Stretch goal: Floatplane fighter
almost 4 years ago – Tue, Jun 09, 2020 at 01:43:04 PM

The ninth stretch goal, double-sided board, has been reached! Since now the board also has a variant with the sea surface - the next stretch goal is a French floatplane fighter:

#10 - $ 45 000 - new aircraft: Hanriot HD.2

We believe that this amount of $ 45,000 will be reached, because it is common to have a slightly larger influx of new bakers in the last days of the campaign. In any case, even after the end of the campaign, the stretch goals will continue during the pre-order campaign on BackerKit (we'll post more info about it  near the end of campaign). Just like before, the next two stretch goals would also be aircraft of the same category, in this case, floatplane fighters: Rumpler 6B and Sopwith Baby.

Stretch goal: Double-sided board
almost 4 years ago – Mon, Jun 08, 2020 at 02:56:36 AM

The stretch goal #8 is unlocked:

Board with double-sided print pays off only if a large series is done. Since we have an agreement with our Japanese associates (K2 Publishing) to produce a series of these games in Japanese, it increases the total number to produce. Therefore, we have decided to place the stretch goal for a double-sided board earlier than initially planned:

#9 - $ 40 000 -  Double-sided board

The back side of the board will represent a water surface. In addition, the set will include 6 ship-shaped Task Zones (transparent plastic foil).

ADD-ON: "Additional Aircraft Types" - Part 2
almost 4 years ago – Sun, Jun 07, 2020 at 10:01:52 PM

In the comments on Update #7, we got support to make an add-on "Additional Aircraft Types" and many interesting suggestions. Some suggestions arrived via social networks, and we also received several extensive emails with detailed proposals. Based on that, we made a list of aircraft types that will surely be represented in the add-on. Among your proposals were the types that are already represented in the Expansion (in the Serbian or Bulgarian aviation) and therefore, they will not be part of this add-on. We are also adopting the proposal to make some planes of the same type colored differently.

Some planes were chosen because they were produced in large numbers and played a significant role in war operations. There are also types that are produced only as prototypes or in small series, but some of their characteristics are very interesting and we believe that gamers will be interested in "trying them out" against already proven planes.

It was also suggested to include more than 30 types of aircraft in this add-on, which would practically cover all the most important and interesting aircraft of the First World War.

Based on some suggestions, we have another proposal - to make an add-on where only the most important types of aircraft would be repeated, but in a larger number of 3 pieces per type ("Important Aircraft Supplement"). In that way, some larger air battles could be simulated, where the most common aircraft   participated. If this proposal is adopted, the types of aircraft that should be represented would be specified in a special update.

We are ready to fulfill the wishes of the bakers, but we have to conduct another mini survey. We ask bakers to answer the following questions in the comments:

Question A: Do you want the Add-on "Additional Aircraft Types" to be increased from 30 to 40 aircraft types (80 pieces)? In that case, the price would increase from 24 to 30 dollars.

Question B: Do you want us to prepare another add-on "Important Aircraft Supplement".

Question C: The list of aircraft that will certainly be included in the "Additional Aircraft Types" add-on is the following, and below that is a list of proposed aircraft:

Already chosen:

 - Sopwith Triplane (fighter)
   - Sopwith Pup (fighter)
   - Bristol M.1 (fighter)
   - Short Type 184 (torpedo bomber)
   - Sopwith 1½ Strutter (general purpose aircraft)
   ___________

   - Morane-Saulnier L  (scout – fighter)
   - Morane-Saulnier AC * (scout – fighter)
   - SPAD S.A2 (fighter)
   - Caudron R.11 (bomber)
   - Borel-Odier Bo-T  (torpedo bomber)
* The Morane-Saulnier AC aircraft will be part of the main game instead of the Morane-Saulnier AI (with numbers 1, 2 and 3). As an "early" fighter aircraft, the M-S AC fits much better with the British Airco DH.2 and the German Fokker E.IV. That's why Morane-Saulnier AI is moving to the "Additional Aircraft Types" add-on instead.
   ___________

 - Fokker D.VIII (fighter)
   - Pfalz D.XII (fighter)
   - Siemens-Schuckert D.IV (fighter)
   - Junkers CL.I (ground-attack aircraft)
   - Gotha G.IV (bomber)

The planes that the backers should vote for are on the following list. Among them are planes from Japan, Italy, USA, Austria-Hungary and Canada. Numerous prototypes are also represented, some of which are very specific. In the comments, backers can write the full names of the planes they are voting for or give only their listed numbers (each backer can vote for multiple aircraft). Seven days after the publication of this update, we will count your votes and make the final choice.

