Barthheart mentioned this upcoming sequel to
Ace Patrol in the Red Baron remake on Kickstarter!! (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=8063.0) thread and it piqued my interest. Didn't want to hijack that thread, so started a new one.
Quote
Battle to Rule the Pacific Skies!
Take flight over the treacherous Pacific waters where ace pilots redefine historic World War II battles! Skillfully pilot the most iconic American and Japanese fighter planes of the Pacific War while representing the army or navy. Upgrade your fighters and promote your leading pilots so they master new skills needed to ambush an enemy VIP, rescue POW pilots or torpedo bomb enemy targets! Can you turn the tide of war? Or will you go down in flames to an enemy ace?
Key Features:
- Enlist in over 180 missions set in iconic WWII battles like Pearl Harbor, Midway and Guadalcanal
- Expertly pilot fleets of American or Japanese aircraft while representing the army or navy
- Earn promotions, equipment upgrades and advanced Ace maneuvers
- Personalize your pilot profile and aircraft to set you apart in battle
- Single Player campaign & Hot Seat Multiplayer missions with leaderboards
Glad to see it will include attacks on shipping. Some screenshots here (http://store.steampowered.com/app/244090/).
Thanks! I likey.
Mucho excelente!
I was hoping for more Ace Patrol stuff. Even if it is WW2, I'll take it. :)
Now this is good news. :)
I really miss Down in Flames and Ace Patrol fits the bill.
Quote from: jomni on October 27, 2013, 06:25:33 PM
Now this is good news. :)
I really miss Down in Flames and Ace Patrol fits the bill.
+100! -- I still miss the playing card mechanic from DiF, but AcePat adds a bunch of other things, so yay. :)
I just bought this and for £4 it's very enjoyable.
Meant to say finished my SOMME mission last night and it was nice to see the hackerz in there with their high scores of 300,000+
Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 29, 2013, 08:17:10 AM
I just bought this and for £4 it's very enjoyable.
Meant to say finished my SOMME mission last night and it was nice to see the hackerz in there with their high scores of 300,000+
wah - i see no purchase button!
Sorry UGC - I meant the Ace Patrol : WW1 game - not the new one.
cool thanks - this game just snuck up on me and after doing some reading im quite interested
Over on Pocket Tactics http://www.pockettactics.com they say that this will be available next Tuesday for the PC and next Thursday for the iPad.
Skweeeeeeeeeeee 8)
^Thanks...for $5 I'll buy it Day 1.
So if I broke down and accepted steam I could get this, the WWI version, and Toy Soldiers. My defenses are weakening. Oh, and Unity of Command too.
Yay, an option to turn off having women pilots ;-) I mean, the game isn't trying to be a serious sim or anything, but c'mon....
From the vague descriptions of the new Pacific version, it looks like the campaign mechanics may be a bit deeper than the original. :)
The timing isn't bad either.. I just received a copy of COA's Whistling Death for some hex-based Pacific air combat on the table.
Toy Soldiers is an awesome game!
It does but I'm an emo sort, you know. If it sucked I wouldn't shed a tear.
Pacific Skies (http://store.steampowered.com/app/244090/) is available. $4.99 ($4.49 until 11/12)
Quote from: steve58 on November 05, 2013, 12:58:31 PM
Pacific Skies (http://store.steampowered.com/app/244090/) is available. $4.99 ($4.49 until 11/12)
Hai.
Insta-buy.
Why does this need to be a separate game from the previous Ace Patrol? ???
It takes place in the Pacific during WWII as opposed to the Western Front in WWI.
Bought. I love SM Ace Patrol
Quote from: JudgeDredd on November 05, 2013, 02:17:54 PM
Bought. I love SM Ace Patrol
Easy buy for me. Love Ace Patrol
Got it. Nice game, different enough to make it worth while. Doesn't feel like a re-skinning at all.
Oh Cupertino, get off your duffs, and get this thing out on the app store!!!! ;-)
Is the naval component modeled well? Dive bombing, torpedos, etc?
I'm holding off for the ios version too.
iOS version should be out Thursday. I'll be picking that up to.
Gus, not really. You play the fighter jocks and are just protecting the bombers of various types.
Quote from: Barthheart on November 05, 2013, 09:24:51 PM
iOS version should be out Thursday. I'll be picking that up to.
Gus, not really. You play the fighter jocks and are just protecting the bombers of various types.
