Is there a reason why the folks over at A2A haven't taken their accu-sim aircraft and coupled it with their AI programming skill from Battle of Britain II Wings of Victory to make the ultimate off-line flight sim experience? I don't own any of the accu-sim aircraft but from the looks of it they can simulate emergencies and wear and tear on flight components, I feel like it wouldn't be a huge leap from there to implement a full blown damage model.

I feel like having a 'living' aircraft that carries over the stress from previous missions would really add a lot to immersion that current combat sims are missing. I think it would be really cool to have to deal with these consequences. After landing your P-40 in north Africa you go to the hangar screen and assign priorities of work to your crew chief. Depending on the amount of work to be done, spare parts, and time available you can prioritize what you want them to work on. Spend too much time in WEP during the mission and your squadron may be down an aircraft for the next mission while your engine is undergoing maintenance. Perhaps the OP tempo is too high and you decide to skip some routine servicing which would result in a higher likelihood of an emergency on your next mission. Maybe you have to fly another pilot's aircraft for a mission while yours is in the shop and you would notice slightly different flight characteristics. In my experience there can be noticeable differences in aircraft even in sequential tail numbers off the factory line.

Perhaps as you work your way up the ranks and are given a flight you could manage a pool of aircraft in this manner. If your supply of replacement parts is lost or delayed it may force you to turn one of your aircraft into a 'parts bird' to keep the others flying. I'm sure this could lead into whole new debates about the 'best' WW2 fighters as not only aircraft performance comes into play but operational readiness and availability. Imagine the challenge of managing a Gruppe of ME-262s, you may have a 100MPH airspeed advantage but you have to overhaul the Jumo-004 engines every 10-15 hrs. Of course if that isn't your cup of tea I'm sure there could be an auto-manage option available.

I understand that FSX may not be the ideal place to do all of this. Is the game engine the only reason they haven't taken what seems to be the next logical step in development?

Beagleboy,

Accu-Sim is our own independent engine that we've been building over recent years, that is interfaced with FSX. Little by little, we ask for less of FSX. Accu-Sim now controls the entire guts of the aircraft beneath the skin (engine, prop, all systems, gauges, sounds, etc.). We use FSX for its excellent open-architecture engineering. Presently, FSX is closer to being just a 3d engine and environment for us but it is still far and away the platform of choice for this purpose.

And yes, no question, BOB2 WoV is a jewel as what it does do, it does better than any other.

Scott.

FSX never was and never will be a suitable platform for combat ops, regardless of add-on compatibility.

Even that VRS plugin thingy won't replace a dedicated combat sim like F4 or SF2.

Blade124, it sounds to me that all of you over at A2A would be open to making a combat version of accu-sim. If so I would suggest basing a campaign off of Lt. Gen. George Loving's career. He flew the Spitfire Mark V & Mark IX and the P-51B&D in the Mediterranean theater with the USAAF. His book WOODBINE RED LEADER A P-51 Mustange Ace in the Mediterranean Theater is a great read and would be a lot of fun to fly in accu-sim aircraft.