In the years that I've been working with sims, I've taken a keen interest in the follow-on planes that everyone wants.
But one question is seldom ever asked...and that is the one that takes the debate to the next, and to me, most logical step.
The real question is not what the aircraft should be...instead, it is what does the simmer think he is going to do with it, given the limitations that we have in terms of control devices and viewing environment.
Some of these aircraft require a crew to fulfill their mission. How do we deal with that?
Others are a "one mission only" type of plane. How many bombing missions in a B-1 or B-2 do you think it would take before you got bored with the game?
Many of today's weapons systems require a connection with outside systems...LGBs being the favorite example. Do we continue to push questions about where the outside input is coming from to the back-burner?
Don't get me wrong. I think it's high time to move on to another type of sim environment or type of operations...the problem is making that happen within the constraints that we all have to live with.