In WWI Ace Patrol, you do give orders to the bombers.
So no missions to actually attack ships in this?
Patience young padawan....I haven't got that far yet so I'm not sure. I didn't read up on it - bought it out the gate because I enjoyed the first one so much
Quote from: jomni on November 05, 2013, 09:28:45 PM
Quote from: Barthheart on November 05, 2013, 09:24:51 PM
iOS version should be out Thursday. I'll be picking that up to.
Gus, not really. You play the fighter jocks and are just protecting the bombers of various types.
In WWI Ace Patrol, you do give orders to the bombers.
Yeah, but they are not your pilots just nameless crew. And "bombing" is just flying over the target. You do get to strafe trains and trucks though...
So far I haven't seen any mission where you control the bombers.... but I've only played a bit...
My initial impression is that the game is more of a tweak than an advance.
I'm halfway through the US Army campaign and played some of the US Navy. I was starting to think that the AI had actually been dumbed down....since my first fights were so easy. But then I ran into Saburo Sakai. His one Zero took out two of my best Buffalo pilots in a long grueling fight. The AI literally ran rings around me. It used clouds, turning ability and altitude to its advantage. I didn't really see that in the first game.
I do miss being able to pick my missions. The new game seems to put me on a rail...at least with the old game, I had the illusion of mission choice.
I like that the WWII aircraft are more powerful and have more maneuver options. Also that they can be more deadly.
Overall, I get the feeling that Firaxis decided to go for a quick win on this one...the game could have been so much more. But for $4.95...what am I complaining about? Also to be fair, the game may still hold some surprise for me. Still it's a great value and I am very happy with the purchase.
But without visible, incremental improvements in features, I am not certain I would buy the next one.
At least there's an option to have only male pilots.
Also permadeath option is interesting but scary.
Yeah permadeath makes the game more interesting and harder.....
+1 on what ArizonaTank mentions - especially not being able to choose missions. But - it was £3!
I've heard that a few times re the female pilots. You know what - it never even occurred to me to be bothered by it. I know it's not historical - but then again it's a game not a history lesson. And yes - I know the battles and timeline are historical. And I do get that a wargame based on WWI is kind of "historical" - but it's a game - it's not teaching history.
Is some wee Johnny somewhere going to come away thinking women flew in WWI? Possibly. Did it ever happen? I haven't the faintest, though I'd likely err on the side of caution and say no. But I don't think it would fix in wee Johnny's head that females took part in flying during WWI.
To view females being in this game as ahistorical I think would be like viewing Black Adder Goes Forth and believing everything in there. One is a game. One is a comedy show. Neither is a historical lesson and nor should they be viewed upon as such.
I'm off now ;D
I don't like the new art scheme.
I prefer the cartoon cell-shaded drawings in In Ace Patrol WWI.
With defined lines and vibrant colors.
In Ace Patrol Pacific, the planes look like cheap plastic models.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fweb4.hobbylinc.com%2Fgr%2Ffjm%2Ffjm11195.jpg&hash=ea8642bab9518243023f56d92ad20cc500e7f5ab)
The pilots look like bob heads.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.entertainmentearth.com%2Fimages%2FAUTOIMAGES%2FFU8530lg.jpg&hash=4d7f5dbc12179af535c50814f9ac59383384d22a)
.
Quote from: Barthheart on November 06, 2013, 09:01:17 AM
Yeah permadeath makes the game more interesting and harder.....
I wasn't a fan of the women pilots but it wasn't a deal breaker. It was the lack of KIAs that had me not really playing. So from reading this thread I assume that the new one has that option?
Quote from: challerain on November 06, 2013, 12:41:56 PM
Quote from: Barthheart on November 06, 2013, 09:01:17 AM
Yeah permadeath makes the game more interesting and harder.....
I wasn't a fan of the women pilots but it wasn't a deal breaker. It was the lack of KIAs that had me not really playing. So from reading this thread I assume that the new one has that option?
Yep, you can toggle permanent death on or off. When On you pilots are lost to you if they get shot down. Really sucks now when you loose an ace!
Is there an exploit?
I have damaged planes, I switched to another plane and switched back immediately.
The damage is gone.
Quote from: Barthheart on November 06, 2013, 12:45:48 PM
Quote from: challerain on November 06, 2013, 12:41:56 PM
Quote from: Barthheart on November 06, 2013, 09:01:17 AM
Yeah permadeath makes the game more interesting and harder.....