For voting:

British:

1. Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
  2. Vickers F.B.5
  3. Bristol bullet
  4. Sopwith Snipe
  5. Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
  6. Airco DH.10
  7. Airco DH.5
  8. Airco DH.9
  9. Armstrong Whitworth F.K.10
  10. Austin Osprey
  11. BAT Bantam  F.K.23
  12. Fairey III
  13. Felixstowe F.2
  14. Martinsyde Buzzard
  15. Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
  16. Short Type 320
  17. Sopwith Cuckoo
  18. Sopwith TF.2 Salamander
  19. Vickers F.B.14
  20. White and Thompson No.3

French:

21. Morane-Saulnier N
  22. Morane-Saulnier I
  23. Caudron R.11
  24. SPAD S.XI
  25. Voisin Triplane
  26. Nieuport 10
  27. Nieuport 27
  28. Dufaux C.1
  29. Paul Schmitt P.S.7
  30. Salmson-Moineau S.M.1
  31. Gourdou-Leseurre Type A
  32. De Bruyère C 1
  33. Farman F.31
  34. Caudron C.23
  35. Caudron G.4
  36. Georges Levy G.L.40
  37. Tellier T.3
  38. Descamps 27
  39. Salmson 4
  40. SEA IV

German:

41. Hansa Branderburg GW
  42. Junkers J.I
  43. Hansa Branderburg W12
  44. Pfalz D.III
  45. AEG Dr.I
  46. Albatros D.III
  47. Fokker D.V
  48. Dornier-Zeppelin D.I
  49. Friedrichshafen FF.33
  50. Rumpler C.IV
  51. Halberstadt CL.II
  52. Hannover CL.III
  53. AEG J.I
  54. Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge
  55. Gotha WD.14
  56. LVG C.VI
  57. Albatros C.VII
  58. Friedrichshafen G.III

USA:

59. Curtiss HA
  60. Cutriss 18 T Wasp
  61. Loening M-8
  62. Martin MB-1

Japanese:

63. Yokosuka Ro-go Ko-gata

Italian:

64. SIA 9
  65. Pomilio Gamma
  66. Savoia-Pomilio SP.3
  67. Macchi M.7
  68. Caproni Ca.4

Canadian:

69. Curtiss C-1 Canada

Russian:

70. Lebed XII
  71. Sikorsky S-20

Austro-Hungarian:

72. Fokker M.7
  73. Phönix C.I
  74. Lohner B.VII
  75. Aviatik (Ö) C.I
  76. Hansa Branderburg C.I
  77. Knoller C.II

Rulebook in other languages
almost 4 years ago – Sat, Jun 06, 2020 at 04:46:30 PM

There is already interest in translating the rules for this game into other languages. In our Tank Chess project, backers helped us so we now have rules in 21 languages.

The agreement was that the translators would get one of our games of their choice as a reward for their work. If there are interested bakers to translate the rules of this game, we suggest two variants as the reward for translators:

1. To pledge $1 and to get the basic game ($48) as a reward.

2. To pledge $48 for the basic game, and get the Expansion + Additional Aircraft Types add-on (28 + 24 = $52).

The rules are already available in PDF format here.

It is enough to just translate all the text and send it to us in text format. Bakers who read such text without images can view the images in the original rulebook in English.

Interested translators should contact us at [email protected]. After the agreement, they could start translating. It would be good if the translation is finished before or soon after the end of the campaign.

For now, we have the rules translated into French, which was done by backer Laurent Journaux (please note again that it is not necessary for the text to be arranged with the images).

------------

We believe that this game will have its editions in various languages in the future. We have already agreed with the K2 Publishing that they will be publishers and distributors for Japan.

Service ceiling
almost 4 years ago – Sat, Jun 06, 2020 at 04:46:27 PM

Since the stretch goal "sixth altitude level" has been reached, we have made a list of aircraft types that can fly that high. All aircraft with a flight ceiling of 6000 meters or higher (Fokker D.VII, Phonix DI, Fokker Dr.I, Morane-Saulnier AI, Spad S.XIII, Salmson 2, Macchi M.5, ... ) can fly on the sixth level (L6 stand).

Most types of aircraft have a ceiling between 5000 and 6000 meters (Albatross D.V, Sopwith Camel, SE.5, Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5, Ansaldo A.1 Balilla, ...) and they can use all heights except the sixth (L1 to L5).

There are many types that can fly no higher than 4000-5000 meters (AEG G.IV, Airco DH.2, Hansa-Brandenburg CC, ...) so they can use altitude stands from L1 to L4.

Some planes have a flight ceiling below 4000 meters (almost all Russian planes, Handley Page O/400, Albatross C.III, ...). They can only use stands L1, L2 and L3.

The information about the flight ceiling of each type of aircraft is one of the basic characteristics, so it will be marked on the pieces and on the control panels.

Fast climbing

We additionally analyzed the climbing speeds of all types of aircraft. So far, Fokker D.VII, Fokker Dr.I, SPAD S.XIII and Ansaldo SVA have had the characteristic of "Fast climbing". We have now decided that all airplanes with climbing speed higher than 5 meters per second have this characteristic, which now includes Sopwith Camel, Morane-Saulnier AI and Aviatik (Berg) D.I. But, we decided that some types have the possibility to climb as much as three levels in one move! One of them is certainly the Fokker D.VII (9.52 m/s), but also Morane-Saulnier AI (8.3 m/s) for which we have previously overlooked the fact that it has an excellent climbing speed. These planes will have a mark "double green arrow" on their pieces and control panels.

The flight ceiling as a new basic characteristic of the aircraft significantly influences the game to be even more realistic. Also, there is now a difference between "Fast climbing" aircraft, and on that basis, it is up to the players to use it in the best way to defeat the opponent.