Using drop tanks and simulating realistic range limitations

[kbetz]

Just curious if anyone has a recommendation of how best to simulate fuel limitations using IL2 maps. I know maps are scaled down from actual, on one hand I'm fine with reaching a target in 20 min instead of an hour. On the other hand the use of drop tanks was a first order consideration in RL, but are rarely needed in the game.  If one were to reduce the fuel of all squadrons to maybe 50%, does DCG adjust missions accordingly so that planes are not falling out of the sky?  

[Lowengrin]

No, DCG won't adjust missions according to fuel limitations.  The only way to reduce the range is to over-ride each plane types' range limit in the Aircraft Class Settings Panel.  Then DCG won't create missions for those planes outside of those limits.

But the planes would still load with 100% fuel...the exception being the player's squadron which you can specify fuel load in the Custom Mission Selection Panel.

[kbetz]

OK, Thanks I'm sure that the effort required to factor that in would not  be widely appreciated anyway. DCG still generates some really great missions. I have been watching Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles podcasts (he discusses WW2 planes in granular detail) The one that prompted my question covered the USAAF resistance to providing droptanks to P-47s for bomber escort due to their hubris re bomber ability to fend off German fighters. 

[Lowengrin]

Let's say that you reduced the range of fighters to 100km in DCG while at the same time setting the Action Radius to 250km; DCG would then generate missions for those fighters beyond 100km if they had drop tanks listed as a load out and they would spawn in with the drop tanks.  Of course, in actuality, they wouldn't need them and the AI would drop them on contact with the enemy.  The AI isn't smart enough to consider whether it will have enough fuel or not to return to base.

So even if the effort to set fuel limits were small, it has a rather large ripple effect right into the mission generation code.