I wasn't a fan of the women pilots but it wasn't a deal breaker. It was the lack of KIAs that had me not really playing. So from reading this thread I assume that the new one has that option?
Yep, you can toggle permanent death on or off. When On you pilots are lost to you if they get shot down. Really sucks now when you loose an ace!
Do you get a green replacement pilot or are you permanently down a man?
Haven't tried. My captured pilots don't give up their slot. If dead pilots allow you to recruit a new one, that would be nice. I prefer a green pilot than a wasted slot any day.
You get a new green pilot.
Can you repair damaged airplanes?
One of my four pilot is dead. How do I get a replacement?
Quote from: DicedT on November 07, 2013, 10:32:43 PM
Can you repair damaged airplanes?
One of my four pilot is dead. How do I get a replacement?
Try switching plane types. Then see if switching back repairs the plane. This is an exploit. :/
Quote from: DicedT on November 07, 2013, 10:32:43 PM
Can you repair damaged airplanes?
One of my four pilot is dead. How do I get a replacement?
Damaged planes repair over time. If you have the Grease Monkey ace trait his plane repairs faster. Still don't know what the 5 per turn fix is though...
A new pilot automatically shows up in your roster for the next mission.
The game's pretty good for something that's only five bucks, but I can't help but think this system works much better with WWI dogfighting. I dunno. The Zeros are pretty fun, especially with a sharp pilot and a plethora of maneuver cards. I'm only about 1/2 of the way through the IJN campaign though.
Edit: Yep, you can control bombers at a point. I just fired it up for a couple of minutes and I'm able to control some Bettys doing a run on an American carrier during the Tarawa battles:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1175.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr624%2FMichaelE6%2FIJN.jpg&hash=e8bfa93b1705bfea40eb6f915ef0dd3d0749eb17)
Yeah, but bombing is just like the last game, basically just fly over the target. No having to line up a torpedo bombing run, avoid flak, etc.
I'm liking the new setting and the new features. The planes are now very different from each other in flying, maneuvers available, damage resistance.
To me it's just as fun as the last version.
Yup, bombing's pretty much like the Ace Patrol game - fly over the hex and boom it goes away.
I'm glad they made this - hopefully we'll see an ETO version of it as well.
AFAICT the aircraft damage only gets repaired before the next campaign. However, I think you can just choose a different aircraft model for that pilot (if he's not captured or wounded?), judging by Jarhead's post about switching between them. So if you have more than one type available.. try a different one than the damaged model?
Quote from: Nefaro on November 08, 2013, 02:40:10 PM
AFAICT the aircraft damage only gets repaired before the next campaign. However, I think you can just choose a different aircraft model for that pilot (if he's not captured or wounded?), judging by Jarhead's post about switching between them. So if you have more than one type available.. try a different one than the damaged model?
Yep you can now go back and use older aircraft if you have any.
You may be right about the damage... I haven't really paid enough attention yet...
I just tried switching from a 47% damaged George to a 'clean' Zero. It will indeed let you switch to a different plane, but in my game, the damage stays even when I switch to one then back again.
It kind of makes sense... a little bit. If you have some spare planes lying around (the only dubious part of the assumption), but one plane gets shot up in a mission, there's no reason that a healthy pilot can't hop into a spare undamaged plane and take off immediately.
That, of course, assumes that there is a spare undamaged older plane without a pilot just lying around, ready to fly, and fully gassed up. That is, admittedly, a bit of a stretch. But, if much of the campaign is set in the South Pacific, it's not like they didn't have some ramshackle logistical situations all over the place. On air bases at least, if not on carriers.
And it does make sense that, if different missions are only set a few hours apart, or span a day or two at most, mechanics probably couldn't do much to get a plane repaired. Especially in the battles like the Battle of the Coral Sea, where it's improbable that planes could fly more than 2 missions a day, even operating at a breakneck pace.
.
I was complaining about the graphics earlier and have to admit that it is quite pretty when played on the iPad instead of the PC. :)
Quote from: jomni on November 06, 2013, 07:44:19 PM
Haven't tried. My captured pilots don't give up their slot. If dead pilots allow you to recruit a new one, that would be nice. I prefer a green pilot than a wasted slot any day.
It takes a little while, but you'll eventually be given a ground-attack mission which allows you to free them if successful.