically stated that the map is feature complete and there are no plans to add more airfields. 

I think the map tools for this map have been overtaken by newer ones used for maps like N2, so they are reluctant to invest in more work on it. I hope they do the same thing and replace this one with C2, much larger and compatible perhaps with N2. But I'm not holding my breath.

[Slippa]

1 hour ago, 71st_AH Rob said:

But I'm not holding my breath.

Neither am I. We'll have to go with crossing the fingers, maybe the toes.

[Tree_Beard]

On 7/23/2023 at 10:13 AM, Slippa said:

if we’re after a bit of WW2 Module flying (which I really am) and want to make things more historically sensible, the Channel map leaves me wanting. Just my bit, after reading this and knowing how three years later, not a lot’s been changed or made a bit more sense of.

Maybe in a couple of weeks? 

You just need to hope that next time the devs draw a name out of a hat to select which map to do next, it is something at least slightly relevant to the modules in the game... and hope that they don't pull "The English Channel" for the 4th time in a row. 

[Slippa]

I’d be happy if the devs hat had modules to choose from instead of maps tbh. Prop modules o course. 

[Screamadelica]

Channel map makes sense as it sets ED up for a release of Battle Of Britain modules, which is something on their radar for eventual release.

A DCS Hurricane would be awesome to fly. Just hoping it's in my current lifetime.

And like DD Fenrir said there was plenty of activity with diversionary raids in the area prior to D-Day.

Also allows for shorter mission times as there is a little less of the ditch to fly over.

 

[Slippa]

The Hurricane would be great to see in DCS but I don’t think either of us will live to see it. 

Hawker Typhoon or Tempest would also be great and would be more useful but we never hear a sniff about them, other than from fellow DCS pilots wanting them. There’s a brilliant team working to restore one now to airworthy condition (RB396).  I’m hoping I can hold on long enough to see that fly and maybe it’ll get the recognition it deserves. Fascinating family story too but that’s outside of DCS…

There was enough activity throughout the war over the Channel to warrant a lot more than what we have at present. He111s, Me110s, Ju87s (early), Me262s (late) would all be good. We need bombers too, Blenheims, B-25s would be nice, the Lanc, obviously. Scooby and the team are beavering away getting that built but we also need Bomber Command airfields. Yeah, we could use Manston or Biggin but…

I’m still a bit surprised to see Leeds castle modelled. I don’t mind, it’s only up the road so I know it well but it isn’t in the chain of castles that were actually protecting the Country Centuries ago, it’s more one of these pretty things with no real purpose other than to flaunt wealth and impress totty. Rochester Castle on the other hand, with the bridge across the River was part of the chain from London to Dover, more a choice I’d have thought they’d have gone with. Canterbury? Well… Maybe they ran out of memory, or stones to build it with but if Leeds castle gets a look in then Canterbury Cathedral being rejected is tantamount to sacrilege .

Of course, I’m just waffling and don’t mind that much. I love the map all in all but it could be better. Hornchurch being missing on both the Channel and Normandy2 still bugs me but unless they give us building blocks and planning permission we won’t be seeing that either.

 

[Tree_Beard]

8 hours ago, Screamadelica said:

Channel map makes sense as it sets ED up for a release of Battle Of Britain modules

And when do you expect to see these BoB modules? 2030 if we're lucky? Glad we've got the BoB map 10 years in advance. 

I can (sort of) swallow the excuses for why the actual planes that get developed for the sim seem so incoherent, since everyone thinks a different plane is the coolest and they need good data to model it, etc... but the maps... I really don't understand what goes on behind the scenes with these things cause the development pattern makes no sense at all. 

[Screamadelica]

15 hours ago, Tree_Beard said:

And when do you expect to see these BoB modules? 2030 if we're lucky? Glad we've got the BoB map 10 years in advance. 

2030 would be nice, hoping I've got another 20 years left, so I may actually see DCS WW2 in some state of sanity one day....

 

[Silver_Dragon]

And when do you expect to see these BoB modules? 2030 if we're lucky? Glad we've got the BoB map 10 years in advance. 
I can (sort of) swallow the excuses for why the actual planes that get developed for the sim seem so incoherent, since everyone thinks a different plane is the coolest and they need good data to model it, etc... but the maps... I really don't understand what goes on behind the scenes with these things cause the development pattern makes no sense at all. 

Bob modules was talked by CEO Nick Grey and has on your plans, after F-6F Hellcat module.

Enviado desde mi CPH2197 mediante Tapatalk

[Tree_Beard]

9 hours ago, Silver_Dragon said:

Bob modules was talked by CEO Nick Grey and has on your plans, after F-6F Hellcat module.

Enviado desde mi CPH2197 mediante Tapatalk
 

So what. That means nothing. For a guy with 11 thousand comments on this forum you should know that by now. 

[Silver_Dragon]

4 minutes ago, Tree_Beard said:

So what. That means nothing. For a guy with 11 thousand comments on this forum you should know that by now. 

very funny, the F-6F was talked by Nick Grey CEO some years ago on official interview and now has official ww2 module on progress by ED, only check 2023 and Beyond video and Wags confirm them... about Bob, has Nick plans and he fly that warbirds on The Fighter Collection...