Airplanes for... what???

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Combined arms is a bit odd in a WW1 setting, the planes were in practice only used for scouting. Hand-dropped 5kg bombs didnt make much diff in the outcome of ground battles. Making them a brigade with a potential bonus if they outnumber the enemies planes seems the only sensible solution.

Being able to see two zones away when planes are attached to divisions or ships could be considered, but I dont think it can be implemented in the moddable data files.

Consider the "combined arms" late in the war, I agree scouting, firing
pistols at enemy planes and dropping flechettes don't qualify, but
with wireless, artillery spotting, supply route attacks and strafing ground troops do.

 

[Gwalcmai]

Combined arms is a bit odd in a WW1 setting, the planes were in practice only used for scouting. Hand-dropped 5kg bombs didnt make much diff in the outcome of ground battles. Making them a brigade with a potential bonus if they outnumber the enemies planes seems the only sensible solution.

Yes, hand dropped 5kg bombs probably didn't make much of a difference. That's why they designed aircraft for the purpose of dropping bombs on the enemy. There was, for instance, the DH4 built by the thousands to deliver its 200kg of bombs. Or the Gotha G.V's payload of 500kg. Or a load of other designs, up to the Handley-Page V/1500, capable of carrying an impressive payload of 3400kg in its internal bomb bay (30 250lb bombs).

Being able to see two zones away when planes are attached to divisions or ships could be considered, but I dont think it can be implemented in the moddable data files.

I'd rather see combat bonus than clearing the fog of war to two provinces away. The increased vision just seems like it would be a weird effect.

 

[Zaleukos]

Yes, hand dropped 5kg bombs probably didn't make much of a difference. That's why they designed aircraft for the purpose of dropping bombs on the enemy. There was, for instance, the DH4 built by the thousands to deliver its 200kg of bombs. Or the Gotha G.V's payload of 500kg. Or a load of other designs, up to the Handley-Page V/1500, capable of carrying an impressive payload of 3400kg in its internal bomb bay (30 250lb bombs).

I'm admittedly not terribly familiar with what roles these planes performed during the war nor their intended roles (and thus likely talking out of my ass, but thats what the internet is for), but weren't at least the Gotha and the Handley-Page strategic bombers? Given that strategic bombing had dubious value prior to late ww2 I dont think that it has to be taken into account in the game. Googling turns up a page that said that the DH4 did get to show its value during the few months in service, so I take it that it had a larger impact, but what was its role?

I'd rather see combat bonus than clearing the fog of war to two provinces away. The increased vision just seems like it would be a weird effect.

Well, it was just a hipshot at a recon-related bonus. I have no idea whether it is feasible or meaningful Thinking about it it would be nice to see artillery be even more devastating (as it would benefit from recon) if in a stack with planes, what do you think of that as a "combined arms" solution?

At any rate I think that a scout plane attachment would have been feasible for a much longer in game period (say starting 1905 rather than 1915) compared to tactical bombers, and I'm very uncertain the latter existed on a scale that warrants pure air units as opposed to brigades under the level of abstraction in Vicky.

One could envision an early invention that gives the "scouting bonuses" to all units once aircraft are invented though, and a second later invention that allows for some sort of tactical air support attachment, but that means that the desired market for aeroplanes come up fairly late in the game